It was wonderfully hot the last couple days, needing the air-conditioning on about mid-afternoon.  I love open windows & fresh air but I don't like sweating sitting still, inside my house.  Last October we had to have a new furnace installed on Mom's side of the house (where I live since she passed).  The old one was 23+ years old & gave Mom then me good service all those years but the heat exchanger was about to give way so it just wasn't safe anymore.  We have our furnaces cleaned every year so the area that was likely to crack was being watched.  Last year our luck ran out.  The air-conditioner was the same age so we decided to replace that unit too, as I figured it would probably go out when it was 100*F outside one summer & we'd have to wait for 2-3 weeks for a new one.  So at least when I turned on the a/c this week, it started on a dime without worry.  I'm sure it's more energy efficient too, as is the furnace. They make strides in efficiency all the time & 23+ year old appliances just aren't as energy efficient as the new ones.

Of course we paid $11,000 for that efficiently new furnace & air conditioner!  Talk about sticker shock!  Yikes!  We got another estimate from a different company & was floored when it came back even higher, for less quality units.  We'd been using the same company for decades so we figured we'd get a good deal from them...but we didn't realize how good of a deal we got until we got another estimate from someone else.  But the cost, all the same, scared the heck out of us!  How far can our savings go?!  

Ick, enough of that talk!!

What lead me to that topic was to say how warm it's been the last couple days but how it's supposed to be much cooler today, with a LOT of rain.  Our earth can use it around here.  I woke up a bit after 6am & it was overcast right out of the gate.  I've heard of the horrible storms yesterday & last night, in various states, and I pray none of you were affected.  

I'm currently working on a rug hooking project called "The Mystery of the Lighthouse" by Deanne Fitzpatrick.  It's April's selection in the year long Mystery Art Project.  I get a kit per month & I don't know what it is until I open it.  The projects are small but all various sizes & shapes, finished in 3-4 days, and when all 12 are completed, Deanne gives a diagram on how to hang them so they form a rectangle. That's called the "Salon Style" of hanging pictures.  I'll figure out how to transfer pictures from my camera to this computer today & I'll show you the ones I have done.  It's really fun & rug hooking (not latch hook) is so easy to learn.  They're compiling a waiting list for the Mystery Art Project for 2026 already.  

Much love to all, Andrea xoxo