Fanciful Quilts

Where has the time gone??? Seriously - one moment it was July and now it's October already. Summer heat and now leaves crunching underfeet (or is that underfoot???). Riley & I drove up here to Oshkosh, WI on Wednesday. Actually, we spent the night at Merrillville, IL and drove the rest of the way on Thursday. My sis is with us....she is staying at mom & dad's while Riley & I stay at a hotel, barely over a mile away. The 13th of October marked dad's 80th birthday. Today we will celebrate it with lunch, maybe a few presents and good wishes. Dad isn't doing extraordinarily well. He's forgetful and has trouble lifting one leg to get the rest of the body into a car. Could be the beginning stages of Alzheimers - or dementia - or perhaps neither of the above. It may very well be time to put the house up for sale and move to a place that is senior-citizen friendly where everything needed is on one floor and it's easier to get in and out of a bathtub ...

One of the best times I've had with my sister took place last Wednesday evening. Memories of long ago Sunday afternoons with sis and mom playing bingo at the on-base club came to mind. I set off to find a bingo hall - on line. Found one - not too far from where we live. We got there a good 30 minutes earlier than the time posted. Alas, someone didn't tell the owners we were coming. It was obvious this bingo hall had not been in use for some time. Maybe years. Darn. But not all was lost. Joanns was close by and I had a need to buy some perle cotton. Out came the phone and the wonderful browser capability.....yes, there was another bingo hall not more than 15 minutes away. We found the place easily enough; parking was another matter. Who were these people that took up all these parking spaces?!?!? Finally found a spot, pulled in and hoped the business next to the bingo hall was full of loving and kind people who would not tow my car while we were inside the bingo hall. For those...

How many times have we heard "it's the little things that count..."? You give a small token of your appreciation to a friend...and think to yourself that it didn't cost a lot, and it was just a little token and besides, it's the "little things that count". You get a pat on the back for a job well done...and think to yourself - geez, that should have been worth a lot more than a pat on the back - and then think well, I guess the boss believes in the little things that count. Okay - so the last one was a little weird. You get the idea. It's the "little things" that should be observed, honored and revered. Here's what I believe. The little things are God's way of letting you know He's there - He cares - and He wants us to be His ambassador. He plants an idea in our heads to do something out of the ordinary. Send a gift for no reason. Send a card to someone to let them know you care. Enclose a note in your spouse's lunch that si...

I love Mondays. There is something magical about the 2nd day of the week (yes I count Sunday as the first day of the week - doesn't everyone??). Even before retiring, I liked going into work on Mondays. Mondays can make or break you - your choice. You may hate the job you're doing right now - but it's your choice to either leave, endure or look at the positive aspects: (A) you have a JOB - the unemployment rate is supposedly around 10% here in Dayton. (B) you have a JOB. (C) you have a JOB. (D) you have a JOB but you can be looking for another one Yes, I admit it - I have been retired from the job force now for over 2 years. I've worked since I was 19 with an 18 month break in there with child #2 came along. Did I love my jobs? Nope. Won't lie. Did I complain? Yup. Won't lie. Do I look back and regret my complaining? Yup. I believe now the gift of becoming a Christian makes all the difference in the world. So Pollyanna sunshine aside, I look back and think what...

It is almost 10:40am. I have walked from the apartment to the chess club - pulled in the little dumpster on wheels (Thursday is garbage pickup day) - walked from there to the bank (what is it about two tellers gabbing away about personal stuff and tell the other teller: "can you take care of HER?" Emphasis on the HER, yes indeed....) - and from the bank to the library. Ahhh the public library. It never fails me. The moment I walk in (regardless of the fact this public library has a metal detector....a fine statement of downtown Dayton, don't you think???), I feel that momentary sense of excitement. What book will capture my interest this time. Okay, so maybe not ALL books capture my fancy. Sadly, science fiction does not capture my interest (sorry my dearest daughter and beloved husband) nor do biographies (apologies to those who love them) or historical romances (more sex in those novels than imaginable...pick one up and tell me I'm wrong). That still leaves many ven...

There are days when I wonder why quilting. Of all the hobbies there are to choose from, why this particular one..... Taking perfectly good fabric (you've heard this one before), cutting it up and resewing the pieces back together....and this is a hobby? No, not for most of us who quilt. It's a passion. The possibilities of what can be done with fabric are endless. Squares, triangles, appliques, portraits, landscapes, strips, circles...and the list goes on and on. It evokes memories. It brings comfort and warmth to the recipients. It brings smiles to those who need a smile. It doesn't matter if it took you two hours to put it together - or two years. It's a labor of love. Oh, to be able to see the smiles and tears when the package is opened and there lays the quilt - just for them. And it's okay if you can't see the smiles and tears if the quilt is mailed off. You see the smiles and tears through the email or letter of thanks. I mailed a quilt to Riley when he wa...

Today marks the end of our trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. We fly out tomorrow and will soon settle in to a routine in Dayton late at night. It's been a roller coaster ride, coming back. Some disappointments- the greasy spoon where we ate on most Saturdays is no more - the Polynesian restaurant where Riley worked as a waiter is now a Mexican restaurant - and now there are cloverleaf interchanges along I-20. Some delights - the first house we lived in is still standing - the first "real" home we had, a garage apartment, is still standing - and has been improved tremendously with siding - Pancho's Mexican restaurant is still Pancho's and Marshall Texas courthouse is still standing. The biggest delight was driving to Marshall .... finding the courthouse .... and then actually seeing our names in "the book". A s soon as we went through the metal detector, we made our way to the records department. We asked a young lady if it was possible for her to look up...