Just right

Okay, so not everything I did last week was just right, but some of it was just as right as the third bear's chair, bed and porridge.  

I've been looking for just the right lamp for my desk and I found it last week while I was walking the dog, and it cost my favorite price; free.  One man's trash, right?  It's a little scuffed and could use some touch up paint and it was covered in sawdust and took a while to clean up and it needed new bulbs.  I set it up on the side of my desk, where it was easy to access, and I used it on Friday.  Being lit from above instead of the side took 10 years off my face in teams meetings.  It turned out to be perfect.

When I pulled my desk out to set it up on Saturday, I forgot how short I'd wound my cords and I pulled everything off the back of the desk except the laptop.  My 20 minute project turned into a 2 hour ordeal where everything got moved except the monitors.  That was the beginning of a day that had considerable swearing in it, come to think of it because half the day turned out that way.  

By the end of it tho, I had found a happy place.  I had everything cleared off and pulled in the quilt and got started on the ditch work.  This is a huge quilt and getting the center of it into the machine so I could stretch the dinner plate sized portion of it that I was working on was a chore.  A lot of it was getting back in the swing of it and as I worked, I remembered things slowly and hunted down a pair of quilting gloves and pulled my shoulders down from around my ears and before I knew it, I was on my way.  

I'm doing a continuous line...okay sort of continuous.  I've gotten out of the ditch a few times and had to stop and unquilt and start again, but mostly a continuous line along the outside of the ovals created by the arcs.  Next, I'll do the insides of the ovals and quilt between each of the pieces that form the arcs.  Then, I can do something in the squares.  But, I don't know what yet.  It's going to be a while before I get there, so I have plenty of time to decide.  

The fish finally stopped being mad at me for cleaning their house and came out so I could see them.  It took a couple days.  It's only been a week and the nitrate levels are almost as high as they were before.  They're not at a dangerous level, but they are high enough that one error or a missed water change could push them into the dangerous level.  

One of the things I grow pretty successfully is citrus trees in pots.  I'm usually giving away Meyer lemons around Christmas.  I also grow key limes and Valencia oranges.  The limes are always ready at Labor Day and I usually make a key lime pie.  This year, I got lazy and didn't make the pie, but yesterday, I knew it was time to do it or give up on it, so I did.  They are so tart!  But the pie is perfect with the graham cracker crust and a little whipped cream to cut the tartness.  I make a baked custard when I make lemon and lime pies.  

Last week was pretty discouraging for the blog.  After Charlie Kirk died, there was no tolerance for dissent or disagreement here or in our country.  I didn't think what I said was very bad, but others disagreed.  Anonymously, of course.  I think I handled it well in the end, but there was an edit before that was pretty rough.  My apologies if that's the one you saw.   I am truly done with people going after me and then pretending that they're the victim tho.  

I believe we are at a crossroads where we, if not reverse course at least get into neutral.  But it really is hard to feel neutral in the face of so much all out attack against everything, everywhere, all at once.  Everything that I value.  Everything that I think is important.  Everything that I based my future on is under attack by people who see me being equal as somehow making them less equal.  And, they believe it so strongly that they're willing to destroy everything rather than let it happen.  Willing to tolerate corruption.  Willing to tolerate lawlessness.  Willing to pay more to get revenge against the concept of real equality for everyone.  

Everybody have a good week.  Find the love, find the tolerance.  Or, if that won't work, find enough peace to keep smiling.  

And, Liz in London, you had just the right words at just the right time.  Thank you!

Lane