"Blaming" Jami…

Several years ago I had the chance to go to Paducah, KY during Quilt Week. It was the first year of my retirement and an amazing chance to overdose on quilt-related-everything! I jumped on the bus with seven member of my Oak Creek guild and off we went.

Paducah goes all out for this event. Hundreds of vendors, special quilt displays at the quilt museum, quilt competitions and so much more. Downtown storefronts, empty at other times of the year, are filled with more fabric, more displays and quilters wandering everywhere. After a few hours many walk around with a sort of "glazed" look in their eyes. Just SO much to see! So much you can BUY!

I was happy to room with another member of my quilt guild, Jami. Though I didn't know her well we got along just fine and I enjoyed her company. We did some of the quilt show as a two-some, spent other chunks of time on our own for classes and shopping. Met up with other guild friends and gathered at night so we could all show off our "finds".

One morning Jami and I were wandering through the vendors (or somewhere in the midst of thousands of bolts of fabric) and she pointed out beautiful florals by Stephanie Brandenburg. I'd never seen them before - big, bold flowers and interesting color combinations. I exclaimed over them but kept my wallet shut.  Jami pointed them out at other booths and I think at some point said something like "you just really need to get some of this fabric". So I bought a panel.

That was about three years ago. The beautiful fabric sat in my "stash". Once in awhile I'd take it out, admire it, think about it….but unsure what to make out of it or how to use it, I'd fold it back up and put it away.

Then this summer inspiration hit. A combination of seeing some of this fabric used in a sample quilt at a local shop and a picture of a totally different quilt I'd torn out of a magazine. And for me, once inspiration hits, the rest seems to flow easily.

So I "blame" Jami for making me buy this….but I thank her for the inspiration and the results!

:-)

Sky Blue Pink….

Beautiful sunset time of day yesterday - strips of clouds, blue sky, pink reflection over the lake as the sun went down.

My sister is about eight years younger than I am. Since I left home at 17 to attend college and then got married when I was a senior, she and my mom had a lot of two-some time as Susan entered her middle school/teen/college years. I wasn't around much…. a normal sort of situation for many older siblings I guess.

Anyway the two of them had many connections, experiences and memories that I do not share. Not saying that's a bad thing….but I am sometimes sad that I didn't pay a little more attention to some of those "mom-isms" when I was visiting.

After mom died Susan told me about "sky blue pink"….a certain kind of sky that mom always loved. It was the artist in her. I'd never really noticed. I think I remember her saying that, but again, didn't pay much attention. Now when I see a sky like this I think of her…..maybe last night would qualify.

Resume Accepted…..

I am getting lots of weird emails. According to the short titles my resume has been accepted and I've got jobs waiting for me at some pretty big companies. I would assume the jobs are quite challenging and interesting!

I mean working for Google or Facebook would be fascinating and certainly round out my career experience. I wonder if either organizations is really looking for someone with my qualifications in volunteer administration??

Anyway - the notices come in capital letters so the PR (?) professional at the other end is really trying to catch my attention. I mean my resume has been accepted and my dream job is waiting for me.

Problem is I didn't send in a resume.

I'm retired.

Needless to say I just delete - but still, it makes me wonder about the salary level!

:-)

Achooo…..Blooming Season Continues

Yesterday we drove just a little bit south along Lake Michigan to explore Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve. A beautiful 73-acre county park with trails to explore, marshy areas, woods, bluffs overlooking the lake. We only explored a small portion - next time we will remember to bring mosquito spray and our walking shoes.


Along the way we found more lovely wildflowers in bloom. Lots of goldenrod and soft blue chicory.










Orange spotted touch-me-nots (the stem juice is said to relieve itching from poison ivy and has also been used to treat athlete's foot.)

We found yellow mouse-ear hawkweed, woodland sunflowers and black eyed Susan.

Color popping out everywhere. Beautiful pink/purple bull thistle…according to my wildflower book this is our "spiniest thistle and should be handled only with gloves". For Dave is was a lovely photo op.

We will go back to explore again….as the seasons change I'm sure we'll enjoy the adventures…and the beauty.

Lake? What lake?

It's been a beautiful first few weeks in our "new" condo. I am loving the view of the changing lake - every day is different.

I took Fenway for a walk around Rotary Park after dinner tonight. The weather was changing and visibility diminished….by the time we got back we could not see the lighthouses at the breakwater, the downtown area or even the bike path from our little deck.

Hmmmmm……..part of the price of the condo "guaranteed" lake view. Should I ask for a refund??? No….by tomorrow morning all of this will be different. And even the quietly approaching fog has a mysterious beauty all its own.

Color me content.

Take Two Aspirin and Call Me in the Morning…..

I take several prescription drugs - to treat sort of typical aging stuff I guess. Cholesterol too high, allergies causing sinus problems…things like that. I've been going to the same doctor for over 15 years and I trust him.  He knows me well by now. If he feels I need to see a specialist he refers me to doctors who are very competent in their fields.

