Channels of Memory, Lineage and History

During the busiest days in Alaska, there is a deep sense of peaceful rest that is always available. You just have to glance out a window or walk down to the edge of the water to feel its quiet gentleness reach out and comfort you.

As I do laundry, or dishes, or wrap my mother's birthday gift, as I did this morning, I take brief breaks to find a window that can still view the Gastineau Channel from between all of the trees that once planted in their infancy, now tower and often hide a view that was once considered normal by the island inhabitants, and is now considered extraordinary by visitors who come up by plane or cruise lines.

I was fortunate to grow up on this island, raised by my pioneer Alaskan father and my Cajun French mother, his high school penpal he went down to meet, then marry in Louisiana. I grew up listening to other languages and many accents and dialects and never considered that to be unusual. I tell people now that I didn't even know I lived on an island and they find that hard to believe...but it's true. We didn't study local history or geography in the fifties or sixties and I moved to Oregon to attend Oregon State University in my late teens.

It was then that I realized I might have been a bit of a novelty, especially when I discovered that others asked if I was an 'Eskimo'. Now, going to Alaska is a common destination and we teach,and learn,about much more than far away places or continents.

I walk the sandy beach of my childhood.... out to this area where the old remnants of the once famous Treadwell Mine now lay in ruins. The mine was once the largest gold mine in Alaska but caved in during a blast in 1917. That was the day my Finnish Grandmother refused to let my grandfather go to work in the Treadwell Foundry. She had a 'bad feeling' and wanted him to stay home. He was a strong and independent man and was set on going anyway. The story goes that she refused to pack his lunch. No self-respecting man of that generation would pack his own...so he did stay home.

The records say that no one lost their lives in that cave-in, only were injured, but more than 200 Chinese mine workers were never seen nor heard from again. So, it can only be assumed that some, if not all must have perished, they simply were not recorded amongst the recognized workers, a sad commentary on the times.

I am grateful that my Alaskan roots are strong and sensitive at the same time. Grateful that as I walked this beach 90 years after that cave-in, I can still pick up broken pieces of pottery...dishes that were used to serve the those workers who lived on site...unlike my Grandfather who couldn't go to work that fateful day without his packed lunchbox.

Panoramic Juneau

How wonderful to not only be able to connect with the Internet, once again, but to have managed to get a photo to upload! Here is a photo taken from Douglas Island looking across to Alaska's capitol city of Juneau.

Today, we headed back to the Juneau Airport where we picked up one of my brothers and his wife, flying south from Anchorage. We managed to fit all 5 of us into my father's car along with luggage and carry-ons, tucking his spare gasoline can and cooler chest, which we had forgotten to remove, from out of the trunk and under my tucked up legs. It was a bit of a squeeze but we made it!

We headed back to Douglas, where after coffee and cookies , they napped while I walked down to the water's edge and took digital photos and checked out all of the changes to buildings and shoreline.

It was my second beautiful day with interspersed sunshine. They've had rain all summer long and I had promised them all that when I flew up from Oregon, I would bring some of our sunshine with me. Looks like I was able to keep my promise ;)

I had a lovely, lovely walk which made for a nice break in a busy day of much work and helping out. We made extra spaghetti at dinner time...... which was a good thing....within an hour 16 different people stopped by and joined us. Some from work, some from school, and 4 from a jaunt in their skiff..... where they watched a whale spouting, and then saw five sea lions basking in the sun.

My youngest niece played her oboe while the rest of us visited and cleaned up. We are an active, noisy, busy bunch...but we are all family and it is so good to be together, again!

Posting From Alaska!

Greetings from the beautiful state of Alaska! I flew from my home in Salem, Oregon to my childhood home in Juneau, Alaska. Arriving here Tuesday afternoon to sunshine and a view of all of the glaciers, mountain ranges and islands as far as the eyes could see.......both from the airplane windows and riding along the scenic Glacier Highway leading in from the Mendenhall Glacier Highway into Alaska's capital city of Juneau.

From there, it is then only three more miles across the Gastineau Channel to my small hometown of Douglas, on Douglas Island. I was met at the Juneau Airport by my dear parents and it was so good to be 'home' again surrounded by the beautiful mountains, trees and beaches that I have loved my entire life.

I have been spending countless hours catching up and helping out and my few attempts to get online and open my blog were challenging. My parents own a computer but it couldn't connect without some major updating to its Internet Explorer that I had help installing today. There is nothing like being without a computer and your blog to realize just how much you miss it!

I am so grateful to all of you who enjoyed my Lunar Eclipse article and have faithfully returned to my site when I was unable to update! It was delightful to receive comments, which I was able to open through google, although my own blog came in unsupported and barely viewable. I have yet to be able to access photos, however.

But it's nice to be back! I have only a few photos and graphics that I can use at this time, and am not sure if my digital camera will connect...but I shall try again tomorrow! I brought a quilty project along with me...the need for fabric and thread was too great to go without.

One suitcase contained my sewing things and as an after thought....my clothing. Another carried 7 pounds of Italian prune-plums picked from our trees and 7 pounds of tomatoes from our garden. I had visions of the Airline Security Inspectors examining prunes and tomatoes, rotary cutter and mat and imagining what kind of person brought these to Alaska! At the Airport I was asked if I carried any bear repellent. At that point, I decided maybe a rotary cutter and mat wasn't that odd!

It feel so good to be back 'home'! More to come.....

The Longest Lunar Eclipse in 7 Years

As the month of August draws to an end, all of those who watch and learn from the night sky will enjoy an exceptional event...the longest lunar eclipse in 7 years. In the early morning hours of August 28, sky watchers across much of the world will see the Moon as she crosses in to the shadow of the Earth, becoming completely immersed for one hour and 30 minutes. This period of time is quite a bit longer than most lunar eclipses and as the longest in 7 years is a much anticipated event.

At first there may be little change, the edges of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon, herself, but as the Moon goes deeper into the Earth's shadow, the color of the Moon will change from moondust-colored gray to a sunset red. This is the total eclipse phase and will last almost a full 90 minutes.

If you look carefully, you should be able to see that the ground at your feet will appear to glow. The rim of our planet will seem as if it is on fire because the Earth's circumference will showcase every sunrise and sunset in the world...all at once.

This incredible joining will beam light into the heart of our Earth's shadow, transforming our Moon into beautiful colors. The view will be different from every location on this planet. But those of us on the Pacific Coast, like here in Oregon, to where I shall be ...back home in Alaska, should all be able to witness this event. For us on the west coast, the entire event will be visible from start to finish before moonset in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 28, 2007.

As a Full Moon in Pisces, it i also known as the Full Sturgeon moon (after the large fish of the Great Lakes) or the Full Red Moon, the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon. Astrologically, it is a time for a personal commitment to caring for others and raising them and ourselves to a place of pure consciousness. It is a good time to let go of ego identification, to put our intentions into pure action and offer gifts of the heart in service. It is a time to relearn just how much we truly care for each other and to transcend all perceived separations. It is not about me and you, but ruly about " I and Thou." Each and every being we meet, is an extension of pure Spirit, each of us a part of the whole, a part of the eternal and the universal.

