The Depot

In historic downtown Cookeville, next to The Depot is parked this 3-car train.

There is an engine,  a coal car and a caboose.

When we first moved here, ten years ago, I took the kids on a train ride to Nashville. 

We rode on refurbished rail cars, high class travel back in the day.

There was a "bar" car selling sodas and  a "window" car with a glass roof for a full view. 

It was a 3-hour trip there; 2 hours to walk, shop or eat in downtown Nashville; then the 3-hour ride home.

I mistakenly thought it was a guided tour showing points of interest and local history.  OOPS!

No, just a long leisurely ride to the city.  I wish I had brought a book or games to entertain the kids.

I'm glad that we have highways and cars to get around in these days.

Here's The Depot Museum.

I have yet to find time to be there when it is open.

Opposite  is "the old shirt factory" that in recent years has been used by local bands to hold concerts and other social gatherings for the 20-somethings in the area.  I'm guessing that it was purposely located next to the train station for ease in shipping products in and out.

Every now and then I hear someone talking about having worked in the factory or I see an old quilt like the pink one pictured in a previous post http://madakamom.blogspot.com/2012/04/happy-easter-ok-im-little-late-but.html that  I assume was made and backed with shirting from this factory.

Playground Hazzard

We have constantly warned him about jumping off things... couches, chairs, steps!
Well, the inevitable happened at daycare.
He jumped off one of those outdoor climbing toys... only about a foot off the ground.

But, he landed on his elbow.  Fractured the radial head.... ie.. elbow for us lay people.
Had to pin him down to get the cast on and he cried for two hours to take it off.  Poor baby!

Scooby-Doo on tv, grilled cheese sandwhich and a couple chocolate cookies and he's better. Took him shopping to find some shirts with wider arms to fit over the cast. Spiderman for him and Hawaii for me!

Sewing will wait for another day.

UFO Listing

As part of reorganizing, some of my online friends have posted their UFO's... a list of all the projects and kits in their possession.  Since I'm working on reorganizing too, here is my list ... so far ...  I would have to dig through and examine each basket to determine a detailed listing of how far I've progressed on each project  and I don't have time for that now... but this will get me started.

COMPLETED IN 2012
Improve Block Quilt (february)

WAITING TO BE QUILTED
Rosewood Cottage - 1/2 hand quilted
Lucky Charms
Basket Sampler Quilt
Birthday Star
Monkey Wrench BOM
Set of 4 placemats
ScrapMania - listed as flimsy... can't locate????

ALMOST DONE
Christmas Swap Blocks - waiting for boder fabric to arrive
Baltimore Album Quilt - needs borders to be a flimsy
Sunbonnet Sue - needs 3 prairie point borders to be a flimsy
Basic Class Wall Hanging - need to finish hand applique on 4th block then assemble
Pillow Cover - assemble parts

STARTED AND STOPPED
Barn Blocks - 5 more applique blocks, then log cabin blocks to assemble
1950s Santa - applique - working on block 2 of 12
Happiness Key - background prepared
Vicksburg BOM - 3 to hand applique.. I may just assemble the completed blocks into a flimsy and stop
Scott's Quilt - 1/2 cutting done
Dear Jane/Hot Momma Rose - 3 blocks complete
Cheddar Bowties - 81 blocks complete, 2 of 9 rows completed for first 1/4 of quilt
Orca Bay - some of steps 1 and 2 complete
Swartz Creek Quilt - unfinished class project
Jamestown Landing BOM
Green/Pink BOM
Black White & Red
Orphan Fan Blocks
Heart Blocks
Pumpkin wall hanging
4th July Wall Hanging - paper pieced
Recycle Quilt Teddy Bears

UPCOMING CLASSES
Winston Ways
Turkey Tracks
Midnight Flight

KITS NOT YET STARTED
Pastel stars
Pink Baby Quilt
5-Star Tablerunner
Parisian 20
Cardinal Wall Hanging
Quilt Diva
Colonial Christmas
Golden Stars tablerunner
CJ's Care Bears
Iris Table Runner
2 Americana Dolls

I also have several boxes with quilt-of-the-month kits stored in the closet...but I'll leave them for another day to inventory and decide what to do.