So if one of my doctors prescribes a medicine for a specific purpose, I follow their orders. I just don't read the fine print. If I did, I wouldn't take anything.

Because…..possible side effects might include:

• dizziness
• headache
• nosebleeds
• vomiting
• shortness of breath
• hives and itching
• drowsiness
• heartburn
• confusion
• chest pain
• muscle aches
• blistered or peeling skin
• memory loss
• mood changes
• suicidal thoughts
• anxiety
• aggression
• slurred speech

I could go on - but why? I think my meds seem to be helping chronic conditions, so I take them. My pharmacist has a complete list and always explains the proper way to use each drug and watches for any possible interactions to avoid.

Medical miracles in small pills. My suggestion? Just don't read the small print and huge list of possible side effects.  Don't listen to the TV commercials either. Too darn scary!

Crossing Bridges…..

This child now has his drivers license and his first car….how did that happen?

When you have children you cross a lot of bridges as they grow up. First night they sleep through until morning, first steps, first day of school, first time they sleep over night at a friend's house. Watching them join their first soccer or Little League team and cheering from the sidelines. The first time they walk to school alone, learn to ride their two-wheeler, take over mowing the lawn, go on a first date.

And of course the bigger bridges - graduation from high school, going off to college or moving away from home. Finding that special someone and getting married….starting families of their own. All of these are part of the natural progression of growing up. But each bridge successfully crossed means they've moved just a little farther away from you. It's as it should be, but sometimes I remember watching our two cross a bridge with a huge lump in my throat. A mixture of pride and melancholy I guess.

When our first grandson was born I drove from Delaware to Massachusetts to meet him. He was about four days old and I drove up in order to help out for a few days. Holding that little bundle brought back memories of carrying his father home from the hospital - our first child. Dave and I had been married just thirteen months when Todd arrived and frankly we didn't know what the heck we were doing.

But he turned out just fine! And there I was, years later, holding his first little boy. The warmth, the armful, the new baby scent, the new baby noises. Gramma Heaven.

And now this young man has a driver's license and his first used car.

Another bridge crossed on the way to the future. Sadly this grandson lives way across the country and we don't get to see him often enough at all. But we enjoy his accomplishments long distance and are, of course, proud of the young man he's becoming. On his way to adult-hood….doesn't seem like he has much farther to go!

Simply Unacceptable…..

Fenway can be a very "strange" dog. He has some habits that make us laugh but also make us scratch our heads.

When we first got him we spent a lot of money on toys and treats that dogs are supposed to love only to find out that, in his mind, they were simply "unacceptable". He never gave us the specific criteria to follow when purchasing treats and toys so, as I said, we wasted a lot of money on stuff he didn't like.

How do we know he doesn't like them? First of all is the look he gives us…as if he's saying, "Really? I'm supposed to chew on this fake thing?"

Then he takes the toy (often a rawhide chew toy that all OTHER dogs seem to love) and runs around the house for awhile and comes back to us with no sign of the toy or treat.

After we'd had him for a few weeks I began to realize that I was finding dog treats dropped down into our heater vents, toys in my shoe in the back of the closet, rawhide sticks "buried" in the couch or under our pillows on the bed.

When we gave him an unacceptable he'd spend an amusing few minutes running around the house at a fast clip looking "for a good place" to hide his non-treasure. If we interrupted the activity in any way he'd stop, look at us….and then start all over again. Often this "perfect hiding place" is in plain site but he still thinks no one can find it.



We've discovered a half-chewed rawhide in a grandson's back pack, one "hiding" in a corner of the bathroom behind the sink and on the bookshelf in the den. If we left the things alone we'd see him walk over every once in a while, stand and look at his hidden unacceptable, and then turn and walk away. Almost as if he was saying "Yep, it's still where I hid it and yep…I still don't like it."

My good friend, Sally, just came to visit for a few days. She left Port Washington with a friend and continued her vacation driving around Lake Michigan. When she got home a week later she called me. While unpacking her suitcase she found a gift from Fenway. You guessed it - Sally is now the proud owner of an unacceptable rawhide chew. Maybe she won't have to floss for a while.

Colors of the Morning……

Fenway and I did not quite make sunrise - but still we were up a bit early. Walking the bike trail at 6:15 and glanced toward Lake Michigan. I don't think this will ever get old.

And can you see the bird!

Nothing Common About It…..

A short walk this morning results in common tansy, lades thumb and some yellow flower I can't figure out.

My wildflower book tells me that common tansy used to have medicinal uses (no more) but fresh leave and flowers can still be used as a substitute for sage in recipes. After seeing how Fenway "claims" most bushes/trees/weeds as we walk….and seeing all the other dogs walking around the area I don't think I'll ever try that.

Ladys thumb "escaped" from Europe and the British Isles to make it's way to America - like many other imports that come to mind. It is now "abundant"! Whatever….finding new bits of color as we walk is entertaining!

Will be keeping my eyes open tomorrow.

Wild Mint and We Spooked a Deer….

