Goodbye to Eleanora

I've just returned from the funeral of Dani's Grandmother, Eleanora, who you can see in this picture from the engagement party just a few weeks ago. I wish I had gotten a chance to know her better. Eleanora was a force within her family. She had strong feelings about faith and education and in that vein, was determined that her grandchildren would get good education. She was, justifiably, proud of her family and was a woman of great faith. The Mass for her at St. Patrick's today was lovely and personal. She was well-known and loved by her church community, her family and friends, had a marriage that lasted and was strong for 53 years. It doesn't get much better than that.

Eleanora reminded me of my good friend Betty, who was similarly loved and important to her community. The sort of woman who makes one want to be a better person. While I am not a Catholic, I am always impressed by the Catholic Funeral Mass. It contains elements of great sadness and also great joy. No matter how you try not to, hearing Ave Maria always makes the tears come. There was a woman who sang it and had the most lovely voice. The Priest was Irish Catholic and delightful, he clearly knew Eleanora and it made all the difference. It makes me want to be a better Episcopalian. I fall short in so many ways lately.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to for a couple of days.

Thanks so much to all the people who left such nice comments about my Festival quilt. I'm preparing to paint my new room/studio. Probably won't get that done till this coming Monday. Anyway, when I get it done....sigh...I can, at long last, open my sewing machine and play with fabric. I need a table to sew on and I've wanted a real table-like a wooden dinner table. Yesterday, after the wake, I stopped at Wally Mart and found a nice one for around 90 bucks. Right next to it, there was another table that would make a great computer/cutting table. I think I will go with these two things and get the lead out. I feel empty and un-creative and a little depressed. Wonder if I'll remember how to use my machine? Wonder where I put it?????

Bloggers Quilt Festival Begins

Well, it's opening day of the Bloggers Quilt Festival. Click on the button at the top left of the blog for all the details, quilts and prizes.

and I can't wait to see what's up with everyone. The spring festival was an amazing thing with hundreds of bloggers participating all over the country and world. Fun stuff and lots of new faces and places to say hello to. There is so much amazing talent in our community, both blogging and quilting, that it's just a real eye-opener.

The quilt I'm showing today is one I made for my husband a couple of years ago. I began it while he was on a fishing trip to Alaska with his brother and I missed him a bunch. It's very simple Log cabin barn raising pattern and I'm showing it because nearly everything else I have is in big tubs awaiting the journey to my new sewing room. Also, I have a dozen UFOs and at least this one is finished and being used. I think I've shown so many others here often so this one made the cut since it happens to be on the bed and being smuggled in nightly.

If you want to see a really happy, and beautiful, quilt, go see Amy at Calico Cat. She's showing a Kaffe inspired quilt that lives on the wall at her house and brightens up the day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a shout out to my friend Gerrie-Happy Birthday Dear Wonderful Gerrie! Many, many more to come. Love ya! I know I'm a couple of days early but I wanted to make sure I got it in.

This & That

I know you're sick of the vacation but I've got nothing else for the time being and I'm trying to be more up to date about the whole bloggy thing.

The large ship is one of the larger Ferries to Bridgeport Connecticut. It's a wonderful. relaxing way to get any miles away from NY without having to deal with the hellish Long Island expressway or any of the horrifying routes off of the island. This way, we drive out east and take a lovely ferry ride and we're in New England in a snap. Takes at least an hour off the trip and makes the trip start peacefully.

The next photo is of a Fort in Kittery. It's right when you get into Maine and not far from Kennebunkport where we were staying.

These last two are from the Owl's Head Transportation Museum. It's well worth going to if you have kids or enjoy old cars and planes. Fun.

I'm thinking of joining the Soup Exchange that Amy of Calico Cat was talking about yesterday. I think a recipe is due on Monday. Check it out. I*'m doing Tortilla Soup, a big hit around here. Check in with her just for the pictures of her darling son Jacob. If you need a smile and something to brighten your day...Jacob is just the ticket.

Gotta go make dinner for the guys now. Talk to you tomorrow.

...and still more

I tried to get a decent shot of this beautiful cross because it reminded me of the work that my good friend Gerrie Congdon does. It just had a very Gerrie feel to it. Click for a larger and better view. It is on the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery.

Yesterday I showed you the Nubble light and mentioned how isolated it was even

though it looks close. If you enlarge the photo and look right under the telephone poles on the left you will see the little wire basket that transports stuff and people. Strong stomach for that one on a windy day.

Here is a Gypsy wagon that has come from England and been beautifully restored inside and out. It lives in the Owl's Head Transportation Museum with many old beautifully restored cars and planes. It's such a nice place that even I enjoyed the visit to see all the old touring cars and coaches.

Anyway, that's really about all that I have for now. On the left at the top is the new button for the Fall Bloggers Quilt Festival. If you didn't get a chance to show off something that you made in the spring, click on the button and go see what's up. Only a week or so to go. Once the show starts you will need a cuppa and something to nosh while you go from blog to blog seeing the fabulous work that everyone submits for our viewing pleasure. In the spring there were a couple of hundred entries-it was amazing. What a great idea this was and I think there will be chances to win fabulous things in a drawing as well. All of this wonderfulness is due to the delightful Amy of Park City Girl blog, which is in my links(under Amy,Park City Girl duh)I'm really looking forward to it even though it is soooooo easy to get lost in the show and, thus, get even less done than usual.

I just got back from COSTCO with Terry and have to catch up with some more boring housework and, what else, laundry grrrrrrr. Surely there is a place in hell where people have to do nothing but laundry day in and day out forever...gahhhh

Talk to you soon

More from Lobsterlandia

The weather in Maine went from this first shot to the last in a morning. Pea soup to glorious in a few hours. These are some more pics of Cadillac Mountain and the loop road. The black rocks are where magma rose to the surface at the beggining of time. The rocks go from gray to coral to black. Very beautiful.

