Quilting Stuff.

just finished cat quilt for granddaughter . Now starting wedding quilt for other granddaughter. Purple is her favorite color so that is what it is. Stopped to make pink quilt for niece Kelcy .

Minnesota, Nicer.

Well things are looking up. Went to coffee again yesterday.everyone was really nice. Getting to know me I guess. Told me about a card I get at the local Church thrift shop to get free clothes becuse I'm a senior. Not that I need clothes but what the heck .I'm sure I can find something I like.
    Jezebel and I went for our walk this morning. She is easier to walk after a rain ,she doesn't have to sniff everything.She doesn't like wet grass or maybe the rain has washed all the good smells away.
    Going to KFC for lunch .Yum.

Sunshine😊

Something I love about MN sunshine. After spending 30 years in damp Toledo Ohio it's a pleasure to
live  somewhere that the sun shines most of the time. Yeah it's cold in the winter but still sunny.
   Have the blocks done for Kelcey's quilt now just have to wail for the fabric I ordered for the borders.
Ordered a Sauder sewing cabinet today . I
hope it's strudyand doesn't vibrate when the machine runs.
   Lisa told me she recived the hats.glad she liked them . So sweet of her to thank me. Patty loves to make them but gets discouraged with some that don't bother with a thank you.

Worrying Does Help.

Erma Bombeck once said " don't tell me worrying doesn't help, because most things I worry about never happen"
 True words.
 Yesterday found out Housekeeper for X had quit six weeks ago and no one had bothered to replace her. I lay in bed worrying and not sleeping until 5;30AM .  Picturing him and his dogs living in squalor  I almost jumped out of bed grapped my purse and drove 800 miles to Toledo to kick butts and take names. Thank goodness I didn't.
   I talked to Brent this morning .he and Cheri had gone over cleaned the bathrooms and floors and did his laundry.  Brent said the housekeeper was not doing a very good job anyway because some of the dirt had been there for a while. He said they will go over every couple weeks . With Nick there to cook for him he should be OK.
Brent said the rug in George's bedroom rug is pretty much toast from the dogs. So I ordered another one. $150. For a 9x 12 . If I have to buy one every six moths that's fine.
 The lawn service did a good job too.So for now things are under control.
 Perhaps I can sleep to night.

Tall People.

Besides being very thin the people here in MN are quite tall.  Not  saying everyone is tall but many are much more than MI. And Ohio. Perhaps the Nordic ancestry.
    Very depressed today family pressures. I wonder what it's like to be an orphan .no relatives breathing down your neck.
    I took Colleen to do laundry Mon.  Thu to the clinic to get a pre- op physical,  Fri Bill and I took her to a Pre-op Dr.'s appointment. This morning she wanted me  to take her to Buffalo. My answer "No". Enough already. No good deed goes unpunished. I am not her taxi. I didn't  drive until I was twenty five and never ask people to drive me. I  took busses and walked. I puzzles me that she can think I am here
 to cart her around. Geez I told Bill I will take her once a week. That includes appointment, for gosh sake I have my own life.
   

Land of the Midnight Sun.

I am amazed how long the days are already and it's only April. I'm guessing it's because we are so far north. Pretty cool.
 Took Colleen to the laundry mat yesterday. It was a hell march. She doesn't know where she's going but thinks she does is telling me where to go and I who know nothing know better.
   While Collen was washing I went to senior day at the Penny Wise Thrift Shop. Found would u believe 13 more Bratz dolls.I have a laundry basket full now. But have to get Kelsey's quilt done first. Got a few blocks done today, so making a little progress. If I didn't have to drive Colleen somewhere every other day. I could get more done.But she pays me so I can't complain.

Coffe With the Residents.

   My next door neighbor Shirley knocked on my door about 10;25 Thru. asking me to join the ladies for coffee. I would not have gone again had she not ask me. But since she did I went down .Everyone was especially nice and from the conversation I have the feeling Shirely planned the whole thing, urging people to attend , knowing how I was recived last time. And because a couple people peeked in and noted it was a large crowd. Well that is fine and anyway it was nice and everyone was kind and friendly. Ice broken.
   I am still working on the Makedown dolls. Love doing it but I'm a bit intimidated by the eyes .  I am getting better, practice , practice  practice .
   My sis Patty insisted I make quilt for Kelsey as a wedding gift. It will be a rush. But I think it's doable. Just will take time from my dolls. 😩  Christie's quilt will have to wait for a while, but I have until  Dec. Fishing season is getting close so I will have to slow down.

Heathy MN.

Minneapolis was named the healthiest  city in the US. I believe it .  It is a very clean , environmentally conscious state . But I guess it was judged on the way they eat here and exercise  I know people here are very active. Winter in Ohio we just kinda hunker down til spring.People here make the most of winter all kinds of great outdoor winter activities. And so many parks and walking/ bike paths it is wonderful. We don't live in Minneapolis ,we are about 40 miles NW. But we have driven in a few times . Also they say less than 25% are over weight. I beilieve it , I noticed as as we moved here people are much slimmer than MI or Ohio. I guess you can thank exercise and eating well. Likening MN better all the time.

An Irish girl in a German Town.

