Saturday, March 12, 2011

another photo.


Like Rosey, I've had to dig into the files. This is the Mt Cook Lily. It grows in alpine regions. Some friends and I went in search of it some years ago. We were thrilled to find it. The lilies are far sturdier than they look and have beautiful leaves . It was a happy day, sunny and warm , we were up in the alps and enjoying every minute of it. It seems a hundred years ago but I see it was in 2007...
Big hugs to all who are anxious or hurting. We live in difficult times. Marion.

you asked for some spring color...

I am sending up prayers for all those suffering right now. It seems like half the world is suffering from earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, ice melt off causing flooding, tornadoes, etc.
Here is some color and the hope of spring.This was taken today at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. I have no idea what it is; it was on the nature trail, so I would guess some kind of a wild flower.
The church across the street, where I walk my dogs, decided to thin their trees. They really do have too many trees planted too close together. Unfortunately, they took out all but one of my favorites. They took out the two trees that shaded their parking lot in the afternoon. They were in planters, and the roots were destroying the planters.
There were also two pawlonia "Empress" trees planted right next to one of their buildings, and they removed both of them. I can't figure out where to get one of my own to plant on my property, as they are listed as nuisance trees in this area. The two across the street are the only ones I've ever seen in my neighborhood. Not too much of a nuisance... They bloomed with the most beautiful lavender flowers in the spring. They were imported from China a couple hundred years ago. I bet the church had no idea how much that wood was worth either. Traditionally, a pawlonia was planted upon the birth of a daughter. They grow so fast that by the time she was old enough to be married, they would cut it down and make the dower chest and other wooden items from "her" tree. I understand there is still quite a market in this country for the wood, as people of Chinese heritage still want chests made of the wood.

Good idea, Sandi


On a day when everything here in Southern Ontario is achromatic and not even that...there is a cloudy lens over the entire landscape outside my studio window, so I searched through my files for some of last summer's colour. This is our view from our kitchen window; the arbor, home-made & rather rickety; the green grass compliments of Mother Nature. It will come again.

Sandi, your grandbabe is so sweet. You must be thrilled with the possible prospect of having her move closer to home.

Grace, I'm glad you're on the mend with your knee operation. Winter's tough enough without having something like this but on the other hand, it may have been a distraction. The older we get, our social life is sometimes reduced to a round of doctor's appts.

Doris, you're right about your soap-box lecture. I'm in the process of trying to get my son to remember to go into his local bank to sign some papers so that he can co-sign on my safety deposit box up here in the country, otherwise, all those millions stashed away in there will be locked up the minute I cork off until they get the will probated or whatever....he doesn't view me as 'getting older'. There are days.....
Fran, I hope this catches you and that you have a safe journey through the East to the UK.

I am not religious, per se, more of a spiritual nature but I truly wonder if there isn't something to Revelations, having read the Bible from cover to cover. I wonder what is happening to the world.

Rosey

Friday, March 11, 2011


Somebody mentioned wanting a happy picture. Here's one of baby Evelyn at about 4 weeks old.
DD, Dsil and Dgd may be moving back to the cities which would be wonderful!

Other than that, not much to report. I submitted a new black and white fabric grouping to Blank and whatever if finally picked should be out in the fall. More flowers and leaves and other little prints...

I'm trying very hard to finish up some quilts. I owe my sister (that does my graphics for my patterns) a big one that has been partially done for a few years. My niece needs to get her wedding quilt-2 year anniversary in in May! And, I really should make a baby quilt for the Dgd! I just have borders to put on a Blooming 9-patch for my sister and then the quilting. It's a biggy!

Back at it! Hugs to all!
Sandi

photos...

well....I would if I could...! The earthquake seems to have erased all knowledge of how to post a photo.... I'll try again later..

Marion .

PSA...

Thanks Doris, for the reminder of the importance of documents and of letting family members know where they are. With both of our daughters living away from here, we have been quite good about all of that. DD in Auckland knows that DD in HK would fly in, take over and organise everything, then fly out again.... So , she pointed out the necessity of us leaving an outline of our own wishes, should we be overtaken by some unexpected event... and also of telling them both where these and other important documents would be found.



Jean, so sorry to hear what happened to your x SIL. What a nasty experience. Your niece too....what a nasty fall. None of us can be sure of tomorrow. Why is that such a hard lesson to learn I wonder...

Fran. what a great organiser you are !! I hope you have a really great trip. You have planned so well , for so long, and worked so hard for this opportunity. I'm sure we all wish you a safe and happy time.

