May is heading out the way it came in

I do believe April and May were just a little confused this year. April was warmer and sunnier than in past decades, and May has been decidedly damp.

Currently (for the second time today), there is the most delicious rain falling. A gentle soaking rain, and it's been on the weather radar for several days - touted as "severe thunderstorms" - but we are getting the best (least damaging) part of the storms moving through MI today.

Earlier, a wind picked up and you could watch as the clouds moved in and things grew ominous.

The clouds opened up and it began raining fast, but it didn't last long. Before you could comment on it, or worry about whether to close windows, it was over.

It did rain long enough to wash the humidity level to 'comfortable' and create that lovely after-the-rain smell I live for, and we didn't get the worst of it.

Happily, it was just enough to begin washing the fertilizer into the ground (yea!) and lower the heat index. When it was over, even Karl commented on the change in the temperature. My wonderful poppies began 'popping', and two open blossoms are now bobbing in the slight breeze. There are at least a dozen more pods ready to burst over the next couple of days, and I am as happy as can be! Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to take a photo of the sea of poppies and peonies and post it!

In the distance you can hear the low rumble of occasional thunder - and I can 't tell if it is coming our way or past us already, moving further off. Sometimes the rumble is more like the sound of a distant firework discharging with a pow!, and when that happens the cats wake slightly from their napping positions to crane their necks and look sleepily towards the windows in fear and curiosity.

I am at the desk, with the library window open and the attic fan on, pulling a fantastic breeze through the house. My perch is the best one, as the peonies under the window are in full bloom and the scent fills the air with the loveliest fragrance.

Go ahead, May, rain your rain and and rumble your thunderous self on out of here for another year. We'll see you in eleven short months, and I - for one - will be ready for you.

I am a magician

Good morning!

I went outside this morning - not that long ago - and somehow I managed to make 2 hours disappear [snap!] just like that! And it was the most pleasant part of the day, too. I would much rather see the early part of the day go on forever, and the afternoon evaporate like a puddle under the hot sun than the way a day truly progresses. Alas....

My intentions were to simply get out to the front yard and cast the next dose of weed and feed, trim up a little bit more, and perhaps bag up the remaining scrub taken from the front bed a week ago. All I did was the weed and feed, trimming (heavy duty, more than I intended...and boy, won't the neighbors be speechless/annoyed/wondering how to get even), and some actual weeding (digging, pulling and the like). Oh, yeah, and some transplanting and tying up...stuff that wasn't on the 'list' but really needed doing. Sorry to say, I didn't make a priority of bagging up the large pile of debris culled from the bed last week, but I did move the tarp the mess is on to an area close to the garage door, so when I do get around to it, I can accomplish it simply enough. Then, I won't have to transport the heavy bag all that far across the lawn and risk tearing it.

Of course, knowing that there is a day of thunderstorms in store for tomorrow, you would think I'd have made a priority out of it today. You would, wouldn't you?

Nope.

I just couldn't make myself take that chore on. It would have been fairly easy...and goodness knows it is necessary to finish.

Don't ask, I don't know why. I can't tell you why I haven't done that spot of clean-up, yet. I can't even tell myself why.

Maybe tomorrow morning...if it hasn't begun raining, yet. If.

Big "if."

I drove home around 8:30pm yesterday from Ferndale. Finally done with the Script Supervisor course; it ended late in the afternoon. Later than advertised and later, even, than we had discussed with the instructor (when she said she would be interested in staying on for an hour or two after the quit time to keep going)! So, we got a lot more than we could have gotten, but there were times when it was laborious...and lots of rushed instruction. I despise rushed instruction.

But, there you are.

I made three truly excellent contacts, and hopefully, an impression on two of them. Randi (the instructor) said she would be recommending me to a working Scripty who needs someone to cover a couple of smaller gigs that she will be relinquishing due to obligations on larger film jobs that coincide! So, yay!!

Those things I will keep you abreast of as I learn more.

As I drove up to the house I could see, in the waning light, something different about the yard, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The grass was shorter, but because Brian had mowed it a day earlier. I left a note on the bathroom mirror with requests of the boys for the day. All normal stuff, weekly chores, nothing unfamiliar or life threatening. I was pleased to learn Brian had weed whacked, as requested, and Karl had worked in the bathroom! Of course the dishes were still stacked in the sink, vacuuming is still a must-do, and the backyard is a jungle...but the list was read and worked on!! A major wahoo!