Swaps

I have just completed another swap with Pat Sloan's Mash-up group.  I've got the blocks stitched together... now I have to find a Christmas fabric for the border.

Organization 102

The rooms have been emptied and rearranged, and while not completely organized I am happy with the results so far.

 
My quilting studio is now formed by a wall of shelves and boxes of fabrics and scraps.  As customers walk into the room there is a table to lay their tops on where we can measure and discuss work to be done. The boxes are labeled with content or fabric color.  I love that there is more open floor space for me to maneuver as I quilt along.

 The sewing studio is reorganized too.  Along the back wall of the room is a table with baskets of UFOs that need to be finished.... yes that pile is way too high!...but it was even higher last year, so I am making slow progress getting things done.  Next to that table it is my new pressing table that my husband made as a Christmas gift with some batting scraps in those pink crates underneath.  Right now it is piled high with fabrics that I am in the process of  preparing for three different quilt classes I will be attending in August.  The spare bed on the right wall serves as a "table" for my roll of batting with the extra roll stored standing on the floor in the corner.  At the bottom of the bed is the spare dresser in which I am organizing and sorting my fat quarters and storing my Dear Jane kits with work in progress.

Along the left wall of the room is my sewing table and chair.  I've discovered that I need to buy one of those plastic or wooden things for the floor as my chair will not roll on the carpet.  I've got a couple of  folding tray tables and my handquilting hoop and stand with the quilt I will eventually finish for me!  Now that it is set up and constantly staring at me I will be able to view and decide how to quilt the next block.  The last item along that wall is my cutting table... it is constructed with saw horse legs purchased from Lowes and my old butcher-block kitchen table. Yes, there is a pile of projects to be cut stacked here too, and I will get them all done eventually!   On the window sill above the table are my Civil War fabrics and some of my collection books

Lastly is the closet.  It is crammed full with two large tubs of various yarns and knitting projects, another two large tubs of fabrics and patterns for dresses and jackets that I planned on making, another large tub of kitchen towels and yarns and yet another full of colored plastic bags to be cut and crochet into waterbottle holders or entry-way rugs to help stop dirt and leaves from being tracked all over the house!  Not sure how it got knocked off, but I'll have to get hubby to put that one door back on it's tracks this weekend.

There are still more boxes to sort through, organize, and label, but at least now I can move my elbows while working and not have to worry about knocking something over.  I am so lucky to be able to expand into and take over two rooms... one for hobby and one for busniess!

organization 101

If you are like me and trying to get your sewing studio organized... again.  Check out Pat Sloan's posts on getting organized.  Lots of helpful hints.

http://quiltinggallery.com/2012/02/02/organization-101-pat-sloan/

My first step will be to empty both work areas.... my quilt studio on the left and my sewing studio on the right.

Thank goodness for strong young son's wiling to work for food!
LOL!

Hope Academy

My son has recently joined a group in town sponsored by a local church.  Hope Academy is a supervised social gathering for young adults with disabilites that meets every Wednesday.    The leader is a retired 3rd grade teacher who is assissted by a volunteer RN to help deal with individual's medical issues.  There is a visiting music teacher once each month and parents take turns volunteering time and talent to help entertain these special kids.  One of the church's other ministries provides lunches.  

Sharing a tasty lunch!



Field trip to Marble Slab Creamery!


Activities include arts and crafts, bowling, Wii games, music, and field trips.Today's field trip was to Marble Slab Creamery where we indulged in our choice of ice cream flavors and many tasty toppings!

Happily our field trip was not cancelled because of the horrible weather... dark clouds and rain started blowing in as we were heading out. A tornado watch was issued. Shortly after we got home... the sirens start blaring... just in time for me to go pick up my grandson from daycare! I carefully watched the skies as I drove through torrential rains to pick him up. By the time I was almost home the skies began to clear!

Visiting a Friend

Today I took a nice drive and visited my friend Becky.
She gave me some tips on freemotion feather quilting ... in my mind, she is the queen of feathers!...and she has pictures to prove it!  I am going to do some in the very near future.