Here, below, is a shot of Camden harbopr. One of the prettiest places and where you almost can't take a bad shot...except when the sun is shining right into the camera.

This picture is a shot of the outdoor chapel at the very pretty Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunk. You can stay there in one of the guest rooms if you want and I can't think of a more contemplative place to be for a day or two. It's very lovely. The pics are clickable for a better view. It's so quiet and the smell of the pine trees is like perfume. Surely all of the worlds problems could be solved there. Alright, maybe some of them.

This is Nubble Light. It's pretty secluded even though it looks like you could just hop over. There are a series of ropes and a small basket that transport both people and stuff. Looks like fun except when the wind is really whipping. It's not much of a basket and the ropes look a little questionable.

Well, that's it for today. Not a lot of sewing stuff, as usual. I have to get going on the sewing room. Especially since I added to the McDonald Fabric Collection during the visit to Maine. My fingers are itching to get going.

The weather here has turned quite nippy and a little damp. It's not helping that head cold that has moved itself into my chest. So much to do and I need some energy. Maybe a cup of tea and a round of B-12.

Talk to you soon.

Back From Maine..with photos

Here's a picture of Sal the Seagull. He's in the same place on the same rock every time we come. Someone must feed him there since he has absolutely no fear of humans and sort of looks at you like your a big pain in the ass for not having food. Sal lives on the Loop Road on Cadillac Mountain. The second shot is the fog in Boothbay one morning.

I don't have a picture of a pile-o-lobster but it would illustrate the swine-like behavior of all three of us in Maine....burp. We're back and fall seems to be in full swing around here. The wind is whipping the trees into a froth and the acorns are pinging against the sides of the house like firecrackers.

Maine was sublime. It always is but since we missed last years journey with Roger's illness, it was especially sublime this visit. These are shots of Kennebunkport. The days were warm but not hot and a lovely breeze blew around us all the time.

I visited a couple of quilt shops. Maine-ly Sewing not far from Camden and Sewing by the Sea in Bar Harbor. Somewhere along the way I managed to catch a head cold that has left me a little dizzier than usual. Seems like a inner ear thing that's making me wobble like a weeble. Not as much fun as it sounds. It's almost gone now. Except for the 200 lb. head thing.

Here's a shot of me catching my breath. The "boys" really ran me around this trip.

I have many more pictures taken by my crack staff that I need to sort through and a picture of the fabric(this used to be a sewing blog) that jumped into my bags. Not really all that much this time. I looked for some quality instead of quantity this time. There are two babies being born in Jan and Feb that I need to make quilts for and a possible wedding quilt(ahem) that needs addressing around here. My son nearly fell on me with joy when I got home. He had not one pair of clean underwear left and had to buy lunch out all week....poor thing nearly starved to death, HAHAHAhahaha, even I can't keep a straight face for that one.

Back tomorrow with more pics and news. Hope everyone is doing well.

Just saying hi!

The only thing I should win an award for lately is "Most Boring Blog Ever" Stuff just keeps getting in the way and since there's no sewing going on it's not of much interest so thanks for even stopping by.

Friends of ours from Virginia have come to stay for reasons that are anything but festive. Our friend has a sister who has battled breast cancer for a number of years and is now in her final days and fighting. We do not know the sister but Roger has been friends with them since high school and I've enjoyed knowing them as well-so we are happy to provide them with a place to land and sleep for the duration. It's a little hectic since we are making a list and checking it twice to pack for going to Maine next week. We are leaving next Sunday and going to Cape Neddick, Kennebunkport, Boothbay Harbor and Bar Harbor. My brother-in-law Bob is coming with us. He can use a trip away and since he is doing very well health-wise, it seems to be a go.

Meanwhile I'm washing and packing and buying last minute things. I was headed to Tarjay today but this mornings guest activity took longer than I expected so I never got going past the grocery store trip.
Tomorrow I will head out as soon as possible to see about a rolling bag. We usually use my BIL's bag but since he is coming along I think I'd better hunt up another one for Roger. I have a good sized cargo bag that suits me fine.

The weather here is lovely but Roger tells me there is rain ahead in the long range forecast for north of us...bah. At this point, it's been two years since we've been to Maine and I will be happy eating my lobster under an umbrella(you knew it was all about the food, right???)

Speaking of which, I've got to get the grill going for the steaks I found at the grocery. All I need to do is throw a salad together and we're good.

Hope your evening is as lovely as ours and that all of you are well and being very artistic......sigh.

Talk to you later.

PARTY!!!!

Here is a picture of Dani's grandparents, Mom Cheryl,Dani, James & Dani's father, Chris.

It was the most beautiful day in months and everyone was so nice. There are some other pictures but,truthfully, I was enjoying everything and everyone so much that I didn't take that many pics. Dani's family are some of the nicest people I have met in a long time and they made us feel very welcome in their home.

The food was fabulous but we expected that since it was catered by a great Italian place. Eggplant Parm, Penne with Vodka, sausage and peppers and potatoes, and last but my personal favorite, rice balls or arancini. Good thing I was in public or I would have made a general pig out of myself with just the rice balls...oink.

Dessert was strawberry shortcake-cake, cookies, cup cakes made by Dani's sister Victoria and my friend Terry, chocolate mousse to die for, made by Dani's best friend and Maid of Honor to be,Annie. It was glorious and delicious.

I'm so happy for them. They're adorable together and make a great couple. Loved the whole day.