For now, I am enjoying the rest of my day. I will begin with a shower and then a load or two of wash (hung on the line), and then an evening of games with the boys and friends to celebrate the weekend. I might even be able to squeeze a bit of quilting into that line-up (during the wash cycles), so it looks like an all 'round great day!

I hope you have a wonderful time over this long weekend, and that everyone you care for gets to where they need to be safely. Ciao for now!

Where does the time go?

I have been up to my assets in this Script Supervision class, either working on assignments or reading...or sleeping or driving to/from. There has been no time to get outside and finish up the trim job clean up I began a week ago, nor has there been any time to begin working on the back beds. Holy smokes do I want to get back to it!

I have been stealing time in the early hours to shepherd my little seedlings through this incredibly hot weather, and I did take about a half hour on Tuesday to transplant the larger cosmos from their crowded sections to private cells where other seeds did not errupt - I just couldn't stand it any more. So far, so good, the transplant-ees are doing fine. I should be able to get them into the ground over the weekend, possibly early to mid-next week. Very exciting!

Every time I step into my work boots and play in the soil I feel Grandpa Schaffer very nearby, and I enjoy the time outdoors just that much more. I don't know if he approved of flower gardens as a use of space, but I do know he would have been as tickled as I am to watch the little sprouts develop each new set of leaflets and grow upward toward the sun. Each passing day finds them visably larger and more developed - it's amazing.

There are two sessions left for which I will have to travel south to Ferndale for my class, and now it is really getting interesting. Good news, the instructor, a very well-respected, and busy Scripty for over 30 years, has said she will recommend me for several shorts and small features on the blocks here in MI! So, work! Yea!

More another time, for now, I need to let my eyes close and my brain drain.

Update

I did actually end up going back outside yesterday and moving one more hosta before calling it 'a day.' Some of the hostas are in great shape, but because I think they have been getting far less direct sun than some others, so to move them all into shadier spots in the front bed may just give them the help they need.

I guess we'll find out.

So far, the two that were moved and replanted seem to be OK, and the smallest one - dug up one week ago today - is still sitting in its temporary pot on the stoop...but it looks fine and perky. Tomorrow will find it in the ground and hopefully on its way to thriving with the others. Or, maybe it will be placed in a large pot on the stoop, along with a nice planting of other florals for the summer. Hmmmm....

Several more days of rain and now, a "steam bath"

I have been away from the keyboard over the last couple of days, busy with activities pertaining to the Script Supervisor course I am currently enrolled in, and trying to reclaim the flowerbeds. The front flowerbed, in particular, has been sitting on the bulls eye for some time, and now that I have the OK to get in it and work, I am making up for *lost time (*i.e.; last year and the year before).

Perhaps I am being a bit too aggressive, and there is no doubt I should pull back a little on the bending and similar activities, but if I don't do it now, it is only going to get worse (weed-wise) and harder to accomplish down the road -- when it is hotter and more dense (weed-wise).

My practice is to begin working early in the day, while the sun is on the east side of the roof line and I am mostly in the shade. I take frequent breaks and drink lots of water while I work and I wear a wide-brimmed hat and baggy t-shirt for extra coverage, and then stop once the heat has risen along with the sun. It seems to be working; I am not over-taxed, haven't felt any abnormal pains or pulling in my abdomen, and I feel more energetic and get great sleep! Plus, the bending and stretching is really helping me feel better all the way 'round. The only thing I lack is a pair of coveralls to work in. ;^)

A few days ago I chopped the life out of the unruly Forsythia that had taken over the northwest corner. I love the electric yellow show of flowers in the early spring, and the bright medium green foliage is a nice backdrop, but it is invasive as all hell and hard to keep in check once the heat of the summer arrives. It almost requires weekly grooming otherwise the suckers grow beyond my ability to manage it all, and I am not up to the task of constant trimming. So, while I had the energy, I simply began to make drastic cuts, and the end result was very similar to a bowl cut by your grandmother on a brunette, mop-haired child.