This Full Moon comes at the very height of our harvest season and foreshadows the coming of natures's transition into the winter months of rest and renewal. If we can recognize the importance of gratefulness and non-attachment to perceived outcomes, we will go much farther towards furthering the good of our entire planet and all of its inhabitants.

Each of us, no matter who or where we are, carry old wounds of pain and anger. Take those darker emotions and cradle them with compassion and let love work her healing magic. Know that our pain does not define who or what we are. When we practice compassion, and unconditional love, first with ourselves, and then outward into the world for others, the inner eclipse that casts a shadow on the brilliance of the love in our hearts is allowed to release and to heal.

The Eight Verses on Transforming the Mind

My Monday Morning Gift of Gratitude:

Taken from the Bodhisattvic practice discussed in the book
Transforming the Mind by HH the Dalai Lama ©2003

With a determination to achieve the highest aim
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
Which surpasses even the wish fulfilling gem,
May I hold them dear at all times.

Whenever I interact with someone,
May I view myself as the lowest amongst all,
And, from the very depths of my heart,
Respectfully hold others as superior.

In all my deeds may I probe into my mind,
And as soon as mental and emotional afflictions arise
As they endanger myself and others,
May I strongly confront them and avert them.

When I see beings of unpleasant character
Oppressed by strong negativity and suffering,
May I hold them dear-for they are rare to find
As if I have discovered a jewel treasure!

When others, out of jealousy,
Treat me wrongly with abuse, slander, and scorn,
May I take upon myself the defeat
And offer to others the victory.

When someone I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hopes,
Mistreats me in extremely hurtful ways,
May I regard him still as my precious teacher.

In brief, may I offer benefit and joy To all beings,
both directly and indirectly,
May I quietly take upon myself
The hurts and pains of all beings.

May all this remain undefiled
By the stains of the eight mundane concerns
(gain and loss; pleasure and pain; praise and blame; fame and obscurity)
And may I, recognizing all things as illusion,
Devoid of clinging, be released from the bondage of attachment.

Taken from the Bodhisattvic practice of the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation from the book "Transforming the Mind", by HH the Dalai Lama ©2003

shown:
written symbol for metta (act of lovingkindness) yin yang (two primal opposing, but complementary principles or cosmic forces, said to be found in all non-static objects and processes in the universe)

The Void

According to Science News, astronomers have stumbled upon a gigantic hole in the universe. This cosmic blank spot has no stars, no galaxies, no black holes, not even the mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of absolutely nothingness. That is the equivalent of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness.

Astronomers have known for a very long time that there exist patches of emptiness in the universe, but what they have discovered now is that this void, which was discovered by using two different types of astronomical observations, is bigger than anything they have ever imagined.

Estimated at being more than 1,000 times the volumes of anything they have ever expected, in terms of a typical void in space, scientists are at a lost for what to even call the void.

Holes in the universe most likely occur when the gravity from areas with bigger mass pull matter from less dense areas.

So, you are wondering...how in the world am I going to ever use this to parallel my own life or my sewing or quilting....here, in Salem, Oregon? Well, all I can tell you is that instead of it being mind over matter, in this case its matter over mind. The bigger pulling from the lesser.

To make a little pun, I feel a bit more dim witted, perhaps even more dense, than is usual in my universe. Which only goes to prove that some things are null and void no matter what we talk about ;)

Back to my cleaning, packing, altering and mending.

"Count My Blessings" Housecleaning

Our homes, and everything we have in them, are mirrors of who we are and how we see ourselves within our inner worlds. They reflect our interests, our passions, our beliefs and they tell stories about how we feel about ourselves and the world around us.

When we are in good and positive spaces and places within ourselves, our homes are places or renewal and hope. When we are in negative spaces and places, we tend to build up dust and clutter, just as our own hearts, minds and souls build up inside with all of the hardships and trials of living.

In times of stress or distress, I truly need my own home to be a sanctuary, a place of renewal and of hope, filled with things that I love and projects in progress that I love to do. The busier I am, and the harder I find it to simply keep up, the more I realize I need it to be a positive reflection of my inner self and not a clogged down, dark one.

As I began to overlap my home in Oregon, with traveling to and being in my childhood home in Alaska, I am processing this change by preparing this home for my absence. Some people might call this house cleaning. But to me, it is a crossing place of preparation.

It is not always easy to make house cleaning fun. It's not easy, at all to even clean. So to do so, I change how I see cleaning and how I feel as I do it. I count my blessings that I am even physically able to clean and I anticipate the good energies that cleaning will transmit to my own spirit.

Tanya, over at Taniwa, posted a while back about how the Japanese make their own 'quilted' rags from pieces of absorbent toweling or the decorative, advertising cloths that different businesses give out. I loved reading about that and viewing the simple quilted X in a box that turns a little towel into a nice padded duster or mopping cloth.

It immediately reminded me of one of the most unusual mops that I've ever seen...and one that I've been fortunate ? ;) to inherit from my dear mother-in-law. She has beeen home from the nursing home for several months now, after fracturing her pelvis, and is doing very well. But, cleaning and doing the ordinary tasks that all of us take for granted is almost impossible for her. She has to use a walker full time, or a wheel chair when going out, and her hip pain is so intense that things like dusting or vacuuming are all but impossible. So, it has become part of our own lives, to visit and help out, as each of us can, every time we visit her. This kind of help, cleaning another's home becomes its own gift, a giving of time and self in the doing of things for another.

Knowing that there are those who cannot clean, even if they want or need to, I realize that I must actually count my blessings that I am even able to clean my house! .As I prepare to head north to Alaska to help my own mom and dad with their household tasks, as well as to celebrate my mother's birthday, I know that I will be doing a lot more cleaning in the weeks ahead and so it is even more important that I clear dread from my heart, and hate to's from my mind.

Finding a way to make cleaning 'fun' can be easy or it can be very, very hard. I took inspiration from Tanya's post on making rags, and I went on a search for my own strange little vintage 'rag' mop. I assume this mop must come from the depression era on, maybe the forties or fifties. My mother-in-law only knew that she's had it 'forever'. I took an old plaid dishcloth, filled with holes, and cut and trimmed it into a rectangle, added the stiches all around the sides with an X in the middle to 'quilt' it...and I had something to not only mop with...but think about, as I mopped!

The way that you use this little rag mop, is that you insert and clamp down a rag into its closing bars. You mop just as you would with any rag mop. One nice option, however, is that you can remove the rag for drying or replacement.

So, today, as I clean my own house and use my little vintage mop, I am grateful. I am blessed to be able to clean, to be able to walk and to bend and to lift :) And I suspect, that when I get my house clean, I will soon be visiting my family in Alaska, doing a lot more of the same!

