Random

 It's been a random sort of weekend, so I'm sharing a random assortment of thoughts. 

 Before I moved up to Whidbey Island, I had several people -- more than several, actually -- say things like "but how can you live on an ISLAND?" or "Won't it bother you to be stranded far from everything?"  or "You have to get on and off by FERRY?" 

 Frankly, all of those things were among the long list of features about Whidbey Island that appealed to me and I knew I would love. And it has proven true. I love that there is not a freeway or mult-lane highway on the island. I love that people here take things slow and are always friendly. I love that you can find fish and chips at pretty much every single restaurant. I love that there is water everywhere... Puget Sound. Lakes. Ponds. Inlets. Bays. (My favorite so far is Useless Bay which is a perfectly wonderful name, isn't it?) I love that even on the hottest days here, you can feel the edge of coolness on the breeze from being near the water.

And of course, I love the ferries. Every time I ride the ferry I feel the way I did each time I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge -- which I did fairly often in my pre-Covid life. I GET TO DO THIS as part of my regular life! Saturday morning found me again on an early ferry to the Big World of Shopping in Everett and Lynnwood. I loaded up the back of my car with staples and necessary supplies, then did some fun shopping. I happened upon a Barnes and Noble book store, and treated myself to a small stack of luxury magazines -- Where Women Create, Art Journaling magazine. I was really hunting for a Daphne's Diary (the ultimate self-indulgent magazine) but they did not have any. Ah well. Perhaps next time. I found a fabulous pair of shoes that I could not resist at Nordstrom, and -- woo hoo! -- new dish towels. All that and the thrill of a ferry ride home. 

I am still spending a fair amount of time out on my deck -- for coffee in the morning on the little covered deck, sometimes working out there for a while. and frequent excursions for pup potty stops. There is no lighting at all on the big expanse of lawn below so up until recently I have been out at night with a flashlight to keep track of the dogs while they do their pre-bedtime business. I have to keep an eye on Starlie, as she has been known to slide under the construction fencing if she catches the scent of a bunny or racoon or some other wildlife. This week I put lights around the edge of the deck, which not only look pretty from the house and the deck, but shed enough light across the lawn at night that I don't need to play Dog in the Spotlight at night. 

Over Labor Day weekend, I found a sale on some outdoor chairs -- and the box of parts has been sitting outside since it arrived a while ago. So, yesterday I finally warmed up my allen wrench skills and got them all put together. Another comfy reading and lake-gazing spot. 

Speaking of glider/rocking chairs, I've had this glider for over 25 years -- it was the rocker in Caroline's room when she was a baby. I spent a lot of middle-of-the-nights rocking in that chair when she was tiny! It is a really, really comfy chair -- so even though the cushions were well worn, I didn't want to get rid of it and it came with me to Washington. Recently, I was thinking about a quilt that I made when we moved into the Healdsburg house, over 20 years ago, and how I love it but it has been heavily used and is very worn. It occurred to me that I could cut it up and cover the cushions on the glider, and have the chair in my sewing room. Last weekend I did a quick pillow-case sort of covers and voila. It makes me happy to have both of those memory-filled things in that room.

And then there were the leftover cut off quilt parts. Have you ever heard about "I Found A Quilted Heart?" I had not until a friend found a pretty quilted heart out in the wild, so to speak, and we investigated. A group of sisters started the project, in which anyone is welcome to make quilted hearts, afix a particular tag, and hang them somewhere public to be found. Here is what the tag must say:

I Need A Home
 www.ifaqh.com 
#IFAQH
I Found A Quilted Heart

No names, no maker credit, just an anonymous quilted heart of any fashion. People who find the often post on the IFAQH facebook page to talk about their discovery, and the stories are heartwarming. What a lovely way to put a bit of happiness in the world. So, my pile of leftover quilt has become this so far:

I'll add some buttons or doodads and a hanging ribbon, and the label of course. But it makes me happy to think that that the scraps will have another life with someone else. 

I have to confess that sewing around the edge of a few hearts was the first sewing I've done in over six months. What with packing up, staging, and selling the Healdsburg house, and then getting here and having so much to do with work and unpacking... I threaded my sewing machine, started sewing, an immediately broke a needle because I did not have the right plate on the machine. Geez. Apparently I need to do a whole lot sewing to get myself reacquainted. 

Is it just me, or do inkjet printers have a very short life? I just had to replace my printer which had nothing but problems all along, but finally turned into a very large dead brick. I have spent way too much time reading reviews and comparing printers and finally chose one which arrived today. It's hooked up and printing (which was no small feat given the worst instructions in the world) so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Do you have one that you love? What the heck is it?

May your week be filled with random delights!