then it's not the end.

We watched a most wonderful movie this weekend that has left me in a very reflective mood.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  I've been thinking about courage to try new things, and never being too old to try, and how our definition of ourselves can change.

There's a line in the movie that I'm thinking about adopting as a new theory on life.

Everything will be all right in the end...if it's not all right, then it's not the end.

What could be more true?

This weekend, I started one of those baby quilts I need to make; a log cabin with relatively large blocks.  I've forgotten about the basics of making a log cabin.  Maybe because I've never made one that was really traditional.  As I've gone, I've made some mistakes, with a neutral that was too dark and a couple of darks that were too light. A few seams to rip.  But, in the end, it will be all right.  I've been making it on my white featherweight, that I've named Alba Tross (as in the ryme of the ancient mariner) because she'd been dropped before I got her and I spent countless hours bringing her back up to "par".  And, when I pulled her out this time, there was something wrong and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  There was a clicking sound and some hesitation when I'd push the foot pedal and things just didn't feel right.  I kept sewing, hoping it would all be right and maybe the new motor just needed to settle in or something and finally deciding she was not the machine to take to a class.

While I sewed yesterday, something popped off her and flew by my ear and I heard it hit the floor. When I pushed the pedal that time, the motor hummed, but the machine didn't move.  So, I looked down and there was a little screw on the floor.  It was the screw that holds the cap that holds the belt that connects the motor to the handwheel and when I put it back in and tightened it up, everything was all right again; no clicking and the motor was completely responsive to the foot pedal.  Now, she's sewing like a charm.  One tiny little screw.

Mariner's compass class yesterday was cancelled.  No one signed up.  Turned out okay because Sydney had a basketball game and I was there at the beginning.  Their best game so far.  Real teamwork and they scored more points than in any of the other games and Sydney played all but the last 3 minutes.  The girl's got stamina and can run the court for the whole game without much of a rest.

The satellite receiver in the sewing room is dying a very painful (for me at least) death.  My favorite shows are too distorted to watch and it keeps locking up.  Rob says we keep our equipment much longer than most people because we take really good care of it.  Rob takes care of all our customer service interactions because he does that at work and is really good at it (no, you don't understand, he's REALLY good at it and can sweet talk them out of so much stuff for free...would you please transfer me to cancellations?).  The DVR will be free, but he couldn't talk them into mailing it to us.  An installer will be there tomorrow.  And, that meant time out of the day to clean the sewing room.  I read Bonnie's blog and she cleaned her sewing room on Saturday and she was so excited, and that was contagious.  So when we got home from taking Syd for a haircut, I got started and knocked it out of the ball park.  Weird thing is, I found so much underutilized space.  I just didn't have time to rearrange, but I'm going to start working on that because I need the space and didn't know I had it.  Anyway, you couldn't get near the TV in there because there was so much stuff piled in front of it on the floor.  That meant that when the remote was lost, there was no entertainment for me.  That's all gone now and the installer can get right where I need him to get to and I even dusted for him.  Yes, I dust for repairment and don't dust just because it needs to be done.

Behind every quilter there stands...

a sink full of dirty dishes.

Be well and have a great Monday.  Today is picture day at school and the Syglet looked great on her way out.  She isn't enjoying the priviledge or straightening or curling irons, so she's looking especially terrific lately. 

(Yes, we know that taking the irons is cruel and in-humane punishment.  But it's such a great attention grabber that I can't help but use it when I need some help getting her undivided attention.)

Lane