Blackberry Creek Home Arts

UFO Progress Report: Week 39

This quilt turned out nothing like I thought it was going to. Once I got started, it just took over and became a small quilt instead of a wall hanging. Isn't it strange how some projects seem to control the show and become what they want to be in spite of all your plans? But I rather like how it looks. I'm thinking of hand quilting it but haven't decided for sure.

I hope the rest of you Little Green Quilters have been busy this week and have something to show us. Please enter your links in Mr. Linky below.

Getting Ready for Retreat

I hope everyone is having a good day. I'm very, very busy getting everything done that I have to do before retreat next week. I got my Block of the Month kits created for October guild, which will be the Monday after we return from retreat--so I thought I best do them now.

I'm going to take the French General Snowball UFO to work on. Maybe my hexies too for some handwork. Now all I have to do is get all my equipment packed and everything into the car, and I'll be ready. 

I haven't told the doggies yet of my plans. I think I'll just surprise them.

Guess what? Birdie has learned to use the doggie door all by herself. Between me and Skipper, we got her convinced that she won't be jumping into an alternate universe if she goes through on her own.

Have a good afternoon, everyone. Oh, and all you UFO Busters, don't forget that tomorrow is Progress Report Day--and I have some progress to report this week.

I Suppose I Could Make Mud Pies

This is just a sample of what my backyard has become.
There's actually a concrete walk under all that mud and dirt.

Here at Bark Bark Manor (formerly known as The Yellow House) we are tired this morning. After much cleaning and mopping of dirt and mud yesterday, mud and dirt remains. If I can just keep from getting buried under it all until Steve gets the backyard work done, I'll make it.

Steve the Landscaper came yesterday to look at the back yard mess. I think he was amazed. He couldn't stop looking at the devastation. Skipper was happy to give him a demonstration of exactly how it got that way. All the time we were trying to talk, Skipper was madly digging and barking, black wet dirt flying every which way. Birdie stayed away, however. She's not quite as proud of her excavations as Skipper is, although she holds the record for the biggest hole, if not the deepest. (Miss Sophie stood on the back porch, quietly sending thoughts my way: "Remember the days when I was the only dog, and there was none of the digging stuff going on?"

If Steve can find the stones that he plans to use, he will do the job next week while I'm at retreat and the little ditch diggers are at doggie spa.

Birdie's Trench

(Just look at all that rich black dirt that I've nurtured so lovingly through the years. Now it's all going to be covered with landscaping cloth and stones.)
*** 

Note to Cindy K: Please let me know your email address so that I can send the coloring bag instructions. Thanks.

As Promised

This is the second project that Martha demonstrated for our bee meeting yesterday, a coloring bag for kiddies. The instructions are a little long to print here--although not at all difficult. But if anyone would like a copy I'll gladly email one to you.

Bee is going to make a bunch of these for local children's charities, and I'm thinking of also making a few for the children's classes at my church.

I have everything worked out, I think, so that I can attend my bee's quilting retreat next week at Red Rooster on Smith Lake. We haven't been to RR in about three years and we're all looking forward to seeing Jim and Jennifer again.

The thing that really bothers me about this retreat is that Jennifer and her crew are awesome cooks and they serve meals that will, as Vann would say, make you want to bite your mama. I'm going to pack some healthy breakfasts and snacks and try to stay out of the dining room as much as possible. But if I gain back a couple of the 16 pounds I've lost so far, I won't be surprised.

Birdie and Skipper are going to board at Dr. Rachel's while I'm away; and Birdie will be spayed while she's there. Andy is going to spend evenings at my house with Sophie; and Sophie will be fine alone during the day. I cannot even think about boarding Sophie. Apparently due to the near-death illness she had in 2007, she has severe anxiety attacks when we have to go to the vet. She trembles and pants and whines. I just can't think of putting her through four days of that.

I have lots to do before I can leave town, so I better get to getting. Hope everyone has a fine Tuesday.

