Through Buffy's Eyes

From MB

2015-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

hi

http://ceedora.com/national.php?seed=112utx5qn2ps

MB

PHOTOS OF TILDEN REGIONAL PARK, BERKELEY, CA

2015-06-25T12:02:00.002-07:00

PHOTOS OF UC DAVIS BOTANICAL GARDENS

2015-06-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS OF MAPLE ROCK GARDENS, LOOMIS, CA

2015-05-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS OF HELP A HORSE DAY, CAMERON PARK, CA

2015-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS OF FILOLI HOME & GARDENS

2015-04-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER PHOTO FROM LYNCH CANYON SHOOT

2015-04-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

PHOTOS OF LYNCH CANYON, VALLEJO, CA

2015-03-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Another photo outing with my photo organization.

PHOTOS OF SACRAMENTO RIVER HIKE & FISH HATCHERY

2014-12-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

These were taken with my cell phone. Not edited and not all came off my cell phone.

Sorry for the poor quality of this post.

Apple. Hill Photos

2014-11-09T06:09:00.001-08:00

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

PHOTOS OF ALTURAS, CA BIRDING AND PYRAMID LAKE, NV

2014-10-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Photos of Alturas, california and pyramid lake near sparks nevada.

2014-10-07T06:31:00.001-07:00

Birdinging these areas was very exciting. I saw a Magpie,

but didn't know what it was. Beautiful birds. I'll be sending the photos in a few days.

Sent from my LG Mobile

DESIGN WALL

2014-10-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Sent from my LG Mobile

Getting the hang of it

2014-09-25T21:08:00.001-07:00

I'm finally learning how to use this yahoo mail to dictate and get the phone to translate into typing. So far there hasn't been any errors in my dictation, because I believe this is learning my voice and getting more words correct. Again, no errors!

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

2014-09-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Photo of design wall

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

I have tried 2 sending this photo let`s see this t...

2014-09-23T15:39:00.001-07:00

I have tried 2 sending this photo let`s see this time if it goes.

Testing new android phone

2014-09-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android just got my new android phone and love it . I'm writing this by speaking and it transferring my voice to text.

I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS

2014-08-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

The leader of our quilting group offered to drive since she has a van and we all piled in. She said she knew the way to the Crocker Museum where the quilting show was...Well, she got so scared on the freeway, especially where the signs were lined up about six in a row and you had to know which lane you had to be in. When we were on top of the signs she'd holler, "Where do I go?" She even printed out the directions and she didn't look at them once. I didn't know she walked with a cane also. I was tempted to bring my GPS, but she said so many times she knew the way so I didn't bring my GPS, but should have.

One of the people in the group has brought her elderly mother to the meetings. She can't walk and so she brought her to the Crocker Museum with a wheelchair. By the time they loaded and unloaded the wheelchair and the mother, it was so nerve racking for me, I couldn't stand it, so I had to walk away with my nervousness. I just can't take it anymore and for sure I'm hesitating about this group.

When we arrived in the parking lot of the museum the leader said she would need help with the parking machine where you put your money into. Since they were getting the elderly lady out and into her wheelchair, I went down to the parking machine to pay for the parking when a lady came up to me and said where are you ladies going? I said to see the quilt show at the museum. She said, "Before you pay, the museum is closed on Mondays." I was shocked and just another frustration with old people not knowing when and where they are going. They are so senile, I just can't even be around them anymore.

After driving, I'm sure over 50 miles one way, the leader said she'd take us to two quilt shops which none of us had ever been to or known about.

The first one had material around $12.00 a yard. The second quilt shop had material around $13.00 a yard and was next to a restaurant where she said the sandwiches there at about $10.00 were fantastic. Well, the sandwiches were so small and very little filling in them. I paid for her lunch since I felt I didn't want to seem cheap as a new member of the group.

As we were shopping, the leader kept dropping her cane and I kept picking it up for her. I didn't sign up for this. This is the problem. Old people...can't take them. If and when I get to that point, God take me or else I'll off myself.

EUREKA! I BELIEVE I'VE FOUND THE RIGHT ONE!

2014-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

I've attended the quilting group that meets at a lady's house nearby. So far, she and the other ladies attending have been nothing but nice, helpful and encouraging. You don't have to do a quilt, but you can do anything you wish, embroidery, painting on material, applique or any creative process you wish to discover. There are about 15 ladies in this group, but so far the most who have attended are about seven. Luckily, because the large dining table we all meet around and some putting their sewing machines on it would be a bit too much. She does have another room with a large fold out table, if needed, but so far, so good.

