Make It Fun

Yesterday was the day I get together with my quilter friends, and swap books, fabrics, ideas and eat lunch.  But on my way I bought myself a reward for my 35# weight loss.

One of my "devices" for keeping at it, has been the promise of a reward after every major milestone.  So, after being stuck for a long time, I'm finally losing again and I promised myself I'd buy some cashmere yarn and knit myself a lacy shawl or stole as my reward.

You have to realize what a victory it is for me not to reward myself with a prime rib dinner, or a hot fudge sundae.  I know that YOU understand that I'd be shooting myself through the foot to do that---and in my head I know that too.  It's just getting that around to something that will give me as much pleasure as the delights of the dining room.

Here are the raw materials for my stole.  My pattern is stored in my account on Ravelry, and I can't seem to import the picture, but it will be a challenge, I have no doubt.

You will probably be hearing more about lace shawl knitting in the future.  You've been warned.

But the happening that inspired the title "Make It Fun", happened at quilting.  Kay---who comments here now and again, had pieced hundred of little nine-patches, half square triangles, and four-patches which she brought for us to see.
In the course of our day together, the ladies paired them up into semi-coherent quilt squares,  them together and sent a stack home with each of us.

I got home and stitched my whole stack into blocks, giving myself a congratulatory high five for getting right at it.  Kay does such beautiful accurate work that it was easy.  Everything fit perfectly.

Doh!!!

Good Guy and I have returned from spending the Memorial Day weekend on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel, which is truly grand in every way.

This beautiful place has a parlor floor, where the beautiful people have afternoon tea, and dress for dinner in proper jackets and ties, and real dresses---or even sometimes gowns.  It's a place where I try not to gawk at folks and try to pretend that I wear my dresses more often than I have occasion to.

Isn't it odd that as our country became more affluent, we became more and more casual?

Anyway, if ever there was a time to take pictures of scenery and horse drawn carriages, and flower gardens this was my big chance.  That's what the post title refers to----I did remember the camera, and I did take some pictures, but I had the camera set for "macro" shots.  So I can show you some fuzzy---shall we say, atmospheric shots, which don't do justice to any of the island's beauty.

Exhibit #1:
This is what the famous long front porch of the Grand Hotel looks like.  It has a great long row of white rocking chairs perfect for sitting and reading on a beautiful summer day.

Don't adjust your screen.  It won't get sharper.

Exhibit #2:

The lilacs are all in bloom, and are very beautiful.  You'll have to trust me on that.  There are lavender, white, and deep purple ones and they are growing on gnarly old lilac trees that must have been there since the original revolution.  They are amazing!



Exhibit #3:

There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island---(at least not that the tourists are allowed to see), but there are a great many horse-drawn carriages, tour trailers, and delivery wagons. There are a great many bicycles as well.

There were two wedding parties staying at the Grand, and they had to be transported to the  churches in the wind and rain by these vehicles.  I didn't go downstairs to watch, but it must have been pretty challenging!

I apologize for my photographs, but take it from me, it is beautiful, even in the wind and rain.  We had a lovely time, and the food choices are so varied I could stay on my eating plan without any trouble.  As long as I didn't linger downtown smelling fudge cooking and watching the ice cream cone eaters.  There is temptation, but it can be overcome!

Readin' and Quiltin'

I mentioned a couple days ago that I found items I was searching for at the bulk food store in Eagle River.  Well, a couple doors down from that magical place, there's a quilt shop---which means I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven.

I have been working for a long time on a Words Quilt.  It has strips of appliqued words of things we like---and the fabrics have words on them, and there are also a great many cat fabrics.  Some are cartoons, and some are more realistic pictures---but there are a lot of them.

Imagine my delight to find a fabric for the backing which has both words and cats!  There is only a yard, but it's going right in the center of the pieced back.  TA-DA!!

On the reading end of things, I could take a picture of my Nook, but I won't.  You know what an e-reader looks like.  I have just read a couple of books downloaded from the library.  

Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella was a fun read, in which a super-smart, stressed out lawyer finds herself working as a housekeeper.  Funny stuff.

For those who have followed the girls of the "Traveling Pants" books, I just read the third (I think) which wasn't at all what I expected. The book is called Sisterhood Everlasting.  The author is Ann Brashare.  I enjoyed that one, too.  Right now I'm reading a quilting book by Gwen Marston, thanks to Kay's generosity.  

I'm not cheating---by reading a quilt book, either, because this book is loaded with text rather than being all pictures, and has a great many good ideas.  It's called The Liberated Quilter, I think.

So I will wind this up by wishing you happy reading, or quilting, or knitting, or gardening.  Whatever you're up to, be happy in the process!  

Grubby Old Me

I was up early this morning, thanks to the Fuzzies, who think we should all be up, dispensing treats as soon as it gets light.  Good Guy can ignore them, but they come and pat on my face or put a cold nose on my face.  Once I start laughing, I might as well get up.

I wish I could teach them to turn the coffee pot on.