DD and DSIL in HK are fine and, should there be a problem with the nuclear reactor in Japan, they will be on a plane to Scotland. Their children are due to return to HK for the Easter holidays but that can be altered if circumstances change. Our friends have moved up to their sons farm for the w/end but still plan to return to their home on Monday. They are both exhausted and anxious. I think they will probably end up spending their days there but coming here at night. Usually we are only 45minutes drive away but it now takes over two hours because of broken roads and gridlocked traffic. The problem is there is nothing for them to do at home, they just have to wait for the Earthquake commission to arrive and assess and protect their property from possible theft. Feeling the way they are and just sitting around waiting for after shocks and more damage is hard on the nerves... especially when they have badly damaged homes around them and the access roads are so full of deep cracks.. DH and I will be going to a service on Monday, to celebrate the life of a 21 yr old who was crushed in the earthquake.. He was in the music group at church and his father is one of our Pastors.

The images coming out of Japan are horrific. The speed of it all quite terrifying. Evidently a Tsunami travels faster than a jet aircraft. It reached the northern tip of NZ early this morning but didn't cause any damage. I wonder about some of the smaller islands in the Pacific.

Lets brighten up the page with some photos showing the beauty and diversity of nature. We've seen too much of the other side of it lately...

Marion.

That earthquake in Japan and then the tsunami have been keeping us on alert – what power, to send those shockwaves so far across the Pacific to California! Once again, so many lives lost.

SARA – Thanks for asking but as Bee said, we are not due to leave until Thursday, when we’ll know more about everything in that area.

MARION - I was sure Hong Kong would get a mention, being so close to Japan, but perhaps because of the Asian shoreline it will be safe, and Singapore too? Shannon & Sarah were in Singapore and waiting for the flight to HK, which they wouldn’t have boarded if anything was going to happen. Have you heard from your DD and DSIL? Thank goodness the Caribbean islands are on the other side of the Nth American continent, or you would be worrying about your sister also.

I hope your friends are feeling a bit better and that their house is habitable for them, although it sounds scary having all those cracks opening up.

BEE – I hope DGD hears from her friend in Japan soon.

DORIS – Sorry to hear about your dear friend’s passing. I’m glad for her that her DD arrived in time and that she had you to help her in passing on her wishes. Thank you for your very timely ‘announcement’. I need to let our sons know where our wills and other papers are kept – that had slipped my mind.

GRACE – Good to hear that your knee has done so well. Good luck with the other one when the time comes. Keep warm!

Packed our bags yesterday: one case for hot weather, the other for everything else. We go from Singapore to tropical Sri Lanka for 5 days and then to England, where DH’s uncle tells us it is due to snow again in some parts. I hope I’m prepared enough for this white stuff!

Hugs to all,

Fran

Checking in..

Saw my name and decided to chime in. :)

Add my voice to Doris' on the subject of being prepared. Neither of these resulted in a death but both could have: last week our ex-son-in-law was out with my grandson and chased after a couple of guys who had cut him off and damaged his truck. They stopped for him, got out and beat him up. Cops, ambulance, many stitches, but fortunately not life threatening injuries. A couple of days later a niece was walking from her car to her apartment building, slipped on the ice and fell hard. She is now recovering from a skull fracture and a brain bleed. Life is not predictable! Plan accordingly.

Grace, I am delighted that your surgery is going so well. I am jealous! I can't get my wonky knees fixed but I am thinking about getting assessed for Lasik eye surgery. I just hate wearing glasses!

The cat rescue business is getting busy as Spring approaches. We got a PetSmart Charities grant which will fund the spays/neuters of about 85 cats from one colony, but the weather is not yet warm enough to allow us to start trapping. We have a low cost spay clinic scheduled for people on income assistance and disability benefits and that is also pretty labour intensive. And the usual demand for our feral cat services is filling the voice mail every day with requests for assistance. No kittens yet, but I still have some leftovers from the late kittens last year...

My latest fundraising effort is to have an idea up for voting on the Pepsi Refresh Everything challenge. We are currently in fifth position in the $10,000.00 Neighbourhood category and we need to be in the top three to get the money.So near and yet so far! You can see what we are doing at
http://www.pepsirefresheverything.ca/cowichancatrescue

Gardening season has begun here on the Coast and I am going to Seedy Saturday tomorrow. My garden helper has ordered me to get some new plants for a bed that needs to be refurbished so we can get started on it -- have I ever mentioned how much I love shopping for the garden? My grand daughter says that her grandma's perfect store would be a fabric store with a garden center attached. I think she is right.

