Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Happy 2014!

 
Oliver and I survived the holidays, napped through New Year's, and are now huddled finding warmth in the Polar Vortex that has overtaken the country.  Yesterday it was -14 when I took this photo of Oliver in his favorite cardboard box by the front door where he watches and stalks birds and squirrels at the bird seed I put out. 
 
Today it is supposed to hit zero degrees, and I might venture out for coffee, cat food, and bird seed!
 
Happy New Year to all of you, and best wishes for great quilting this year.  I hope to get back to giving you some ideas and tips soon. 
 
I am now working on my brand new laptop (a total impulse purchase for me, not at all typical) and have been rocketed into the new age of all things geeky.  Fixing DH's computer, system restores, installing all sorts of things that took forever to get back to normal, including a new WiFi router that gave me fits but is humming away now and not crashing and blinking and melting down - all this has been my daily routine for the past two weeks!  My new friends are the guys who help me out in the tech department.  The end may be in sight I think.  A few loose ends to tie, and I shall be freed from tech stuff.
 
It didn't take me long to get used to Windows 8 and I must say I am enjoying the treasure hunt to find where files are now stored, how to do the things I used to do without thinking, but it is all getting very easy and it is fun, not stressful.  I still need to get my photo program downloaded and then my old laptop will be cut free, to relax and enjoy its much-deserved retirement. 
 
And I have Apps.  I love my weather App.  The background photos look like my view out the window.  It can "find my location" and tells me everything and more about my weather. 
 
I've liked seeing all the holiday quilting projects and photos on Facebook, and pet photos too.  I know quilters are busy as always being creative.
 
We had our little Charlie Brown faux Christmas tree again, decorated with birds, nests, and real nests blown down in the yard that I have saved over the years.  I added clear lights and my collection of crystal ornaments, and it was beautiful.
 
 
 
Oliver took several days to "notice" that the new thing blocking his view out the window had BIRDS perched in it.  Every night at 9:30  he sat on the old Singer treadle next to it and gazed at it for a long time before gently reaching out and swiping one bird or nest off and onto the floor.  In the a.m. when I was having coffee he did the same thing.  The victims were then placed in the greenery on the mantel, out of his reach.  It was a game with us, and he ignored the crystal ornaments and never toppled the tree.  He is four years old and has developed civilized sensibilities. 
 
Below, a hazy photo of him gazing at his tree.
 
 
I hope your year is filled with lights and crystal and wonder, and quilting always.  Stay warm......
Diane
 

9 comments:

Diane said...

And Happy New Year to you as well! I spent the last afternoon of the holiday break cleaning the studio, rearranging things to put often used implements within reach of the machine, generally sprucing up and getting ready to create. This year will be one of play, as I try to finish the rather long list of projects that are hanging around. About half those projects are quilts that are for me to keep, and I fully intend to experiment when machine quilting them.

Bouts Choisis said...

Happy New Year! I'm so impressed that you have coped with Windows 8 - I've found it a nightmare although the Windows 8.1 update has helped! I suppose it will all become as familiar as Windows Vista ....... eventually! What a good idea for tree decorations - yours looks lovely. Lynne

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Happy New Years to you as well. Stay warm and cuddle kitty.

Unknown said...

And to you and yours also from a summery New Zealand where the lawns are beginning to slow down in growth...thank goodness! Our cats almost ignored the Christmas tree, but were very tempted by the beribboned and wrapped gifts beneath it! We now have a third cat. He has been hanging around for two months and is finally happy to come inside for food. We live near a creek which has been a dumping ground for cats ever since we have lived here...36 years! The kids used to tame them and it hasn't stopped. Fortunately the new one has been well accepted by the others...so now we have sleek blackwithafewbellypatchesofwhite Brooke, silky soft long haired tabby Tabitha and cross eyed ginger tabby Mr Miaow. White with splotches of ginger Yabby and pitch black TK are regular visitors from our daughter...we all live on the same property. So you can imagine what happens with the quilts I make...the cats pinch them!

Diane Gaudynski said...

Diane, I hope to get to some of that organizing too!

Bouts, I moved from Visa to Windows 8. I use the normal desktop, found the files (no Start menu!), click on the App screen when I want to go to the weather app, or use another one, just go back and forth as needed. I noticed my screen is so bright now that my photos here are washed out. I am going to oomph up the color soon on my blog. It looked fine on my old computer.

Bonnie, at least you are enjoying some lovely weather while we in the north are locked in with ice and snow and cold. Your cat tribe sounds wonderful, and thank you for saving them, each one is an individual treasure.

Diane Gaudynski said...

Ah, I meant "I moved from Vista to Windows 8" but of course Visa was definitely involved as well!

SewCalGal said...

Happy New Year to you too!

You have a very positive attitude of migrating to windows 8. I think I've been using it since it came out and still hate it, although I can now figure out my way around. Definitely looking forward to Win 9/10 as it can only get better.

Attending the CHA Winter Trade Show and saw June Tailor has a grid ruler that works for many of your designs. Made me think warm thoughts of you, as I do frequently.

Fondly,

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

PS - Stay warm and healthy. Let me know if you want me to mail you cat food for Oliver as I think it is best to have the post man deliver than for you to go out in these terrible conditions. I could send So. Cal. Avocados, but they do freeze. Sent to BIL in Alaska one year and he advised against future shipments. LOL!

Diane Gaudynski said...

I am viewing Windows 8 as a personal challenge! Yesterday I would not give in and finally figured out how to print a photo from my photo library. My hint is to avoid working through the apps and go right to the file folder on the desktop taskbar, find things there, and the right click is your friend forever.

SewCalGal, thanks for your message and offer to ship Oliver some avacadoes - he and I love them. Fortunately we do get really lovely ones here shipped in at our local store and we have them frequently. They always remind me of California and Houston where the first meal I would have at my hotel there was a sandwich with avacadoes, yum.

Yes, June Tailor has a great grid marker and after you mark whatever size grid it is amazing what you can invent to make a design within it. Great tool.

Rebana Jepara said...

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Once again I want to say thank you
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