Sure, now it looks skeletal, but shortly it will be fuller and more shapely. Besides, I uncovered two peony plants that were badly in need of sunlight (that was more important), and I was able to take care of more of the bed without getting jabbed in the ribs, arms, neck and face. Thursday and Friday found me mostly tying up bundles of the branches and cutting out the remaining large branches and trunks with a hand saw - removing the last of the most unsightly mess. After this morning not much remains on the lawn to bundle up, and that is a good feeling. This means I will be able to focus on cleaning out the rest of the bed tomorrow morning - provided I have my scripty homework done today. Once the bed is clean, I can focus on planting my new young plants (begun from seeds in my very own garage!) and laying down the mulch I picked up from Barb's church fundraising project. Of course, that's all providing I get my classwork finished.

Yikes!

Part of what I am finding necessary to do in the bed is transplant some of the perennials and hostas. I moved one hosta four feet north to give a suffering poppy more time in the sun, and hopefully it will also help the lupine that were also in it's shadow. There are two other hostas that may need moving, as I think they get too much sun, and they haven't been able to thrive because of it. It really is a balancing act.

I haven't been able to quilt at all this past week, nor work on any clothes, and the class will end next Saturday afternoon (the 29th), so my time will be limited until then; but I feel I am making the best use what I do have right now.

The class is great - taught by an awesome SS named Randi Feldman. She has dozens of screen credits (major films, indies and minor stuff) to her name, and is exactly the type of person that should be teaching the course!

One more thing

Wouldn't you know it...

The resident 'evil mouse' in the garage decided to perpetrate a criminal act, and gnawed through the pull start cord of the lawn mower, next to the handle. When Brian decided to mow the lawn yesterday afternoon (or rather, attempted to start the mower), the handle on the pull start cord snapped off in his hand with the first tug!

In frustration, Brian 'tossed' the handle towards the open garage door - now we have to find where it landed to see if we can simply re-attach it, or if we need to pay someone to install another.

Grrrrr!

I can't help but think that it's weird for the mouse to chew that particular item after all these years, but even weirder for it to climb and decide to chew right at that junction....you know what I mean? Do you see where I'm going with this? Do you catch my drift?

Aw, nuts, anyway!

I was happy to find the lawn mowed, however. Thank you, Brian. [hug you very much]

Before the day gets away from me completely

It was another long day, mostly because I awoke much earlier than I needed to.

Very sad.

I made good use of the early roll call though, (well, most of it) by heading outdoors to continue cleaning up the havoc culled from the garden previously, and even found the determination to haul out my shovels, pitchfork, work gloves and assorted props and smaller trimmers to eradicate more of the invasive greenery.

I even spent time staking up the now mature peonies with supports a bit more stable (and in proportion to) the plants. Several of them had managed to pry the pyramidal structures - which have been in place for 4 years - right out of the ground, so that the supports were hanging uselessly from the new growth (several inches off the ground!). The largest of the 6 peony bushes is over four feet tall, with a rather wide spread, and I was surprised (but not disappointed) to find the bushes void of ants. I hope that is not a bad sign.

I released a dear old poppy from its strangled and shady position under a mound of raspberry canes and dandelions. Plucked no fewer than 40 miniature Maple tree spouts of various sizes. Transplanted two small Lupine (actually, they're dug out and in a container, waiting for their final resting place). There are now five fewer volunteer trees (of what species I have no idea) in the bed, and I still have another six to eight feet to go!

Oh, and let's not forget the awful condition of the Forsythia - that will be whacked and hacked down to the ground. If I could get rid of it, I would. It has been an unruly mess since my first spring in this house, ten years ago. It requires constant trimming and monitoring or the suckers and branches get too out of hand before you know it.

Once the front bed is under control, I can then turn my attention to the poor old back patio. [sigh] What a chore that is going to be. The soil is nowhere near as rich, so the digging will be tougher, and there are countless thistles to deal with as well. Ugh.

Tomorrow is day four already of the Script Supervisor class, and we are moving at a brisk pace. I am tired but excited, but I am too tired to remain awake to squawk about it, so details will have to wait until Friday or Sunday. I have an impending quiz to study for, and a good deal of homework to get through for several target turn-in dates.

So, until another time....enjoy the lovely weather heading our way, and make the best use of your time.

Terror-fication

Survivors of the massacre!

Monday was the first night of classes for the FIT (Film Industry Training) program I am participating in. It is nearly a two week long workshop/class, but only 40 hours of instruction (well, it's supposed to be 40 hours, however the woman leading the "scripty" program is phenomenal, and wants to give us as much info in as much time as we will take).

I say - bring it, sister!