I helped her start her blog!  Check it out at http://busybeebsquilting.blogspot.com/  She'll have more pictures posted soon.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and I was able to figure out how to use our new Garmin so I  don't get lost any future drives!  A very successful day!

The Morning After the Storm

Yesterday afternoon was gray and dreary as the snow came down in gobs... several times I had to step out onto the deck to clear the satellite dish because the snow was blocking reception.

This morning... bright sun and blue skies! I enjoyed my walk with Toby around the neighborhood.  When I started it was in the low 20's but it was warming up quickly.  The wet roads were a bit slick with black ice and I had to be very careful how I walked.  But the bright sun on the blacktop quickly had the ice melting.  The birds were out singing like crazy!  I wish there was a way to share that beautiful sound with you.  It just makes my day. 

Luckily, I remembered to grab my camera when I left the house this morning and took some nature pictures.

I love how the frost forms on the edges of these leaves and grass spikes

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Snow covered red berry bushes look awesome!

 Neighbor Dan was out pruning these berry bushes as I walked by on Saturday.  He left a pile of branches for the truck to come by and pick up.  I grabbed a couple branches to take home and arrange in a vase for a bit of color in the house.  I almost picked some snow covered daffodils from another neighbors yard, but I resisted the temptation.



 And while the neighborhood children had fun in the snow yesterday, I was working down in my quilting room making this using up some of the Improv Swap Blocks made last year by my friends at Pat Sloan's Quilt MashUp.

Thimbles

I've tried a variety of metal and plastic thimbles over the years, but they never felt comfortable so I didn't do very much hand sewing.. or if I did it  involved only very short working sessions because I would end up with raw fingers... the finger underneath the project would get pricked  and the finger on top trying to push the needle through the project would get poked! I'm sure I have a few old thimbles here and there that I have tried, but I can't find them right now.

About 5 years ago I started an applique quilt... the calendar quilt with various barns by Piecemakers... It was, unfortunately, my first needleturn applique quilt and I struggled along both with the small piece sizes, technique and sore fingers. But I really liked the idea of quilting a picture, so I plugged along... on and off... for most of the year before life got busy and I fell so far behind that all I did was collect the kits and I box them up for another day. I actually completed only one of those blocks with the pieceing and embroidery. I have another seven or eight blocks with all but the tiniest pieces appliqued and none of the embroidery. (sigh)
I've done other applique and handstitched projects since then with much bigger pieces and discovered this leather thimble at one of the quilt shows. I like the elastic-y part that was tight at first but stretched to a more comfortable fit in short order. I would sometimes lay my work down and walk away forgetting I had the thimble on until someone would ask what I had done to my finger!... it became a part of me.

Here's a picture of the working side of it. It is hard to tell in the picture, but this one is about ready to be replaced. It has been getting a lot of use lately as I'm handsewing those Cheddar Bowties.  That gray area where I push the needle through is getting worn thin and the needle is starting to poke through to and into my finger. I am hoping it will last me until the next quilt show comes along and I can purchase another one.

Bonnie Hunter is doing a linky thing on her blog today where everyone can show their thimbles and extol their praises... or not. You can read about it here:  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/02/its-thimbles-up-monday.html  I am heading there now to link up and read your post!

Organizing...again

Eighteen months ago when my new Nolting quilter arrived I cleaned out my portion of the basement, moving everything into the family room. I now had a clean quilting area in which to work, but a disaster in the family room.  So began one of my ongoing attempt to get organized.


Within a couple of months of setting up the quilter, I was going to need to get at the gas fireplace hiding in the brickface wall behind all those boxes in the family room.  I began going through the boxes and organizing some items.  All my unstarted kits got boxed up and stored in the bottom of the coat closet. My cutting table and two folding tables and my folding ironing board got put back in my quilting workroom.  My bins with completed for-sale work is stacked under the cutting table.  Some of my UFO projects were placed into trays and stacked on one table with my sewing machine in hopes that being able to see them daily would incite me to work on them and clear some working space. (Yes.. I have completed several of those projects this past year.)   I color-sorted and boxed my scraps and miscellaneous projects and piled them on top of and under the second table or hid them in closets and corners around the house, wherever there was a space. So I was back to a crowded quilting/sewing space again... and I had to go searching in boxes all over the house to locate any one specific item or project.(sigh)

A few months ago my daughter moved out and I decided to set up her room as a sewing studio and keep my current space as a quilting studio. I had to keep her large dresser and the spare bed but the almost empty room had possibilities.



