In the Slammer! (And a Roanoke Road Trip!)

The installation of the 30ft x 30ft play yard for the dogs began on Saturday.

On an uneven plot of ground, it wasn't the easiest thing - but with some trenching in the high spots and some attached and buried hog wire in the low spots to prevent digging and escaping - this is the best we can come up with to keep these girls from going out on the lam.

As this has been the "year of mud" thanks to much soil moving and land leveling in the front of the cabin, things are looking rather rough.  There really is not much grass left thanks to the tractor, but like a bad hair cut, it will all grow back in due time.

There is more hog wire to buy, and more trenching to be done - but in the mean time they show no signs of digging to get out, and rather like the space!

We've come up with a short solution to the need for shade - an old 10' x 10' pop up tent awning thing with a tarp over it is in one corner for now.

It looks so "Appalachian American" and I'm proud to say it does the job at that!

We've found if we turn them loose for their twilight run up the mountain about 20 minutes before dark - it only takes them that long (last night it only took them 10) to go like rockets to the top of the property and follow their noses back down.

At least it wasn't a 10 hour hair-raising adventure like what was experienced a week ago today.

This was the look they gave me yesterday morning as I headed north east toward Roanoke to spend the afternoon with a friend I hadn't seen in years!

In the back of the van - precious cargo!

Sally has rented the sweetest little get-away apartment around the corner from her daughter and 6 month old grandson.  Roanoke is 2 hours or so away from where she lives outside of Richmond near the other daughter and grandbabies.

And like the doting helpful grannie that she is, she wants equal time with both sets of grandkids, but still needs her sanity and own space.

She also needed a small fold-away sewing machine for her little nest (as all quilters NEED!) and this is where I came in!

With the sale of the Wallburg house last November, I knew I didn't have room for EVERYTHING - so Sally and I made a plan in which I would bring this to her when the weather was nice, her own space was in order, and we could have a nice visit.

This machine is a sweet 15-91, her info is found in the grey stripe - there were 50,000 of them commissioned October 15, 1954.  FIFTY THOUSAND in that run.

I know as a basic hard-working straight-stitcher that this Singer 15 will do a great job for Sally.

The only problem we had?  I forgot to bring thread and fabric to show her how to thread and use it.

And Sally didn't have any either!

That HAS to be a first - that two quilters in cahoots didn't have fabric or thread between them.

We did have the manual though, so she has all of the info on how to clean, oil, maintain and use this sweet machine.

I've got an identical one to it - a twin if you will, that belonged to first my Great-Grandmother on my mom's side.  It then went to my Grandmother who sewed my mom's competition skating costumes on it, many dresses, skirts, blouses and other clothing items.

It's the machine my mom and her sisters learned on, and now it is owned by me.  I'm keeping that one!

So back to Roanoke!

How about this for out to lunch?

Amanda suggested Our Daily Bread and off we went. I knew my diet was sunk the moment we walked in - this is where you stand in line to make your order.  

We enjoyed a wonderful chat, delicious food, and back to Sally's we went.

Just outside of Sally's front yard picket fence.

Wise words to remember.

Roanoke's Old South West side, not far from downtown, is full of beautiful old houses that rose up in tree lined neighborhoods due to the railroad boom that began in the 1880s.

 In 1882, Roanoke became a crossroads for the railroad, which eventually became the Norfolk and Western Railway. This marked the start of the town's rapid growth, leading to its charter as the City of Roanoke in 1884. (The same year Quiltville Inn was built!)

Its historic market, which also began in these early years, remains vibrant as one of the oldest in the country and still operates as an anchor of downtown commerce.

If I needed to once again live in a neighborhood, this is exactly the kind of neighborhood I would choose!

I took this photo while sitting in Sally's front garden in Old South West Roanoke looking across the street at similar front porches, chatting up a storm while her two dogs, Jack and Bill played amongst the flowers.

This color! Beautiful!

It's porch sittin' season and I am so happy I got to do this! 

Thanks, Sal Pal - let's do it again soon! 

It's Quiltmaker Gift-Away Time!

And not just Quiltmaker, but our three winners will also receive products from IronEZ!

One winner will win the IronEZ with standard bottle, a second will win the IronEZ with fine mist bottle, and our third winner will receive a 2 pack of fine mist bottles!

No more knocking that spray bottle off of their ironing board ever again.

I am just this sold on the product, and the kind folks at IronEZ are offering a 15% discount to my readers using code BH15OFF.

Quiltmaker Magazine AND an IronEZ product? Who's ready to win?

Head on over to yesterday's Gift-Away post and get your entry in.  We'll be drawing for our 3 winners (USA Addresses only please) on Monday 5/9/2022.

Today.  Yesterday my maintenance light came on in the van while driving.  It's time for an oil/lube/filter and whatever else change. And a tire rotation. 

Doesn't that sound exciting?

And the guys will be out to install a Generac at the inn.  It's the next big upgrade that needs to happen. I'm hoping we will rarely need to use it, but it will be there incase we do.

In fact- I need to be there in 25 minutes when they arrive so I'm outta here!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Life is rich with abundance, give with your heart and you will never run out of what comes back!
⁣
Vintage Log Cabin quilt found in Michigan.

Have a Terrific Tuesday, folks!