Manifesting Miracles

Journeys and journaling are topics near and dear to my heart. I have spent a lifetime learning about the paths that lead me to the places I need to be, and the events and the people that I need to experience, and to learn from.

I grew up in Alaska, spending my childhood in fern filled rain forests and sandy beaches. I learned to be one with nature and enjoy solitude, listening to the ocean's waves and the hum of the gold ore in the mountains around me. True north became a mysterious compass point and finding my direction, a constant struggle. I was always in tune with the silent places inside of my heart, and like many of you, I learned to dance to a different melody. ...to run, and to leap, and to sing....to a different song.

When I was a young married, I couldn't afford to "go back home, again." We raised three children, here in Oregon, and my family came here, and visited us, from time to time. I was only able to bring my own little family back to my beloved state of Alaska, a very few times. Those visits are etched in my memories, and written in my heart. Each visit is a renewal of spirit, a renewal of my roots.

Last summer, I was blessed to be able to bring my whole family north for a family reunion and a wedding. My husband, two daughters, a son and his wife all headed out on different days, but all points led to one source; my hometown of Douglas, across the Gastineau Channel from Juneau, Alaska.

Blessings continued to pour down as I found myself, only 6 months later, again heading North. This time for my Father's 90th birthday. I wrote about making a Patriotic Memories quilt for him. A quilt,which was filled with photos from time spent during WWII, onboard an Aleutian Island supply ship. Photos of his marriage to my mother and of his own Finnish family, early Alaska pioneers, where my grandfather was a gold miner and my grandmother raised 9 children on a small island with supplies shipped in on freight barges.

Now, I am heading North, once again. I have been asked "to please come home again." My mother needs me, and my family wants me to join them, as we celebrate my mother's 82nd birthday.

Having already created for her, a "Manifesting Miracles' quilt, which I gave to her at the same time as my father was given his own Patriotic Memories Quilt in January, I was at a loss for a very quick gift to create. But now, I am busily and happily working on it.

I was given only 2 weeks notice to find and buy a ticket north. One week to get this house, my yard and my family situated for my 3 weeks absence, and less than 5 days to create the gift and pack. I am keeping it simple and making a "Pink Ribbons' fleece blanket to commemorate not only her five year survival from severe inflammatory breast cancer, but now her birthday, as well.

My parents came south and lived with me for nine months while she battled her breast cancer and she survived it...and me. We formed an unbreakable bond then, she and I, and then, the two of us, with my father. That journey through her cancer taught us all so very much. It tempered us all, a trial by fire, a journey though pain, and fear, and loss. We helped her to come through it and out to the other side.

We will battle a new foe together now. My mother now faces the uncertain future of Alzheimers. We have watched it progress for over a year, now. I have promised her, we will all be there for her, we will help her and guide her through those uncharted waters....just as we did for the cancer. She needs us, and is counting on our help.

I now have 4 days until I leave. On Tuesday, I will be there. I am heading home....heading North to Alaska, my roots, my family, and my true home.

Celebrating a Birthday

Celebrating birthdays varies from country to country, as well as from family to family. But there are usually traditions that each of us practices and continues to pass on to our children and grandchildren.

In the United States, as in many Western countries, our birthday celebrations symbolically date back to ancient times and to the worship of Mithras, which originated in Persia, and was spread throughout the Roman Empire. The idea of lighted candles, garlands and bouquets of flowers and the giving and sharing of cakes and other sweets on birth days (or one's saint day) all crossed over into our celebrations, today.

As birthdays are considered a special day for the person, the birthday celebrant will often receive special treatment from family and friends. Each of us has our own unique traditions and ways of celebrating. I love hearing how others celebrate, so I will share some of our traditions.

In our family, it is traditional to wake up to a birthday displayed theme, with gifts either on the kitchen countertop, the dining table or displayed on the hearth. Each year, each person has been surprised with a different theme for that year. Some years there are footprints to follow down the hallway to the gifts, some years their are hanging decorations or garlands. There are always candles, or flowers, cards and gifts.

We always bring out our You Take the Cake plate, and the little wine colored Birthdays book which contains predictions for each day of birth (that we read out loud every year). I often bring out the childhood pop up birthday card, also shown here. My tradition (especially when the children were younger) was to always have seven packages to open. No matter how big or how small the contents may be, I like giving seven. So that is one of my own traditions.

Even though my children are grown now, I still love to celebrate, and to decorate in honor of their birthday. I usually sew a counter cloth or other decorations for that year's theme and frequently sew some of the gifts, as well.

Pictured here:
Today's Tea Party: There are homemade counter cloths, 4 cloth napkins, a hot pad for the dessert and teapot cozy for the tea pot.

Today, I celebrate the birthday of my youngest daughter. I wish her the Happiest of 22nd Birthdays and much, much love!

String Quilting: Prayer Pocket Pillow

I have had a great deal of fun coming up with a design idea for my Pay It Forward gift. I knew that I wanted to make something either out of a heart or with a heart on it, not only because of my love for that shape and all that it symbolizes, but because I had a special desire to send healing blessings from my heart to theirs.



I also knew that I wanted to incorporate string quilting as it is my belief that each string represents a heart string sent out as a connection of caring. When I sew with 'heartstrings' I am creating a connection...both spiritual and energetic...between myself and the person who will receive the gift. I ended up designing a small, string pieced pillow with a pocket on the back.

The idea is that you place your prayers, blessings, or good thoughts for others, inside of the little pocket...as I did by tucking in the little card . I sewed my prayers into each and every heart string and as I sewed on the buttons and tied the knots in the perle cotton ribbons, I sent positive affirmations, as well.

My wish, for those of you who received any of my gifts, is that you feel the love created, as well as sent, as it went out to you. Whatever challenges you face, know always that there are so many others who care for you. For those of you, who received one of my pieced hearts, know that your willingness to Pay It Forward with me, will be payed forwards and backwards over and over.

I am grateful for all of my wonderful new friends in Blogland. I truly feel that I am getting to know all of you and care about you as the wonderful women that you are!

Note:

For a step by step tutorial on string piecing this prayer pocket pillow, see my post:

Strip Piecing a Heart Strings Pillow
 

For links on making string or strip pieced quilts:

How to make piece the fabric strips for String Quilting
Please check my Free Quilt Patterns link (always available on the right links section of my blog.)

Many different string quilting patterns, directions, and additional string quilting tips can be found under the 'Scrap Quilting" section near the end of that post.

I Am A Wanted Woman

Creating and sending gifts out these past two weeks has been so much fun! I've had some amazing adventures...especially at the Keizer, Oregon Post Office, where I have now discovered it is illegal to put your own stamps on any package weighing 13 ounces or more and simply dropping it in a mail box!

I have a small postage scale and an online postage chart at home, and wanting to use some of my Gees Bend stamps, I simply weighed my package, computed my postage, applied my stamps, found a mail box and dropped it in. The package was re-delivered, the very next day, back to me at my home address.... with an official illegal package warning sticker!