A "scripty" - or, Script Supervisor - is the person who deals with continuity issues on a film, from preproduction through production. There is a lot I could add regarding the topic, but I will let that go 'til another time. Suffice to say, I love it! This is a positive step and I am excited to be able to take advantage of the training.

Thank you, mom, for believing in me and floating the financial boat for this opportunity. Thank you for your sacrifices and patience and love and faith. I love you more than words can say!

I am rearranging my usual morning routines to accommodate the class hours, and since I need the better part of an hour traveling from home to Ferndale, then the same following (the late) dismissal, and the need for time to study/reading/etc for class, I have decided to make use of the early morning hours and work outside a bit, then move inside for some job searching, then move on to any class work that may have been assigned.

With the new temporary schedule in mind, I began weeding the front flower bed yesterday - it has needed it since before last year and the emergency surgery - the mass of weeds and volunteer trees and raspberries canes has only multiplied and compounded over the past two growing seasons. My lovely poppies and other perennials were on the verge of extinction! And it just looked horrible.

I managed to make quite a huge dent in the mess - as you can see. I will keep at it until I am right with myself and can stand to look at the house once again (without squinting and blurring out the horrible weedy mess that consumed my once splendid flowerbed).

So you may be asking yourself, "where's the terror?" in all of this. Well, simply enough, during class last night a huge, windy thunderstorm moved through, and all I could think of were my seedlings out on the deck, getting blown around or washing away. When I walked out to check on them this morning, everything was alright, and I even had more sprouts peeking out!

But, if you will excuse me, I need to get outside and 'dig in' a little bit more before putting the shovel away for the day. I am reigning terror down upon the ugly weeds in the garden, but the worms love me! I feel like King Kong in work boots. :)

Zinnia Day

I think it was somehow fitting that a small contingent of my little seedlings decided today was the day to meet blue skies.

Today was "Flower Day" at Eastern Market, and oh! how I wish I could have been there! But...

...somehow, my zinnias and cosmos seemed to make a concerted effort (or was it a race) out of breaking free of their damp soil beginnings to see a wider world. Tonight, as I gathered the trays and containers of plants and not-yet-germinated specimens, I saw the tiniest slivers of California Poppies here and there, too!

With the amount of new green apparent just today, I know - without a doubt - that I could have stood out on the deck and watched their growth spurt. I could have witnessed the eruption of each tiny seeding as it entered daylight and became a whole other piece of nature. Tomorrow I am determined to make that happen!

In the waning daylight, I could see that some of the tender little shoots are still wearing dirt hats, and it is so amazing to think that not long ago (less than a week to ten days), they were merely seeds in the soil with nothing more than potential...and now, they are that much closer to really providing color, beauty, fragrance for me and food for insects and hummingbirds.

The day wasn't a total loss, either. I was busy with getting out and buying a pair of blue jeans that fit (thanks to Jean and Barb for skulking through endless racks of pants on my behalf), finding a stopwatch for the first day of class (tomorrow), grabbing some quick groceries and laughing with friends. All of this we did instead of our original game plan. We had all intended (Karl included) to go to Novi to see Brian at his first convention - a promise of things to come for him - but with the cost of a ticket at $25, it was not meant to be.

There will be other opportunities - and when they happen, rest assured, there will be no time lost...no opportunity squandered!

Day 2 - no rain

Yesterday was a bust, on many levels - but let me just focus on Brian's side of it.

This time yesterday (earlier, really), Bud's phone rang (before the alarm could sound), and it was the 'publisher' he has been working with for over the last month on the production of a comic book. Brian's part, obviously, was to draw the story, and he was geeked.

Right from the beginning, though, there have been issues with the so-called 'publisher' not showing up for meetings (he called), asking Bud to drive all the way to the D and then not calling to say there were troubles and he wasn't going to make it himself...and the kicker was they could just as easily have met somewhere around Birminghan or Southfield instead of going all the way downtown. This guy is on a power trip - and the emporer has no pants (do you feel me?).

The day Bud was to sign the contract, the dude didn't show at the Detroit "office" for over 45 minutes, and just left Bud sitting there wondering. Nobody told him what was going on, so after a while the kid left. while Brian was driving home it was then the 'publisher' called him to ask "hey, where are you?"

In addition, the man never returns phone calls and is so slow to respond to email. He is lackluster, to say the least, and it has been this way from the very beginning. It should have been a big red flag, but Brian so wanted the chance to draw a book and be published here in the states...especially in the D.

