Is It Done Yet?

No, the dang deck is not, but it sure is getting there.

 I have the patience of a gnat, an ADD one at that! Friday the guys worked from nine in the morning to three thirty in the afternoon. It took a little while to build up a routine, but by quitting time they were sailing long.  Dom had a hot date Friday night and a big bike ride Saturday morning in and around Klamath Falls. Gene took off Saturday to fly (paragliding) somewhere in California near the Nevada border. So that left me, the critters, the sewing machines and the unfinished deck.



 Everyone got some attention and I did enjoy sitting out in my red chair in the late afternoon sun.



 Yesterday Gene worked on it until it was too dark to be safe. I did offer to hold a light or two if he felt so inclined to carry on! He only has a little less than a quarter to go before the deck part is complete. Then railings, then stairs. I'm pretty darn sick of the ladder as you can imagine.

I  started to tackle my self imposed "Perfect White Shirt Challenge" with Burda 7136



and 2.5 yards of inexpensive bleached muslin. This shirt is one of the few patterns I found with the desired combination of front button placket, back yoke



 and collar and stand. In other words, a man tailored shirt with dart shaping. I change many of my blouses to front placket because I hate facings anyway, but it's hard to do that with a one piece collar. Anyway, Burda really missed on their dart placement. I know I have suffered some downward pull over the years but gut level? I don't think so! The following picture illustrates where the dart started and ended.



 I had to move them and change the angles for a more upward sweep.



 Odd dart placement all around and Burda usually does better than that. Along with front plackets come sleeve vent plackets and I'm having a struggle with them as well, mostly due to inexperience.

In other news, the headache finally left grudgingly yesterday after almost two weeks. Good thing too, because today marks the start of room by room fall cleaning in advance of the much anticipated parental invasion. :) Smoochie is almost as excited as I am once I told him my Mother was coming!

The horses and donkeys all received some one on one time. There is nothing like sitting in the dirt, leaning my back against Cooper or Dandy's front legs and practicing solar warming. Dandy likes to drool in my hair and Cooper quite often lowers his enough that I can scratch his chin while he dozes. These two boys have adjusted so well to being just the duo again.

Parting shot: A seasoned beggar, at only 1.5 years of age!



No Robin did not get any of Gene's ice cream, but only because I was watching.....