Today's the day!

Well, I hope to be back next week with pictures. Today's the engagement party. Many people, much food, and lots of cake and cookies....yum. Thanks for the help with the weather. It's a glorious day on Long Island. Blue skies, not too hot and dry. Amazing! Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend! It's officially one year to the wedding....so many emotions...all good but just a little teary. Thank God I adore them both. I couldn't have asked for a lovelier woman to be a daughter-in-law.
Talk to you soon.

Rainy Weekend

I thought I would leave you with some pictures of something beautiful to look at. Moonflowers unfurling while you watch them are a sight to behold. Some people say they have no fragrance but ours do. They have a fresh, green, clean, perfume only found in nature. The perfume is so slight it's almost elusive. Since they are only open for an hour or two at twilight and daybreak, you have to be vigilant for these short weeks while they open. Moonflowers are luminous in the evening light as if they had their own magic light within. What a gift they are.

As for our so called tropical storm....meh! It would have been a damp and un-pleasant gathering so we are crossing our fingers for next weekend. Cross your fingers for our couple....and us. All we need is one day-no rain-not much wind-and a reasonable temperature. Pretty please..just one day?

Big Favor to ask.

UPDATE-The party has been moved one week to the 5th of Sept. Thanks for all the help but the backyard in question is nearly on the beach and there were visions of the tent taking off sort of like that movie "UP" with all of us holding on below including Henry, the dog.
You can stop blowing now-Your all wonderful for trying though. We moved the food date and the cake date with no problem and everyone coming is fairly local-so now we wait and cross our fingers for the 5th.
I was wondering if I could call on anyone who still stops by here to do me a favor. Could you go to the door and face east and blow...hard! The engagement party is Saturday. There is a tent and lots of hard work making the garden unbelievably lovely and if that were not enough, there are a lot of people looking forward to a nice party. There's cake and kids and a water slide(which may prove prophetic). So in that spirit I just need you all to expend a little hot air to the east and maybe we can blow this sucker out to sea....one, two, three, BLOW!!!! Thank you for your participation in my mental health. You're the best and I hope to have pics to show soon.

Checking in

The garden in front of my kitchen window is a riot of morning glories in the a.m. and late in the afternoon-early evening, it is a glorious vision of unfurling moonflowers. If you haven't grown moonflowers, you haven't experienced the true magic of nature right before your eyes. They become fat pointy arrows of white and then in the twilight, they unfurl themselves for an all-to-brief, beautiful, moment. Last year things got in the way and we never got around to planting moonflowers. This year I started last years packets of seeds and hoped for the best. They have overrun the porch and tried to strangle the hibiscus but I wouldn't change a thing. It's like looking into my own personal secret garden.
This summer is swiftly coming to an end and I haven't done one single artistic thing. I'm happy to say that some things will begin to change around here as soon as possible. My husband had a talk with my BIL and they have offered me the room in the old house that was once a dining room. It faces the street and has wonderful morning sun with a lot of windows. It will be my studio. This alone was enough to make me smile and jump around like a crazy person and later, when I came back down to earth, I realized how very fortunate I am. Not only was Bob willing to make changes to benefit me but, best of all, I'm married to a man who really hears what I say when I'm troubled. That's worth it's weight in gold. We have a number of things in the works here in terms of refurbishing the house and so now we will add a bit of a make-over of that room...(say it with me...MY STUDIO..eeeeekk). I am contemplating painting and adding some storage and a workspace including a cutting table and sewing area etc. I am so grateful for this since I have really lost my desire to create in the current situation. It's no ones fault, we just haven't really ventured into the world of re-decorating and construction that is so much needed here. It's just that having to work on the kitchen table and stop every day at 4-ish to make dinner-clear off everything and begin again the next day is so not the way to work. My "stuff" is everywhere. It's upstairs, downstairs and in between. I loose the desire to even begin and that is what has happened to me this summer. I am looking forward to having a dedicated space that makes sense.
Roger is still taking Friday off for the next while. We had a lovely day together last week. We often go to the same places to have lunch or dinner and decided to get adventurous. We went to a great Mexican place a a few miles away. Wow! what food. Tortilla soup and ropa vieja quesadilla. Holy Smoke was it good. There is such a difference between real Mexican and crappy faux Mexican stuff like fast food places serve. This was dining on real food. Lovely people as well. We have a large Hispanic population here on the island and have been to several places such as "Oaxaca" that make the real deal. Roger had wonderful enchilada verde with green mole(forgot how to put the accent over the e). We'll be going back there again.
In aweek or so, we have the engagement party for James & Dani at Dani's parents house. They got a tent and such in case the weather is a beast. I'm looking forward to meeting her family and I hope it goes well. I'm very shy around new people(even at my age-ridiculous no?) So I'm here to say hello and goodbye for a while. We have so many things happening with all of this that I have decided not to bore you with stuff that hasn't happened yet and I feel overwhelmed. I will return in Sept.-hopefully with progress on a number of things and a space to work in. I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer & I hope you will come back soon to visit me in a new space where I will have something(anything!!!) to show for myself. Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

Sweet & Bitter

It's been a real mixed bag around here for a few days. First We had a simply perfect day out east in vineyard country on the north end. Who could imagine a day in August on the island so cool, breezy, and dry that it was a pleasure to sit outside and eat our lobster rolls and "puffers" outside. We kept pinching ourselves to see if it was really happening here in the land of humidity and sog. Couldn't possibly have asked for more...but wait..there's is more.