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Another early morning ramble down the bike path for Fenway and me. Most of what grows along side the trail is green….dozens of shades of green….bushes and shrubs that I can't identify. Some with small white or red berries. Some with small clumps of flowers.

As we walked along there was a sudden burst of activity. A deer, sleeping just off the path, spooked and ran up the hill deeper into the trees. She looked back over her shoulder, pausing for a moment, flicking her ears…we disturbed her resting spot.

Our second walk of the day prompted me to bring my camera. Noticed wild mint (I think!), fleabane, common buttercups, spotted knapweed, yarrow, bittersweet nightshade and pale touch-me-not. Milkweed and thistle are coming.  

 It's a beautiful time of year to wander any path…..how lucky I am to have this one right outside my door.

60 Years….But Who's Counting?

Sally moved to Park Ridge when I was in third grade and joined my class at Carpenter Elementary School. I'm not sure how quickly we became good friends, but it must have been an almost instant connection. I considered her my best friend all the way through high school when we still saw each other every day….and during the four years of college when we didn't.

After college she was my maid of honor and I was hers. Marriage meant children and career moves to places far away from each other. But before this age of instant communication I could pretty much count on opening my mailbox at least once a week to find a long letter from Sally. Within a few days a long letter from me would go winging it's way to California or Texas or wherever.

Over the years we saw each other infrequently - but when we did, the connection would always resurface and the memories fill our conversations.

Warm chocolate chip just-baked cookies and canasta at her kitchen table, my boxer Buff and her boxer Ginger, the Sundays she'd come along to visit my grandparents up at Voltz Lake. Our sleep-overs, our sock fights at 2:00 in the morning! Reading each other's diaries. Our grade school boyfriends, Brad and Gaylord. Biking to "downtown" Park Ridge to browse the aisles at Ben Franklin. The time I hit her on the head with a biology book in high school study hall. The Halloween parties we had in her basement - the "old fashioned" kind where you had your friends put their hands in bowls of cold, wet spaghetti and say it was someone's "guts". Birthday parties, learning to dance to the early sounds of rock 'n roll. Her ballet classes, my ice skating lessons.

And then college discussions and raising young children discussions and husband discussions and aging parent discussions. We shared so much over the years! Mostly good times, of course some sad times….but that's what best friends are for.

While Dave went fishing in Canada, Sally came up from Indiana for a visit. A "sleep-over". It was good. It was very good. It was best friends who know each other and love each other in spite of, or maybe because of, what we know!

Love you Sal……see you soon!

Beauty in Waste Places….

Years ago, when we did a lot of road trips with our kids, identifying wildflowers along the way became a sort of hobby. I had a glove-box sized identification book and when we'd stop for a picnic or bathroom break, we'd pick a few wildflowers nearby and then spend a little time with the book figuring out what they were. A way to help pass the miles.

I enjoyed it and got pretty good. Found flowers I could identify while driving from Chicago to Massachusetts, from Wisconsin to New Jersey. There were a lot of lovely spots of color in the landscape as we passed by.

At slower speeds, a walk in the woods or along a lake, we found additional wildflowers - changing with the seasons.

Now, living in Port Washington, Fenway and I take many of our daily walks along the Ozaukee County Interurban Trail that runs right past our condo. It's a bike/walking path - follow it through the whole county, north to south, and it will take you to Milwaukee and beyond.

I'm re-noticing a lot of wildflowers. Walking past pink, yellow, white. Some cat tails in one section, tall grasses waving in the breeze in others. Now, in August, beautiful Queen Ann's lace is in bloom, birds foot trefoil is a happy yellow down closer to the ground. Crown vetch spills out from the side of the path, and chicory and oyster plant. This morning I spotted common Mullein and butter-and-eggs and wild bergamot.  My Field Guide to North American Wildflowers states that these are the flowers you'll find in "disturbed spaces".

Glad to be walking the dog along these disturbed spaces - finding beauty as I go!

Oh Yes….We NEED a Vacation..

Hmmmm…..an on line story yesterday labeled our current U.S. Congress as the biggest "do-nothing-Congress" in history. Of course they do manage to get in the news. I can sort of imagine the behind-the-scenes conversations.

 "Hey, I know, let's distract voters from our less-than-stellar track record by deciding to sue the President! Let's claim that he's doing too much with the power of HIS office….but then oh yes, we're doing way too little with the power of ours. But maybe if we make enough noise then the voters will forget the real problems facing our country and get caught up in the drama of the idea that we, the Congress, can sue the President!"

So yes…they've worked SO hard to get basically NOTHING of import accomplished therefore they all really deserve this five WEEK summer vacation.

Time to go back to their home districts, chill out, play golf or whatever and start raising funds for their next term.

If all these children were playing in my back yard I'd call time-out…send them all home until they could learn to play/work together. Oh yes…they are going home aren't they.

Too bad I have no confidence that when they return to "work" they'll decide to reach across the aisle and try to find common ground to remedy common problems.