Apparently, this new ruling went into effect the very Monday that I mailed my first package and Homeland Security was hot on my illegal activity trail! Did that deter me? No, it did not! I hot footed it back down there, pleaded guilty and tried mailing it....this time by handing it to a real person.... and not just dropping it in the box.

All they did was re-stamp it and throw into the chute. No declaration or searching of the contents, no checking for flammable liquids or illegal fruit and no drug sniffing dogs. They simply tossed it in....just as I had....only I had stamped them with my own stamps, and not theirs.

Did I let my unfortunate illegal activity and its consequences deter me? I certainly did not! I went home to create more gifts....only these I made sure weighed under 13 ounces and/or I brought them to the Post Official to be mailed "officially."

I mailed one gift as a thank you for a gift that I had received previously (Paula and her Crazy Woman Sox) one just for the fun (Finn and her blogaversary and encouragement for my hopping on board her Orphan Train )and several as part of the Pay It Forward challenge... ...Debi and Terry, thank you so much for joining me!

And if you are wondering what I look like...I should be on a Post Office poster.... near you.... any time soon! :)

River Cruising on the Portland Spirit

The Portland Spirit is a 150' yacht based in Portland, Oregon that offers tours of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. With room for 350 guests for seated meal cruises, it has three public decks, two of which are enclosed and climate controlled. It is considered the Pacific Northwest's premier dinner ship with fresh local cuisine prepared and served on board.

We were extremely fortunate to be invited as guests for a large dinner cruise on Friday evening and had a delightful time. We enjoyed a stress free coach ride on a tour bus, from Salem to Portland, and a welcoming boarding of the ship... complete with complimentary photos of each of us against a background of the docked vessel. The never ending buffet was served on two decks and was filled with platters of fresh salmon, pork tenderloin, lovely fruits and salads, fresh breads and so many kinds of chocolate cheesecakes to select from, that I could barely decide which one to choose next!

We cruised the Willamette River for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Going back and forth between the wonderful buffet inside, and the beautiful scenery outside, with views of the city of Portland (and all of the various buildings, resorts and million dollar homes) from the many decks was a lot of fun. It was a temperate, clear night and the lights, both on and off of the river, were spectacular.

The Willamette is the largest river contained entirely within the state of Oregon. Confined by the Cascade Mountains, the ancient Calapooyas and the never elevations of the Coast Range, it gathers waters from the east, south and west. Flowing south to north, which is relatively rare for rivers, the Willamette pours into the Columbia River eleven miles downstream from Portland. The name "Willamette" translates as "green waters. And as "green builders", it seemed an entirely appropriate event to have been invited to... and one that we were certainly delighted to participate in!

Our captain hats off to N.W Natural for sponsoring such a fun evening. It was a lovely break from the constant hard work of summer and it was incredibly nice to stand out on the decks of the ship and view the incredibly lovely sights of the Portland skyline... all lit up at night!

Eating Humble Pie

Our dear Finn, over at Riding the Orphan Train is eating Humble Pie. Not being content to just sit here and watch her eat it (especially if I thought I might want some..) I had to do an etymological search on the original, if you will, of 'Humble pie.'

Now, for those of you who may have heard of, but not oft tasted humble pie, it is best served with regrets... as opposed to whipped cream, ice cream or creme fraiche. So, I offer you this... for today's plateful.

From Wikipedia:
"To eat humble pie, in common usage, is to apologize and face humiliation for a serious error.

Etymology
The expression derives from umble pie, which was a pie filled with liver, heart and other offal, especially of cow but often deer. These parts were known as umbles, and since they were considered inferior food, in medieval times the pie was often served to lower-class people.

Although "umbles" and the modern word "humble" are etymologically unrelated, each word has appeared both with and without the initial "h" after the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Since the sound "h" is often dropped in many dialects, and "umble" was a humble meal anyway, the phrase was re-bracketed as "humble pie". While "umble" is now gone from the language, the phrase remains, carrying the fossilized word as an idiom.

See also:
To eat boiled crow
Meaning: Act submissively and apologetically, especially in admitting an error. "

With my usual predilection for extensive research in my "nose to the grindstone" quest for illumination, I discovered that 'umbles' were also called 'numbles (or noumbles, nomblys, or noubles.) Samuel Pepys makes many references to such pies in his famous diary. For example, on 5th July 1662:
"I having some venison given me a day or two ago, and so I had a shoulder roasted, another baked, and the umbles baked in a pie, and all very well done."and on 8th July 1663:
"Mrs Turner came in and did bring us an Umble-pie hot out of her oven, extraordinarily good."

It is possible that it was the pies that caused the move from numbles to umbles. 'A numble pie' could easily have become an umble pie', in the same way that 'a napron' became 'an apron' and 'an ewt' became 'a newt'. This changing of the boundaries between words is called metanalysis and is commonplace in English.

The adjective humble, meaning 'of lowly rank' or 'having a low estimate of oneself' derived separately from umbles, which derives from Latin and Old French words for loins. (Incidentally, if you feel like girding your loins and aren't sure exactly where they are, the OED coyly describes them as 'the parts of the body that should covered with clothing').

The similarity of the sound of the words, and the fact that umble pie was often eaten by those of humble situation could easily have been the reason for 'eat humble pie' to have come to have its current idiomatic meaning.

Now, in any case, our dear Finn is definitely not 'lower class' nor is she inferior in any way, shape or norm. So dear Finn, pull that piece of pie right out of your mouth, right this minute! And dear sweet Molly, certainly never intended for her darling Orphan Train quilt to cause you dietary distress, nor me an etymological diffusion! Nor, you my dear readers, a discretionary offensive infusion.

shown here:
more of my potholders:
using the crow for serving, not eating

And Finn, dear, you are not to apologize for your menu choices. That would be eating boiled crow, not once, but twice!

Hmong Needlework and Applique

The Hmong (pronounced mung) are an ancient tribe of mountain people who originally migrated from China to the mountains of Laos, where they made their homes in the mid-nineteenth century. Ironically, the word 'Hmong' means 'free'. The Hmong people cherish the concepts of freedom and liberty and it shows in the unusual free-spirited fabric arts that they create.

The history of Hmong needlework involves both ancient traditions and the more recent adaptions from their survival in refugee camps in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The Hmong were strong supporters of the United States during the Vietnam war and were in grave danger after the war. Forced into the refugee camps, many later immigrated to the U.S .and other supportive countries.

A large contingency of Hmong refugees settled here, in Oregon. It quickly became apparent, that the Hmong women took great pride in their needle crafts and possessed a unique ability to capture both their cultural traditions and the history of their lives in their lovely work. Possibly, the most difficult of these was their reverse applique called Pandau, meaning "Flower cloth."