After our glorious lunch we drove into Riverhead to "Pieceful Quilting", a shop whose owners I have seen at a number of shows and who always have lovely goodies. What a great place & strategically located right on the river with benches and shady spots for the husband. They have 5 rooms of goodness to go through and I really enjoyed my visit. I purchased a CD Rom of "Triangulations" for paper piecing of half squares and quarter squares. I find all the triangles for small quilts work up so fast with this method that I was happy to find it. Funny thing happened-while Roger was chatting with the owner (and I had already melted into the 5 rooms -no waiting+ a nice clean powder room!)it turns out that they just franchised another "Pieceful Quilting" about 5 miles from me. Amusing since we had driven 30 miles to this one. I will have to go see what's up at that one very soon. One of the Thurs. Night quilting ladies has a birthday on Thursday...yeah, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. So that was our Friday.

Sadly we ended the weekend on a very different note. The son of one of our friends passed away after a year-long battle with cancer that tormented him for a year. By the time they found the cancer in him it was too far advanced and while they were able to give him treatments for his stomach cancer, it had already spread to the bones by mid-year. Scott was married with two very young children and an amazing wife, Lauren. I don't know how she managed to do it but she gave the eulogy for him at a memorial service on Sunday. She kept the tone light and touched on the great sense of humor that he had. It can't have been easy, she had to stop a couple of times, but for the most part she actually made people chuckle a bit between tears. Scott's parents are good friends and they had a "wake" at the local bar where Scott often enjoyed a few beers with friends. The place was jammed and my ears hurt by the time we left but it occurred to me that that was a good way for everyone not to dwell long on the unbelievable sadness. Parents shouldn't have to bury their children. I hope Scott is at peace now.

So there you have it in a nutshell. Some sweet & some bitter.

It's blasted hot today and tomorrow but the later part of the week looks better. Soon I will have to change the name of the blog to something else since There hasn't been any quilting in so long I'm forgetting how. This summer has certainly been unusual.

Back soon.

This & That

I finally got my new glasses and I can seeeeee!!

There are some things I have to catch up on and I'll be back next week with something that resembles sewing. My fingers are itching to get back to the sewing machine and some fabric play.

It's finally beastly hot like a regular August. Hot and humid and sticky. We are still in the weather pattern that is wet, gray, and oppressive though. Not a nice summer at all. I hope this doesn't last too long or we will have a winter to reckon with.
I've been checking up on what you are all up to and I see so many lovely quilts and especially love the Doll Quilt exchanges and many designer blogs that have popped up lately.
My husband is taking off Fridays for the next little while to use up some of the time he has accumulated at work. We are heading out to spend the day together tomorrow and have a nice lunch out east. Possibly find a farm stand with some tomatoes for BLTs. There is a really bad tomato blight here on the east coast that is also affecting the potato crop. We usually have beautiful Jersey tomatoes by now but the pickin's are slim and the tomatoes are hard, thick-skinned, grainy & fibrous inside. Yetch! Hope to find something better at some of the eastern farms.
Anyway, Back next week with something blog worthy. Have a great weekend.

Get over to Bumble Beans

Victoria, over at Bumble Beans is having a contest. Leave a comment and you have a chance to win a great bag made by her . The fabric is gorgeous. All you have to do is leave a comment and, if possible, put a link on your blog.
http://bumblebeans.blogspot.com/
Go see and while you're there check out all the great quilts she makes. Victoria is a very talented artist and it comes through on her beautiful work.

I'm hoping to hear that my new glasses are in today. It sure would make life a lot easier. Talk to you soon.

The Great Blueberry Masacree

I may have mentioned earlier this year that we were surprised at the end of winter to find that the blueberry bush(and I use the term loosely)had survived the cold and even had a couple of flowers in the spring. Out of those flowers came three precious berries at the tip of a very skinny branch. Not holding our much hope, since we have given over free reign to the chipmunks and squirrels, etc, we fully expected to see those three little berries scarfed up my the local wildlife some time ago. BUT WAIT...there's more. All season long we have gazed at the berries waiting for the inevitable morning when they would be gone. Yesterday, Roger got out the camera and took some photos of the biggest and, nearly ripest(??a word)berry. I told him he better eat that berry. Sure nuf, I came downstairs this morning and that beautiful berry was gone. James and I had to laugh when Roger went out to the deck and searched the ground just in case it early fell off...right. There were some might big blue jays with their wings over their beaks laughing as well. So, there are two more berries and, once again, we wait. Honestly, If I could have gone out there and glued a blueberry to the branch in time I would have. Ah well, such is the life of the farmer. Roger has several tomatoes on the one big plant. Did I mention that we have a sudden outcropping of rabbits all over the darn place? Shall we have a pool on the tomatoes? I say third week of August at least one goes missing. The fact is, we just love the critters too much. I do feel sorry for the critter that messes with the tomatoes. That may change at least one mind around here.

Here in the northeast we are having a terrible tomato blight. All the good tomatoes that usually come from Jersey may not be available this year. They say it got to a lot of them on Long Island as well. The more I think about this the more I think about a BLT with mayo on bakery bread...sigh...snif. I may have to look for those great Canadian tomatoes we found last year at a farm stand a bit west of us. They weren't perfect but if the real thing is not available, they may have to do. What is summer without the BLT?

I'm still waiting for my new glasses so the sewing hasn't yet begun. Back soon.

check this out!

Sweet Michele, of "With Heart in Hands" was lucky enough to get a copy of Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran's new book "Freddy & Gwen Together Again" that she can give away to a lucky quilter. Their first book, Collaborative Quilting is fantastic and this one looks to be even more fun. If you're a fan of the wonky, scrappy, fun look, this one is a winner. Go have a look and sign up by leaving a comment.. I have my fingers crossed to win it myself but it's up for grabs right now. If you haven't visited Michele's blog you will find yourself in for a long visit. Along with being a great quilter and all around smarty pants, she offers frequent lists of patterns for free. Anyway, get a cup of coffee and have a look see.

