Little Girls

Just wanted to say to you mother's with little boys, little girls can sometimes be a handful too.
I know a little girl who:
 used to set the lit candle in the book shelf,
 used to spin in her mother's top load washer,
 climbed trees higher than any little boy in the neighborhood,
 was known to walk out on the second story roof and invite her siblings out to play,
 enjoyed eating worms and mud pie,
 knew how to climb up on to the roof of every garage or barn in neighborhood,
 laid pennies and dimes on the railroad tracks,
 could whistle with a steel whistle and with fingers in her mouth,
 pitched better than all the guys, and
 made a coach say, maybe he was leaving too soon.
As day time had too many opportunities - she stayed up all night with the drop light in her closet reading..once she learned to read. She wasn’t interested in dolls, or playing house, nor did she wait to play with others. She liked green beans, fried chicken legs, and mashed potatoes, and if those items were not on the table she didn’t mind not eating.

Christmas Past

For years this special tree had been boxed away in all its original packing...

Forty years later as Patty, Peggy, Susan, and I cleaned out one of the out buildings, we found this square box that says 'Everygleam Stainless Aluminum Christmas Tree'. Patty and I vied for the box and ownership...but it was decided it would go to Patty's home for the first year, travel to my home for the following year, and then on to Peggy's for the year after. Our tree will now make this journey from Oklahoma to Virginia and then on to Colorado and back to Oklahoma. Susan cannot understand our fascination for this relic. But she was only two at the time Mike was injured.

I was 10 years old the year friends brought to our home on Christmas night or morning an aluminum tree, and presents that we did not expect or hope for. We have no idea how it got set up, and could only guess who provided the gifts. We were hoping for the return for the day of our 5 year old brother, who had been injured in late fall in a bizarre accident.

My sisters and I climbed out of bed on that Christmas morning with one and only one expectation - We knew that Mom and Dad were on their way to pick up our brother at the hospital. He was going to come home just for Christmas Day. Our Grandmother would be coming soon with cinnamon rolls and the ham to be baked for dinner later that day. But when we walked into the living room, there stood an aluminum tree, decorated, and gifts for all of us.

Mike did come home for the day, and returned to the hospital for additional days finally coming home to recover in January. It was magical, and sharing this story today with a friend brought fresh tears for the wonder and thoughtfulness of our friends who made celebrating that Christmas more than we hoped for.

My grandson, Emerson, helped me assemble the tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving and I decorated it with the ornaments Patty purchased. This is my favorite time of the year, my favorite holiday, for me there are so many magical memories. And I wish you and your family the blessings of the holidays....

Stone Carving weekend

We hosted the Back Yard Stone Carvers and an intensive 3.5 days of carving at our home over a long weekend. Here is the result of the assignment, find a found object, no larger then a 50 cent piece, add a component to it, either organic if it is an inorganic piece,or inorganic if it is an organic piece (made out of clay). Then each student produced something, received the instructor's okay, and set it on a table. Students drew numbers and then selected the piece they wanted to complete. I choose an acorn cap with a spiral. I chose dendritic stone and Brazilian soap stone to complete the work. The piece is about 2.5" tall by 2.5" wide by 2" deep.

Risk Taking

I was reflecting on the differences between Ron and I. Yeah, I know he's a guy and I can be somewhat girlie...but what I was thinking about are our personalities...

I am shy - he never met a stranger
I often bite my tongue - he and our children speak their minds and seem comfortable in explaining what and why they have come to the decisions they have made - I need the time to reflect and often cannot verbalize why I have come to a decision - I just know it is right for me
I had a catholic upbringing - he learned to challenge authority at an early age
I was raised with a gaggle of kids - Ron spent most of his childhood with adults
I was raised in the country and a small farming community - he was raised on the beach and in a metropolitan area
I really didn't want to learn to drive a vehicle- Ron was driving before he had a driver's license (okay, okay it may be a guy thing)
I have no close friends from my teenage years (beyond my sisters) - Ron has a couple of bests from high school and they spend time catching up a few times a year
I lack a sense of humor - Ron has a well developed sense of humor
I get lost in a world of things - Ron is a people person


Our commonalities are we-
like to travel,
enjoy driving,
are spontaneous,
are not afraid to take a risk,
enjoy working with our hands,
like trying new things,
trust each other,
and at 37 years of marriage I still consider him my best friend

I'll always be glad he -
risked speaking to the "girl who brought her dad to class"
was adventurous enough to invite himself to the Denver Museum of Art with her,
was impressed by a girl who wasn't afraid to slide under the car in 20 inches of snow to be sure the shifting gear was secure, and
was not so macho he had to buy the coffee and German chocolate cake.