Pandau is traditionally given to commemorate special occasions. It incorporates cross-stitch patterns of snails, elephant footprints, trees and celestial stars. As they integrated into our own culture they began to use some of our own designs such as hearts and swirls and have had incredible success with their small stuffed animals which are highly appealing to young and old alike. Whether a pillow, a bag, a cell phone holder, a stuffed animal or a simple patch applied to blue jeans, their delicate handiwork is always a wonderful token of friendship and blessing.

shown:
Pandau appliqued pins and a small bag,
Hmong embroidered pillow

I'm Plum Worn Out

When we bought our piece of property 28 years ago, it was an old prune orchard. Some of the trees came down to build our house, others were toppled by wind storms and a few were hit by UPS trucks or friends who said "No problem, I can turn around in there, just fine..."

What few original trees we have left on our 2 1/2 acres are known as Italian prune-plums. When they are commercially canned, they are always called 'plums.' But here in Oregon, we know better. Or at least, we like to think we do ;)

Italian prune-plums, sometimes called Empress plums, are technically Prunica domestica. They are a small, dense, egg-shaped fruit, with free stone pits and yellow flesh. Whether canned and labeled plums, purchased at market, or eaten fresh and warm off of one of my trees...they are absolutely delicious.

I once had some delivery men argue in my driveway, as they were helping themselves to the fruits of the tree's labor. One man asked "Are these plums?" The other man said "No, they're prunes." Man #1 says, "They can't be prunes, prunes turn into raisins." "No, Man #2 says, Raisins come from grapes." "Well," says Man #1, these aren't grapes."

I suspect one of the men was truly a Californian.

shown:
my first picking of prunes, otherwise labeled plums, but really prune-plums
a couple of stacks of my easy to make potholders on the side

How To Make An American Quilt (Salad)

An American Quilt Chopped Salad
Recipe from: Richard Simmons "The Today Show"

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon each arrowroot and honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad

• 1/2 cup each finely chopped cucumber
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/2 cup red onion
• 1/2 cup carrot
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed, or canned, drained
• 1/2 cup red cabbage
• 4 red beets for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in blender. Blend until well mixed; there will still be little pieces of onion. Pour into small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring. Do not boil. Let cool. Then chill. You should have about ¾ cup dressing.

2. In serving bowl combine all chopped and diced vegetables. Chill. Just before serving, add ¼ cup dressing to vegetables in bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Arrange each portion of salad in a beet on serving plate.

shown:

salad arranged and served in a hollowed out beet

I'm 'Bouncing'Around Today!

Like a lot of people, I use and re-use fabric softener sheets. But, being a quilter, I also save my 'already been used' fabric softener sheets for foundation piecing. I prefer muslin, myself, but I have a sweet friend who just LOVES the smaller size and thinness of the the little 'Bounce' or other brands of fabric softener sheets and that is what she likes to use for her foundation pieces.

So, I carefully stack my well-used fabric softener sheets into recycled empty containers and when I have a box full...I pass them on to her. She is always delighted and that makes me happy to see her happy! I like the fact that I am re-using, as well as recycling, and I'm helping that little sheet spin around in its bounce cycle to become part of something bigger and better than itself :)

With my usual extensive pattern of research, I was not suprised to discover that there is an entire list of other things that one can do with these little sheets besides taking wrinkles out of laundry or making friends happy. The brand name "Bounce" is used here, but I assume that any perfumed softner sheet will work just as well. I start with my favorite, of course.....

1. Save and reuse for foundation piecing in quilts.

2. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

3. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice and ants from entering your vehicle.

4. It repels mosquitoes and bees. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors while gardening, camping or golfing.

5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

6. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors, just clean with a sheet of Bounce, while still wet.

7. To freshen the air in your home, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

8. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner. It will freshen as it cleans.

9. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

10. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

11. To freshen the air in your car, place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

12. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.

13. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

14. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.

15. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

16. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

17. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

18. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

19. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

20. And finally, run a sheet through your hair to calm down the frizzies and static electricity.

Some of these I have tried, others ...well, they may be a bit questionable. But hey, if nothing else, try string quilting on a few, yourself, and hang them up in the laundry room as laundry room art :)

Perseids Meteor Showers

One of summer's most anticipated events in the night sky is the annual return of the Perseid Meteor showers. Through the ages, the comet, known as 109P/Swift-Tuttle has spread its falling ice and rock debris as it has passed through the solar system. As the debris streams from the comet, it forms the comet's visible tail. The solid pieces of debris are called meteoroids.

The meteoroids spread out along the entire orbit of the comet to form a meteoroid stream. As the Earth orbits the Sun, its orbit sometimes takes us through a meteoroid stream and a meteor shower ensues. The meteoroids encounter Earth's atmosphere at a very high speed. As the meteoroids streak through the atmosphere, friction causes the particles to burn and incandesce, forming meteors. When the meteoroid stream is particularly dense, we occasionally see a spectacular meteor storm, bright streaks and even fireballs.

When the Earth sweeps through its band every year from late July to late August, the dust burns up from friction with the upper atmosphere and creates silent streaks that slice across our night sky. Because Swift-Tuttles's meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."

The Perseids are one of the oldest meteor showers that mankind has records for. The earliest observations were made by the Chinese in 36 A.D. when the Perseids peaked, not in August, as they do today, but in July. Because the path of the shower in highly inclined to the ecliptic (the pane in which the Earth and all of the other planets orbit the Sun), the Perseids have no been affected by the disturbing gravitational influences f our major planets. As a result, they are a reliable meteor shower. From 714 A.D. until the present year, the Perseids have been recorded every year.

As the night unfolds, Perseus will climb higher and the meteor rate will increase many-fold. Most Perseids are bright, yellow meteors, with speeds around 36 miles per second. Expect to see several fireballs, which frequently leave trails of smoke and many times even explode midway! The show begins Sunday, August 12 at 9 pm (your local time) and really gets going around 2 a.m. on the 13th. The crescendo comes before dawn when rates could exceed a meteor a minute.

To truly enjoy the spectacle, get away from city lights, into a wide open viewing space. The conditions this year could not be more perfect. It is the beginning of a new moon, so the night sky, itself, will be dimmed, except for the meteor showers.

Silver Creek Falls State Park (near Salem, Oregon) hosts a star party, every summer, in honor of the Perseids. The local astronomy club Night Sky 45 sets up telescopes ranging in size from 6" to 22". Entire families camp out, paying only a $3 park fee for parking vehicles and experienced club members direct the scopes to specific sky points. Participants bring their own telescopes or binoculars, as well and it creates a wonderful educational evening, as well as a lot of fun!

shown here:

the projected path of the comet between the constellations, Perseus and Cassiopeia

90% Perspiration 10% Inspiration

Melzie tagged me, bless her heart and said:

With Heart and Hands, A Quilting Journey

This is not just a quilting blog, although I could go on for a while about how great her quilts are :) But its also a blog that I can learn from, be inspired from, she seems to be a very earthy soul and that speaks to me :)

Gosh, Melzie, (blush, blush) Thank you, so very much! You are just too dear for words!