Mostly Booky Bliss

My recent forced vacation from creativity gave me an opportunity to get into a couple of books that I've been meaning to read and to re-read one that I hold dear. So here are my reviews of them for your possible reading pleasure.

I can't say enough wonderful things about Frances Mayes book. It's so well written that you feel as though you can smell the food, the flowers and hear the music. Evocative isn't a good enough word. I would like to give this book to everyone I care about and insist they read it while lounging on a chaise with a cool drink and lovely evening breezes washing over them. You can open it to any page and be transported to a place you would love to be. Read this book. I've already read it twice. You will thank me.

Last year I read a book by Ferenc Mate. There should be an accent over the e but I forgot how to do that. Anyway, Mr. Mate and his wife Candace and their little boy bought a vineyard in Tuscany complete with an ancient, fairly ruined, farmhouse. The vineyard is in the area where they grow the luscious grape that makes the best wine in Italy. Rich, deep, intense, Brunello de Montepulciano wine. My very favorite Italian wine. The book is the story of how they searched for and found the place and their adventures in getting the farmhouse restored by craftsmen who work on their own special clock called Italian time. It's such fun. Recently I went back and while looking for something similar I found the book he wrote first. The first book describes their early married life pre-kid and pre-vineyard, while trying to fit in to the small Italian village they come to live in. It is a darling book that I loved so much I couldn't put it down even when my eyes were giving me the most trouble. I have just re-read it as well and love it more the second time around. Your welcome.

Let me get the weird review out of the way. I say weird because I really thought I would adore this book and it left me scratching my head and feeling sort of annoyed by the end. When I heard that David Lebowitz, famous Chocolatier of the culinary world, had written a book on his life in Paris, I thought "what could be bad?". Chocolate and Paris, must be delicious. Here's my take on this. His book came off as a snobbish, anti-American, treatise, the like of which causes many to miss-judge both Paris and it's people. What I learned from this book is that you can't use the bathroom the entire time you are there and if you get fingered for being an American, you will be hated on sight and scorned, laughed at and made fun of for simply existing. Also, never ever ask anyone a question. It was very disappointing and kind of made me cranky. There is not a lot that is "sweet" about this life he writes about. He should stick to making chocolate.

If you have never read any Steinbeck....what the hell have you been doing with your life. I discovered John Steinbeck in one of the darkest periods of my life by reading is delightful book "Travels with Charlie", which chronicles his trips with his dog Charlie. Loved that book and it made me forget how miserable I was at the time. I followed it up with "Cannery Row" and if you haven't read that you need to give yourself a treat. It's funny and sad and beautiful. The best day was when I found my, now-worn, Penguin copy of "East of Eden". If you have only experienced the movie with James Dean, you have no concept of what a wonderful book this is. The movie is only one small part of the book and, in my humble opinion, doesn't do that justice. It is the story of generations of people of varying social status in the Salinas Valley of California. I have read and re-read this book over the years and I never tire of it.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy them and I'd be interested in how you feel about them.

I had lunch to day with my new favorite person in my world. My son's Mother-in-law to be, Cheryl. We had a nice lunch and some fun conversation. I'm so happy for the chance to get to know her. I can see in Cheryl, why we have come to love Dani. Very sweet people. Looking forward to the party at the end of August where we will be able to meet other family members.

Well, this certainly has turned into a novel. Time to make some dinner for the boys. Hope you have a great day.

It's a vision thing.

Good News on the vision front. Here's the story and a bit of a cautionary tale. I went to my Ophthalmologist, a man I have been seeing for eye issues for years, and got some immediate answers. The cautionary part of the story is this. Don't try to save money when it comes to your eyes. The cheap will cost you in more ways than one.

I got my last Rx from the Dr. and had the glasses made. I hated the frames so much -they fit badly-I disliked the frame once I got them etc.. Thought I would save some bucks by going to one of the very famous places you see advertised on tv all the time ad simply having another pair made with free frames. Over the course of the last few years I've had some issues with clarity because of aging/drying eyes and possibly a medicine which had been prescribed for me and the dosage was upped during the past year and a half or so. Sooooo, I picked up the second pair of glasses and off I went. I felt a little tugging at my left eye(which is the weak one from astigmatism) so I just figures that it ws part of the new Rx and on I went with life. It seemed that over the course of the next few months, my eyes got blurry and things were a bit fuzzy watching tv. I also couldn't make the transition from close up to distance well. The longer it went on the more blurry and fuzzy and, frankly, dizzy I began to feel. So much so that I stopped ding many of the things I really enjoyed...hello...quilting, reading, watching old movies while sewing. Ten minutes after I got to the ophthalmologist I had an answer. The Rx, copied by the famous glasses place, was wrong on several counts. It was wrong on the distance measurement and wrong on the progressive bifocal. As soon as they put the machine up to my eyes and adjusted the right prescription I could see. I almost cried for joy. The Dr. said that these quick and cheap places just don't send their lenses to reputable places to be ground. In this case the numbers were way off and it was easy to see why I couldn't.

I'm thrilled with the news and my new glasses should be in next week. Yipee!!

I'm catching up with some things I have let slide around the house and just enjoying the fact that I'm not going blind. He did suggest that I get some liquid tears and that it would help with the overly dry eye thing. Sadly, it's an aging issue but one I'm happy to be able to deal with.

Hope fully by the beginning of August I will have my new glasses and be back to work on some sewing. I really miss my machine and I have fondled fabric so much I'm wearing the nap away on some of it.

