retirement: glorious retirement

  Here are the rules. Once you retire from a Texas school:  you have to wait 32 days before you can work for them again.  Then you can work part time.  Which means :  if there are 20 working days in Sept.  You can only work 10 of them.  So you take the 10 and divide by 4.  2.5 days per week.  But, I can work in public school in Ok or AZ and it doesn't bother TRS.  Or I can work at Mcdonald's or a Private school  and it does not affect my retirement benefits.  So:  can I work 10 days in a row.  Or  3 days one week 5 days the next?  And who tells TRS any way:  Is there a tattle fairy out there watching all us retired persons.  Who would know if I went to the Panhandle of Texas and substituted for 11 days?  I guess the tattle fairy would know.  And, who out there keeps a diary of how many days you work.  I just wake up get in my car: drive to work and do what I'm told.  Then I go home and forget what I did at work!  Maybe someone should cut the wings off the tattle fairy.

Another day in a year of happiness

Too happy, too happy to blog everyday.  Once retired I thought I would have lots of free time.  Got a special phone call from a special person and promised to work for a few days.  Never thought I would cross that threshold again.  Our district merged several schools and the brunt of the chaos falls on the librarian's shoulders.  ONce the hundreds of books are boxed and labeled they need to be set-up again at the next facility.       Oh! My!  too much for one person.      So, I am helping.      The librarian must discard the old crummy books.:  and run them through the computer to remove from catalog.  Then new books have to come out of hundreds of boxes of books:  so old icky books can go in them to be trucked away.  But, before these new books can be placed on shelves:  they have to run through a computer: bar code created,  printed and placed on new book.   Then they can go to shelves.  Time consuming and tedious.  By 9:30 I was drinking coke.  By 10:05 I went to my favorite secretary and asked for extension cord and boom box.  Oh my:  In 8 hours w/ no breaks!  I was only able to process and put away 1 cart (4 shelves of a bookcart) of books.  These poor librarians.  Good thing we have a principal and director who care for their employees.  Check back tomorrow for rules of engagement once you retire.  And, I bet you thought the good fairy put a library together....

let it go.

Spent week re-organizing my stuff.    My sewing room has room to walk now.  I have been going outside to use my 6ft tables as a cutting table........But it is now getting dark before 8. Had to bring out the cutting table again.   Can't wait for the mornings and evenings to cool so I can start walking the dog again.  Even Maggie has no desire to exit the house.  Swam 5 laps today.  8 laps make a quarter mile.  My strength is coming back slowly but coming back  Made a butterfly bag in between of letting it go.  I tossed ( oh my heart!) anything less than a fat quarter.  Let it go.  Let it go.  Now to make scrappy quilts.  Been watching tutorials everyday:  making bags, making scrappy quilts.    Its interesting how my colors all blend together.  Yappers:  we only buy what we like unless we make an effort to buy a different color or tone.  Let it go.  Change my tones.  Let the light in.

                                                                 not a painting:  fabric

                                        award winning quilt

Exhausted!

After removing all the pet hair from my quilts:  I realized I had forgotten to put the sleeve on the back.  Oh my:  It takes an hour for a small quilt and 2 hours for a large.  Needless to say I didn''t use tiny stitches.  Drove like a maniac to Dallas.  Pearl drives real nice at 80 but guzzles gas.  30mpg right around 71.  Flying down the highway.  Now that New Jersey stole my credit card................I'm actually answering all my calls.  It was the quilt police and they were waiting for me.  That was sweet.  I was second to the last person to drop off quilts.   Sat I volunteered and worked for a couple hours at the show.  Needless to say:  I got no ribbon.  Great criticism.  Judges don't like threads hangin in the back :  pet hair or a cowboys legs wacked off.   Ummmmmm:  measure 3x cut once.  Oops.  My cowboy is missing his calves.

Hand-dyed and hand-painted by me:  Check-out eyes

My competition:  First place                         

all hand dyedOops!  Squatty body

             not the culprit:  waiting for us to go to turn off lights and go to be.

Drove to Dallas............

Went and dropped off my horse and cowboy quilt for the Plano Quilt Show this weekend.  2 hrs. 10 min.  20 min farther than Patty's.  Then it was 15 miles to Subaru.  Pearl  was supposed to end up in Europe but she belonged to me.  13 seconds to put on the front license plate.  Holes were made for European license plates.  I had time and ate at this Bistro.  Oh My!  Food to die for, but it took 30 min. to be served.  Ummm?  It was after lunch and only 4 tables.  Wait!!!  Everything is fresh.  I had this pasta w/ a mayo-cream cheese sauce:  lots of little veggies cut up in it.  Not pre-made.  The bread was a sourdough :  Orange w/ garlic and pimento.  I had enough left over for supper.  Then hit the George Bush.  Did you know :  You can get on the George Bush and drive all the way to Fort Worth.  Pick-up I-30 and the head north on 35W?...  But,  wait.............the tolls?  what about the tolls?  More tomorrow

A Tale of Joy

We found Cali on a major intersection 7 years ago.  Starving.  She might have been raising kittens.  We have given her a forever home.  But, Cali is one odd duck.  She is forever roaming.  She was never socialized and loves to be petted.  Hates to be held - confined.  She created a safe hidey-hole on my ironing board.  3 x 6 ft.  We bought her one of those 2 layer roundy kitty/doggie flannel beds.  Alas it hasn't been used in 3 weeks.  I figured she was outside roaming all nite.  Found out this morning she has been sleeping on my sewing table.  Yup!  My 2 quilts that I just spent pressing/steaming/straightening and defrocking (removing pet hair).  Finished the horses eyes and went to bed.  This morning the horse was plastered w/ fur.

