Z-z-z-z-z-zoom!

That was the sound of my sewing machine this afternoon as I zoomed through sewing up three (3!!!) of the five pairs of leggings I cut out over the weekend.  I'm so glad that I dug out that ancient (1992) Stretch & Sew leggings pattern because of its clever construction.  Each leg is one piece, no side seam, so you sew up the inner leg seams, then tuck the legs one inside the other with right sides together, pin the center seam from front to back, and sew that, then all you have to do is sew the elastic onto the raw edge, fold it over, and sew it down remembering to make a tag for the back waist.  Then it's a quick job to turn up the hems and sew them.  Done!  I discovered a stretch zigzag stitch on Mom's Pfaff that she gave me which really speeds things up.  I started with the white cotton/spandex pair, then sewed up the black & white print 100 Acts of Sewing Pants no. 2 pair because I could use white thread for both.  Switched to gray thread and bobbin to sew up the gray cotton/spandex pair.  Tomorrow I'll change to black thread and bobbin to sew the cotton/spandex pair and the modal/spandex pair of black ones and be all done.  *sigh*  This feeling of satisfaction is why I sew.  Also the sheer glee I felt when I tried on the white ones before I hemmed them to check the length and to make sure they fit.  They do!  They fit like they were made for me.  *ahem*





This bunny is the only wildlife that held still long enough to get its picture taken today.  I had lifted the camera intending to take a photo of a goldfinch on the zinnias but this rabbit hopped up and shooed it away.  (It knows it too; look at the shifty, self-satisfied look in its eye.)




I awoke today with renewed determination to eat healthily and kind of managed.  I did eat a few chips and a cookie or five (they're small) and I might have over-served myself in the ice cream department but look at my supper.  It's my WW version of a Cobb salad and it was absolutely delicious.  Instead of bacon (too fatty) I crisped some Canadian bacon that I cut into small bites.  I got smart the other day and portioned out the chicken I marinated and grilled last week and then froze it so I got out a packet and nuked it for my salad.  Durwood ordered Egglets from the Harriet Carter catalog a while back and may I say that I will never go back to making hard-boiled eggs in the shell again.  You spritz the little cups with cooking spray, screw on the lids, and tong them into boiling water for 16 minutes.  Then you cool them in ice water and pop them out.  They're dome-shaped instead of egg-shaped but for everything except deviled eggs they're perfect and so easy.  Thanks, Durwood, I'll think of you every time I use them.



After I slid the Canadian bacon slices into the fry pan I got out the fork I always use to fry bacon and realized that it's what I asked for in 1976 when they were doling out Grandma Angermeier's things.  I'm not a "stuff" person, don't need to hold onto a mountain of things to remind me of people or occasions but I do like functional things like this fork or the Egglets that I'll use over and over, objects that bring a loved one to mind.  I use a lot of Mom's sewing things and every time I fix something I consider whether to use the Hank way or the right way (I think I may go 50-50 on that; someday I'll retell the "sock in the toilet tank" story for newer readers)

August 27--Berthe Morisot, The Hydrangea.  The small cluster of white flowers trembled as Julienne pinned them into Marte's hair.  "Make sure they will stay in when I dance," Marte said.  Tonight she would go to her first ball and everything had to be just right.  Julienne put her hands on her younger sister's shoulders.  "It's so cold outside they'll probably freeze before we get there and if the cold doesn't kill them the overheated ballroom will."

I hear thunder in the distance and every once in a while I hear rain.  We're supposed to get big thunderstorms in about an hour and all night until 4 a.m., have another sunny, humid 85 degree day, more storms tomorrow night, and then it's supposed to be in the mid-60s and dry on Wednesday.  Crazy weather.  G'night.
--Barbara