What I did on vacation 2011

It all started with the packing. The most important pieces of luggage were the red and blue suitcases containing 8 quilt tops and backing to be quilted at Heart to Heart Quilters while my cousin and I took a class at Sisters Oregon and did lots of visiting.

This photo shows a plastic container full of books I wanted to give to Colleen but, alas, AMTRAK doesn't allow plastic containers so no books for Collen this trip.

The trip takes about 20 or so hours. I booked a sleeper so it was quite comfortable and the car attendent was attentive and friendly. The train was actually quite a bit ahead of schedule into Klamath Falls so as soon as I could get cell phone reception I texted Colleen and she jumped in her car to make the 20 minute drive to pick me up at the station. We both arrived about the same time. Aren't cell phones great!

Friday morning, July 1st., we made the short trip to Merrill to meet with the ladies at Hart to Hart Quilters. I had made arrangements several months in advance to bring my 8 quilt tops in so they were as anxious to meet me as I was them. There were lots of decisions to be made. Each top and backing had to be measured, patterns decided and thread choices for front and back. I decided to have 3 tops custom quilted and 5 with all over designs.

I am really impressed with the way they organize the jobs. Each quilt had it's on tub containing top, backing and thread along with a job order.

That is one of my finished quilts on the table. They have a nice setup for their business plus the location is right next door to a great quilt store, Tater Patch Quilts.

These are the 3 custom quilts I had them do. I am working on binding all 8 and will put labels on them as I finish each one. This is when I get to spend time with each of my 'babies' .

When I finish the Mariners Compass I promise to take a better photo and even get some close ups of the quilting to share with you. The Double Wedding Ring will be my first bias binding and curved edges, I'm looking forward to the challenge with some trepidation but then, that's what makes life interesting.

The Tennesse Waltz is completed and ready for a home.

What I did on vacation 2011

It all started with the packing. The most important pieces of luggage were the red and blue suitcases containing 8 quilt tops and backing to be quilted at Heart to Heart Quilters while my cousin and I took a class at Sisters Oregon and did lots of visiting.

This photo shows a plastic container full of books I wanted to give to Colleen but, alas, AMTRAK doesn't allow plastic containers so no books for Collen this trip.

The trip takes about 20 or so hours. I booked a sleeper so it was quite comfortable and the car attendent was attentive and friendly. The train was actually quite a bit ahead of schedule into Klamath Falls so as soon as I could get cell phone reception I texted Colleen and she jumped in her car to make the 20 minute drive to pick me up at the station. We both arrived about the same time. Aren't cell phones great!

Friday morning, July 1st., we made the short trip to Merrill to meet with the ladies at Hart to Hart Quilters. I had made arrangements several months in advance to bring my 8 quilt tops in so they were as anxious to meet me as I was them. There were lots of decisions to be made. Each top and backing had to be measured, patterns decided and thread choices for front and back. I decided to have 3 tops custom quilted and 5 with all over designs.

I am really impressed with the way they organize the jobs. Each quilt had it's on tub containing top, backing and thread along with a job order.

That is one of my finished quilts on the table. They have a nice setup for their business plus the location is right next door to a great quilt store, Tater Patch Quilts.

These are the 3 custom quilts I had them do. I am working on binding all 8 and will put labels on them as I finish each one. This is when I get to spend time with each of my 'babies' .

When I finish the Mariners Compass I promise to take a better photo and even get some close ups of the quilting to share with you. The Double Wedding Ring will be my first bias binding and curved edges, I'm looking forward to the challenge with some trepidation but then, that's what makes life interesting.

The Tennesse Waltz is completed and ready for a home.

Growing Pains

What do you think about when you hear someone say Growing Pains? There was a show on TV years ago called by that name. It was about a family and their problems with growing children and relationships with each other.

 This cute little guy in the bird bath is my Grandson Thomas. Ok, I admit I doctored the photo. He wasn't really setting in a bird bath, I put him there by the miracle of early technology. It's a pretty common thing to do these days but 16 years ago it was new and fun. I don't think Thomas has seen this picture, maybe he will now.

I still have that bird bath. It's one of my favorite things in the yard and the birds love it.

Thomas, like all others, hasn't stayed that adorable baby, he is becoming a young man with all the problems that go along with growing up.  Thomas is our musician. He plays percussion instruments.

The latest challenges he is facing is growing pains.
His bones are growing faster then his muscles are stretching, resulting in fractures and pain. So he is quite literally having physical growing pains.

I Googled growing pains today and found some interesting information. Try it yourself if you want more information.

I asked Matt this morning if he ever had growing pains and his answer was pretty much what I expected. He had so many scrapes and bruises, aches, pains and a broken finger from roller blading that he really didn't know.

From what I read, most of the time the results are aching muscles that sometimes wake you up at night and heat, rubs and aspirin are all that is needed.

There are some possible life long consequences since the fractures involve the growth plates but he has a good doctor and is being closely watched  so I think he will be just fine.

Each of my grandsons is unique as are my children, and isn't that what makes them a joy.