   Last year I had my DNA test at Ancestry.com. Having a grandmother born in Norway I assumed I was at least 25% Norwegian .Well wrong , I am 44% English , 27% Irish , 13% Norwegian ,  1% Asian and a few trace % of Eastern Europe .  Living here among stand offish Germans and Scandinavian I find it strange.
There are even clubs here for newbies to get know each other .And Internet forums on unfriendly MN.
     Anyway enough complaining.
        The Bratz dolls  I bought on EBay came today . Twenty seven of them . Can't wait to start the "make down" on them .Been  washing and coming out hair.  Name a little blue eyed dark haired one Mila, and blonde Bridget.

Trying to be More Positive

Before I get too negative I think I should write about what I like about MN.
    The environment, beautiful lakes , wetlands. They have a lot of wetlands teeming with wild life. I have seen deer, trumpet geese, minks, and Eagles.
Also Minneapolis is a beautiful city. With a lot of artists , Art things going on and different ethnic groups and restaurants.
  I feel like being here I am high on the earth perhaps because I am or is just my imagination. Also get the feeling I am in the outback , a place that is off the beaten trail where people moving back and forth across the country don't come near because we are so far north. I think I like it . I felt the same when I lived in Teheran. Far from the madding group so to say. But yet kinda takes getting used to.

Another Day in Minnesota Nice.

  I have felt so snubbed here I'm getting crazy. Sitting by the window this morning I noticed two women chatting by a car in the parking lot. My first thought  " Maybe their talking about me "  What? Where did that come from? I haven't had that thought since the 9th grade.  I think it must be a reaction from living here four months
   Here is another MN experience. The woman accross the hall is very strange. For the first month we lived here she would've even make eye contact. Eventually she would give me slight smile and then quickly look away.  Now I see her chatting away with other tenants so I guess it's just me because she is very unfriendly to me .Then a few weeks ago I was going in and out carring  laundry back and forth. After about my third trip she stopped me at the door and ask me if I would please not slam the door each time I went in and out. OK First I was not slamming the door I was letting it go because I had a laundry basket in my arms. Now granted we do have a heavy door and Bill mentioned I let it slam . So I appolized profusely and told her I would be more careful in the future. Did she accept my appolize ? No , she in true Minnesota Nice proceeded to blow up ranting about how her whole house was shaking, rattling pictures and things on shelves. Bam,  Bam , Bam her exact words.
 OMG that was just bull.It was my door and my pictures and kik naks  were  not rattling. I just stared at her appolized  one more time and walked away.
   I keep telling my self to go to church or join a yoga class and maybe I can make some friends. But to tell the truth I have become gun shy. Don't know if my ego  can take another snub.

Minnesota Not So Nice.

Bill was over at the bike shop today. I woke up anxious . Decided to get some carpet shampoo for the stain where we spilled tomato soup the night before. ( Which  I don't think it will ever come out.) But back to days events feeling kinda depressed anyway Jezebel and I left to run our errand. As we stepped out of the elevator the reason for naming this blog came back to me.  I could hear the Thru. morning coffee group whooping it up in the community room .
      A couple weeks ago one of the tenants here suggested that I should join the coffee group on Thru morning , so last Thru. I trotted down to join ,fat, dumb ,and happy . Hoping to make a new friend or two. I am very friendly and out going so I walked in smiling an said " Is this the coffee clutch ".  They stared deadpan at me until one lady said in an unfriendly voice" I guess you could call it that". Put off a little but I forged on . Still smiling I Introduced myself , silence ... NO ONE  said "Welcome," Nice to meet you, " Join us," or so much as offered me one "Name ! " After a few award moments of silence one lady offered" your the one with the little white dog"  I replied "yes" excused myself and left . I have lived in two foreign countries and seven states and never have I encountered such rude people.
So much for "Minnesota Nice "What the heck ?

Early Pussy Willows.

Jezebel and I have been walking everyday since the weather got above 10 degrees.  It's about a 3/4 mile walk on an jogging / bike path. Around  some wet land ,beautiful walk . Downside is now Miss Jezebel thinks everytime we go out we should be walking around the ponds.
 Saw a lady walking accross the parking lot caring what looked like Pussy Willows. Bill said no too early. I had to find out so I ran down and caught her in the lobby. Sure enough they were Pussy Willows early but here. Jezebel and I will be taking a sissers with on our walk tomorrow.

Joys of Living in an Apt.

Here in MN we live on the third story of an apartment building. Don't get me wrong I love my apartment. We have large windows looking out on a rivine, wet lands teaming with wild life and a bike / jogging path. Nice size rooms and a walk in closet.
   But there are down sides. Example, yesterday the elevator was out of order.  No problem  Jezebel and I need exercise anyway so off we go to the stairway where we meet a little old lady with a walker mumbling about the elevator being out. I ask how she was going to get her walker down .She informed me she didn't know but she would figure it out. Because she had been to the grocery store earlier where they failed to put her chicken in the bag and by golly she was going to get it. When I suggested she could call the store explain the situation and ask them to hold it for a day. No she wanted that chicken for dinner. Good Grief ! So not wanting to witness her death and being my mothers daughter I decided I had to help. I walked down the steps holding the front of the walker praying she wouldn't fall killing us all while she hobbled behind clutching the back. Two flight later we made safely Jezebel and I went for our walk and she went off to the store to retrieve her chicken. Thank  goodness Jezebel is such a laid back little dog or it could have been even more dangerous.

Minnesota Move

Bill and I moved to MN Dec1, 2015 . Love it here beautiful state . Bike and jogging paths everywhere . 10,000 lakes. Love it. But can't say I have witnessed much of the supposed Minnesota nice everyone talks about. Actually I would say on Average Ohio is friendlier. But we will see.