I set up shelving for my boxes of color-sorted scraps, my goodwill shirt collection and boxes of miscellaneous fabrics.  You can't see the closet but it is full of yarn related projects and supplies in one half and fabrics and clothing patterns in the other half.  One roll of batting lays on the bed ready to be cut and the other is standing next to the dresser by the doorway.  I am in the process of gathering and pressing all my fat quarters and sorting them in the dresser drawers for easier access.

My Civil War fabrics and some books are up there on the windowsill in those pink crates, and under my brand new pressing table (Christmas gift from my husband)  are some boxes of batting scraps.  I still have boxes with "kits" in a coat closet and books and other misc fabric in the understairs closet.  Due to my most recent attempt to organize there is a a minefield of assorted boxes of stuff I'm trying to sort and organize on the floor that I have to step around whenever I go in there. Having boxes and labels is good , but  I hate not being able to see my fabrics at a glance.   And... yes, there is my hoop and the top I have been (not) handquilting for me.  If I set it up I might actually be able to work and complete it!

Now that I'm a bit more sorted and organized, I'm thinking about rearranging everything, once again.  I'd like to put my cutting and sewing tables here in the studio with my pressing table.  If I could leave my current projects set out and walk in and just sit and work I might get more done!

I would like to  invest in some nice cubicle shelves to display my fabrics and kits so I can see and use what I have before purchasing more!  The current shelves and an extra folding table could be set up in the the quilting workroom to define my space.  I'd have a nice clear table to consult with customers and maybe organize paperwork somehow to make bookeeping and taxes easier to deal with.  I guess the goal is to look more professional.

Breaking from Routine

I have had a busy couple of weeks since joining the local Y last month in an attempt to reduce my numbers and get healthier. I've been working out almost every day on the eliptical and weight machines or the eliptical and some water exercises after meeting with a trainer in the pool. No big weight loss or muscle gains so far... but I am less sore after each successive workout... so I guess that's a good sign of accomplishment.

Thursday I stopped my work-out routine to go shopping with a couple of friends at the mall in Mt. Juliette. Unfortunately, our favorite clothing store is no longer there, but Joann's is and I could not pass up an opportunity to add to my stash. I picked up this brightly printed floral fabric and some color coordinated fat quarters and plan to make either a small quilt or some tablerunners using some combination of hourglass, four-patch or half-square-triangle blocks. I'll post pictures of what I decide when I get them done.



And, of course, after a couple hours of hard work shopping we just had to get something to eat at Panera Bread! I had a chicken fromage on foccia with a cup of black bean soup YUM! and opted for the healthier apple instead of chips... sorry.. no food pictures... I forgot my camera!

Re-energized by our lunch we hit Books-a-Million, TJMax and Dress Barn. Lots of fun browsing and few small purchases.

After a long day of shopping and driving we came home to the guys cooking dinner for us! Salad, grilled salmon, steamed sweet potatoe slices, corn on the cob and a chocolate glazed cake for desert! They even did all the clean up and washed the dishes!

We had beautiful weather .... and a great day to take a break from our regular routine.

Springtime in Tennessee

There is a saying I've heard here in Tennessee... If you don't like the weather... wait five minutes.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny warm day in the mid 60s. I was in heaven. Sat out in the backyard sunning myself for a while.

This morning I woke up to frost! See it there on the tool shed and on the ground! Had to go running back inside for my coat and gloves to walk the dog.
By noon it is back up to 63 degrees again.

This is sure to wreak havock with the trees, shrubs and flowers that have begun to bud, push through the ground and open everywhere.

Ground Hog Day

Yesterday was groundhog day. I don't know about Pennsylvania where Pauxitawny Phil is located, but here in Tennessee it was a beautiful, warm sunny day. Surely he would have enjoyed coming out of his hole and basking in the rays! I know I did!

