This and that 091517

Wow - not even a full week, and I'm posting again. Nothing of great value, but at least words into pixels.

I was on vacation the week of Labor Day, and naturally, got sick. Stuffy/nose-runny, then a dry, occasional cough began Thursday. Yeah, it's not so "occasional" anymore, and not so dry, but it's not keeping me up at night. More annoying than anything. I had a nasal spray the doctor had given me last winter to dry out my poor, plugged sinuses, and that has done a great job unstuffing them and keeping them from regressing, so breathing is fine.

That whole ability to sleep eleven hours a night - and take a short nap during the day - certainly helped as well.

All that to say I'm feeling a bit better.

While I was off, they came to paint the outside of the condo. Let's just say they did not do a stellar job. They did not replace the globe over the outside light (I can't reach it without a ladder) and did not put the giant planters back where they belong (they only had to move them six inches to paint; instead, it took two guys to move each of them to the center of the patio - yeah, like I'm going to be able to move them back). Oh - and the guy doing trim work overpainted onto the window glass, (again, the highest windows on the place) and that has not been cleaned up. I sent a complaint to the management company a week ago, which they are doing a great job of ignoring.

Oh yeah - they also raised the condo fees for the next quarter, with less than three weeks' notice.

That, at least, is a good development. They were decreased in April, mostly because a bully on the HOA board wanted to sell his unit. But more than three weeks notice would have been appreciated.

While on vacation I began reorganizing the studio. Rather, reorganizing the projects. All of the various tools and patterns, books and fabric stash have homes, but although I know what my started projects/kits/fabric pulled for quilts bins generally contain, I'm no longer sure which of the three bins they reside in, nor what, if any supplies are still needed for completion. That this is an issue was highlighted when I went through the basket of fabric waiting to be used/put away, to discover I'd bought backing for a particular quilt twice. Gah.

I'd planned to take in the 830 for servicing, well, annual cleaning (it's running just fine) and software update, but I'm glad I didn't. My cousin's daughter is getting married in a month, and I'm going to hem a couple of bridesmaid's dresses and the mother of the bride's dress. The 830 has a handy dandy rolled hem foot that makes doing that narrow little hem a breeze.

We finally have a new area vice president at work. The good news is that he has an accounting degree (from our institution, no less); the bad news is that he has absolutely no experience in higher education. Going to be a steep learning curve for him. His first day is Monday; he's scheduled to come and say hi to us that afternoon.

Summer has returned, with temperatures in/around the low eighties for the next week. This, after more than a week of highs in the high sixties. Argh. Once the urns are moved and the light cover put on, I'd like to pack up the patio for the winter. Didn't expect to want to use it this week.

Like I said, not much for content today. There are a lot of things on my heart I can't talk about - friends struggles with health, other things going on - that are an ongoing heaviness. All you can do most of the time is just keep putting one foot in front of the other.