Anyhow, the trouble continued yesterday when Brian drove to Novi to attend the Comicon - at the insistence of the 'publisher'. The dude wanted his stable representing his publications there - to drum up business and be a name in the community. He is a little man wannabe playing in a big boys world. No one was going to be paid for this appearance, and it isn't in the contract, but Bud wanted to go - and if this idiot was going to get Bud in the door for free, Brian figured it was worth it. Besides, he might be able to network while there - which was a good thought.

Well, the idiot 'publisher' called early to find out if Brian was still going to go, and if he was going to be there on time. Then he told Bud that he himself was running around working on last minute errands and wouldn't be there right on time, but that Brian should just relax and wait, and he would be there before long.

This guy was hanging in there, true to form.

Right around ten o'clock, when Bud had originally planned on leaving, his phone rang again, and yes....you guessed it. It was the idiot saying he was through with his running around and would see Brian down there, at the rendezvous point, where they would all climb into 'publishers' car and drive to the venue parking; was Brian already on the road? How long will it take you to get there, blah, blah, blah. 'Publisher' told Bud that he was now gathering the other people and would see Brian soon. Mind you, Brian was driving on his own dime; this joker was not going to reimburse the cost of fuel or mileage! It's 30 miles in one direction, and he expected Brian would drive to Novi 3 days in a row.

So, Brian left and then spent the next two hours waiting for idiot 'publisher', or anyone else to show up. Several phone calls and BS stories later, it turned out that this idiot's payment for the spot at the Comicon was no good, and there was no spot! Can you imagine!

Since Brian has returned home yesterday afternoon, there has been no word from idiot 'publisher' regarding today. The last Brian was told, "today was on..." All troubles would be worked out and they would all be there gladhanding and networking and whatever.

Uh-huh, yeah, right.

It is now 9:40am, and Brian is still sleeping. The last message Bud left on the fool's voice mail last night was to send Brian a photo of himself and the others sitting at a table in the Comicon, with their ID badges on, and then he would jump back in the car and head to Novi.

It is a beautiful, sunny day. I think I'll go pull weeds.

Yes, another rainy day

Today is drenched - already. When I first opened my eyes it was then I also heard the patter of light rain on the windows. But as I lay in bed, lolling about, I realized the greyness of the light was not going to end any time soon. It was, in fact, going to be another rainy day. Not only that, but the volume of rain has increased by leaps and bounds, and it is now a steady, heavy, plodding rain. Not a downpour, but a definite soaker.

Yesterday was sunny, for the most part; not warm, but not cold, and I was able to put the seedlings outside for the better part of the day to take advantage of it all. I kept busy looking for jobs (only two resumes sent out - pickings are slim) and cleaning out the garage. It really is a cool feeling to be able to step out into a space and see progress, and I have a hard time stopping work out there to do something else! I now wish that I had spent time weeding!!

Mom was here from Saturday afternoon to early Sunday morning, but she didn't comment on the changes. That was sort of depressing, but it was still nice to visit with her for that time. We made dinner - she helped with the salad, cutting the remainder of the red pepper and mushrooms into small sizes, like I do (I think it drove her nuts, but she liked the results), and some of the mound of mushrooms were mixed into the Jasmine rice we had with the talapia.

Mom got out ketchup (argh!) to put on her fish, but she ended up not using it. When I asked her why she would put ketchup on fish she told me it was to cover up the flavor. She doesn't like the taste of fish! What!! Even Karl admonished her. He is becoming more of a gourmond all the time. He told her, "Grandma, you can only put ketchup on fishsticks, but then only if you do not have tartar sauce."

Funny kid.

Anyhow, it was a pleasant meal, and mom was surprised it was good. At least that was what she kept saying...it may not have been her cup of tea, but she did take more (white sticky) rice, even though she commented that it should be brown rice as there are no nutrients in white rice whatsoever. So, I feel a mark should be made in the "win" column.

I was very happy to show her the baby quilt for the newest Schaffer baby. As I haven't had a chance to get it to them, it is still here, waiting to go 'home.' She liked it, and thought it would not be given the thanks it was worth. Guess we will find out.

Well, the time has come for me to get back to work on the job seeking; I like to try and search, send out letters and resumes, etc., at least three hours a day. Lately, I also spend a lot of time looking for a car to buy. Can't really have job if you don't have wheels to get there. More news on all of that another time.