Embroidery and other needlework

I think my grandmother and mother taught me how to embroider. I know I learned smocking from Leona or Greta in Brownies and or Scouts. But if a kid was sick, she could be sure that Grandma or Aunt Lena would have some little needle work project to help pass the time. I never enjoyed cross stitch, but I loved the process of growing stitches. As a teenager I had bell bottoms with embellishment. I still have a red velvet skirt I made while living in Denver...

..but here is a site that I discovered about two weeks ago after that discussion in the "Artist's Statement Workshop". And this site re-acquainted me with a long unpracticed skill, embroidery. Many of you I am sure have books and magazines..but if you need a quick look and direction I would encourage you to check out this web site http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html Sharon b's Dictionary of Stitches for Hand Embroidery and Needlework Here is a sample of what it inspired me to do..


I have decided to retrieve the work on the skirt and re-purpose the embroidery...but this decision also comes from looking at this site,and thinking about my sisters, my daughters, and nieces...and planning for a Christmas treat so here is a tease, I still have to purchase a few yards of material...but I know what I will be doing over the next few months, when I am not working on a block for my daughter's block swap. So the July block is done, the lemonade..
and I just need to work on the exterior awnings. I washed the cloth today, tomorrow I will cut them and edge them so I can begin the "fun" work of creating gifts.
The green silk is from Kazakhstan, Ron brought it home from a trip to the East, the small piece of cream silk is the portion of left over from Anilia's wedding cape, the black corded silk (that all the material is laying on) came from a store a few blocks from Erica's home in Baton Rouge, P. Tree Textiles.

What do you do?

When the "oldbikerider" leaves for these trips, people always ask what do you do? well this year I am working on the yard, he kindly taught me how to mow, and when it's not to hot and the grass has grown, I mow.

I am working on a quilt block theme "Swelter" for the month of July. This block is the result of deciding to do a glass of lemonade, but more directly a result of a workshop I took a weekend ago about developing an artist statement. You can see Toni Bowman's work at this web site http://www.cpsvp.vt.edu/gallery-3.html. And Vikki King who is a portrait artist, her site is http://www.ebsqart.com/Artists/cmd_vikkiking_Profile.htm. But back to the block, it was the conversation
Toni had with the facilitator about her daughter's work that led to this block..and hopefully a few other ideas.

But in this time of quiet and stuff that needs to be done, there is a planning time
for other work to be done, like the awnings. This was such a success, we plan to make more for the front of the house as well. By just hanging them on the exterior we were able to decrees the interior temperature by my guess is a minimum of 5 degrees, if not more... so, Ron may be away, but there is much to be completed.

VT Hokies

Well, I could not help myself...when I saw the color layout, it shouted go Hokies, or rather Virginia Tech.

 

 

 

May Block Dancing Flowers

Birthdays and sundry

It is a rainy day...it started out sunny and warm, but the rain has continued through this afternoon, and I don't think there is going to be any letting up...it looks like there are plenty of showers to the west moving this direction.

I have had a chance to do some mowing, some pruning the honeysuckle out of the french lilac, vacuuming the floor. Talking on the phone with friends and family, opening birthday presents from grandchildren. I have a couple of small shrubs that need planting, but maybe when the rain gives out I'll go take care of it.

Tonight we are supposed to attend a silent auction staged out-of-doors, and I am wondering if it will happen...Ron is sowing grass seed..and the dogs and I are just lounging in the living room.

I spoke with my daughter today, we were talking about her favorite food groups as a child, crackers, pepperoni, and cheese, I think she liked chocolate pudding too.
As her son is now a year old we were discussing fruits; and, she admitted a weakness for cherries. Now this is surprising to me as I do not remember having many on hand when she was a child, other than in a cherry pie...my favorite. While I was pregnant with her I made a cherry pie each week...I so craved them. I think I could live without any fruit except cherries...when I was a child we had a cherry orchard, according to my mom, she had more trouble with me raiding the cherry trees then with the birds.

