Serenity

Pearl is getting to be a big girl but she still has a puppy face.


And she can howl just like Evelyn:


Well, she isn't in Evelyn's league but she is working on it.


Pearl drops her ears and is so sweet. We just love how she looks when she does that.


Then she'll turn around and be sassy:


We just love her.


Today, I kept an eye on the clock as it approached 5:00 p.m. wondering if I was going to hit a milestone. I did. It was the first business day (and frequently weekend day) in about 7 years, including holidays, that I got not ONE call from an upset parent, frustrated probation officer, sressed out social worker or confused and angry child.

The phone did not ring, at all.

It was incredible. I'd forgotten that most people actually live their lives without drama and turmoil on a daily basis. In fact, they go out of their way to avoid it.

Since I made the decision to close down my practice and began making headway on closing out my cases, I feel like a two ton weight has lifted from my shoulders. It was not until I made the decision to do this and began lightening my caseload that I realized just how oppressive it had become. I stopped several times during the day just to take a deep breath and revel in the fact that I don't have a heartbreaking case, next week to prepare for. I wonder if this is how a lame duck president feels as he approaches the end of his last term (not too grandiose, am I?). Oh, I still have cases but most of them aren't too stay-up-at-night-worrying-stressful and I will either close them or withdraw in the next couple of months. Take a look at this:



That is all the open files I have left. Normally, I have at least 120 open cases at any given time, with about half of them fairly active. Of those, I usually have about ten that are kicking my butt and breaking my heart at any given time. The next few weeks are still pretty active but by the middle of September, it will slack off dramatically. By the middle of October, I should be all but done.

Oddly, I have been having stress dreams every night for the past week. You know, stress dreams? You're late for a test or a tornado is chasing you? That sort of thing. I think my subconscious is doing some rebuilding or something. Now that the pressure is easing, my stress-related emotions are waking back up and saying, "Oh SH-T!"

Or something like that.

So while it was so peaceful, today, I continued to work on my 2009 Floral Weave Quilt. I made a lot of progress.


I sure hope it looks better when it is done. I 'spect it will.

As usual, I used my trusty glue stick. I dab paste on the ends and at the seam.

Here.


Here.


And here.


I really didn't have too much trouble with my seams, so far.


I predict that when I start stitching my rows, together, I'll have my share of frustration. The further along you get, the more the little variances start turning into big problems. But that is just the nature of it all.

Have you seen one of these bobbin holders?


On the HGTV message board, they periodically ask what your favorite quilting tool is. I won't say that the bobbin holder is my favorite, but it is one of the first things I would give a new quilter. I love the thing.

You'll notice that it is almost empty. Normally, I fill ten bobbins and when they are done, change the needle, clean and oil the machine, and refill ten more bobbins. This project, I have been emptying all my partially filled bobbins - doesn't matter the color. I've used grey, green, brown, gold, white and pink on this quilt, so far. You can't see it so who cares? As soon as I empty out one more bobbin, I'll do my routine maintenance, change the needle and fill ten more bobbins. I always write down when I do that in my quilting journal. My Janome is going to be SO smooth about the time I start putting together the rows! The quilters among us understand what a thrill it is to have a happily stitching machine.

Here is a plug for Janome: Go get one even if you don't sew. I bought mine as a back up for my little 220 Bernina. I immediately fell in love with it and have used the Bernina once, since - at a class. And Berninas are great machines so that is saying something.

Pearl had lots to say about everything, today.




Husband is in Minnesota on a business trip but will be back in the morning. Right now, I need to get ready for a meeting in the morning to get funding for a troubled young man. After that, I have a home visit with a child who has one parent in jail and the other has a terrible drug addiction. She has some neurological problems associated with her mother's drug use en utero and I need to review the medical records to get a handle at what we're looking at. Believe it or not, although I won't miss the stress, I suspect I will miss the work once I close up shop for good. I know I will miss the kids.