We had a really fun time at Roger's reunion for a funny reason. The band was super bad. Imagine a bunch of elderly white guys trying to play Barry White and Play that Funky Music White Boy and you get the gist of the thing. Diane and I were convulsed. Of course the whiskey sours helped a lot. Our friends were here for a week that was pure joy. I miss them so much already. Our time went to fast.

Well, I must go and get ready for dinner with my friend Gerrie. We are celebrating her birthday this evening. Just the girls and some nice Italian food.

If you're still with me, thanks for checking in. I will get back to normal soon, Whatever that is.

Checking in to say hi!

I was looking for something pink to wear for the reunion-whaduyathink? The gloves are too much...right?

Well, I figured I should check in briefly to say hi. I don't have too much time but by way of explanation for my absence, I'm waiting for our house guests to appear, needing to make a trip to the grocery store, still looking for shoes for the reunion(strappy sandals???) and experiencing problems with the aging eyes. I have an appointment with the ophthalmologist coming up that I hope will give me some answers. In the meantime, the vision thing is making me crazy, cranky, and scared. Everything I love to do involves seeing...clearly. Not happening right now. Everything it a little blurry. Almost double vision or a halo around stuff. Maybe cataracts??? Don't know. So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Needless to say, nothing is happening on the sewing front. I really miss being creative in some way but even writing this is making me feel icky.

SO....I'm basically OK-lots of people with serious problems so I'll quit bitching now and get out the vacuum for one last go round at the dust. Sadly, I'm still able to clean things. Distance is not the problem. Close up is all foggy. I'll let you know how it turns out when I see the Dr. and hopefully a report on the reunion will follow next week. In the meantime, I still get around to visit you all a few times in the week. Everyone seems very busy and creative. Have fun.

Talk to you soon.

chillin'

I just checking in to say that I haven't fallen off the planet. There's just so much going on right now family-wise. The birthdays, the house fixin', the search for clothing, the lack of focus on quilting and so on. I think I'll take myself a little hiatus, as they say in the show business. Not sure what that means but it seems that when it occurs...your regularly scheduled program does not appear for a while. Every day that goes by that I don't up-date the blog just makes me feel guilty. Since I am German, I naturally come with an enormous amount of guilt-more I don't need!

So I'll be around a little to check up on you all but for the most part I'll be shopping, getting the house ready for company, and finding some clothes that fit(har har).

The next fun thing on my plate(ahem) my family is taking me out to Sushi Park for my birthday on Wed. Birthdays are a really strange thing now. I don't want to acknowledge them but I still want the fun. There is rarely a time all year that I can't buy what I want so it's not about the gifts for either of us. I do appreciate the "book money" I get from various relatives(hi Bob) so that's fun. I have been on a search for a handbag for about a year. I don't want those huge satchels with blingy crap all over them so it's not as easy as you would think. I also don't like a large, heavy, bag. Something along the lines of a classic Coach leather bag would be great. If I don't have to break the bank to buy it would be even greater. I know, dream on Dee.

Well, that's my story people. Paint chips and handbags. Sounds easy, no? Not so much. I'm torn between painting the walls the usual off white and going for some real color this time. I'll probably get lots of sample bottles and try out some color.

Wish me luck. I'll be back and I'll have tall tales to tell.

Thursday...already????

I want to thank all of you who commented so nicely on Roger's birthday. A big hug to you all and so great to hear from Judy in Northport again. Hi Judy!!How are you?

This top called out to me while I was rooting around in the "Closet" for something else. I made it to replace the cruddy quilt that I have used for myself for too many years. It was made from April Cornell charm packs and just used a simple throw-it-together method which really resulted in a less than pleasing top. I had the yardage and finally put borders on it last week. Why do I make things for others so pretty and yet when it comes to making something for myself, I knock out a careless top with nothing going for it but the fabric? I have sworn that when it comes time to make something from the Robyn Pandolph fabrics, I will be good to myself in all ways. Pretty pattern and pretty fabric. Before I put on the borders I contemplated taking all the blocks apart and doing something else. What, I don't know. But it did seem a shame to have this gorgeous fabric and no plan.
Did I mention that I got new Pandolph fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop??? Really pretty stuff. It's aging upstairs as we speak and looks like it will go beautifully with the many other fat quarters I already have. I think that at this point, I have enough to make a full bed-sized quilt rather then a smaller throw like the one above. Clearly a summer project on the horizon.

I seem to be in a bit of a slump-sewing-wise. So many things going on and events coming up. We are going to a reunion for Roger's High School class in the not too distant future (roughly 6 weeks)so I need to do two things. Loose 50 lbs and get a face lift. Barring those two things I guess I'll have to get something to wear that doesn't look like I just cleaned the bathroom in it. The casual life is nothing to complain about but it sure makes you lazy about how you look. I know we've all discussed this before but the clothes out there are for little tiny 15-year-olds. Baring my midriff and wearing very tight jeans are just not going to happen here. Along with that, little short sun dresses over little short stubby legs are also not happening. I believe I'll go with a silk shirt and slacks and maybe a tiny, pretty, sandal-type princess heel. That's a big order but I'm going to persevere. If I could find these things in black it would be a special gift from the universe. Stay tuned. Our best friends, Rich, Diane, and their lovely daughter Erika, are coming to stay with us and go to the reunion since Roger and Rich have known each other since Kindergarten. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to having them here. We've missed each other since "Roger's heart episode" last summer at their house in Pa.
I have no idea where this week has gone. Tonight it quilting with the girls night and so I must go and make a meal for the guys so I can get out of here on time.
Have a great day. Talk to you soon.