Thanks for looking in.

Finally finished it! Endings and beginnings.

I finished quilting and binding a wall hanging a few days ago, and decided to apply a sleeve, since that's the only good way for it to hang, really...on a wall...as a "wallhanging."

It has had a long ride from inception to completion; from Hadley to Clarkston; from here to there.

The boys and I have also come a long way during all that time.

They have grown so much; in fact, they completed their own 'journeys' from boyhood into young men. And I learned a lot about myself, and the world around me, while that quilt lay waiting for attention. I learned to stop letting things wait, and to stop waiting for what it is I want.

My expectations of myself and my goals - and of those around me - has changed, too.

I have been spending these past few weeks unearthing the remainders of my life (to this moment in time) from the boxes I had relegated it all to when we moved ten years ago.

Some of those boxes were opened at the time of the move, the possessions sorted through...and then re-packed and shuffled off to the garage, where they have been sitting all of this time!

Some of it I was overjoyed to see again and have found ways to integrate it back into my world, but much of it I have been able to view with a harsher eye and have let it go. The piles and walls I had built around myself (and in the garage) are coming down. Paths to and from my door have opened, and they become wider and easier to navigate with every passing day.

On those days when I walk out to the garage and roll up my sleeves, determined to make a dent in the clutter and debris, I chant "be merciless" over and over. Not in my head but out loud. I open a new garbage bag or place a newly emptied box on the floor to receive the unnecessary items, and begin to clean and purge. I allow myself a moment to reflect on some things, and then make the decision regarding that item's fate. It's been exhilarating....freeing....cathartic.

I found two large boxes of photos I had thought were lost for good! I uncovered items I no longer care if they stay or go - and out they went! I have made such a change in the landscape that I managed to reclaim floor space in front of a window that I am now using for a gardening area; even planted several trays of seeds - both flowers and veggies - and soon will be able to get these in the ground outside!

My commitment to myself to change and grow and move forward is becoming reality. It's been fun, and a lot of work...but all of it has been worthwhile. There is still a lot to do out there, but I am ok with it.

There are still a lot of [quilting] projects to complete before beginning something new, and as much as I daydream about what is to come and what I want to start next, I know there are things I must finish first. Some to 'clean out the corners' and widen my path and field of vision, some to simply make room, and others just to finish for the sake of not letting it hang in limbo any more.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you mommys - including the wanna-be's and those expecting soon.

Here are my reasons to smile.

Have a great day!

Rain, rain, go away (please)

I know we do not have the horrible conditions that people are currently suffering through in Tennessee and other hard-hit states over the past couple of weeks. No tornadoes, no high winds... with thunderstorms... dumping torrential rains and flooding whole towns off the map.

I know, we have had it pretty darn good. So why am I complaining about the rain?

Good question.

I guess greedy ol' me wants to be able to hang her wash out on the line and work in the flowerbeds. Oh, and my son was to cut the back yard, FINALLY, but with all of the rain and intermittant late-in-the-day sun, the grass is now too tall for our mower to handle! Argh!

Busy, busy, busy

Monday was another damp day. The skies rained down nearly the entire time the sun should have shone, sometimes heavily and other times just sprinkles of little consequence - UNLESS you wanted to hang out laundry.

Of course, there were those 'hours of dryness' when I was away from the house and could do nothing to take advantage of the non-rain periods. Ugh!

I spent the wetter hours cleaning and sorting and tossing, after running errands.

Karl had an appointment with a counselor at OCC regarding class requirements, and hopefully to get an override into a closed class (nope, it didn't happen), and to find out what should next steps be for him? We also stopped by the bank to open his new account closer to home...but found he hadn't enough personal idententification to present to the teller in order to open an account in his own name...so now, accomplishing the creation of his MI identification card is next on every priority list. Sheesh!

Tuesday was a day of travel and moving (again). Jean's youngest daughter is set to come home from MSU for the summer, and as usual, there was quite a bit of stuff to cart from East Lansing to Clio. We got an early start on the day and pulled onto campus right around 9:45am, and were happy to find Barb had a lot of her possessions ready to load into the Suburban. It only took a half dozen trips in and out of the dorm building (for each of us) before the beast was fairly well loaded from ceiling to floor and front to back, and she still had quite a bit to go! LOL Ah, college students. The hope is that the remaining items will fit easily into the back of a normal-sized car when Jean heads to E.L. on Thursday to watch her daughter Carrie be hooded and receive her diploma! Doctor Carrie will be a D.O. by Thursday afternoon, and I think that is grand!