We can all congregate around her table, talk about happy things mostly. Of course, there are a few ladies who very seldom talk about illnesses of theirs or other people, to be understandable, but not where that's all they talk about. Sewing, stitches, peoples' jobs (one lady is a realtor and is keeping an ear out for anything I can go to look at) and upcoming events relating to sewing, quilting, etc.. Next week at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento we'll be carpooling to the quilt viewing. I don't believe this is a workshop/vendor type of quilting event, but it seems to be a very interesting venue to attend. I've been wanting to go to the Crocker and now I have my chance. After the museum we plan on all going to lunch nearby. I'm really looking forward to it all.

The lady who holds these meetings at her home is very very a perfectionist. Her whole house practically is filled with all kinds of projects done and in process. From a mid arm quilting machine, sewing machine, boxes and boxes of supplies, cutting table and ironing table, she could set up a school.

She is helping a lady who knows nothing about quilting and if that lady is two stitches off, she tells her to rip out the stitches and do them again. Ugh. Anyways, this is a good thing for the lady learning. She is showing her exactly how to get her points together. Although I heard the lady learning saying that she'll pull out some stitches that don't line up exactly and the lady teaching her said no, she didn't have to. I felt reassured she wasn't that much of an OCD person as I thought she was.

I'm still experimenting with my wonderful sewing machine, which the more I work on it the more I want an embroidery machine. This morning I was e-mailed from Brother sewing machines new sewing and or embroidery machines were coming out. I clicked on the new ones coming out. My mouth watered at how much I want one of those machines. Maybe I'll check out for curiosities sake how much they're selling for. No less than $10K I'm sure.

2014-08-04T10:37:00.001-07:00

Playing and loving my new sewing machine.

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2014-08-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Just hanging out.

AND ANOTHER THING...

2014-07-15T08:48:00.001-07:00

And when I finally got sort of an answer about the hours, the leader asked me if I wanted some fruit, I guess people had brought. I said no because I didn't bring anything and felt kind of guilty since I've been so busy, nervous and frustrated, I didn't even notice refreshments were there. Again, not giving me any information. I thought, since we're volunteering our time, they would provide any refreshments. When I asked should I be bringing something every week, she said if I wanted to, so that means yes, I should be bringing something. I've done this all my life. I'm tired of baking, shopping and schlepping trays of food. Thinking that volunteering I wouldn't have to do this anymore just isn't true, at least with this group and I don't want to have to bring things to events anymore and especially to volunteering meetings. At least at the community garden they had refreshments that we weren't obligated to bring since we were devoting our time and gas to get there.

NOT FOR ME...I QUIT!!!

2014-07-15T08:09:00.001-07:00

Another day at volunteering at quilting has proved too much for me again. I gave my 100 pieced together pieces to the lady who entrusted me with them. As I said, my machine gave out within three pieces of the end when I picked up with my new machine. Well, the quarter inch with my old machine, as I have been using for my own quilts, came out right, but for some reason, they were too large for this lady's quilt. I was also given some homework which I requested, but as I started out, some of the squares she gave me to put together, were not cut the same size. I reluctantly asked her why, because I've asked so many questions, I just feel stupid. But she said, they were, in fact, cut wrong. I was thoroughly confused as she cut that batch of pieces, but I did not watch her because I was told to do some thing else. Well, when I got home, all of the other groups of squares were cut wrong also, but she did not cut them nor did I know how much to cut them. By the way, the first group she cut were also all different sizes, because she did not cut them all. What a mess. THIS IS NOT FOR ME!!!! All those pieces, different people telling me what to do. All of these steps. My mind just doesn't work that way. So for the third week I came home shaking and continued shaking trying to figure out how I should proceed on all of these squares. Should I cut them? But then they still didn't match up with the first group of squares. So I didn't. I tried calling a number and e-mailing the leader of the group to try to get a phone number of the girl who gave me this project. Neither the e-mail or phone number was right. Do these volunteer groups make it a point so you can't contact anybody. They have my e-mail and phone number right away, but they don't give you theirs or keep in touch with you.