I hated to stay inside and have to work so after completing my customers quilt I decided to treat myself to lunch at one of my favorite places for take-out. The Gyro Dude offers a variety of Mediterranian dishes... including gyros! My favorite... Falaffel with taziki sauce and a village salad. YUM! I saved half for tomorrow's lunch and the pita bread to dip in some hummus for an afternoon snack!

I took it home and sat on the back porch, soaking in some rays and watching and listening to the birds sing. To top it off, I indulged in a little dessert... Bakalava...layers of philo and honey and nuts... So sweet and delicious...you really couldn't eat much more than that bite.

Quilt of Holes

I found this on the net and just had to share

Quilt of Holes

Submitted by: twoangels
Author: Unknown


As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt
before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares
of a quilt in many
piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our
quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the
pile, I noticed how ragged
and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each
square was labeled with a part of my life that had
been difficult, the
challenges and temptations I was faced with in
every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such
squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled
with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own
life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

Finally the time came when each life was to be
displayed, held up to the the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each
in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been.
My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't
had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But
there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false
accusations that took from me my
world, as I knew it. I had to start over many
times. I often struggled with
the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and
begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in
prayer, asking for help and
guidance in my life. I had often been held up to
ridicule, which I endured
painfully, each time offering it up to the Father
in hopes that I would not
melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of
those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was
what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.
I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of
my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around
at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light
flooded the many holes,
creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our
Lord stood before me, with
warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time
you gave over your life
to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My
struggles.

Each point of light in your life is when you
stepped aside and let Me shine
through, until there was more of Me than there was
of you."

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing
Christ to shine through!

Pressing Table

Several years ago I started seeing "pressing tables". They were available for use during classes in local quilt shops... and several shop owners put their husbands to work making them to sell. They were large boards covered in insulbrite and assorted printed ducking that could be fitted to your ironing board.

My husband likes to tinker and make things occasionally, so I looked online and found directions and gave them to him for a rainy day project. I guess it never rained. Occasionally I would look at the ones for sale in the quilt shop, but I never saw one in a color that enticed me enough to purchase.

Early in 2011, while surfing the web, I found another set of directions that sat on legs sold by Ikea and would be much more stable than my wobbly ironing board. My husband did try to get the legs, but the problem was we have no Ikea store locally and for some reason Ikea wouldn't ship them! So I figured that was the end of it.

My husband had other ideas!

First...his Christmas wish list included a coping saw and a 3x5 sheet of OSB. I, of course, had no idea what either was! Thank goodness for the guy at Lowes on Christmas Eve... he was VERY helpful. I made my purchases and he loaded them into the van. I gift wrapped the saw and put it under the tree with a card that said the OSB was in the van for him to unload! He was very happy with his gift, but elusive when I asked him what he was going to make.


Second...He conspired with his brother who lives in the Baltimore area, near an Ikea store! We make the 12 hour drive every year at Christmas to visit family and exchange gifts. When I opened the box from my brother-in-law I had NO IDEA what I was looking at! It had been quite some time since downloading those directions... and since I'd given up on the idea of having a pressing table... well, I was totally clueless! They left me guessing for a while before finally telling me it was the legs to a pressing table! Then I knew what the OSB and the coping saw was for.

Over the last couple weeks he has spent some time down in my studio-in-progress carefully sawing rounded corners on the OSB and setting up and attaching the legs.


Recently I went to Hobby Lobby armed with my 40% coupon looking for the insulbrite and a ducking fabric I could live with. I got lucky! Granted, it's not the beefcake construction workers or cowboys that my online friends recommended, but I don't think my husband would have appreciated them. I did find this awesome fabric! I absolutely love it and I bought extra with the idea of making myself some bags to carry supplies to classes I have signed up for in the coming year.

After asking for advise from my online pals I decided to save the expense of the insulbrite... I can make LOTS of pot holders with what I have. So I covered the table with aluminum foil to protect the board from moisture, one layer of warm and natural and then my ducking.


This gets stretched nice and tight and stapled to the underside of the table.

and VOILA! I have a beautiful new pressing board!

FCE Camp

I belong to a group called FCE (Family Community Educatition)run by an extension officer from the University of Tennessee. One of the many activities we do throughout the year is to hold an annual "camp" to teach classes and share our skills with each other and the community.