Thoughts on Earthquakes

I was born in earthquake prone Southern California and have lived here all my life. I spent the first 18 years of my life living on the southern end of the San Andrea fault.

I remember one summer we had a cluster of quakes that drove the family out of the house to sleep on the lawn for several nights. It was a scary time for me, even though my parents and siblings were sleeping close by.  They drug our mattresses out to the lawn at night so it was fairly comfortable but there were bugs and animals and all kinds of unknown noises. I should add, we lived on a kind of cattle ranch a little way from town.

My mother, brother and I were visiting my mother's sister and family in Oak View Gardens when the earthquake that was centered near Tahapi, Calif. did extensive damage there (1950's). Even though we were more then 200 miles away it shook us up pretty good. My brother wasn't impressed and went back to sleep.

Another time, when I was a teenager, I could actually see the ripples in the ground as the earthquake passed the house and heard the noise as it shook the neighborhood. Talk hard on the nerves!

The Northridge quake (1990's) knocked out power here for most of one day. The first time I remember loosing electricity. My daughter was attending CSU Northridge at the time and the parking structure she would have been in was a total loss. There was so much damage from that earthquake!

The authorities keep telling us we need to assemble items to get us through at least 3 days when the BIG ONE hits. I have started compiling a list and would like you to add anything you might think of that isn't included.


1. Water (1 gal. per day)
2. Non perishable food
3. Battery operated radio and batteries
4. Dust mask
5. Plastic sheeting
6. Duct tape
7. Moist towelets
8. Garbage bags and ties
9. Toilet Paper
10 Medications
11 Important documents
12 Cash
13 Blankets
14 Change of clothing
15 Sturdy shoes
16 Matches
17 Paper towels
18 Paper cups, plates, plastic utensils
19 Paper and Pencil
20 Books
21 Battery operated light
22 Tent

I think I will get at least 2 large plastic containers for storage. I also need to decide where to put the containers so they will be accessible in the aftermath.

Again, please let me know what you think I should add to the list. Your help is much appreciated.

Thoughts on Cats and other Pets

Meet Fez and Jackie. They rule our household! My Grandson, Matt, found them in a dumpster at his work place. There were 4 altogether and he captured them one by one. Fez came home first. Two others were placed in a home in Santa Barbara.

Fez is Alpha Cat, even though she was the runt and fit in the palm of Matt's hand when we got her. We were told by a vet that Fez was a male and the mistake wasn't discovered until she was taken in for neutering! The funny thing is she seems to have the more agressive personality and acted like a male from the first. By the way, Fez is on the left in this picture.

We had a hard time telling them apart when they were kittens and they still look alike from some angles. Jackie is the Big Girl, weighing in at over 15 pounds, and has the softest fur. She is also the shiest and disappears when company comes. If she is trying to get my attention she butts me with her head. Now Fez, on the other hand, uses her claws when I ignore her too long.

There is no mistaking the fact that Tim is the main person in their lives. He spoils them something awful and they follow him all over the house. He just can't bring himself to scold them if they need it.

Fez and Jackie share their bed with Tim and Karen. Notice I said their bed! Poor Karen loses her spot if she has to use the facilities during the night. Or else they have her so penned in she can't move. Their favorite place is her feet. I keep telling her she is bigger then they are. "Just toss them off the bed"

They are not the kind to cuddle. Fez will lay next to you and put one foot on you but it has to be her idea. Jackie will let you know when she wants to be petted otherwise, forget it.

We had a foster kitten for a few weeks. She was a pretty little calico. I called her Miss Kitty. We had her long enough to make up flyers to see if the owners were interested in getting her back. The cat rescue people arranged for her to be spayed and shortly after they found a home for her. Fez and Jackie did not like sharing with Miss Kitty.

We recently added a dog to the household. Her name is Lady.

We had a problem with some teenage boy coming onto our fenced and gated. I added discouragements but that didn't stop them so we are hopeful that Lady will solve the problem. She is another rescue animal who appears to have been abandoned. Lady is smart and apeares to have already had some training. She is fitting in well. We have a routine down for securing her while we drive in and out of the electric gate. My biggest argument against getting a dog was keeping her from running out the gate when we move the cars out. It is a little inconvenient to have to get out of the car to release her but a lot easier then having to chase her down the street.

Lady sleeps near the washer and drier at night. The baby gate keeps her confined, and she hasn't tried to go over it, although she could easily do so. She is sharp and has to check out anything that moves, even bugs.

The cats are not happy with the addition of Lady and Fez has had an anxiety problem. I know that sounds funny but she had to be given anti anxiety meds. She seems to be doing much better and is off the meds. The dog doesn't have the run of the house and the cats do.

Lady found a bunch of discarded credit cards yesterday while Tim was taking her for an early morning walk. It turns out they were from an auto burglary and are now in the possession of the police.

There will, without a doubt, be more tales to tell in the future. In the mean time, CATS RULE, DOGS DROOL.