Jelly Roll Lasagna

No, this is not a recipe for a new kind of casserole. It's instructions for a new (at least to me) kind of quilt: a lasagna quilt made from a jelly roll.

This is one of the things Martha E. showed us how to make this morning at Quilt Bee meeting. The quilt uses one jelly roll (or 40 (2 1/2") strips cut from the width of various fabrics.

You sew all the strips together, end to end, then fold the resulting looooonnnngggg strip in half, stitch down one long edge, trim the folded end, fold again, and stitch down one long edge again. You continue folding, stitching, and trimming until you have a 48" x 64" quilt top as shown in photo above.

For more detailed instructions, a video, and more photos of the Jelly Roll Lasagna quilt, go HERE.

The other thing that Martha showed us how to make was a children's coloring bag. I'll show you that another time. Right now, I'm going to pull out one of my collected jelly rolls and see if I can do this.

Note: For those who don't know what a jelly roll is, go here.

First Quilt

Well, not really. I can't find the very first quilt I made in 1968, I believe it was. For it, I drafted a pattern from a Lemoyne Star quilt that my husband's grandmother gave us. (I didn't have a clue that a person who has never made a quilt should not start with a Lemoyne Star.) It was a pretty pitiful quilt. If I ever run across it, I'll show you.

This quilt is actually the first one I ever made using a printed pattern. I think the pattern came off the wrapper of a Mountain Mist batting, but I'm not sure. I know the batting I used was Mountain Mist cotton--the old kind that was not needle-punched like it is today to prevent bunching. This quilt has plenty of bunching in places where I didn't get the quilting lines close enough together.

That was in about 1972, I believe. The fabrics came from scraps leftover from clothes I had made for my children.

It's all hand pieced and hand quilted. The blocks contain set-in ("Y") seams. The easy way hadn't been invented yet.

Yesterday I worked on organizing distribution envelopes for next month's guild block-of-the-month. Each person will get her/his own envelope containing a pattern and a piece of fabric. The participant will supply the rest of the fabric needed for the block. And yes, I will post the next block photo and instructions as soon as guild members receive it.

It's Pink Saturday over at Beverly's Blog, you know. So excuse me now while I run over there and see what's going on. Have a great weekend everyone--and don't forget, ROLL TIDE!!

UFO Progress Report: Week 38

I didn't sleep well last night, only a couple of hours. I was lying in bed at about 4:00 this morning, awake, when the phone rang. I hate it when the phone rings at hours when most folks are in bed. It scares the dickens out of me. Always has.

I stumbled over several dogs and got to the phone (which for some reason is located on the other side of my king size bed) to hear this deep husky voice ask, "Hey, hon. How you doin'?" With heart pounding and nerves wracked, I asked the gentleman who the heck was he calling? He informed me that he was trying to call his daughter. "Well I'm not her," I answered in my you-woke-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-scared-me-to-death-and-I'm-POed voice, and I hung up. He called right back, but I didn't answer the phone that time.

I didn't go back to bed. I made a pot of coffee and drank two cups while watching the the bad news on CNN or MSNBC or one of those bad-news channels.

What an awful way to begin one of my favorite days of the year, Autumn Equinox. Autumn is here officially. When daylight finally came, I saw that we had a wonderful autumn fog after a night of heavy rain and thunderstorms. I love autumn--love it, love it, love it.

I haven't made hardly a bit of UFO progress this week, except to press and trim my cottage blocks and choose a fabric from my stash to sash them. I could show you that, but Andy has my camera. She took it to the Little Yellow House to make some photos. 

But I do have a couple of photos that Blogless Barbara sent me with her UFO report. She has finished both her "Pretty in Pink and Green" and "Stars in My Garden" quilts. Aren't they pretty?

