Last Thursday I came instantly awake

 haven't given into a rare case of the afternoon sleepies.  Eyes closed, dead to the world sleep in my favorite chair snuggled under a knitted throw.  Not that I can hear myself but in all likelihood I was snoring. 
Then I was straight up wide eyed AWAKE......  The sound of the fire alarm in this building is unbelievable LOUD.  Even when the fire is not in your unit, the alarms,  all three of them in a 1000 square feet space, blare in your unit.  And I have the good fortune to have a set of fire doors that automatically close when the alarm goes off in the hallway short steps from my front door and doubly fortunately that one of the alarms is right outside of said entry door.  The alarm when on and on for what seemed like hours.  In truth for about 30 minutes.  No one on premise can turn them off.  Only the fire department which arrived within minutes, sirens going.  But not until they walk every floor of this building do they shut it off. 
There was never a fire in the building.  This good news was reported in the e-mail that went out to all the tenants, just some mishap on the garage roof caused by one of our resident maintenance men.  But non the less a news helicopter was dispatched to hoover over the garage, which added to the noise.

 I saw this iron demonstrated at the Mancuso Quilt Show in West Palm and had to have it.  I have never liked ironing, not since I burned my leg with an iron when I was about twelve.  Back then irons were really HOT and HEAVY and non steaming.  Now this iron is all about the steam and the only thing better then using this iron to iron with in my opinion is having someone else do the ironing for you.  The iron arrived about a week ago but having no reason to turn it on until last night when two sets of bed linen came out of the drier needing a little attention so with that excuse I thought I'd see if I had spent my money wisely.  I am reporting that I have.  Now mind you I AM NOT going to turn into a person that irons everything. No way.  I'll just stay with ironing flat lengths of fabric, an occasional t-shirt when I need to make a better  than just good impression and when I want to pamper myself, my pillowcases.  I do so love a freshly pressed, lightly starched pillowcase.

 I can finally say I am a Floridian.  For the past two Christmas seasons I haven't felt much like Ho, Ho, Ho-ing.  Seeing stuff with snowflakes and the words "Let it Snow" I think are hilarious absurd when one is living in sandals and shorts and lights on palm trees.  I still haven't  completely gotten past that but  warming to Winter with out snow I have succumbed to stringing icicle style lights on my balcony from the railing along with wrapping the railing it with greenery of the artificial kind.  I love and miss the smell of real pine, but the real stuff would dry to powder in one or two days because of the heat and the afternoon sun that shine on my side of the building.
With a little shopping and an hour worth of doing the balcony looks festive.  There is a holiday wreath on the outside of my entry door but as of now the inside of my place still screams.  STUDIO.  I can't get around that.  I have two 24 inch trees and ornaments to decorate them but as of now I haven't decided if I want to do that.
HO HO HO!!!

 I put my name on the list to get a copy of Vol. 2 of Masters Art Quilts to review.  Not having done a book review before and not having a clue as to how the selections of who would be chosen to do so was done, imagine my surprise when a copy came in the mail on Saturday.  Just flipping quickly through it I decided that it deserves a stretch of  uninterrupted time and a good cup of coffee something I want have until Saturday... the time not the coffee. So next week end, when I am caught up on a few things I'll have that cup of coffee on my festive balcony and give you my opinion of this book.
HO HO HO!!!