Things change

I miss my sewing machines.  I feel like I haven't used one in a really long time.  All I've made is a pincushion for a little sewing box I'm taking to Cleveland.  I agreed to make one more applique border block for the guild's raffle quilt and I'm taking it with me to work on. 

I actually made two pincushions.  The first one was smaller, finishing at about 2" and I filled it with cotton balls.  I packed 4 of them in.  And, they were so dense, I couldn't get a pin in them.  So, I used two 3" squares the second time and filled it with ground walnut shells.  That worked perfect.  Necessity and invention, right?

I spent the whole weekend working in the yard.  We had moved all the potted plants around to make room for the repair, packing plants into the greenhouse and in shady spots in my flower beds.  This weekend, Rob screwed the deck boards back down and I cleaned out the greenhouse...like really clean...move everything and sweep clean.  But, the walls could still use a wash down and so could the transparent plastic roof.  I even folded up and packed the portable greenhouse that I use in the winter for the citrus trees.  I don't have anything new in bloom.  The garden is settling down for the heat of the summer, but there were a couple blooms on Syd's hibiscus that I caught. 

And, alas, we had to say goodbye to the Bradford Pear on the corner that shaded the house. 

It had lived its lifespan and grown its full height and like so many others this year in our neighborhood, split in half.  The arborist said all the rain we've had has caused them to pull more water into their tops, making them too heavy for their trunks to support and that many mature ones, like this one, were dropping limbs or splitting. 

We are temporary empty nesters.  On Thursday, Syd told us about this great opportunity to try living away from home.  She explained that the couple she'd be sharing an apartment with had an empty room now and that Syd was welcome to stay there for the week and see how they all got along and if it worked, she could move in with them when they move into their new apartment.  I don't know how much of that is true.  It doesn't matter.  For whatever reason, she has decided to live on her own. 

I don't know why Rob and Syd both thought I'd handle this badly and get mad.  I had come home from a wonderful day at work where I had a serious chat with my boss about the chaos (he told me he already knew we would be having this conversation within the first few weeks after I started working for him.  He sees it.  And he wasn't surprised that it came up on day 6 and thanked me for not holding it in and stewing on it and we figured out a plan for how I could prioritize some of it and what I should respond to and what I should just let pass by).  Anyway, I hardly got any of my story out before they came in the kitchen with contrite faces and told me Syd's story.  And, my response was "when are you leaving?  do I have to cook supper for you?"  Okay, there was  a lot more after that, but seriously, I was about to cook dinner, and dinner for two is a lot easier. 

I ended up telling her that she'd already learned everything she was going to learn from us and that she had stopped listening to us anyway and that I had watched her closely enough to know that she had said "no" to some seriously tempting opportunities during and since high school and she had made a lot of really good choices.  And, that her roommates were probably going to make her do her chores, where I had given up.  And, if it didn't work out, she knew where we were.  And, we would not be preserving her room for her.  We will be moving back into it soon as her things are out. 

She ended up cooking dinner for us and while I did the dishes, she came in to tell me she was leaving and I hugged her and told her not to make me come to her place of work to see her.  Because if she did, I would embarrass her in front of all her little friends and co-workers and customers by hanging onto her and wailing "why don't you ever come visit your daddy and me?" in my most dramatic voice.

It's been okay not having her here.  We only saw her when she was pushing her feet under my dining table anyway.  Or when she was coming out to get a soft drink out of the fridge.  We will see how all this goes. 

Tomorrow, I travel to Cleveland for business.  Yippee me.  But, at least I will get to escape the heat.  And, it's going to be a great opportunity to sit with a diverse group of my peers and try to solve a problem I've had a lot of experience with.  I'm really looking forward to it.  And, I'll also spend a day training my replacement and working with my old team. 

Everybody have a great week!  Lane