"Pretty in Pink and Green"

"Stars in My Garden"

Since I have no UFO photos to show today, I thought I would post the first quilt guild block of the month, which I gave out to guild members at our September meeting. Members will be returning blocks at the October meeting for the drawing. Here come the instructions.
(Note to UFO Busters: Go to bottom of post for Mr. Linky.) 

~~~
City Leaves - October 2011
BQG Block of the Month 

1. From tan or beige fabric, cut 1 (7” x 10”) rectangle.  

2. Trace pattern pieces (leaf & stem)** onto paper side of fusible web such as Wonder Under, Steam-a-Seam, etc. 

3. Following manufacturer’s instructions, adhere pattern pieces to wrong side of fabrics. Use brown or dark green print or solid for stem and a small-scale autumn print (yellow, orange, olive, gold, rust, burgundy, etc.) for leaf.

4. Cut out pieces on solid lines.

5. Place and adhere pieces to approximate center of the 7” x 10” rectangle.

6. Using black thread, machine blanket stitch or machine satin stitch around edge of leaf and edge of stem.

 

**I'm not sure if the pattern pieces will translate to your screen at just the right size. So here are the measurements. Leaf piece is 7 3/4" from upper tip to bottom of leaf and 4 1/4" across it's widest part (first e in the word green in color instructions). The stem piece is 5 7/8" long from upper tip to bottom and about 5/8" across the bottom. Check dimensions of your pattern pieces after printing them out and make adjustments if needed.

~~~ 

Below you'll find Mr. Linky for all your UFO Busters who would like to show what you've been up to this week.

Another Photo Op for the Girls

I think my breasts have been photographed more than Princess Di and Michael Jackson combined. In fact, I think I'm going to name them that. Diana and Michael Boob. How about that? Michael can be a girl name. Remember Michael Learned, one of my favorite actresses?

Yesterday I went for my third mammogram and second ultrasound of the year. The technician told me that she saw lots of cysts, dense tissue, and one fibroid something neuroma--but nothing suspicious. She said the radiologist would call me after he/she looks at the tests. I hope to the high heavens I don't have to go back--well, I'll have to go back in February (only five months from now) at any rate when it's time for my annual checkup. Di and Michael are going to be glowing if they get photographed much more.

All the dogs are doing well. Miss Birdy (or Birdie) got a very good report from the vet. Dr. R says Birdie is about a year old and probably a husky mix. Which we already suspected all that. No heartworms, no health problems at all, no microchip. So Birdie is officially Andy's dog, but still living with me until Andy gets in her house.

Birdie spent her first night inside the house last night. Before yesterday, I couldn't get her to even come inside without pulling her. But late yesterday, I opened the back door and looked her in the eye, and she trotted right in. She slept at the foot of my bed last night on the blue-and-yellow rug. No accidents in the house--so far. Could it be that she's house broken? Let us hope so.

The other dogs still haven't cozied up to Birdie. Skipper growls at her and shows his teeth, but Birdie has learned to answer him back with something that sounds a lot like, "Bite me, you little @#%*#^*" No dog fights so far.

Don't forget that tomorrow is UFO Progress Report day. I hope I have something to report other than having trimmed and pressed my cottage blocks.

Discoveries at the Yellow Dog House

I made an interesting discovery yesterday. I'm sure I'm not the first one to make this discovery, but I'm delighted nevertheless. 

I discovered that I can use the exact same size squares to make a Bow Tie block that I used to make the Smackdown Friendship Star quilt a couple of weeks ago--5" and 2 1/2" squares.

 

The main difference is that the Friendship Star is a nine-patch block and the Bow Tie is a four-patch block.

Since I still have a massive amount of scraps in my stash, my next project will be a cuddle quilt for my guild's charity quilt program made from these bow tie blocks. Might even make more than one.

If any of you are interested in more detailed instructions on how to make either or both of these blocks, let me know and I'll be happy to post them.

Miss Birdie is spending the day at Dr. Rachel's today. She's going to get checked out physically and for a microchip, have her shots, and get a good bath. (Andy and I missed a few spots.) 