I am working outside, in the yard, today. So, I am definitely feeling like a very earthy soul. I have pruned 9 rhododendron bushes, 2 hydrangeas, 1 mimosa tree and 3 gigantic ferns. They originally towered over and around me. Now, they are mere skeletal remains of their former selves. Michele Lopperhands attacked them with a vengeance.

I'm not sure if my soul is speaking to anybody today, but my whole, entire body is screaming out

to anyone who'll listen. I would expect,pretty much all of you, from Oregon to Greenland to Japan to Africa, to be able to hear me, today.

I have filled both of the above, three times with branches. I asked my husband for a chain saw and a flat bed trailor for the front yard. My skin is glowing profusely in the heat and I now am a lot more earthier......but of course, it's all under my fingernails.

When the 90% active ingredients cools off and rests up, the 10% will pass on the nomination tag to the next (blush) deserving recipient.

Ok. I'm done.

I pass the wheelbarrow on to...ta da...Su B, or is it, Sue B, or maybe Sue Bee? She keeps changing her name, hoping I won't be able to find her blog and comment. Sue! Yoo Hoo! You are nominated, tagged, rassled to the ground and pinned with this official award.

You inspire me in ways too big for mere words too encompass. You take what life gives you, whether you like it or not, and you keep going. You set your dreams high and your goals to include others, as well. You have an enormous heart, a delightful personality, and you are just as wonderful of a grandma as your own grandma ever was!

That and you make beautiful quilts,amazing purses and pass on good genetics for some incredibly beautiful grandbabies.

And best of all, you are an excellent invisible friend.

Congratulations to Su Bee! My most inspirational blogger!

((Thank you, Melzie, for nominating me! It was fun while I still had my crown.))

Quilting Day

I've always learned that life was full of obstacles and woes.
I've learned to live with sickness, death, taxes, heaven knows.
I've taken all these things in stride, the problems and the strife,
But one I didn't count on, was a Quilter for a wife.

I come home from work....the stove is cold, the dirty clothes, still there,
The suit I wanted cleaned today, still laying on the chair.
"Where's Mama, son?" I asked my boy, "This house is such a mess."
"Why, all the sheets are missing, we've been burglarized I guess."

"No, Mama stripped down all the beds and took the sheets away.
She cut them into little strips and pieced two quilts today."
"Why every pair of pants I own is cut in little squares."
"I'm demonstrating applique," my lovely wife declares.

I show up in the office in my boxer shorts and tie.
My secretary giggles and the clerks give me the eye.
It's freezing cold, I'm shaking and my knees are turning blue.
My boss considered firing me, but his wife's a quilter too.

I told him what happened and he said he could believe.
I noticed that the coat he wore had only half a sleeve.
A husband needs a loving wife... to help him when he's ill.
To soothe and comfort, mop his brow and help him take his pills.

Should influenza strike you, your life's not worth a dime,
Particularly if it hits at Quilt Convention time.
You'll lay there in an empty house, in pain and deep despair,
While the workshops and the lectures keep your wife's attention, there.

You learn to ask no questions when she smiles and drives away,
Rushing to the Fabric Shop for a big sale there, today.
She's gone for hours, then drags back home, all bleary eyed and down.
Now who'd believe a lie like that? She must be running round.

But I'll get by, I always do, some days are fine, some not.
When your wife's a Quilter, you tolerate a lot.
I know that when my life is through and I pass away,
They'll have to set my funeral... so it's not a Quilting Day.

(Author: unknown)

Patriotic Heartstrings of Memory

Tanya, over at Taniwa , wrote a most interesting post about patriotism. As a Japanese-American, she considers herself to be an American who has lived in Japan for the past three decades. She is spending a month, here in the States, visiting her family, and was amazed at the amount of patriotic merchandise that she saw everywhere. She commented that the Japanese have no such sense of patriotic fervor and wondered if it was more about the intensity that was created out of 9-11 or just how we, as Americans, are.

I suspect it is both. As I personally sew 'patriotic quilts of valor quilts' on an on-going basis here in Salem, Oregon and present them to Veterans and Veteran's groups, I can only assume that I have at least some kind of patriotic fervor within. Otherwise, why do I focus so much on this and make it a special project of my own heart, just as I do with comfort quilts for children?

Right now, my deck does have patriotic flags twined in the wisteria. I have a patriotic quilt and a pillow that says 'Liberty' on the back deck. If it starts raining, then I have a patriotic quilt and a pillow in a basket. I continue to support our troops.... though I truly dislike war and everything associated with it. I have given patriotic memorial quilts on several occasions to WWII veterans at their funerals. I had learned from my own father, who was a WWII veteran from a "Five Star Family" (his parents saw 5 sons go off to war, with only 4 returning) that there seems to be an intense sense of Americanism in this era of gentle men who, nevertheless, went to war and waged war on behalf of their country.

Many of the men from this generation consider that period in their lives to be the most significant of all. I discussed these concepts when I made a patriotic 90th Birthday Memories Quilt for my own father's 90th birthday. That quilt and the poem that went with it, meant the world to him. The emotions, the photos, summed up in a few squares all that he held most dear...family, country, fighting for his own life, the loss of his brother's life and primarily his incredibly deep sense of patriotism.

The quilt pictured above, was given in memory of another deceased WWII veteran. A man in his eighties, who had served in the Navy during WWII and had insisted that Anchors Away be played at his own funeral. It was a huge surprise following the quiet hymns...startling us, as its playful melody filled the sedate aisles of the church while we watched the priest lead the professional and his casket being wheeled out.... after his final and most important battle in this lifetime. A battle that may have seen lost to some, but was hard fought, filled with pride and seen as successful, by others.

I made one of my Patriotic Heartstrings Quilts as a memento for his family. I wrote in the card that I had made a heartstrings quilt because of the deep symbolism that they hold for me. There are breaks in the continuation of the fabric strings, just like there are breaks in our lives. But I reminded them that true heartstrings can never be broken. They had them with their father, brother, grandfather, uncle...in this lifetime...and they have them still, in the next. It touched them, I think, and I know that making it for him and for them, deeply touched me.

I think patriotism must be like heartstrings, somehow. Some unseen, but strongly felt energy that goes across the dimensions of thought and physical body and transcends into the dimension of pure feeling. When I read Tanya's lyrics to God Bless the USA, in her post, I could feel exactly what patriotism feels like. When I hold a patriotic quilt of memory, I can feel the heartstrings, the patriotism and the memories...all at once, in me, in my own heart.

Maybe, that is what these heartstrings do. They connect us all to source. Whether we see that source as God, or love, or patriotism, or a loved one. They simply connect us to something greater than ourselves, but still part of who, and what, and even all, that we are. They are after all, a symbol for love felt, love given, and love shared.