I bought myself the new Janome Horizon but have had very little time to sew with it and will have even less now that the cat rescue work is speeding up. But I do have to say that I love this machine! I have had the 6500 and the 6600, but this is the best so far.

And now I have to get to Curves before I have to pick my grand daughter up from school. Being a rebellious teenager, she is having a bit of time at grandma's house so she does not drive her poor mother over the ledge!

Jean, trying to avoid the images from Japan...

present and accounted for

. . . saw my name in Grace's post and figured I had better post. ;-)

Life has been hectic for me over the past ten days. A very dear friend, who I loved like a mother to me, was diagnosed with cancer last August. A week ago, her leg broke and she died seven days later. It was time. She was 87 y/o and ready to go, but it was a hectic final week. Her only child lives in another state, and thankfully was planning to come and stay with her mother until the end, and already had a flight booked to arrive the day after the leg broke. The timing was amazing.
I was this friend's main caregiver along with her housekeeper ( she was widowed), as she was unable to drive her car since December, and still living in her home until the end. I had driven her to all her medical appointments (oncology & eye surgery) since last August. She was a very independent person who wanted no life support, had a DNR order, etc., because she had told me so, many times. Luckily, at the hospital ER after the leg break, she was alert and able to tell me what the envelope looked like that held her written medical directives, and where they were to be found. At 12:30 in the middle of the night, I drove back across town to her home to retrieve them, and deliver them to the hospital. None of us knew where these papers were, not even her daughter. Good thing I knew where a key to her house was hidden.

All I have to say is this:
-Have your will, powers of attorney, medical directives, etc. updated if they are more than several years old, and if you don't have them, GET THEM DRAWN UP. NOW. I am not kidding.
-You will NOT live forever. Do NOT put off getting these documents drawn up. Do it NOW. Tomorrow might be too late.
-Be sure your offspring (or whoever) knows where those papers are located.
-Be sure your offspring (or whoever) know who the attorney is that drew up these documents, where your bank accounts are, investment company, etc. Make a list of this information, put it in an envelope, and mail it to your kid(s), or whoever, and say "do not open until ...."
-Donate generously to your local Hospice agency. WOW. They truly are everything I had heard people say they are.
- If you don't like what you just read, get over it, and get over yourself.
Okay... that is my PSA (public service announcement) for the day. I'll get off my soapbox now.

I, too, just saw the news this morning about Japan and have watched some video footage of the tsunami wave there, on CNN's web site. It is so devastating. Between that and the NewZealand quakes, we are reminded of just how insignificant we humans are in comparison to the power of this ever-changing earth. The historic flooding we had here, ten months ago, brought it home to us in our area.

As for sewing . . . I have been working on a shirt pattern for myself. Believe me, if I could go buy one at the store and have it fit properly, I would do that. I am long overdue for a white long-sleeve shirt, and will probably finish it in time for hot weather and need to start on a sleeveless one. Ack. Three test garments later, I have the pattern finally adjusted properly. Hooray! Whenever I have time (see my post above about dear friend...) I will get this shirt finished, and hopefully over the next week.

its me again!!!!!!

Fran is still is Aussie, but packing so it won't be long before she goes. I have a friend who is leaving/perhaps left for Japan. I tried to mail her but no reply so far. keeping my fingers crossed . My DGD was in Japan and only returned for Uni which started last week. She was in that area but haven't heard how her friend is yet. What a world we live in , was watching the terrible weather in the States and now we have another quake. I saw the Tsunami sweeping over the fields , those poor people, will the earth ever settle down. Must go we have a hot air balloon overhead and Gus is about to have a heart attack. They leave from a park behind us and the first Gus sees is a large blue and white monster coming over our hedge , I will have to hug him and tell him it is OK. Hugs Bee in a cool NZ

just a quiet life

the mention of not much happening got me to post also. I keep up with the reading all the time, just have no comments to make very often. Well that is not true, I make comments verbally as if you can hear them. LOL
It looks very icy outside here as it has been raining all night. That on top of the snow . I somehow will not venture outside.
I should say that I have my new knee and am walking quite well.
For those from the Sept retreat, I CAN keep up with you walking now.
MaryL you can mention to your DH that I remembered a lot of what he told me.
He is so right I have no more pain in that knee at all except the surgery pain and I know that is going away eventually. We hope to get started on the other one in June.
Needless to say I have not been doing much sewing lately and and am getting antsy . Have done a lot of TV watching because that did not need concentration.
Rosey I love reading all your posts and yes comment are made and lots of chuckles.
I also like to read Doris updates to what she is sewing. Sometime I wish I would make more of my clothes myself. I wonder why I don't. Used to do all of it way back when.
Okay enough , need another coffee and I have to put a block of wood in the wood stove. Take care all and special hugs to all the down under ladies. You have been in my prayers and thoughts all along
Grace in On