So maybe this desire is genetic...

2010-05-05

A foreign rock getting ready to join our lot rocks.

Kaliedoscope Me!

Can't stand it...have to have one... here are some combination of the possible pattern, however, I think I am going to go for a more traditional process of matching up 2 sets for each block. What do you think?

Growing and Home

First blocks for the piece work swap, they are not a real quilt block but they could become so (sew)...

A first birthday, thankfullness and joy

My daughter asked me, what do I think of when it is her birthday. After reflecting on this...I can say that when I think of my children on their birthdays that:

I am thankful for them, for the joy they have brought and bring me, for their individual strengths and weaknesses. Joy is too tame a word for the feeling that they evoke in me.

But I remember wonderful moments in pregnancy, in delivery, in their development that enhance the of love and fulfillment that each brought to me. I look at them now as adults and am thankful they chose spouses who complement their gifts and reflect their love for my child by their devotion to them.

Family Docs

The following paragraphs are about my health and looking for a good doc. You are welcome not to read them. But I have been encouraged by the field of medical practices finding out that a long time friend's son is in a family practice in the middle of the nation, and that my ride-share commuting partner is about to finish his first year in school, and plans to open a family practice here in Southwest VA.




I am experimenting with a new doc. for me. Ron has been going to him for some time. And was referred to the doc after it was determined that the old ceiling tiles Ron took out of his office, were really asbestos containing and he was required to have a check up. You know Ron, he liked the doc and told them he would not put his clothes on and leave until the doc agreed to take him as a new patient. This doc had closed his practice to new comers...but gauging Ron's determination decided to take him with the caveat no kids, no wife! Ron sees the doc maybe once a year.

For myself, I have been happy with my blood specialist from the beginning. I schedule my appointments at the end of the day. Once my blood counts stabilized, I have been an easy keeper for the doc. We spend more time finding out how his kids are doing and what project I am working on after going through my blood work.

Just before I quit working in Giles, my family practitioner's husband was relocated for a job and she closed her practice, so I floated through numerous local clinics. In my disgust over another year of rushing in and out of a dr's office and no one listening -I asked Ron if he thought there was anyway I could get in to see his doc. So while I was in Baton Rouge visiting Erica, Kent, Dean and Jack the call came. " When you get home, call and make an appointment."

So a week ago Friday I did the blood work, Monday I did some of the tests...I made a list of all the complaints...and with the suggestions and recommendations, and prescription provided I think I may have found someone I feel is listening. There were a number of suggestions outside areas that I had considered, there were confirmations of things I had researched and believed to be true and needing to be addressed. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have finally found someone who is listening to me, valued my observations, and made suggestions that seem sensible.

Spring and sundry

I took the dogs to the Vet this morning...and came home to a house with open windows. It is 74 degrees with lovely breezes flowing through. The birds are busy singing.

Floors are clean, thank you micro fleece dusting and wet mopping. Rugs are vacuumed.
And all this to be able to walk barefooted, what a luxury.

I have been able to watch the play of shadows across the area that is to become the front drive and lawn. Azaleas are definitely a must for that front...but I think we have some good areas for grass! Of course three weeks from now and once all the trees are leaved out...maybe there will be larger pools of azaleas and swirls of daffodils.

As much as I love tulips, the seven I have in the yard have never bloomed, the blooms are nipped by the deer before they mature..maybe if I surround them in daffodils?

A quilting challenge?

This winter my daughter said, "if I posted on my blog an opportunity to make some quilt blocks, would you like to participate?" And I surprised my self with a yes. I don't know where it came from, I said count me in. I have a new Brother Machine, and made an applique quilt for my oldest grandson this winter, "Oma" grandma designed.

So Anilia's challenge was answered by nine other women. And once a month, her husband John gives us a theme, we have the addresses of the participants, a fancy spreadsheet to show who we are sewing for each month and the colors they have requested...and after that it is up to the seamstress/creator in us to make the block and get it sent off to the recipient.

The block above is my first piece.

