The Derriere of Doom
6:23 a.m. - 2009-07-18


Abby came for a short visit yesterday, mostly to use the washing machine. She has finished the quilt she is making as a wedding present for her college roommate, and needed a big, adjustable machine to wash it in. It was such a hot day that the big thing dried in no time at all on the clothesline.

That evening we all went to the library booksale. Usually I keep a watch for the Hat Lady, the lady who always wears a hat with a brim that, in the crowded conditions, slices unwary necks and faces. This time, however, a new menace became quickly apparent when I tried to look at the craft books - a woman in black pants who stood in such a weird way bending over to look at the books that her back end blocked the whole aisle. She was not a really huge woman, I am not sure how she managed it, but it was very annoying. Everywhere I went, there she was, bent over on an angle in the aisle with her rear at nearly face level. In spite of the hazards, I managed to find several good cookbooks for Melissa, who is interested in Sushi now, and an interesting book for me on cooking for the freezer. They are having a bag sale for only $2 a bag later this weekend, and I may go back for that.

This week my dad's computer died, showing only a black screen with a little DOS writing on it that said something about failure to boot. Joel pronounced it dead, but I told The Great J that Abby would be in town on Friday and I would send her over to look at it. He kept asking me questions about the computer, but I just kept telling him that he was asking the wrong (really wrong) person, since I know almost nothing about tech stuff. Abby had so much trouble with her own new Dell computer hard drive last year, that she has no trouble reseating one, or whatever you call it, so she was able to call Dell and tinker around. Whatever she did worked, and the computer is back up and running. Pretty cool, really.

I tried the shirt muslin on Ab, and we are having the same problem I always have: good fit through the shoulders and everywhere else, but too much fabric at the underarm area. I am not sure what to do about this, but I think maybe it involves a higher armhole or some other horrendous adjustment. I am going to try using the pattern drafting software to draft a pattern, try that one out, and compare it to commercial patterns.

Another hot day is on tap for today. I will hold off on making the applesauce until the temp goes down.