Anyway, the top thing on my list was to scumble the soil in the garden.  It has been spaded and tilled, but it's a bit early to plant here.  In the meantime, every weed seed that's been dormant for fifty years is eager to germinate.  After all the work that's been done, I sure didn't want to have the plot weed infested again before planting.

I did finally get to it, after I started some bean soup---since I have to bring the main dish tomorrow when we lunch together at Quilting.  And then I made rye bread.  (I have trouble finding rye flour locally, and got some at a bulk food store in Eagle River last week.)  It's The Flour Sack  and I found both rye flour and graham flour.  I was excited because I have wonderful recipes for grainy breads and I haven't been able to find the ingredients.

My English teacher husband better not read this entry, because I have ended a great many sentences with prepositions.  But I will leave them as they are.

Did you watch the final episode of House last night?  I don't watch it very often since I find Dr. House so annoying, but there was a wonderful hour before the program where we got to see Hugh Laurie being himself and the rest of the cast too.  The final episode was so well done.  Just right.

I am often tempted to order some DVDs of British comedy in which Hugh Laurie shows his comedic talent.  I guess he showed his comedic talent on House, too, if you like dark humor.  (It isn't that I am repulsed by blood, or less appetizing bodily functions, since I spent my whole working life as a nurse.)  I just like characters who are more sympathetic, less self-involved, and less manipulative.  Call me goofy.

Tomorrow I'll share some good  reads and tell you about the other find from the Eagle River trip.

Leave a comment.  Pretty please!

Sorry, Change of Plans

I was so sure that I had decided that comment money would be "Going for the Goat", through the auspices of Heifer, International.  But today I got a communication from them regarding a new program they are doing to help people who are struggling here in the States.

They are calling this project, Seeds of Change, and it focuses on two impoverished areas, Appalachia and the Arkansas Delta.  Both of these areas are blessed with fertile soil and strong agricultural traditions, but small scale farmers are finding it hard to make a living.

The project aims to boost nutrition and economies by creating jobs and improving access to healthy, locally produced food---especially for low income families, as well as improving the environment by supporting responsible agricultural practices.

For any number of reasons this project is dear to my heart and I'm not waiting to accumulate comments, but I'm going to send some funds right away, while people can get planting and growing during this growing season.

Depending upon our individual histories, or our reading, or our hobbies, different good deeds seem like the very thing we need to do.  And for me, this project is very compelling.  Keep on commenting and we'll send more at the end of June.  It may not equal a goat, but it'll be welcome by Heifer International.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Clear the Decks

Good Guy thinks that I really got into dejunking because he was gone golfing so many days this week and I was bored.  Excuse me?!

Could it be that when he's away I have hours of freedom in which to sort and pitch?  I am so pleased that I made progress on rearranging my kitchen cupboards so the things we use a lot would be handier, and I cleared counters.  They aren't as clear as I'd like, but they are better every day.  So, even though I haven't had time to blog, I have gotten lots of important (to me) stuff done!

I have even attacked the ever tottering stack of magazines and have parted with some.  I need to be much more ruthless about sending them off to new homes.

In a completely unrelated segue, we saw our first hummingbird of the season on March 11, a few days earlier than usual.  I would have missed it completely if I hadn't happened to be outdoors weeding after supper.  I don't know why those little birds give me such joy, but I am always cheered to see them.

And in yet another dramatic change of subject, Happy Mothers' Day to you all, whether you're a mother or not.  You probably had a mother, and chances are you liked her.  Enjoy the day.

Birth Order

I mentioned last Friday on Friday Fragments that my sister was returning after many months away during the winter.  She spent the weekend here in town visiting with us and with my "very much younger sister" and her husband.

We all enjoyed being together, and one of the things we did we to view a slide show of photographs which the youngest one put together for her daughter, who is an only child.  My niece had told her mom that she had hardly any memories of her childhood.  Together we wondered, "How could that be?"

We came to the conclusion that one of the services performed by our siblings is to keep reminding us of old happenings.  I suspect some of them are things we'd just as soon forget, when I listen to my kids talk to one another.

Even though my own sisters and I are far apart in age we do have some memories in common, and it seems we each knew our parents in a slightly different way.   I was almost five years old when  Jane was born, and I was just starting high school when Karen was born.  It was many years before we had anything much to talk about and we are much closer now than when our kids were growing up.

I am the oldest child of an oldest son in my father's family, which now makes me the "matriarch", by default.  I find that both amusing and daunting.  It isn't as though I have any duties, but I surely do miss the older generation.  I don't relish this position, but it's inevitable if you have long life.

It is interesting to reflect upon what effect your place in the birth order of your family has had on the other decisions you've made about living your life, though.  Oldest children are likely to pick careers in which they are nurturers, and I was a nurse, a mom, and we adopted children in addition to our homemade kids.

Oldest children are also known to be quite bossy.  That, of course, is total foolishness!  Bossy?  Me?

Huh!