Birthday Boy

We celebrated my husbands birthday yesterday. It was a very nice, if hectic, kind of day. This morning I'm sitting here having a cuppa and thinking about how lucky a girl can get. I married my best friend. Much like a great friendship, we really have made a good life for ourselves. Not in terms of wealth and often not in terms of great health but there is no one I would rather spend time with. I know lots of married couples who may have been together a long time but really don't like each other very much.

Roger and I found each other a very long time ago. Back in the dark ages of the mid to late 70s, Roger was working in the Deli near my apartment. I would go there everyday for coffee and deli stuff. When Roger made a sandwich for me-there was a sandwich like the Carnegie Deli makes in Manhattan. One sandwich that takes two people to eat. He was in college and I was a married lady trying to make sense of my doomed marriage. By the time I did make sense of it and found that it sucked rocks, he was getting his Masters Degree and, while he still worked in the deli, I had moved to another part of town to lick my wounds. I would hear about him from people and knew that he was working in a laboratory and doing well for himself.

Time went by...jeopardy music......One day I stopped to get my coffee at another deli across from another apartment and who should I run into by my old friend Roger-now all growed up and manly and the new owner of a neat boat. I was thrilled to see him again because he was always so nice and such a gentleman.

Roger asked me to go out for a boat ride. We went on a lovely day and I didn't hear from him again for a little while. Then I heard from him a lot. We compared notes on failed romances and the general emptyness of our lives. Somewhere in those many conversations a bell went off. The name of that song was "what's wrong with becoming more than friends?" Also, would it ruin a perfectly wonderful friendship?

On one of the best afternoons of my life he picked me up and we went out on the boat. He had put a rose in a Michelob bottle and like a great engineer, he told me about how he felt and how he envisioned our future together. Over great sandwiches and beer I found myself seeing this friend take on a whole other persona. He went from good friend to the man I fell in love with. I thought to myself, "This is what it feels like to love a man who knows who he is. He was a man with a plan. I still think of that afternoon with a butterfly in the tummy.

In all my messed up life before that day, no one had ever been more clear, romantic, and reasonable. Now you wouldn't think that being reasonable would be romantic but I tell you that I held onto him like a life vest. For so long I had wondered why some people get the good life and some don't. When I listened to Roger describe our possible future I could feel myself let go and love. I knew then that no matter how long it takes, you'll most likely get the life you plan for when you stop trying so hard to live up to what other people say life should be. I had somehow stumbled into the best thing, the thing I had dreamed of. A man who knew what he wanted and knew his first priority was his family. He's what a man, and a husband, should be. His wonderful Mother and Father taught him right.

I am grateful everyday for the karmic influence that brought is back together in that deli. A chance meeting, there are many delicatessens in my area. To paraphrase a famous movie line, "Of all the delis in this town, why did he turn up in mine?" Thank God he did.

Happy Birthday Baby.

Tomato-Tomahhto

I've done more gardening this year than in the last 3 years and my back is telling me ENOUGH! Here is Roger's tomato plant. It's grown a lot since he planted the little thing a couple of weeks ago. There are a large number of bunnies in the yard who are keeping a close watch on it. They are waiting for the darling little tomatoes to appear so they can have a special luncheon party. Seriously, we have a Momma bunny and two small bunnies who come out daily and eat bird seed. Naturally they prefer the Goldfinches thistle seed at $14.00 for 2 lbs. to the rather plain regular bird seed of the common kind. Good thing I love watching them. We are not serious gardeners here with vegetable patches and such. We realize that we are out-numbered and out-cuted by our furry garden friends. The word is out and we have no dogs to deter their fun so, essentially, this is critter paradise. Yesterday the chipmunk stretched his little self and ate Roger's blueberry flowers. We're all about the amusement factor here. The geraniums are going in the porch planter boxes since they like a lot of sun.

I'm not getting much done on the sewing front since the planting is causing me a lot of discomfort in the back and sciatica area. The one thing I'm working on I really can't show since it is one of the two gifts I'm going to finish for gifts.

I must go and work on those things while I can sit comfortably. It doesn't last long. I'm going to be one of those old ladies who carry around a poofy little pillow for my behind. I should make myself one.

Time for a cuppa tea and a bite for lunch. Come on over and join me!

Quilting blog....Really???

Here's a shot of one of the Hibiscus I got for Mothers Day from Roger. It's the most vibrant color. James got me the pink one I showed in the last post-that is smaller but full of blooms in a very pretty pink. I've been so busy planting and cleaning and somehow never getting around to the fun quilty stuff. My fault really since I am the Scarlett O'Hara of housework. I'm very behind in the mundane things that need to be done. Housework sucks. You may quote me.

My BIL Bob is back to work today after a few days of discomfort from his procedure last week. He seemed in fairly good spirits yesterday and that made us worry a little less. One day at a time.

I've been giving the gifting of quilts a lot of thought. I think I'm going to lay off the gifts for a while. I foolishly think it means something to others because it means something to me. That's very arrogant of me to assume that others can understand the value or importance of something hand made. We just don't live in that world anymore. A blogging friend made a quilt for a silent auction at a school to raise funds and the highest bid was $40. That speaks volumes about how people value hand made work. That small bid wouldn't even pay for the materials for the finished quilt not to mention the time and care put into it. Sad.

Anyway, I have a number of things to finish and bind and I think I'm going to keep them with one or two exceptions. Then I'd like to work on a quilt I've been saving fabric for. Maybe I need something a bit more of a challenge to re-energize my spirit.

Hope you are doing something fun in the sun. Talk to you soon.

