Today found with me with limited energy. I did not get dressed until noon. I felt like I had a 100 lb weight dropped on my shoulders. It's amazing how tired you can feel inside yet not be able to sleep. Everything seems to take so much effort. You rest for a bit, and then do a bit, then rest again. I did manage to go out for a walk around the neighborhood, then sat on my deck and listened to the wind. Cousin Els came by this afternoon for a visit. We shared some vanilla chamomile tea and good conversation. The OT director arrived with the backing for my quilt which she put in the washer to shrink, and then made me iron the material. She's always creating work for me it seems and pushing me to create, create, create. She had me cut out pattern pieces for a dress for Ivy before she left as well. No rest for the weary. I don't pay the OT director much, but she certainly earns her wage.

Janet White #1 arrived and the three of us sat and observed the quilt, deliberating on how to quilt it. Doug went out for supper with Morton & Caleb from Grand Manan. The OT Director went home even though I invited her for dinner. Said something about having a husband. Janet and I ate dinner provided by S., who said there was 'lots of flour in it' (I'm not supposed to eat flour; she says that everytime she brings me a dish she has prepared. I hope she's joking…). Jan and I went to WalMart to buy quilt batting and the guy from the shoe department cut it for us. They're having a hard time finding workers for the fabric department. I think Janet should work there, although she wouldn't be able to get away with the outburst she had while in the store. The quilt batting was on a large roll over the cutting table. She reefed on it and it started rolling off the overhead contraption, and of course, she let out a loud "who-hoo!" that startled Mr. Shoe and he looked at her as if she had three heads. I told him she gets pretty excited about things. She said she didn't know the batting roll was going to explode. She advised the shoe guy on how to cut the batting, which he did with amazing accuracy for a shoe salesman. He then tried to entice us over to his department to buy shoes. We decided we didn't need shoes.

Home again to find Doug waiting for us. We sat on the floor for over an hour basting and basting that quilt. I panted and panted as I tried to get comfortable on my knees, my side, lying down. When Janet bastes a quilt, she is a very demanding – but it's done right. When you quilt with Janet, everything is done right. It's hard to live up to her standard, but I try. It is very difficult to baste a quilt on the floor and I was glad it was over – what a workout! I wouldn't want to do that for a living. I asked her if older women baste quilts on the floor. I never saw that at a quilting bee. It must be the 'new way' to put a quilt together. I never saw my grandmother making a quilt that way, or even my mother.

At least the quilt is now ready for quilting. It's amazing that I've got this far on it, especially in my condition. The OT Director pushed and pushed me for two weeks to finish sewing it, especially that last day when I was too exhausted to finish it. My friends tend to push me a lot lately. I guess that's what friends are for. "Keep on going, keep on going," it seems like they are saying. Janet seemed pleased with the quilt and took a couple of pictures of it, then a picture of Doug, the "maple syrup guy." Mr. Maple and I then spent an hour looking through old papers from the kids' school years, looking for Jon's high school diploma. He needs a copy of it for community college (I don't know why the high school diploma, considering he already has a BA in Arts). He is in school again, working on his carpentry apprenticeship. We couldn't find the diploma, but found a lot of cute things. Someday I need to make a scrapbook. Oh, no, I shouldn't have said that – I'll probably have to do that next. Don't tell Mrs. OT.