"New" Longarm and Family Reunion -- Sort Of

The internet here is SO SORRY!  I have 3 or 4 videos to upload, but can't do it.  I've forgotten now what they even were about.  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Oh!  About the last quilt and my longarm.  And a tutorial about Sure-fit Designs for the lady that asked.  We are going to try changing routers this week per the advice of our computer-fix-it guy here.  We were going to change to another company, but he told us they were worse than the one we already have.  Nice to live in the woods EXCEPT for that!

I will be receiving a 2014 Demo Longarm in a few days.  I traded my 2006 in because mine ran out of warranty.  The "new" demo machine has a lifetime warranty.  I am happy and nervous at the same time.  It is very different than my 2006 model.  I may be making lots of phone calls for assistance for awhile.

Let me see if I can download a pic of Millie for you.............

Doesn't look like much to most of my readers, I'm sure, but it looks awesome to me!  For one thing, it is white instead of dark gray.  I really like that.  I am keeping my table, so it won't match, but I couldn't figure out HOW I would get the table OUT of my house since it came INTO the house through the window when we were building my sewing room into the attic.  There was a scaffolding outside the second story window then.  There is NOTHING under the window now but cement.  I better quit making blouses and start making some new quilts!

And, YES, we are having a family reunion.  Nothing like the family reunion we used to go to in Ohio when I was growing up.  I swear, every other person within 500 miles of Youngstown, Ohio is MY relative.  I kid you not.

When I was 17 years old, my parents sent me to Ohio to live with my grandparents for a year.  They did not approve of my boyfriend in Phoenix, AZ, and they had very good reasons not to, although at the time, I sure didn't agree with any of them.

I was sent away to my grandparent's house where I was supposed to be SAFE from all evil boys.  The very FIRST thing that happened was I made a friend at school.  Her name was Diane.  She was dating a boy named John.  John's parents owned a bar.  A real bar with pool tables and liquor and lots of wild customers every night.  GUESS where I hung out all the time?  Yep.  At the bar with Diane and John.  One night I was there -- only 17 -- and some guy came over and started flirting with me.  He wanted to take me on a date.  I asked him what his name was.

It was Ed Treehorn.

My name was Joy Clingerman at the time.

I told him my name.  He looked at me strange, and then he said, "I think we are related".

When I got home, I asked my grandparent about him.  Sure enough.  We were some number of cousins.  1st, 2nd or 3rd.  The next guy I met was a cousin too.  He said he didn't care.  He told me I made his toes curl up.  We went to visit cousins in Pennsylvania, and my third cousin there wanted to marry me!  I think there may have been a HUGE shortage of girls in those parts.

I sure was glad when I got to leave Ohio!

ANYWAY, we used to go there to family reunions.  They would be outside on the lawn of some relative's house.  The food was set out in dish after dish after dish down the center of table after table after table.  Every kind of meat and veggy and pickle and jam and salad and dessert were arrayed there, a whole bunch of which I had never seen before, and I wasn't too sure if I should eat them.  And the RELATIVES!  Women had so many children in my grandparents' day, and I think every parent -- every kid -- and every grand and great grandkid showed up for those reunions.  There were people EVERYWEHRE.

This coming weekend we are having a very small family reunion but it is GINORMOUS for this family.  There will be a total of 11 of us.  Two of our grandchildren will be gone by the time the rest arrive, but we were lucky to get to have them at all.  They are coming from California, and they have to make all the rounds.  There will be 9 of us gathering next Sunday for a day of just enjoying each other and celebrating our oldest grandson leaving Alaska where he has been stationed for three years.  I've decided our huge buffet on all the long tables will be at the Alberta Creek Cafe down the road.  We have already made reservations.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yes!  Air conditioning and I don't have to cook -- at least, for that meal.

Jerry and I have been running around inside and outside all day long doing things we didn't care about until we found out all these people are coming to visit.  THANK GOD, a man named Stevie came to do all the mowing and tree trimming today.  Jerry would have tried to do it, and it would have been too much.  The guy that came would stand on the VERY TOP of his ladder with a chainsaw in his hand cutting down limbs!  We could NOT believe our eyes!  He trimmed dozens of trees, picked up all the branches and hauled them to a burn pile, and then he mowed and weed-eated our huge several-acre lawn.  He is coming back soon to do more.  What a blessing!

Jerry trimmed hedges and burned stumps.  I cleaned toilets, vacuumed, mopped, changed from boring hand soap to pretty scented handsoap for my daughter; made sure all showers had shampoo, conditioner and soap; made sure beds all had clean sheets and found the two blow-up mattresses; gave Jackie the best trim I could which isn't saying much; fixed lunch and supper and now I am typing this to you.

We are SO EXCITED to see our grandkids -- all of them except our great grandchild that we are not allowed to see -- but ESPECIALLY John who has been away for three years.  There WILL be pictures!

Jerry just announced he is exhausted and has gone to our bedroom.  I must follow.  Whither thou goest, you know.

Hugs, Joy