The leader of the group pulled me over and showed me a picture of a quilt she said if I'd like to do. She was willing to give me a project of my own. I said yes, but really it was so boring and ugly I had no enthusiasm doing this quilt whatsoever. I asked her if they would cut out all those squares (it looked like there were well over 200 of them) and she said if I'd like them to. Evidently, she expected me to do the whole thing by myself. A very large project. Well, the quilt pattern was ugly and boring and just a bunch of squares to be put together with a large star in the corner which she said they'd do. Well, if I was going to go down there to do a whole quilt by myself, I'd be doing one for me that I liked in a landscape quilt and at home, where I didn't have to schlep everything down to their meeting place.

Another thing. This week they left at 1:00. Last week they stayed until 5:00. The week before we left at 12:00. She originally told me in the beginning they would be there from 8:00 to 5:00 and I told her I wouldn't be there at 8:00. That was too much like going to work. I'd be there when I got there between 10:00 and 11:00. She said that would be fine. Then all of the hours were changing and no one letting me know. I had to give her my e-mail address again, since she misplaced mine from the week before when she wanted it a second time. I've had it.

I give up.

I finally sat down shaking and frustrated again, to figure out why I'm having such a terrible time doing this when I did my own quilt pillow covers and pot holders, it was a great, fun experience. It was because without even knowing where or how to make a quilt, I did it from a book, step by step, without fifty million people giving me things to do without me knowing what the finished quilt should look like, steps to be taken, dimensions of the pieces, etc. etc..

I have, however, through a quilt guild in my area, found another group who meet at a house every other week. There are six people who meet, bring their sewing machines and bring either their own projects or they sometimes work on one project together. Maybe this group is more for me. Like I said, landscape quilts or photo quilts is more my bag without cutting hundreds of mind numbing pieces and sewing them all together.

Now, how to tell them I won't be coming any more. They've been really nice and encouraging and pretty much not everything is my fault, as they told me. One girl said, since she's seen how things were wrong several times on their part, has gotten me very confused and shaky and frustrated and not my fault, actually apologized to me saying thank you for your patience in us and errors we had given you making you more confused and nervous and you not knowing what the project should look like or dimensions the pieces should be, etc., etc..

I know I'm not stupid, but I sure feel like it there. There is no reason why I should go through this every week.

I QUIT!!!!!

GETTING USED TO MY NEW SEWING MACHINE

2014-07-12T13:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I devoted practically my whole afternoon to learning about my new sewing machine. I first tried free motion thread painting. A disaster, but I learned a lot. Next, I tired some of the already downloaded designs in my machine. Some weren't all that great and looked kind of less dense than I would have preferred, but I guess if you looked close at them, you could tell what they were. Some of the designs you could not enlarge. Some you could enlarge two times, some you could enlarge five times. Yes...I want an embroidering machine...fast. But looking all over for a machine that does embroidery only at a reasonable price and has a large stitch area (at least up to 8" X 10") is not cheap, even for just an embroidery only machine. I've found Brothers that will stitch up to 5" X 7" at around $900. The Singer 500XL combo machine has a very large footprint, that has sewing as well as embroidery machines in one that does humongous embroidery areas, but you have to use your own computer, and doesn't come with hardly any feet, is also around $900, but I couldn't take it around to my embroidery clubs. So I guess I'll wait until the sewing machine manufacturers come out with most of us want. A MACHINE WITH A LARGER EMBROIDERY AREA FOR LESS THAN $1,000! HELLO!

Now the trick is to find out how to use all of these stitches with my new machine in order to make an embroidery scene. I've found a pattern that will make lovely leaves on a vine and small patterns that will make pretty circles with decoration all around them. Also a heart pattern that you can enlarge, but then you start losing the fill and it stretches out so much, it doesn't look like a heart pattern any more. Also, some fancy scrolls which I really like and wish they were larger.

But this machine is really, really great. I don't regret one penny I've paid for it so far and will be great to carry back and forth to my embroidery get togethers.

Here are some stitches I've played with to give you an idea of what I mean about some of the stitches being sparse. The lettering, I won't even bother with since they are also very sparse.

Again, I took these photos with my cell phone, my good camera can't get close ups for you to really see the patterns, but I guess you'll get the gist of it all.

PHOTOS OF SOME OF THE PATTERNS

2014-07-12T13:14:00.001-07:00

These were taken with my cell phone, but I think you got the idea of what I was saying. Small sized patterns.