This year, I will be teaching a quilt block sewing class and have been busy making samples. I decided to do this when I heard that the theme this year was something about crossroads... (I forget what the exact words are) I remembered there was a quilt block named crossroads so I thought it would make a perfect fit! Everyone from beginner to experienced sewists could come out of class with a completed block!



After making the sample block I thought it was nice, but what would anyone do with just one block? So I decided to make a few more blocks and offer a second class with kits and instructions to make additional blocks that could be made into a tablerunner or even a set of placemats. I decided on the Basket, Shoofly and Bowtie blocks.



And here are the four blocks sewn together into a table runner. I'm still debating adding a cream color border all the way around before quilting...or even changing the cream to something else.



****update*****
I decided to add the cream border and love the way it looks now!

Addicted to Quilting

Found this on the internet and wanted to share:



She learned to quilt on MONDAY.
Her stitches all were fine.
She forgot to make us dinner
So we all went out to dine.

She quilted miniatures on TUESDAY;
she says they are a must.
They really were quite lovely
But SHE forgot to dust.

On WEDNESDAY, it was a sampler.
She says stippling's fun.
What highlights! What shadows!
But the laundry wasn't done.

Nine Patches were on THURSDAY -
Green, yellow, blue and red.
I guess she really was engrossed;
She never made the bed.

It was wall hangings on FRIDAY,
In colors she adores.
It never bothered her at all
That crumbs were on the floor.

I found a maid on SATURDAY.
My week is now complete.
My wife can quilt the hours away;
The house will still be neat.

Well, now its only SUNDAY.
I think I'm about to wilt.
I cursed, I raved, I ranted
Cuz the maid has learned to QUILT!

Just For Today

JUST FOR TODAY I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me.
If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY I will accept what is. i will face reality. I will correct those things that I can and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind an courteous to those who cross my path and I will not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly and not interrupt when someone else is talking. I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY I will do something positive to improve my health. If I am a smoker, I will quit. If I am overweight, I will eat more healthfully and also get off the couch and take a brisk walk.

JUST FOR TODAY I will gather the courage to do what is right and take the responsibility for my own actions.

(Taken from Dear Abby)

New Year Starts With a BANG!

Last Thursday was a beautiful clear-blue sky, sunny, warm day.
I was having a good day....getting many little errands accomplished.
I was just minutes from home.
I slowed down to make my turn off the main drag.
I'm almost around and through the turn when....
I hear squealing brakes!
I see a flash of yellow in the rear view mirror.
BANG!
A guy in a yellow F150 pick-up was drinking coffee on the way to work when the top slipped off his cup and he spilled it in his lap! He, of course, was distracted by that for "just a second" and when he looked up my bumper was way too close! Thankfully he was able to slow down some and didn't hit me at 50mph, so no one was hurt. But he did mess up my bumper and break my tail light....as well as his headlight.


No major damage, just one more thing to deal with!

We both pulled off the road into the corner market parking lot and he just sat there. I kept waiting for him to come over to me and apologize... it was clearly his fault... but he didn't. So I got out and cautiously went over toward him. He was talking on one of those earphone things. When he did get out he asked me if I was ok and then stated that he was late for work and could we just exchange information. He handed me an envelope with what he said was his insurance number written on it and was pulling his lisence out of his wallet. I looked and the envelope was marked Past Due. He had his lisence but not his insurance card. I took one look at the envelope and told him no... my insurance adjuster has told me to always call the police and get a report. He rolled his eyes, sighed and got back in the truck.

I called the local police and about 30 minutes later THP came to take the report. He was cited for following too close and not having proof of insurance. With the way things have turned out so far, I'm really glad I called. I picked up the report from THP earlier this week and took it to my insurance agent. They have been unsuccessful in their attempts over the last few days to contact this guy to get his insurance information (maybe I should have kept the envelope). I have had to file a claim with my insurance for an uninsured driver and it is going to cost me the $200 deductible. My claims adjuster will be here in the morning.

If I am really lucky, the guy will come through with insurance and all will be covered. If not, I'm out the $200 deductible unless I want to try and sue him in small claims court.

The new year is staring off with a real bang!