Patriotic Heartstrings Quilting Project

String Quilting
Free Quilt Patterns

Orphan Train Quilt: The Final Reckoning

When I decided to hop on board and ride Finn's Orphan Train, little did I realize what an impact it would have. In the beginning, I didn't even think I had any orphans of my own and then, bit by bit, block by block.....I realized that I have been collecting orphans my whole life.

When I was a very young girl, growing up on Douglas Island near Juneau, Alaska, I used to take in every stray cat that wandered by my grandparent's old house. I would climb up the stairs to my Grandmother's clothes drying platform, and grabbing a hold of the old pulleyed line, hoist in the clothes, drying there. As I screechingly hauled in the laundry from that line, I dreamed of far away places and long ago times. I loved it up there so much, I began to collect old pieces of cast way lumber and built myself a little fort (a station, if you will) on that platform.

The stray cats were attracted to all of this activity and began to visit me. In turn, I began to feed them, sneaking food from the house on a daily basis. In no time at all, I had 11 'orphans' in my domain. I was the the mistress of my own orphanage and didn't even realize it. Eventually, some were allowed inside as 'house' cats. The others took turns coming and going, as cats do. I gave them all names....and loved them all, dearly.

I grew up and went off to college 'in the states'......in Oregon. I married an Oregonian, had three children and then, my own children brought home orphans. Cats, dogs, birds, mice, rats, snakes, spiders, lizards, turtles, iguanas, fish, hermit crabs, guinea pigs...you name it...we had it. If someone found an injured robin...we got it. We hand fed it mashed blueberries and worms. When we went camping, it came with us in a pet carrier...it had to be fed every few hours, after all! When someone found a pet bird.....a canary, a crow......anything lost or abandoned...we got them.

We ended up with 15 pets at a time and I was so busy saying 'no more' and 'these are too many' that it was hard to notice, when my youngest rescued another mouse from the snake's cage or another cat from the back yard. I was still running an orphanage...and still didn't know it.

When I met people who had lost their way......people going through hard times, kids who were mad at their parents and 'ran' away.....they came to my house and I took them in, too. Some stayed a night, some two weeks, and some many, many months. It all seemed normal and natural, somehow. After all, I was used to running orphanages, even if I didn't know it.

I would hear the train whistle blowing as the train came through Salem. A sad and plaintive sound, it called out to my friends and impacted their lives in many ways. They would talk and talk about that sound and what trains and train tracks meant to them. I never realized those friends were in my life, because the sound of the Orphan Train must be somewhere in my own blood. I was taking them in, and either giving them a home or trying to find them one.... and all that time, the train was stopping at my house and I still didn't know it.

Finn says there comes a time of 'reckoning'. When the orphan train children would be sized up and reckoned with. Would they be a 'good fit' ? Would they add to or help the family? Some orphans make the cut and other's don't. So there are those who have to help the ones that don't make the grade.......or leave them lost and abandoned, forever.

I guess I felt that, back then.... and somehow, I must still feel it now. I've taken in my share of orphans, and done the best I could with them all. So, I look now, at my little "Orphan Train" quilt and it's time for it's own reckoning.

Well, I reckon it's good enough. I reckon that I like it. I reckon that's its finished. And most of all, I reckon that it sure did teach me a lot about myself that I already should have known. Thanks, Finn...for blowing that whistle and calling me to get on board. And thank you, my little Orphan Train quilt for letting your train tracks lead me back home again.

The Saga of Gee's Bend: Continues....

Who could ever have guessed that a group of sweet little old ladies could stir up such a world-class hub bub over a bunch of 'old' quilts? Well, the wonderfully talented group of Gee's Bend Quilters can, and have.

First, it was Annie Mae Young who accused Atlanta art scholar, William Arnnett (who first brought the Gee's Bend quilts to national prominence) of falsely representing the proceeds from the quilters' enterprise. As quilter, Nancy Brown, stated "We need something else here. We need stores, we need our roads fixed, we need day care, we need a washeteria."

And now, it is Lucinda Pettway Franklin, who filed a lawsuilt claiming that the lawyers had reclaimed and still had, three of her quilts. She is saying that they took them away and now she hasn't seen them in over two years. She was told that the lawyers were holding them because "family members hadn't wanted their true age to be known" (some of the fabrics appearing to be newer than previously claimed ) and that they didn't want to return them via regular mail. Franklin also claims that at various times, lawyers had told her that: "that the quilts had been destroyed in a fire, accidentally thrown away, ruined in a flood or lost." She claims that she just wants her quilts back, but.... her lawsuit continues.

At the helm of the controversy is William Arnnett, one of the most controversial figures in the art world today. A prolific art dealer who was virtually excommunicated from the Atlanta art scene in the mid-1980s, Arnett turned his sights to collecting art from African-American "folk artists." He became, as Morley Safer labeled him, "the king of outsider art." Arnett loudly promotes certain African-American vernacular artists as "better than Picasso, better than Matisse." He drew the interest of actress and political activist, Jane Fonda, who was so taken by this form of art and the quilting artists that she invested over $1 million in Bill Arnett's book publishing venture aimed at promoting this work.

The quilts don't come close to fetching the million-dollar prices paid for the abstract expressionist paintings by Robert Motherwell and Marc Rothko that they resemble, but the income helps in an enclave devoid of industry and commerce. Several well-known quilters, such as MaryLee Bendolph, who was profiled in a 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning article published by the Los Angeles Times, steadfastly support the Arnett family.

But now a financial dispute has divided the residents, estranging lifelong neighbors and threatening to send the celebrated quilters and their colorful bed coverings back, for a second time, into obscurity. It also pits a handful of impoverished descendants of slaves against a family of white Atlanta art dealers who have devoted decades to studying and promoting African-American art.

"That's the way Satan is," says Mary Lee Bendolph, one of the best-known of the quilters, who remains a staunch supporter of the Arnett family of art dealers. "He gets people going, then he messes it all up." She also said in a telephone interview that "We all love the Arnetts. We don't want to make no more trouble."

Matt Arnett, 39, says he and his father are used to being misunderstood. But he says he wants 'people to go and look at that incredible art and come away with a changed perception about America and where genius resides. I want them to understand that things from unexpected places can shine and make us re-evaluate our thoughts and beliefs about the world.

The lawsuits probably won't go to trial before 2008. For the quilters enjoying their day in the sun, that might be too late. We all agree that the quilts, themselves, are unique and beautiful. None of us who try to emulate them, can even come close. The quilters share a unique ability to capture and create something of great and unusual beauty from the simplest of materials.

But, the fact remains.... who would ever have guessed that a group of sweet little old ladies could stir up such a hub bub over a bunch of 'old' quilts?

Quilting Blogs: Pay It Forward (In Many Ways)

The Pay It Forward movement ( which refers to the repaying of of good deeds received by doing good things for others) is gaining momentum around the quilting circle. I write from my little blog, here, in Salem, Oregon, and as I write (and others read and participate) it spreads out into the much broader quilt blogging world beyond!