Blooming Monday

It was an almost all-hibiscus Mother's Day for me. I got 3 very large apricot ones and a smaller pink one. Well, throw in some fabulous Hollyhock plants, dusty miller, new guinea impatiens, and a couple of other I can't remember right now. That's what landed on the porch yesterday. Roger put the beautiful hibiscus into their big containers and the pretty pink smaller one into a pot and this morning I planted the dusty miller down near the driveway. It was perfect planting weather(very unusual for spring on Long Island) not humid and icky at all. Dry, crisp, and sweet. Could not have asked for a better weekend. Later, Roger BBQd some really great ribs and eggplant and potatoes. Yum. Lovely day. My son did a lot of work around the yard and some additional work for Uncle Bob which was a really big help. I can't thank him enough for that. Bob is going to have some tests done at St. Francis tomorrow and we are praying that all is going to be well with a limited bunch of crap. I'm going to make a nice meal for all of us tonight-some beer-can chicken and grilled veg. and tortellini salad for dinner. Taking advantage of another beautiful day and who knows how long that will last.

I put together the log cabin blocks and decided to make it into a wreath. I like the way it came out. Some borders and a bit of hand quilting will finish this simply. One gift out of the way. I'm taking the advice of you dears who suggested I keep more things for myself....just as soon as this is done....sigh.

Talk to you soon and say a prayer for my BIL Bob. We love him and need him to be back to normal soon. He's one of the good guys.

Soggy Log Cabin Blocks

I suspect our computer is in need of defragging or some such thing like that. It's so slow right now I could walk to your houses and chat faster than posting.

Or maybe it's just water logged like the rest of us. Hope this isn't a peek at what's to come. Soggy, hot weather go away. I know, I'm never happy with the weather unless it's 65 and crystal clear blue sky. Is that so much to ask for? Apparently it is.

Just because it's a boring blog without a picture-here's a peek at a little piece I'm making. This is the beginning of the Birthday Season at our house. Virtually everyone in our family has a birthday in the next two months or so. Several close friends included in that as well. So I'm putting together a few things that might be nice for that. It got me thinking about gifting people with my work. Maybe it's just a thing I think is nice and based on my recent baby quilt experience...maybe no one really gives a crap. Undecided about that as yet but I am seriously thinking of just buying some gifts and keeping the stuff for myself and perhaps the occasional quilty friend. Just because it's my cup of tea doesn't mean other feel the same-and I know if you're reading this you're most likely a quilt lover so I'm sort of preaching to the choir. It does seem lately that I give nearly everything away. My house is like the electrician without lights. I have one quilt on display and aside from a set few that are meaningful to me-I'm kind of sick of the rest right now. Maybe they need to age in the attic for a while while I stop giving away my work and put it up on my own walls for a change.

I was going out to the nursery to day to look for a couple of planter box pretties but now it looks like it's going to pour again...dang.

I wish all you Mom's a happy Mother's Day. Do something nice for yourself. Back soon.

Rain Again Tuesday

First, I'd like to thank all of you who were nice enough to respond here and personally to my question regarding....pork...ahem.

I feel so much better but as long as I'm being stared at by my porcine friend.over there....the subject of pork is closed for ahhh...today...snort.

It's raining here again. We really need to check ourselves soon for gills because everything is a sloppy mess. I have a haircut today and some letters to write. Hope to sneak a little sewing in there too but it doesn't look good right now since I need to make a trip to the store for tortillas and such since yesterdays enchiladas didn't get made because of that. Today is Cinco de Mayo so it worked out for the best. Must have some Mexican treat for dinner to celebrate. Wish we could have some Margaritas but Roger can't have liquor so we'll just punt. Green chili enchiladas!Yum!

Hope you have a festive day...cha cha cha.

Rainy Monday

If Amy is reading, I mailed your package today.

I'm going to ignore the rain(the endless rain) and try to keep a smile on my face. Here's something that will help. I ordered some of this lovely fabric from the good folks at the Fat Quarter Shop. They are my new best friends forever. So lovely to chat with and they have great sales and great prices on stuff. The was one of two I got to replace the fabric that I took from my Robyn Pandolph stash that I was stupid enough to use on a baby quilt. No mas, as our friends down south say! I'm putting some borders on another piece I left to languish in the Closet for too long.

Here's a fun thing if you have any of those cute charm packs and wonder about what to make with them. Over on the upper right of my blog is a link to the Moda Bake Shop. They have a pattern for nine patches made from charms. Called 9-patchtastic. Very cool and the math is already figured out for you which in my case makes it possible. Math challenged person here. Other than cutting out little tiny squares for 9-patches I would not have thought of this. It took someone who thinks mathematically to think of it. Thanks Moda Bake Shop. A very cool place. Check it out.

My son started his new job today. I'm hoping it goes well since he left a place he really liked very much to work here. More money and it's about a mile from our house and benefits he didn't have before. Cross your fingers. I'm kind of afraid he's going to be bored and I really hope I'm worrying for nothing. That's what Mom's do. We are saying some prayers for Dani's Grandmother who is not well at all and for my BIL Bob who has gone to N.C. to visit relatives for a few days. Dani's Grandmother has had a rough few years and I haven't even had a chance to meet her yet. I hope she gets much better soon. Bob is struggling with a couple of health issues right now. His latest problem is just one more thing to deal with. We hope he's relaxing on his trip. He can sure use some of that.

I'm holding down the fort and getting the usual laundry, ironing, and cooking done so I can sew a little. Chicken enchiladas for dinner. Does anyone know if it's safe to buy pork? I'm going to get pretty tired of chicken and the usual stuff soon. I miss the loin of pork on the grill but I'm not sure if it's safe. We never seem to hear anything about that. Dang swine.....