Congratulations to the graduate and her proud mother!

However, you know what this means, right?

Uh-huh, that's it. You guessed it. We now need to move Carrie from her E.L. apartment to her new digs in Kalamazoo! Oh, yeah, and I still need to commit to a vehicle and get it ordered, and the paperwork sent to the bank. How in the world did I control my life when I had a FT job?

Rainy day number 2

Woke up to the sound of rain this morning, not once - but twice. My understanding of last night's forecast was that the rain would come in overnight and be gone and out of the area by mid-morning to early afternoon. Early!

Feh! Feh and fooey on those ragamuffin weather dorks!

Well, I waited, and I found things to do inside. I even worked on one of my woeful leftover quilts - one that was begun long ago but left in the dust of the move (ten years ago) and while I came up with other projects. It is now much closer to being completely quilted and in need of binding, so I will search through my stash to find something I have a yard of...or will I?

At any rate, I grew weary of waiting for the weather to cooperate, and began chomping at the bit. Finally the clouds ceased their leaking and I prepared to go out back on the patio and hang the load of laundry I had done the night before - in anticipation of being able to hang it out on the line! However, as soon as I stepped outside, the rain began to spatter again, and dark clouds moved in as if by magic. Doggone it!

And yes, the raindrops preceded the clouds - I don't know how it happened, but there it was.

At that point I just figured to start working on the garage instead, and shanghaied Brian into assisting me with the whole process, while sneezy Karl washed dishes and cleaned the bathroom.

We did get a fair amount of stuff cleaned out of the nooks and crannies at the front of the garage; consolidated, stacked in a more orderly sort of chaos and with some thought as to what should be in front of whatever else for ease in accessing anything (should access to anything ever become necessary). There is still a long way to go, but a lot of the mess is now in hand, and things are either tagged for yard sale destiny or well out of the way.

We even acquired floor space by the end of the upheaval! Once the garbage goes to the curb this week, there will be a decided change to the look and room available in the garage. Brian was excited to find we had created a whole other path from the kitchen door to the front of the garage - and I am glad there is progress without much pain.

If the half wall for the island is ever built in the kitchen, and I can actually un-crate my new range and get it into the house, that will really open up a lot of room! Hey, we might actually get to park in the garage again, too!

What a concept! LOL

Until then, I will simply keep chipping away at the catastrophy that has become my garage. Someday, when we've got sunny May days to count on, we will have a yard sale and rid ourselves of some of the items we no longer need, and put a little coinage in our pockets in the process.

A whole new May

Wow! Already into the fifth month of the year - and things are about.................

............the same.

Had a great day yesterday (despite "Mother Nature"...what incredible timing she has); helped move a friend's daughter's stuff from her apartment in Ann Arbor while she leaves town for the summer; had breakfast at a neat little diner in the heart of the worst parking area of A2 - Angelo's - the bread used for toast was just like my Aunt Pearl's...now I want to bake!

After saying our goodbyes, we departed her twins and left A2 for more fun. What a day!

Recently, I snagged a copy of an advertising newspaper for quilters and "craftys" which shows a statewide calendar of events and all of the quilt shops (who care to advertise) from tip to thumb; pinky to UP, and all points in between. I surveyed the publication for any (strictly) quilt shops with more than 2,000 bolts of material, and that were not craft-oriented in any way. Put together two lists of these shops and designated them as "Maria" and "Jean." Mind you, none of us has any extra capital so spend right now, so quilt shop hopping would be a horrible waste of time - but do we care about that?

Hahahaaaaaa...I laugh at your naivete.

Oddly, as Jean was navigating her burly, college-crap-loaded Suburban down the expressway, she mentioned she has seen a sign (several times) for a quilt shop in Davison and thought maybe it would be fun to explore it as we were already out and about, and we're not too far from it if we stuck to I-69 and took the 'back way' returning to my house. Well, who am I to turn down a chance to scurry through a small, unexplored, heretofore unknown shop; how can you justify not examining the contents before dismissing it off-hand?

Well, I couldn't. Besides, it was one of the shops on my new mission list! It was kismit I tell ya! She was reading my mind - thank goodness. And what a gem of a find it was!