Earthquakes all over

FRAN- - Have you left for Singapore? I just turned the news on, there seem to be earthquakes in northern Japan and in China. Hope our quilting family all over the world are alright.
Please post during the day if you know any news of these shakes in the southern hemisphere.
Sara in Fla.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Cat Rescue

Bee, I wish Jean from Mill Bay would post. She has been very involved, as you know, in cat rescue on Vancouver Island and has done an excellent job in trying to reduce the feral cat population and raise money for spays. It's good of you to do cat rescue and it gives you a purpose in life, doesn't it. I do Aussie Rescue but not fostering, more the handling of inquiries and in the past, raising money for it. If I get myself going at baking Jean's recipe for dog bisquits, I can sell them to my B&B guests and turn the money over to rescue...just seem to have other priorities at the moment...and it takes energy, too.

Rosey

Marion

It was actually my idea, when the kitts arrive they are already named. it is so much easier to remember which is which when they have a name. They have a number for clerical purposes but are named when I get them. I change some of the names as they are too hard to call out,we try to get them to know their name before they leave. I called him Afa because he is so small he is only 'arf a cat. Hugs Bee, Afa, Jemima,Ellie, and Gus.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

not much news

I, like a lot of others, only post if there is something momentous going on, which in my case is very rarely. I promise to post at least once a week if you can put up with my drivel . We don't have raccoons, coyotes, snakes, here only earthquakes. I may have more cats who are coming from Christchurch and have been rescued. I didn't plan on more but have to do something. We sent down a heap of money and also blankets for the rescue pets. One of our rescue group went to help and came back a snivelling heap, she is the last person to send ,she even cries when she gets a home for her kitts. Myself I send them off with a hug and a yippee. Only two left and they are in the middle of my bed in the sun. Afa is a tiny little white and ginger idiot, the runt of the litter and I don't think he will ever grow but attitude!!!!!! He is an idiot fall off things tries to jump across chairs and falls through, gets stuck on the roof , if any kit is in trouble it is always him. By the way Afa is really Arthur but is only half a cat. Sorry ! Hugs for now Bee in a lovely Autumn day in NZ

We can rely on Rosey ....

for a chuckle to start the day! Thank you Rosey ! The visual image of you ranting at the poor coyotes and your imaginary struggles with Sara's raccoon , left me feeling slightly sorry for the wild life ...!!! Jocks comments might have had me looking for the broom ! He got away with that one lightly..

Our friends are back and in a distressed sate. They were in their house yesterday when there was a big after-shock and Gill said she was terrified. They still have no water and the cracks get bigger every day and new ones keep appearing.. She has also got a very nasty sinus infection and is feeling very unwell. She has enjoyed a peaceful and quiet day here today. They have promised to return to their son's tonight, to look after the DGson for the w/end while the parents are away. Hugh is hoping that they will return to their own home on Monday and stay the night there. (the power is back and the water should be on by then..) Christchurch has done well to get so many people back on the power and water. People have been working very long hours. There is till a lot of hardship out there and will be for a long while yet, but, there's a lot of determination too, to see the city rebuilt and people rehoused. There are lots of heart warming stories about the generosity and kindness of ordinary folk to the people in most need. Extraordinary times to be living in.

Lovely early autumn day here today. Sunny and warm. Nearly time for the autumn tidy up in the garden but I'll leave it for awhile yet. The dahlias are still giving some colour and the chrysanths will be next. The trees are starting to turn , it's a pretty time of year.

Spoke to my D Sister in England this morning. I feel she is living in a parallel universe ! She and her husband are leaving for a Caribbean Cruise this week .... sounds nice doesn't it ?

Marion.

It's Interesting How....