The concept, that is currently being circulated, is based on a request that we make a post requesting 3 participants to respond to a 'Pay It Forward' post. When I posted, I offered a double play...that the first 6 bloggers to email me would each receive a gift from me .....and they, in turn, post a similar offer on their blogs and agreed to mail gifts to another 3 or more bloggers who responded to their post.

One of my post responders, Terry Crawford (who is the new Staff Writer for Quilting By Design, and manages an online quilting forum, called Quilting Passion Forum) came up with a wonderful parallel idea. Her idea, posted on her Quilt Talk is an expansion of the concept into a blog reading participation. Each participant reading a blog (like this one!), is to post a comment on that blog and then paying it forward by reading a 'new' blog that day and again posting on it.

As each of us expands our willingness to read and learn about new bloggers, we not only expand our own world outside of the more limited one that each of us visits each day, but we also become active contributors in a broader sense, in the quilting community. The 'Paying of it Forward' into blog reading is then, quite lovely and almost instantaneous.

Today, when I was checking on my own blog, after only a few days of posting my own Pay It Forward offer, I discovered that my blog is now being listed on Kaye Wood's new blog called Kayes Quilting Friends . This is just how rewarding making new friends (and bright new contacts :) can be! Suddenly, you are reading and making new blogger friends...instantly! What a delight!

Thanks, Terry! The 'gift' is not quite in the mail yet...but at least I'm filled with possibilities of ideas as well as gratitude for just how wonderful the quilting community...and its quilters...truly are! And, of course...I just spent some wonderful time reading new blogs and making new friends as I, in turn, re-payed you forward, again :)

Virginia Tech Memorial Quilts: Update

A quick update on the Virginia Tech Memorial Quilt Project for all of you who participated in making blocks for the 30+ prospective quilts being assembled by the hard working staff and volunteers at Grandmas Attic Sewing Emporium in Dallas, Oregon.

The quilts are still in the process of being documented before being assembled and quilted. Keeping in mind that Steve and Rachel Greco, owners of the delightful little quilting shop, received more than 500 pieced blocks from all over the world, we can all appreciate the time and effort required to put those blocks together and create quilts for each and every family affected by the horrible event at the Virginia Tech University, last April.

One of the most meaning filled things, that Rachel and her staff are doing, is the photographing and precise documenting of each and every block received. They truly felt that it was appropriate to honor and acknowledge each block submission by preserving both the names of the block creators and the a photographic record of the blocks they submitted.

Towards that end, they have created a large binder filled with completed block submission forms (like the ones we all mailed in) and any other correspondence material any of us might have sent, as well. As of right now, they have carefully removed threads from the blocks, pinned them to a neutral background and photographed them each individually.

When I consider just how much care and love has gone into just our donated blocks, and the process of documenting them, I think we can all appreciate the great love they are sharing, in all ways, with these quilts. Due to this loving process, the quilts have not yet been created, but that process will begin, soon. As Rachel says,"These individual blocks are already a moving testament to the power of the quilts and the fiber arts to help people heal after a national tragedy."

I think it goes without saying, that Rachel and her husband, Steven, are shining examples of the power of love, appreciation and caring of the art and the love of the power of the quilts and quilters...as well, as their deep caring for the families of Virginia Tech.

shown:
my little collage of collected images
p.s.

If you received VT fabric bits from me and created a block or blocks, I would love a photo for my own photo files.

Quilting in Clay

A design wall, bolts of fabric and quilts...all in a little quilt shop. And not one bit of any of them was ever created with fabric or thread. This is all done in polymer clay for a book by Sarajane Helm and Judith Skinner. Wow, I wouldn't be surprised if they took as long as a real quilt!

Do Cats Really Have Nine Lives?

This is the oldest of our three cats. She was a 9th birthday gift, for my youngest daughter, 13 years ago. This cat has managed to survive narrow escapes with all nine of her allocated cat lives. Several weeks ago, she fell 2 stories from a loft railing to the wooden flooring below.... after trying to walk on an impossibly narrow ledge of a closed, upper story window.

It was a heart stopping moment (especially for a cat in her middle years) and we watched her,for days on end,to make sure that she was all right. It took her a while to recuperate, from what I am sure must have been a very bruised and tender body, but she appears to be fine now.

Ever since she was a tiny kitten and I first found her inside of a spinning dryer....luckily within seconds of turning it on, I have known that her endless curiosity would continually place her lives in peril...and it has. She has been poisoned by neighboring farm's barns of rat poison twice, been attacked by territorial feral cats, been driven off in the back of visitors' cars and once popped up into view from my own car's back seat.... after I had driven for more than 10 miles. We are always on the lookout for where she is and what she might be doing. Luckily, if there is a quilt out...we know where we can find her.

Her most recent misadventure led me on a search for the origin of the belief that cats have nine lives. My research informed me that this belief most likely stems from an early confusion with cat's nine lives and the cat o' 9 tails, which was a whip used to punish sailors, made of nine strands. Early on, this whip was called a cat and also associated with the saying no room to swing a cat....meaning that whip and not a feline.

Flogging, with this braided leather whip made with the typical 9 strips of oiled and knotted leather, was a common punishment on board sea faring naval vessels. The unlucky sailor would receive 50 to 100 lashes instead of the even more unlucky punishment of gaol or jail, usually for his lifetime. Although infections abounded, if you could survive the cat, as the whip was called, you went on to have 'other lifetimes' at sea.

It is not surprising that the unusual resiliency and craftiness of a cat, who can seemingly survive falls from great distances with their ability to absorb shock, should end up being equated with the misbehaving sailor or even the pirate's ability, to survive near death with the cat o' nine tails.

But why the number 9? The number nine was a lucky, mystical, or magical number because it was considered the Trinity of Trinities (3 x 3). As cats seem able to escape injury time and time again, this lucky number seemed suited to the cat, just as it suited the original surviving pirate or sailor.

But do cats really have nine lives? And where does this idea come from? All animals have a reflex that helps them to stay balanced. It's called the righting reflex. This reflex is so simple and so basic, that most of us never even notice it. When we are walking, and our feet slip, a number of different muscles in our legs, our back, and maybe even your shoulders suddenly work to try to keep our bodies upright.

Cats have extremely well-developed righting reflexs. If a cat starts to fall out of a tree, it twists its whole body in midair and lands on its feet. So, cats often survive falls that would kill most animals. So most likely, that’s where the idea came from that cats can survive high falls and still not only land on their feet but even survive.

Whatever the meaning, our family is simply grateful that another one of our cats has managed to survive another one of her 'nine lives.' And as each of our three cats, with each of her nine lives, gets into mischief or even harm's way, I am only reminded how much we love each of them, nuisances as they might be, and how grateful we are to have all three of them to enrich our lives and grace our quilts!

shown:

happy cat on my OphanTrain quilt,

meandering in progress with both