Just Three Things | #3

I don't know if it is old age creeping up on us or if it is retirement and how the days all seem to look a lot alike or if it is just forgetfulness but I've noticed that Mike and I both sometimes lose track of what day of the week we are in. Last week I mentioned something to our granddaughter, Lydia, about Friday. She looked at me with incredulity and said, "You mean tomorrow, Grand B? Tomorrow is Friday." All day long I had been thinking it was Wednesday when, in fact, it was Thursday! Then, yesterday, Mike and I were sitting at the table and he said, "Is this Wednesday?" I don't know if it is comforting that I am not the only one forgetful of which day it is or if it is a bit frightening! Anyway, I hope every day of your week has been a good one!

What I'm Reading

As I mentioned when I noticed how I really like a southern voice, I've been reading one of those southern voices - Mary Kay Andrews. Mary Kay Andrews is the pen name of Kathy Hogan Trocheck. I finished up this one:

Every Crooked Nanny

Last night I started the next in the series, To Live and Die in Dixie. It has been a while since I dived into a series and I had forgotten how comfortable it is to start out a book already knowing characters and setting. The first of the series proved to be a fun read and I'm already enjoying the beginning of this second one. I think what I'm enjoying is that many of the characters could be people who live nearby and have quirks and personalities much like folks we all know and love in spite of those quirks. 

Of course, before I started this series, I finished up The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club. It was listed as a historical fiction novel that was set just after World War I. I haven't read as much about that time period as I have the time during and just after World War II. So, my interest was piqued at the thought of that time period. I also appreciated the author's take on the evolving role of women at that time. Maybe this is where my parents roots came from. They always told my sister and I that we should act like a lady but think like a man. This book helped me to appreciate that reference.

 

What I'm Loving

I'm loving the cooler days we have entered! When I went out for tacos for Taco Tuesday this week, the air was still so hot and humid that it was sort of hard to breathe. We welcomed the rain and the cooler temperatures that have blown in. I even decided that it was time to sprinkle a few pumpkins here and there throughout the house and change up the decor around here a bit. One of the things I've gravitated toward over the years is to just focus on fall and not go all out on Halloween or Thanksgiving. I'm a lazy decorator and when I just sprinkle a few pumpkins and fall leaves around, that can shoo away the summer feeling and escort in a bit of a fall feeling. That doesn't mean I don't have witches and black cats or pilgrims and turkeys. It just means I don't go all out one and follow with the other. 

Most of what I dig out of storage is just fall and pumpkins with a nod or two of a witch and a black cat. I'll share a bit of how fall looks around here on a later date. In the meantime, I've gone for a stroll to enjoy the cooler weather and I'm in the process of dragging my newly covered chairs out onto the porch to give them a spritz of Scotchguard to protect the fabric a little from our spills and drips. Maybe I can wrap the chair project up and share the beauty of all my dining-type chairs with checked seats.

What I'm Working On

I am wrapping up my chair seat covering project. I discovered that it is not the quick and easy task I anticipated. Wrestling with the chairs to get the screws loose and the seats removed and gripping and pulling and stapling the fabric did a number on my shoulders, arms, and hands. At first I couldn't figure out why I was having such soreness. Then, I realized I had wrestled and twisted and pulled and pushed in ways that I had not asked my body to do in quite some time. I did five chairs the first day and I was pretty achy the next. So, I skipped a day and then did four chairs. The following project sessions, I only did three per day. That was much more manageable. I probably should have only tackled a couple per day if I didn't want to be achy but I've recouped and I'm no worse for the wear. It was probably a good exercise session for me, if truth be told. I will get the seats sprayed and protected and then try to capture a photo or two showing where they are scattered throughout the house. 

I'm really pleased with the look of them and it truly has not been all that difficult to transform the chairs. I'm just taking this project on like I promised myself I would when I was looking forward to retirement - slow and steady! 

I've already begun gathering supplies, plotting and planning in my mind how I want it to look, and figuring out what might be the best method of creation for my next project. Like everything around here, it is a bit of trial and error and back to the drawing board. We shall get there, though!