But truth be told, it was the dickens getting there. I have a rotary cutter, my Mom's cutting table and cutting mat, but a very reduced stash and my first assignment was for something in greens, and somehow incorporate "HOME". So I made a trip to School House Fabrics in Floyd, VA and chose green fat quarters...and a few pieces that are more than fat quarters, then I had to select a pattern or design one...I surfed the net and found the McCall's quilting sitehttp://www.mccallsquilting.com/patterns/index.html and http://www.quilterscache.com/P/ProvidenceQuilt.html, selected the pattern Providence. I downloaded instructions, cut material and began to assemble the pieces. But shortly into assembly, I heard my husband say..."maybe you need to take a break", either the air was blue, or he could smell the smoke as I flamed at the mistakes I had made. Had I cut on the wrong side of the line, did I not measure right? Let me say here that I am learning disabled, try as I might, I could not assemble two of the rows correctly.

And so it sat...then on a Sunday at church I saw my friend Judy, and asked her for help. So one evening with material in hand, the rotary cutter, the seam ripper,and the written directions, I arrived at Judy's home. Judy is a mathematician. She has taught college math and home schooled her youngest daughter. She has probably tutored countless children and young adults...so we looked at her current project a double Irish Chain quilt, looked at my project, had supper and returned to the sewing room to salvage the project.

Judy found graph paper with 1/4 inch squares, her square block measuring tool, and began to build the block based on the internal square and the outside dimensions. We both agreed, that one small square and triangle could become a single piece of cloth...and so there are little fat "houses" and little skinny "houses" in the new pattern. Who knew! Bless her heart, she cut the new pieces. I was the recipient of extra tips...like how to press each seam, and after reviewing two separate ways of assembling the block Judy suggested the one she felt would be easiest. So I brought the block home and assembled it. I have Judy's hand drawn pattern, and I plan to put to use some of those other green fat quarters. Thanks Judy...thanks Anilia for sparking the work. And thanks Grace for choosing green. I love green!

Quilting and sewing

I learned to love to sew from my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Through my youth, my mother made most of my cloths. When I was old enough, she taught me how to place the patterns and cut the material. I was the cutter, at least that is how I remember it. Mom did not teach me to sew, I learned at Girl Scouts -Brownies and a whole lot more in high school, but once I learned, I loved choosing the materials and patterns.


When I had children of my own, I bought a treadle machine and began making clothes for them and myself. A friend taught me to bead, and the children did not leave the house with out some bead embellishment on their home made outfits.

When we moved back to the States my first sewing machine was an "Elnita", made not in Europe but Japan. For years this machine sewed the quilts, bed coverlets, curtains, outfits for my daughter. I have had a large material stash..and two Christmases ago I asked my daughters, Anilia and Erica, to choose what they wanted. Then that spring began stone carving...and somehow I didn't think I would be sewing much any longer. I gave away material that the girls did not want...but I still have a stash of linen and muslin and dungaree material.

This year as I helped my folks downsize, my sisters told me I was to take my mother's material collection. It never dawned on me to say no. And I agreed with them that we would never get a fair price for the material Mom had collected. But along with the material came the treadle machines, which I will lovingly use but they are still in the middle of the country at my younger sister's home waiting to come east. And it will this spring.

At Christmas my husband asked me - would I like a new sewing machine? I said yes. And cried like a baby at so wonderful a gift. Yes to creating for my daughters and grandchildren and my sisters and their children and grand children from that precious gift of my mothers and her mothers, and her mother.

Waiting for Dean and Spring

It's February 2nd, and the ground hog made his showing. According to legend we have six more weeks of winter. We have lived near the Blue Ridge over 20 years and know all about 30 inch snows in March. But this winter is different, our son and daughter-in-law are expecting their second son. I will have a welcome reprieve from winter the last weeks of February as I travel to Baton Rouge where spring has arrived and fresh strawberries are in the marketplace. I can hardly wait to see what is in bloom- Kent our 2 year old grandson and baby Dean as he will have arrived in advance of my visit. I will get to celebrate a belated birthday with my son. I will be warmed by the southern sun and loving family, sweet little boy smiles and frustrations, that I will share this late winter with so sweet a young family. And I hope on my return, I can patiently await the red bud, the dogwoods and forsythia.