EEWWWW!!!

Hello again, m'dears! Remember the evaporative cooler bailing on me, day before yesterday? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler By the time I found out the water pump had failed, the hardware stores were closed. So...Miss Dog and I made it through the night with lots of fans and a the small window air conditioner in the study. I will admit it was nice to have cold dry air drifting from study to bedroom -- made me wish briefly for full-house air conditioning. But this house is so poorly insulated a major retrofitting -- better insulation in walls and roof, low-E windows, etc -- before air conditioning would be a smart choice. Methinks an inhouse dehumidifier would be smarter, since it's only necessary during monsoon season.

Anyway, I said "OK God, do Your thing" as I was drifting off to sleep. And woke up remembering there was a gently used pump in the storeroom "just in case." (Prayer, no matter how casual, really does change things.) And the pump was plug-in not wire-in. I don't mind simple electrical things, like lamp repair, and this wouldn't have been a lot harder. Dreading worse than doing, of course. So imagine my delight when all I had to do was unplug the old and plug in the "new"! It was before sunrise, with a light breeze blowing in this morning's storm -- what better time to be up on the roof? Installation was so easy I decided to stay up there for a bit of scraping and cleaning. Tucson has very hard water, and my neighborhood is on the second-hardest well in town. Plugged the roof connection, turned on the cooler, and SHAZAM! -- cool air in my house, hooray! It was so cool last night, when that storm broke in the wee hours, that Miss Dog and I woke up cuddled tight together. Here's a picture of the offending pump. The round black circle in the middle is the kitchen sink drain. All that black stuff on the pump base and its protective screening is moldy hard water deposit. No wonder it failed! And no wonder my sinuses don't hurt anymore!!

Ok that's it for a bit -- gotta go hang my freshly laundered window quilts. Yes, I use them even in the summer, as they block afternoon sun on the west side of the house, and help keep outdoor heat from radiating in during the night!

Then it's sorting mail, paying bills, more decluttering and cleaning in my bedroom and bath, and maybe even some quilting time!

Wow -- how time flies!

Well, my sis Patti and her hubby Russ arrived safely, a good time had by all, including five dogs. Here's Patti giving good-dog treats. From left, Heidi the miniature Italian Greyhound, then Trixie the Jack Russell "terrorist", and on the right my big dear Malinois, Tabitha. You can just see the ear of one of the two other dogs, peeking out from under the quilt frame.

Dear Son the Elder (Chaz) had been living with me while recovering physically, emotionally, and financially from a very nasty divorce. The four of us spent many happy evenings chatting, laughing, arguing politics, and telling jokes. Then they went to their RV and Chaz and me to our rooms, retiring for the night. Such fun entertaining guests who bring their own bedroom. Makes me think of a turtle, his home is always with him.

Chaz started training as a Patient Care Technician, his first step toward the nursing career he's always wanted, but deferred while raising his family. Now they're all grown, and his youngest, Connie, will be starting nursing school with him, next month. Here he is all decked out in his trainee scrubs, clowning around for the camera. His kids call him "Doctor Danger"

I quick made a quilt for Granddaughter #1, Beth, to keep her warm while she's attending business classes at New York University -- full scholarship, too! Here she is -- gorgeous isn't she? There's a wonderful tutorial by Mary Johnson, on making these string quilts and so many more. http://maryquilts.com/ Mary does a lot of donation work, check out her blog to see some examples http://maryquilts.blogspot.com/

Patti and I indulged ourselves with Carole, my best friend and fellow quilter. Carole's been working on a Chinese Coin quilt, her first large project. She would soon become a "Pod Person" with her household packed into a pod unit, living in an apartment, while her entire house was gutted and rehabilitated -- mold and asbestos abatement. Here's the three of us, from the left: Carole, me, Pattie, sisters to the bone. Patti and Russ had to eventually return home, way too soon if you ask me.

Dear Son the Younger (Dave) and his Lady Love (Margrethe) were due just three weeks after Patti and Russ left. Don't ask me what I was thinking when I decided to re-do my kitchen for their visit. I must have been out of my mind!!! The cabinets were original, pine-ish looking shellac over who-knows-what kind of plywood. Chaz painted the walls a lovely very pale coral -- the color of the light just before sunrise here in the desert). Left the cabinets to me. Well.... I got the doors off, most of them stripped, a handful of them refinished. Between steps I painted the cabinet interiors and frames to match the walls. My vision was a soft oak color doors against the pale, pale coral. Do I need to tell you how I ran out of energy and suspended work until "later"? And I've gotten not a step further -- it will have to wait for cooler, much less humid weather. They landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor, a 2-hour drive from my doorstep. Oh it was so good to see them both again! They had a long but otherwise uneventful flight and were definitely ready for hot food, cold wine, and bed. We spent lots of family time -- including a host of "came to" family members, ate lots of Mexican food, talked and laughed and listened to music, went shopping, visited Colossal Cave and, best of all, spent a couple of days at Grand Canyon. Margrethe has a photographer's eye, took so many beautiful pictures. Here we are at the Canyon (no photograph can do it justice, you have to see it up close and personal to feel the majesty and sweep -- one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

They went hiking just the two of them in Romero Canyon, just north of Tucson. Both were so taken by the desert just bursting into bloom, they decided to make a Log Cabin Quilt in honor of the day. First they raided my stash for appropriate colors, textures, and prints. Then we went shopping to round out the collection. Well kids -- I'm exhausted and headed for a nap. Jet lag is still messing with me, though not for much longer. Didn't sleep well last night, the evaporative cooler bailed on me. I turned on the window A/C in the study, closed doors and hung quilts to close off unneeded rooms, adjusted ceiling fans, and slept but not soundly. More on that later. And I promise to continue this saga next post.

Ruth