The Purple Dragon - car

Cross posting to the different blogs

Jackie bought a 2013 Honda Fit, new.  We now have a dependable car and when her monthly checks begin she'll really feel like she's contributing to the house.  It is such a relief to drive to the VA and back and know the car is going to make it.

Now if we do any bike riding it'll be because we want to, not because we have to.

in the first picture the car looks black but it's actually "Midnight Plum Purple"

2nd picture is inside the car with a radio that doesn't require being smacked on to work

3rd picture - really take a look at that one.  We didn't remove part of the back seat.  It's folded UP against the back.  The seats will fold flat and they also fold up.  We can get a bicycle sitting upright into the car. There is more square footage in the Honda Fit than there is in any other subcompact or compact car and in many larger cars.  It has more square footage than the Honda CR-V.

4th picture is the hatchback part.  It looks small but when the seats are folded down, there's a lot of room back there and there's a plastic tray-like thing that will protect the carpet.

5th picture - the requisite USMC sticker and a warning sticker.  It is a manual transmission - WARNING people! It's been 30 years since Jackie drove a standard! LOL

Nightstand innovations

Because I do some crafting in bed and that bed is one that my grandfather had (it sits higher than most beds), I need a light higher than most nightstands.

I was using a sewing table (the kind where the machine folds down into the table) as a nightstand (without the sewing machine).  It worked well except no drawers and limited top space.

Solution - I was collecting plastic crates. I was going to stack and tie them together. Make something of a wall with places for books, meds, etc.

We found stacking plastic crates that also nestle together side by side and stacked on top of each other for $3.59 apiece.  Fantastic price!  Got five, stacked them, tied them - works.

End of the drought = mildew

Fighting mildew - with all the rain recently it's a problem.  Discovered some of my art work, maps and the porch are covered.  So, we're tackling that with peroxide and bleach cleaner.  It's working, thankfully.

Gardening in July

The drought is over and the grass got up past the knees - every time we'd try to cut the grass it'd rain.  Chris, wonderman that he is, got most of it down yesterday.

Best Laid Plans....

We've had a LOT of rain here, including a downpour that overran the gutters, formed a small creekbed in our driveway and overflowed our little soaker pool.

I went down to the garage/basement to find a dehydrator (and can't find the darn thing), smelled mold and grabbed a flashlight.  We have three major hot spots and all the wood and some paper in the garage was covered.

We grabbed gloves, masks, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and bleach.  So we spent the last hour cleaning up Mom's toddler furniture and my art pieces.  I'll have to get more cement caulking to expand the barrier on the floor and hit the walls again with the sealant basement paint (if it's still good - stuff is expensive).

 

We had a problem when we moved in and I got some of that sealing paint and caulking.  I caulked all the cracks/grout and formed a barrier on the floor in the worst spot.  Then I painted the north side of the basement and garage with the sealing paint - in July.  I'd work a little at a time with lots of water, come up, hose off and do a little more.  Now we have a different spot where it's coming in and the moisture got around my ground barrier.  Back at it again!

That wasn't fun.  I'm highly allergic to the damned stuff.  So, besides dripping with sweat, I seriously needed a scrubbing-every-inch-of-my-skin shower and all clothes are getting washed.

And we had planned on doing nothing today..... best laid plans..........

Crafts, Crafts = finishing touches

Crafty today (or just tired of the rain and grief)

The green guys are a pair of dragon slippers we found at a thrift store - seams falling open, heads dragging.  I inserted small dowels in the necks, added more stuffing, sewed most of the seams and now she has happy dragons

The flat mauve piece is a panel that Mom quilted that was left over from the quilt we finished that she had started.  We are going to hang it as an art piece.

the pillow is two panels that were left over

the beadwork/wood/art piece is the Hebrew aleph-bet done in loomed beadwork, mounted on small wooden squares (or rectangles) that were then mounted on dowels of varying heights.  Mounted on a thin piece of plywood, edging applied, wire and eyelets - hang piece

Next I'm going to work on netting for my bed - with all the rain the bugs are insane this year!  I'm also researching for a new novel I've got the basic plot for in my head - it's such JOY to research Nazis and WWII on a rainy day - NOT

Update

We finished Mama Marie's quilt today. Grandma picked the material, Mom quilted the squares, we put it together.  A quilt over 20 years in the making

http://kathyslegacy.blogspot.com/

We're working to get the yardwork done (the majority done by Chris) - we're doing the garden weeding and weed whacking, he mows the jungle.  He's also going to work on the car tomorrow <crossed fingers that this works>

I'm working on a new beadwork project and more embroidery and Jackie is doing embroidery and crochet pieces.

We lost Annie cat last week and it's hit Jackie hard. Mom fought so hard to keep that little cat alive at times and when we lost Mom we were sure Annie would follow right after. Jackie worked to keep her warm, fed and loved - carrying the cat around in her coat all day but the allergies got too much for her little lungs. I know it felt a touch like losing Mom again for Jackie.

We miss Mama