During the last few weeks Mathilda, (my netbook) has been battling a malware attack. I am glad to report that she is back to her usual helpful self.

During the time that I was resolving my computer problems, I enjoyed the opportunity of judging the needlework at the Monterey County Fair. This was a full day of going nose to magnifier with other people’s work, looking for problems all the while hoping not to find any.

In a way that is kind of depressing – looking for other people’s mistakes, but that was the job. The flip side is that by finding the areas where the work was not quite perfect, I hope to be able to help the stitchers make progress. This is the two edged sword of critique . . . it may hurt, but it may also help.