Friday, May 30, 2014

Greetings from Jax. Beach

A lot has happened since I last posted.
But first, Dorris- no I'm sorry I don't remember your friend.  I remember you because you were so tall (at least taller than me). I'm sorry to hear about your friend.  Somehow I think going quickly is a blessing these days.  Seeing my Mom drag on and on has taken it's toll on everyone.
Right now I'm sitting on the balcony of our condo, looking at the sky where there are some flares going off.  There is a big run here tomorrow at 10AM.  I did it last year, but not this year.  A 5K.  or 3.1miles.  Listening to the waves never gets old.
We have signed papers to sell this condo.  The lady is paying full asking price in cash, as it sold in less than 1 week!  Wow.  We have the 3/2 house up for sale also.  It has had a lot of showings, but so far no offers.  We both thought that the house would sell first, and we would stay here over the summer.  But, the closing is July 1, and we have to get our stuff out by July 2.
It looks like we will be moving our bodies and 2 dogs back into the house "in town".  It has been my DH's dream to live on the ocean.  A house is too much work, so we are looking at 3/2 condos.  As the saying goes "Champagne taste, beer pocketbook"  Not in any hurry, other than having my nest disturbed, and being unable to do creative things, because they are messy.
DD and the 4 grands are in town for 1 more week.  They are staying in a lux condo up the street from here owned by DD's sister-in-law and her DH..   We refer to them as the Rich Relatives.  Very sweet people, and very generous.  A condo that would be big enough for 2 regular people to live in (not to mention a balcony to die for) that they keep for guests and so they have a legal address to be able to send their kids to the better school district.
Tomorrow all 7 of us and the 2 dogs are going to Little Talbot Island, about 15 miles north, to swim, take pictures, hike, etc.  The fun part is taking the ferry ride across the river.  I've always seen dolphin swimming whenever we take the ferry.
Rosy --your garden looks beautiful.  And by communion wine over ice, I'm guessing you mean red wine?
Sara in Fla.


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Country happenings

Although our B&B is open year round, once it starts to become busier in the springtime, I can afford to hire someone to do my weeding in my flower beds.   Susan, who has helped me now for three years has a sister who is a quilter in the guild I formed in Toronto.  Yesterday she was scheduled to come just after noontime but she was late, which is unusual for her.  When she arrived, she was flushed, flustered and wound up tighter than a tick's bottom.  She had cleaned a village church in the morning, which she said, she does twice a week, and she does some gardening as well for people.  We talked about the church, which she'd left that morning, then she received a call from her daughter who was working close to our home and who had become sick.  Sue had to pick up her daughter and drive her to her home a half hour north and west of us.  Once she got on the hwy. going north, she got in behind a huge trailer hauling a blade from one of the windmills that operate near her daughter's small town. She decided to cut cross country towards the small town and ran into a herd of cows loose on the gravel road.  Someone had left a farm gate open.  So, Sue got out of her car, herded about fifteen cows into the laneway to the house next to the pasture, ran back and closed the gate before the other cows got out...they were simply following the herd that had escaped.....drove her daughter to her home, drove back down to our home and was complexly exhausted when she arrived here.  After hearing all this, I suggested maybe a little bit of communion wine on ice might calm her down.  She said, oh no, I can't do that...as she talked a mile a minute about her experience with the cows.  Then she said, maybe I will take you up on that communion wine...an ounce of red wine on over two ice cubes (it's very hot here at the moment) and she set to work weeding the gardens.  Now, this isn't a daily occurrence for gardeners in cities nor is it here in the country, but then, things happen in the country that would never happen in the city...And this is the garden Sue weeded yesterday.....
Rosey, whose polar vortex has maxed out with the heat....

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Checking in .... and "fidget quilts"

The polar vortex is gone from Tennessee and summer is here.   We had little transition and I'm not acclimating well to the heat and humidity.  Perhaps age has something to do with it?

DH and I were in Kohler, Wisconsin,  ten days ago and we woke up to 34°F on Friday morning!! The polar vortex was much harsher up there than here in Tenn.  I was amazed that a small fraction of their trees were just starting to get leaves. 

 I took a  tour of the Kohler factory there and my inner geek just loved it.   We started in the potter/porcelain area, where toilets, lavatory sinks, etc. are made, then we moved on to the cast iron foundry and saw them pour the bases for kitchen sinks, tubs, and  learned (as well as saw)  how the enamel is applied.   Last, we went through the brass foundry, saw brass poured into moulds, polishing process, etc.  It lasted three hours, was quite in-depth, and I had brain overload from all the information.      The tours are free, walked in and around the actual factory, and it was wonderful.

OUR DGD IS NOW EIGHT months old and, of course, we are having fun watching her grow up.  Learning to make children's clothing is a new skill, but it goes faster and uses less fabric than my own garment projects.   :-)
When she is a bit older, I am going to make her a crib quilt with the 3-D pinwheels block design.  That will be a lot of fun and hopefully she'll carry it around with her.

FIDGET QUILTS --- The newest issue of Quilters Newsletter Magazine has an article on Fidget Quilts for Alzheimer's/Dementia patients.  I've never heard of these quilts, but am going to make one for a woman who was in our Sunday School class and is now in 24-hr full care unit.  I asked her husband and he had never heard of them, but confirmed that her hands are fidgeting and welcomed the idea of me making one for her.  The QNM article has wonderful ideas and photos to get my creative thoughts going.  A Google search had more great ideas.
--->  Do  any of y'all have experience in making these, and ideas to share? 

SARA IN FL --- do you remember meeting my friend who attended the J'ville quilt show with me, when I met you almost 2 or 3 years ago? She died a few weeks ago, and that was a brief four(!) weeks after a diagnosis of stage 3 multiple myeloma.  It's amazing how quickly our lives can change.

ROSEY P - Your hen house is beautiful!  I love the colors, but why wouldn't I.... you have a true gift for color use.   It would make a lovely playhouse for a child.

Gotta go .... Hugs to everyone!
Doris