If you ever find yourself wheeling around in the Davison area, head north of M-15 until you find "Linda's Quilt Shop," you won't be sorry. It is EXACTLY as a quilt shop should be!

I had the added pleasure of being recognized by the owner...and it had been over 12 years since she had seen each other last.

There was once a shop in Davison's old downtown that was loaded for bear with calicos and solids, flannels and new geometric prints. That was some fabric mecca for a small town girl. And it was forever crawling with new quilters, curious tag-a-long friends, long-time customers, and the instructors who taught classes there. The women who worked there grew to know me over time - as they did with all of their regulars - and somedays I would go simply to have fun looking and dreaming about new quilts to assemble, or to pick up just a smidge of something to finish a current quilt. The conversations were a riot, and I always left feeling as though I had just had a great conversation with a sister or favorite cousin and not a clerk who simply wanted to make a sale.

Well, here we are at the check out counter, and Linda said "You remind me of someone. Did you use to raise turkeys?"

You could have knocked me over with a quarter yard of calico! How did she remember that!?! Not only that, but she recalled that we lived in Hadley! Of all the women that she had met and gotten to know, she remembered my sons and me because that - and because of the chat we were having over the material.

Imagine that!

As we stood talking, she told me how the other women thought Brian and Karl were so well-behaved when they would be at the shop with me. I love my boys. She also said that after I would leave the shop, some of the women would laugh til they cried over some of the stories I would tell of the boys and the turkeys, and of my idiot husband at the time.

Hmmm.... :^) It's all good, I guess, if you can make a lasting impression - especially if it's a good one! LOL

Well, with two happy finds like that, you can bet your boots I will be returning to Linda's lovely quilt shop!

From there, Jean and I went to the Ortonville Quilt Show (yes, that was on the mission list, too), and as luck would have it, we were there on the first day of the two day show. We were both very impressed by the lovely pieces exhibited throughout the church. There were quilts of all ages and sizes either draped over pews or hanging along the walls. A woman played tunes on a piano up in the front of the church while women and men went around the exhibit, closely examining (and appreciating) the workmanship and overall beauty of the quilts on display.

I have a whole new set of quilting ideas and goals after having a look at so many beautiful quilts. I most appreciated the oldest pieces and their simple, rustic handwork, as so few woman finish their own quilts any more. Quite a few of them opted to have their quilts quilted via someone with a long-arm machine - a pity. While the quilting was precise, and definitely tell tale of having been stitched by machine, it lacked the imperfections of hand/machine work - that is to say, when someone uses their regular flatbed sewing machines to stitch the quilts by guiding the quilt under the needle freehand. Less than perfect results can happen, but I think the advent of the long-arm has taken away the last bit of creativity one can apply to the quilt in order to call it "hand made."

I can still remember when woman poo-poo'd others who would use the free hand method to topstitch the quilt, and refuse to consider the quilt hand made because of it - and that was a scant ten years ago! My, how the mighty have fallen.

Personally, I reserve my hand work (stitching-wise) for binding the quilt and for crazy quilting, or on standard miniatures alone. My crazier pursuits are not undertaken with a needle and thread. Besides, I know my strengths and weaknesses. Straight stitching (through layers) is not a strength of mine. Crazy quilting does not employ "straight" anything, and binding is an art which requires deftness to hide the stitches while accomplishing a strong and stable turning of the material from from to back. So, I issue the use of my skills where they are best appreciated!

Anyhow, from there we went back to Clarkston, where we watched a couple of movies we have been wanting to see, and talked about next steps, and what's next for classes and school, and work prospects and kid stuff in general - hers and mine. She's got an exciting week coming up with one of her daughters graduating from medical school! Another will be home college for the summer, a third is moving to heading to New York for a couple of months to re-energize, touch base with friends, dance with her NY troupe and have fun before architectural classes resume in the fall for her at...well, that supposed school in A2. Her son is providing her babysitting duties with her first grand baby, and she still has her own classes to tend to.

Me, on the other hand, I need a new life! More on that later - we have a whole new month, and I am certain to have news to share soon enough.

PS: Mucho thanks to Aunt Judy for the birthday email. You have always been my cheerleader - which, I suspect, you have been for all of your nieces and nephews. But I greatly appreciated the kind words. Yours was the only familial contact (except for my missed call from mom) on my birthday, and I was feeling pretty low. [hugs]