Thoughts on my yard

This is the view I see from my patio. It's hard to believe that a short 2 years ago there was pretty much nothing beyond the roses other than dirt and weeds. we had a young man living with us that wanted to get into landscaping so working together this is what we came up with. After looking at those weed for more than 30 years, I had the money and didn't have to get anyone's approval so I said "Let's go for it.

One of the major things I wanted was a pergola. The first decision was how big? I was thinking along the lines of a small one but my landscape designer talked me in to a big one and I'm glad he did! It really fits the space much better than a small one would have.

This niche is the perfect place for the ice cream table and chairs. A perfect place to have a cup of coffee in the morning and think about what the day will bring.

If you look close you will spot a small magnolia tree there. It is the smallest tree we planted and was added less than a year ago. My landscape designer spotted Black Tulip Magnolia trees in the local nursery and insisted I look at them. I liked what I saw so I picked one out decided on the right spot and Nick planted it for me. Well, a couple of months ago that tree was gloriously covered with WHITE blooms! Obviously it had the wrong tag on it. That will teach me to always find a plant with blooms so I know for sure what they look like. I just can't bring myself to have that little tree ripped out and replaced with a Black Tulip. (Sigh) maybe I can find a place for another tree.

I think I've shown you enough pictures of my yard for now. Next time I will give you closer look at my rock lined, dry bed creek.

Thoughts on UFO's

If you have been quilting for any length of time, you probably have a UFO (UnFinished Object) stuck away somewhere on a shelf. Most of us have them and we just can't seem to break away from our current project or planed next one to get them finished. Maybe they need to be quilted or a binding added or the quilt top itself is not quite completed. I have quilts that meet all of those criteria.


Here is the one I am currently working on. Everything is done except for the handwork on the binding and I am about half way around it. Basically, it has been like this for about 2 years but I pulled it out a few weeks ago and am determined to keep at it to completion.

To be honest, I was working off and on on a Whole Cloth quilt during those few years. I will give my thoughts on Whole Cloths another time.  

I decided recently I should do something about my UFO's. I'm not getting any younger and I would hate for my children to have to deal with the problem. I have one of my Grandmother's quilt tops and wish she would have gotten it quilted as it is really too delicate to do anything with now.  At any rate, I have pulled out 8 quilt tops to take to Kalamath Falls Oregon when I go visit my cousin this summer. While I am there a local longarm business will try to get them all quilted for me so I can bring them home with me when I leave, if not they will be ship the ones they couldn't finish.  

Before the end of June I will need to put the backing together for the 8 quilts. Some I have fabric for but most need to have fabric purchased and the local quilt shop, Quilt Ventura, will help me with that. Joey will be glad to see me coming with my stack of quilt tops.  Like a lot of businesses, hers is struggling to survive.  

Get out your UFO's, figure out what it will take to get them done and go for it.  I'm sure someone close to you would love to have one to wrap up in and think about you while they feel that hug that's included in each quilt.

My son Dan

Dan is seen a lot these days with a camera in his hands. Actually, he has gotten really good with his photography, some of the pictures are truly amazing.  The ones I admire most are the ones he takes of his family and I especially treasure the photos of Zach and his brothers. Because of Dan's hobby we have a treasure trove of 240 pictures of Zach from birth to the one taken by a friend just a few hours before his death.

These photos will help us to remember Zach in the years to come, bringing back memories to some and a great longing to others.

We had been urging Dan to update the portrait  of my 4 grandsons taken when Matt just turned 16, (10 years ago).  There is no formal recent portrait of the 4 of them together because the time slipped away and there is always tomorrow, right?

I have discovered among Dan's photos one taken last year at Zach's high school graduation.  I am hopeful I can download it and get it enlarged to replace the formal one.

There are some other pictures in his Flicker account that I hope to sneak copies of, if not maybe he will send them to me. Ones of Thomas, Austin, Janet and the rare on of Dan. See, when you are the photographer you are always on the 'other' side of the camera.

First thought

A lot has happened in the last few weeks the most profound being the loss of my 19 year old grandson Zachary. His passing has affected each family member in his or her own way. Some never had the opportunity to meet him personally, yet, his loss has impacted them too. It has reminded us all that life is precious and can be cut short at any time.

The Bible tells us at Eccl. 9:11 that 'time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all'

Zach was a young man just beginning to discover himself and the world around him. He had such potential and a love for adventure. I have discovered much about Zach through the photos my son, Dan, took. Such a rich storehouse of Zach's life. Thank you Dan for all that photo documentation of his life. The pictures also tell me that Dan was and is very much involved in his sons lives. Such a rich blessing and gift to them and to him.

The memories are painful for Dan right now, but he will come to see and understand the positive influence he has had on them. Thomas and Austin continue to draw on that strength from their Dad.

I know with certainty I will see and hug Zach soon, right here on earth, for I am convenced he awaits in Jehovah's memorie to be resurrected to a new earth cleansed of unrighteousness, death and pain. Mankind's foul deeds undone forever, replaced by God's Kingdom. A Paradise as it was intended to be.