Because we feel we live ordinary lives and we're ordinary people and nothing much exciting happens unless it's a great trauma or tragedy, sometimes personal and we don't want to share this on the board or because it's a national emergency such as New Zealand has had recently, that we feel we have nothing to share here. And, yet, I could put myself into Sara's backyard and wanted to take a hose, a broom, a shovel, anything to get that racoon out of her backyard. The fact that it had one of the dogs in its grip, amazed me that the dog survived the attack. And the responsible and only thing to do was to go to the vets for rabies updates. There are some animals that don't belong in our daytime world but they seem to have no trouble encroaching on it. This morning, as I was leaving our bedroom upstairs, I looked out upon the field next door. There is a 'runway' of sorts that the deer and coyotes use to track through the property. It runs parallel to our house and close enough to give me a very good look at what animal it is. This morning, two coyotes ran/trotted, really...through the field at 7 o'clock this morning. Now, I don't like to see coyotes out during the daytime because of our dogs. Geordie is nearing 15 yrs. ; one slight push and he'd be down and a meal for them. I knocked loudly on the window as this will sometimes scare them; it didn't. They cut through our field about twenty feet beyond and slowed down to inspect some odour; I raced down, ran outside, no coat, it is cold, yelling at them. I came in and Jock said: "well, I guess you told them...they didn't pay one bit of attention to you and likely said: It's that old bag who lives in that house yelling at us again!" That is the start of my day.

Marion, I've had this darned sinus infection that is going around our area with wild abandon and glee at getting stuck in people's sinuses for about two months. Only two days of incapacitation, like your daughter, but the rest, I've been dragging my rather plump bottom around with not a great deal of energy. I hope you don't come down with it yourself. And I too have been devouring chicken soup, in fact, this will be my breakfast and top the dogs breakfast as well.

And that, so far, is my day. Friends Beckie, Joan & Judy will be coming in this morning to quilt and the birds are telling me that I'm out of birdseed and to get myself out there and give them their breakfast.

I'm very glad to have an uneventful life. It has not always been so in this household, so boring is good.

Rosey

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Excitement that I didn't need

Well, things have been lively here. As usual I took a 1/2 hr. nap on the couch, then let the dogs outside. I heard lots of yelping, and leaves were flying as soon as I went back inside. There was a raccoon out back, and the dogs decided that he was on Their property. Lots of rolling around, I was yelling, poor Polly, who is slightly smaller, was getting the worst of it. The raccoon was on top of her and they were all going at it. When I started waving my arms around and picked up a stick, the raccoon went to the top of the fence, then looked at me like I was trespassing on his yard.
After a check of both dogs, I called the county rabies center, who said that I shouldn't be worried a raccoon out during the day. According to them they are looking for food and water.
Took both dogs to the vet anyway. Polly has a small cut on the side of the face, got a booster rabies shot, and we went home with antibiotics.
Now they are nervous about going out. I took a bucket and bailed out our small pond, and emptied the water from the bird bath. When I let them outside today I walked out there with them and checked around the yard. I guess the 1/2 Jack Russell in them wouldn't back down from a fight.
Talked to both neighbors, one of them has a trap, so he was going to set it today.
Each of them has a pool, so they said they would be on the lookout for raccoons.
Whew! Enough of that.
I've been after DH to clean out the pond, get the pump motor fixed or replaced, and generally get yard back in "spring" order. This will motivate us to get it cleaned up faster.
The tree pollen has been getting me down, and the sinuses are full. Hopefully it won't get worse, but I can keep it in check.
Sara in Fla.

this and that

Marion talks of her friends staying on their son's farm: Google ad talks about 'on-farm' sustainable living.

Marion - your trip to Auckland was obviously well received. Glad I'm over that 3 teenagers, full time work, etc phase! I hope Russell had a good birthday. We are hearing much less about Christchurch now.....the nature of the beast when it comes to the media, especially in another country, however close we are. There WAS a space on TV news the other night about the 500 ChCh lst and 2nd year uni students who had been invited to study for the first semester at Adelaide Uni, which I thought was a very inventive way to help quite a few individuals. Quite a few families stepped up to 'adopt' the students too.
Jane - thanks for the Salvo's site for the ChCh earthquake relief. I used that for a contribution. So hard to know what to do other than that. So many people suffering both mentally and physically in several parts of the world and here I am guiltily planning the trip of a lifetime.

Rosey - I wonder if you've heard from Shannon yet......he has good intentions . He and DDIL are off on Friday to HongKong for a week to visit a friend. Always a good way to see a place, especially if the friend is also on holidays! We will meet up with them on the 17th in Singapore - us on the first step of our 3 month trip; them/they? on their way back home.

