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SQUEEZING OUT EVERY LAST DROP OF
 SUMMER!

Quilting Helpers

It is kind of amazing that I get any quilts made.  I have little energy, limited time and weak mental aptitude.  I know why I have so many uncompleted projects, they take me so long that I am just filled with boredom over them.   My houseful of assistants really make things more difficult. 

Ian asked why do I make so many of them and I told him the same reason he makes so many Lego things.  Hmmph!

I have a quilt laid out on the floor, the cat walked in and systematically took his paw and pushed each piece of fabric into a wad.  He did each piece one at a time until he had moved and smushed each one.  He then walked away.

Last year Ned hid a section of a quilt, and then told me I should thank him for returning it.

A couple of years ago I had pieces set up on the table, when I came back pieces were missing.  I looked everyone and just assumed I had miscounted.  I found the missing fabric when I went out to scoop up the dog poop, why would one of them eat little pieces of fabric?

Ellen came in looking for something and put the fabric I am using away in the bathroom cupboard.  I know it was an accident, but it has really been driving me crazy.  I tore my little sewing room apart looking for that piece of fabric.

July's quilt and Juno

I am trying to savor to the fullest the last days of summer vacation.  It is going by too quickly.  In the book "Catch 22" one of the characters cultivates boredom (can't remember the character's name).  This idea has always stuck with me.  The nameless guy in the book never does anything exciting, because it makes time fly by.  He would lie on his bunk doing nothing to try and slow down time, it never worked.  Time continues to fly by.  We aren't doing anything exciting, just trying to enjoy the dog days of summer. I am sucking up all the relaxation of nothing to do, unstructured days!! 

I did complete my July quilt, technically in August, but finished none the less.  I based this quilt off the lakes and beautiful flowers of Minneapolis.  I was really struck by the amazing flowers.  I was just so impressed with Minneapolis, I could easily see living there - I now need to visit in the winter.

The kids and I lay out squares to make a comfy blanket for the couch.  I bought minky in animal prints and it is so soft.  I think Minky is really hard to sew, I am sure there is a trick that I don't know.  It is going to be a lot of mismatched seams.  I came into my room and Juno was lying on the squares, he looks nice on the different prints.  A real jungle cat!

Today each kid is having a friend over to swim.......it is pouring rain.

Shucked Corn, Peaches and Snakes

I went to the Towson Farmer's Market today, because I was super motivated after being at the Farmer's Market in Madison, WI.  The Madison market ringed the capitol building and was jam-packed with flowers, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats and breads.  It was also jammed with people. It was amazing.  I can't figure out why our Farmer's Markets aren't as grand, we have as much produce and a longer season.  They had a booth with nothing but different garlic, here I saw one stand with a little bit of garlic.  I bought dill, carrots, cucumber, peaches, lima beans, squash, corn and tomatoes.  The peaches are super yummy, I have already eaten two of them. 

When I was five and played with my neighbor, Paul, we were convinced you would DIE if you at the fur on the peaches.  For years I only ate nectarines.  But since I was a genius at an early age, I figured out you can cut the fur off the peaches.  I have loved peaches ever since.  Once during the rough chemo my friend's brought over a still-warm fresh made peach pie.  This one little event was a close-to-heaven occurence, it is often something small that is transcendent. 

The corn I bought is the sweet white corn from this area, it really can't be beat.  It has little kernels and big taste, corn represents summer to me.  A lady in front of me imperiously told the guy "TO SHUCK IT FOR HER." She was totally serious!  She said, "do you expect me to shuck it myself? I have never done that." Oh brother, the world is full of kooky primadonnas. 

I fortunately checked the pool skimmers today, I saved the life of a little frog and a little snake.  I am not a snake fan, but he was outside on his own turf.  I scooped him out and put him in the woods.   They were lucky the skimmers were full of crepe myrtle blossoms and leaves, it gave them a float so they wouldn't drown.

Sewing Machine Blues and No Quilt Stores

My sewing machine went haywire July 24th, I could even tell you the hour.  I was so bummed.  The house was quiet.  I felt like quilting.  I had a fun project.  I just didn't have a cooperating machine, so I drove it over to Bear's Paw for cleaning and repairs.  It is driving me crazy not to have it here, just knowing I can't quilt if I wanted to is bothering me.  Fortunately, they just left a message saying it is ready for pick-up.  If the chemo blues are gone tomorrow, I will go pick it up.  Whoohoo!! 

I was so disappointed that there were not many quilt stores in Minneapolis and Madison.  My friend Jane located "Glad Creations" and we enjoyed the store very much.  I only bought a pattern and a fat quarter.  The store had a nice selection of mystery quilts, but I need to finish some existing projects.

I did go to a couple of fabulous bookstores.  I went to the most wonderful children's bookstore, I think called the Wild Rumpus.  It had chickens a lizard and an amazing selection of books.  I also visited the bookstore owned by Louise Erdrich, which was small but thoughtfully chosen books. 

Chummi Bear in Madison, WI

Chummi continued his vacation into Wisconsin.  He toured the Frank Lloyd Wright house, Taliesin.  The mosquitoes were ferocious, but he got one picture with Hansa (Taliesin in background). 

After the Taliesin tour we drove five miles up to the "House on the Rock".  OMG, this is the craziest place Chummi and I have ever been!  It is not possible to describe this place.  The HotR creater, Alex Jordan,  had a stick up his ass about FLW. 
 

Quote from Wikipedia

Both of Jordan's biographers relate a story told by Sid Boyum, which places the inspiration for the house in a meeting between Alex Jordan Sr. and Frank Lloyd Wright, at some unspecified time apparently between 1914 and 1923. Jordan Sr. drove with Boyum to Taliesin to show Wright the plans for a building, the Villa Maria in Madison,^[5][ which Jordan had designed. Jordan worshipped the famous architect and hoped for his approval. Wright looked at the plans and told Jordan: "I wouldn't hire you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop. You're not capable." Fuming, on the drive back on Highway 23, Jordan pointed to a spire of rock and told Boyum: "I'm going to put up a Japanese house on one of those pinnacle rocks and advertise it." Balousek says Wright "apparently didn't forget the incident", noting that Wright "complained publicly to Iowa County officials about the house the Jordans were building" and bought a nearby piece of property.

 These enormous urns lined the driveway up to the house, the madness began at the gate.  It says a lot about americans that 28,000 people a year tour Taliesin.  300,000 people a year tour House on the Rock, we love to be entertained.  

Chummi then had a tour of the capitol building in Madison, WI.  The Wisconsin capitol building is absolutely spectacular and it IS taller than the nation's capitol building.  The builder accomplished that with a technicality, they measured the inside dimensions.  

Chummi is getting ready to head onto his next gig.

Chummi Bear in Minneapolis

Chummi had a great time on his trip.  He got his picture taken in Louse Erdrich's bookstore.  It was a wonderful store and had this confessional inside.   The woman who worked in the store was a complete hoot, very loud and off-the-wall-opinionated.  She told the store dog, after hearing a dog bark "we don't respond to nasty little terriers."  Turns out the nasty little terriers owner was in the store, and it was a collie. 

Chummi also visited the Flour Mill museum, which was truly fascinating, who knew flour production was so interesting.