Today would be my second day at work.  I have printed a workbook on how to design an electric quilt.

Fraud! Then and now and in between

Sometimes it's good to be poor.  Can't steal my identity.  All that work to steal me and  my debit card and they discover I have no credit, no cards, no credit #:  just plain zip!  Paying Bills!  Oh Joy.  Sat down to pay mortgage and discovered $120 missing.  Went shopping Sat.  Great Big Sale on Quilt Supplies and the register said:  "invalid".  I've had that card 3 years.   So, I forgot about it until tonite.  Just Called Chase.  Someone at Walgreens in New Jersey.  Yes!  New Jersey made a copy of my card.  Ummmmm.  I only use that card maybe every 3 or 4 months.   Then 15 minutes later - they tried to use it again.  Chase Red Flagged it and denied the $105.   They tried to call me.:  I hardly ever answer 1-800.  Well!  I guess I'm gonna start:  especially if I'm traveling and can't get any money.  Thank goodness for technology.  My credit union in Arizona:  shut me down 7 years ago.  Embarrassing.  But:  I had a Montana address.  Used it in Colorado and then TX.  So:  the gal said:  "then and now and in between".  I will need to call both the credit union and chase if I travel.  or wait until they shut me down and call them when I do travel to New Jersey.  Thank goodness for fraud protection.

Days are getting shorter

Days are getting shorter.  Evenings are cooling off:  And, I'm hitting the gym.  Baby quilts are cut and finished.  Ready to quilt.  Looking for Beatrix Potter fabric.  Hope someone still carries it.  First time in my life :  I don't have to make plans for school.  Any school.  Nope no hole in my heart.  Just anticipation for my next quilt class.

49 days of happiness

Oh Woe is Me.  Getting ready to gear-up for school.  Have all that anxiety and energy to deal w/ new administrators and new kids.  Woe is me.  What to do w/ my energy.  Reorganizing my sewing room.  Yup!  It took all summer to get the energy back from a high stress job.  The states and Feds only care about money.  It's just the  bottom line.  The way they are cutting back and changing retirement:  no one listens:  no one pays attention:  visualize this:  A teacher w/ 3 more years before she can reach full retirement :  think:  a 72 year old women w/ 20 years experience:  teaching kindergarten.

47th day of happiness

Spent the morning waiting for the cable guy.  Never called .  Never showed-up.  But i am the mart one.  20 minutes late.  Called.  Talked to Guatemala and learned it had been cancelled because a) I didn't answer the phone b) I didn't answer the door.   No phone calls and no doggies barking.  Ummmm I wonder where he was.  So, I treated myself to a movie.  They called George and he came home from work.  They had to lay new cable.  Interesting.  Amazing how clear our TV became.  Almost have another baby quilt done.  A cat and a dog w/ a sign by dog house :  for rent. 
Goal 2:  Go swimming  in the morning.  I'm free.  I'm free

46th day of Happiness or do I need counselling

 Can't believe school starts in 2 weeks.  Where did the summer go.    This will be the first September I haven't started school since I was 6 years old.  Yes,  American schools once started after Labor Day.  But, as teachers received more money:  (little did they realize) the school contracts were made longer.  Oh!!!  Yes they worked longer hours with less money.  Anyone paying attention??  Me.  Yesterday, I had this shadow of dread over me that I had to go back to work.  Yes!  I got my letter from TRS today.  I am officially retired.  But, I just can't shake this feeling of angst that I will be waking up at 7 am and having to sit through all these lovely meetings about goals and plans of the school and district.  I need counselling.  I'm free.  I'm free. 
  Goal 1.   Movie on a Tues afternoon in September

Egads!!! More summertime blues

Summer.  Staying up later and later.  Eating supper later and later.  Getting up later and later.  Put a scrappy strip quilt together over the weekend.  Oh My!  42 :  8 1/2 in blocks with for corners.  Didn't like how to corners came out.  Ripped out 84 corners and sewed them back together.  Still don't like it.  No animals and pieces at random.  I'm not a random type girl.  Started a non-random scrappy 4 patch today.  We shall see.

Summer Time Blues

Here in Texas we have mosquitos the size of 747's.  I set up my cutting table outside.  George and I put 2  6ft tables together and 2 cutting boards on top.  I now can cut quilts straight.  Hope the mosquito can not pass heartworm to humans.  I worry about the cats.  Our girl Lyle has never been socialized and remains outside.  She was covered w/ mosquitos.  i chased them away and she thought I was mad at her.  Then the darn things swarmed me.  Almost have the horse quilt finished.  Bordered the cowboy finally.  Tried a new technique  think i will continue borders this way.  interesting.  they came out straight.