We are busy getting the place in order before we leave. Clothes, etc are on the spare bed but not packed. I'm trying to finish off some pressies I've been making which I'll give to friends we meet en route. Of course, as always, I started them much too late. I think I'll be doing the hand sewing and tying off knots on the 4 hour drive to Adelaide (sigh).

We're taking a laptop with us so that we can keep in touch. I'm also intending to write a blog.
Marion and Bee - will email before we leave.

All the best to everyone.

snapshots....

Thanks Rosey, for that snap- shot of your surroundings... You probably thought it wouldn't be of much interest but that's what I love about this BB. We are all living in different parts of the world and what seems mundane to us, is usually of interest to others.

I am sitting at the computer at the desk in our "living room" , our Beagle is sitting between my feet ,waiting for me to walk down to the mail box. Outside , the remains of an early morning mist coats the lawn. The sun suggests a lovely day will follow. The radio is on, with more news coming from Christchurch. Later today I will be going back into Rangiora to sort out the church building. The temporary tenants left after the w/end and the commercial cleaners came in yesterday. Our friends return here tonight, they have been staying with their son who farms further north. They think they can return to their home, even though the damage gets worse with each after-shock.. They plan to return on Monday.

Our trip to Auckland was timely. Our DD went down with a nasty bug so I was able to take charge and let her rest. She has a stressful time of it with two teenagers and an 11 yr old, a husband who is often away and not overly helpful or supportive of her, plus a full time job. She looked awful and stayed in bed most of the time. I made some chicken soup (which cures all things !) and she sipped on that. We came home on Monday and she took the day off from work. She is back into it now and says she's fine...I wonder. What a way to live.

Have decided to make a few quilts to use up fabric and give to people who need them.. I'll just do the ones that have a the cut edges showing. I think you just cut out squares and sew them together with the cut edges showing ? Something like that anyway , no hand quilting required and quite quick to put together. With fuel prices going up, I could be spending more time at home !

So, that's a snap-shot of my life today.
Marion.

Jane, good for you...

You're right, where are folks?

Thankfully, life is quiet here at the moment and I'm never sure anyone is interested in the day-to-day stuff that goes on but then, if we're lucky, that's how our lives are...no major disasters or disruptions. But then, soon as I say that, something happens.

Today is bright and sunny here in southern Ontario; a snow storm expected, I think, later tonight. Hopefully, more snow for my snowshoeing but then it is to warm up and rain leaving piles of grungy looking dirty snow. That's March. A good month to be away from here. A pot of chicken soup is on the stove; Andrea Bocelli on my Bowes in the studio and a quilt on the worktable, with a beautiful Australian Shepherd on her studio bed. Peaceful. Now watch it all go tilt...lol. Murphy's Law.

Jane, glad you're on the mend. Having adult grandkids visit, how special.

Rosey

ADDENDUM

I'm really excited as one of my DGSs has offered to come down here from NY to "help" during his spring break from school. I told him I'll have the Honey Do list of all the heavy lifting chores that need attending to. However since that generous offer was made he's come down with mononucleosis but he's still insisting on coming. His dad visited him last weekend at Hamilton College in central NY and has a good report to the effect that DGS is keeping up with classes and getting lots of sleep which is about all you can do for mono. I'll excuse him from the Honey Do list and see to it that he is undisturbed for his 12 hours a day of sleep. He won't have the distractions he would have at home with all his old HS buddies etc. I'll take grandchildren sick or well. I'm attending a quilt retreat when he arrives in Asheville airport on the 19th so I'll have to cut out of there a day early to pick him up. The retreat is halfway between here and the airport. When the grands were younger the first thing they said upon entry was "I want to sew". If that's still the case that should keep him occupied but not exhausted. He's now a young man as he and twin brother will be 19 in June. Wow! I'm too young to have grandchildren that age. Their baby sister turned 16 on the 6th (going on 20). I'm the last standing grandparent.

Time for a quick trip to town for the few things I forgot last week.

Jane

Where Is Everybody?

Nothing exciting around here with the possible exception of flash flood warnings. The sun is shining and it's chilly but there has been a lot of rain the past week and the creek here is running very hard but not terribly close to flood stage. Flash floods, however can come upon you in minutes as all that rain water and snow melt from higher elevations comes down the mountains sides.

I've actually resumed working in fits and starts on DD's wedding quilt. It's going together better than I expected. It's busy enough that all the little defects that have bothered me in the past are not noticeable and I'm pleased with the overall effect.

Still having some post surgical discomfort but it's easing up.

I hope someone else has something more interesting to post.

Jane