I had just a little trouble getting her down the stairs, into the basement, and into the back seat of the car. But once she was there, she settled in a rode like a good dog. But then came the fun, getting her into the vet clinic. She was determined that she was not going. She lay down on her back in front of the clinic door, stuck her feet up in the air, and wouldn't budge. It took me and the receptionist together to get her inside. But then she seemed fine again.

Heavy, heavy rain is falling today--which makes for more doggie problems. Sophie will NOT go outside. Skipper, Daisy, and Birdy are fine with going outside and getting all muddy and tracking it into the house. Oh my! Aren't doggies wonderful?

 

A Couple of White Turkeys

Scary thought: Only a few weeks now until the holiday season begins. I love Thanksgiving best of all, even better than Christmas. It's a time when you can gather with family and friends and enjoy good food and not have to worry so much about decorations, gift-giving, and all the stuff that requires so much planning and work. Yeah, after Halloween, Thanksgiving is my favorite of all holidays.

My family often gathers at my house for our Thanksgiving dinner. With that in mind, I snatched up this wonderful covered dish on Saturday when I visited the Hugh Yard Sale at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Leeds. (I never did spot Hugh though.) I can just see it filled with some kind of sweet potato dish, or green beans, or corn. 

Speaking of the white dog (which we weren't, but we are now), she has a name: Birdie. I often call her Lady Bird; in fact, I was calling her that even before Andy decided to name her Birdie.

She's a fun, sweet doggie (see that doggie smile?), but I'm finding she is prone to doing a few naughty doggie things--like take my gardening clogs off the back porch and hide them in the yard where I had to find them. Thank goodness, she didn't chew them though. This morning I found a basket of pine cones tumped over and the cones scattered all over. Birdie had even chewed one of them.

And she eats rocks. Did any of you ever have a dog who eats rocks. At least we're pretty sure she does. I found some doggie barf with a pile of small, smooth pebbles right in the middle of it. She also opened up a sack of pine bark mulch. I think maybe she was trying to help me with the yard work. Ya think?

I thought I would bring her inside the house this morning and see how she does. It took a while to coax her to come in, what with all the little muttlets standing in a semi-circle staring at her. When she finally agreed to come in, all three of said muttlets put up a ruckus--barking, barking, barking loudly. So Birdie turned tail and ran back out onto the porch. Maybe I'll try again later when the mutletts are napping. I know she'll be glad when she has her own house and her own back yard, free of any little barking beasts.

Gotta go. Lots on the to-do list today. I'm anxious to get started and see just how much of it gets done.

Charity Begins in the Sewing Room

Sometimes I don't feel like I've really "given" unless I do something more with my hands than write a check. Oh I give donations as well--to my church, to our local food pantry, and to other charitable organizations. But I really like it best when I can give a part of my efforts and my abilities. That's why I like to make charity quilts.

Above is the Smackdown quilt I made for Debra's charity. And below is the Quilt of Valor that I made and Debra quilted for a new veterans retirement home that is going up near here.

Update of the white dog: Andy has decided to keep her. Which means I'll be keeping her until Andy is in her new house, with its fenced back yard, in a couple of weeks. So, to shameless rewrite a Les Emmerson classic:

Dogs, dogs, everywhere a dog.
Blocking out the scenery,
Thick as a fog.
"Feed me, scratch my back!
Can't you see we're dogs?"
 

Four Dog Night

The Yellow House is teaming with canines this weekend. Andy came breezing in early yesterday morning with this beautiful mutt in tow and ensconced her in my back yard over my moans and shouts of "Whoa! Whoa!" Andy had picked up this doggie down the road on the busy 119 hwy. I don't blame her for rescuing her. She's such a sweet and loving and beautiful doggie. But thank goodness, my sister Ramey wants her. Ramey is coming by today and we're going to bathe Nellie (this is what Ramey has named her) and take her to the vet to be checked for a microchip. If no chip, we're going to get her shots and have her treated for fleas.

Miss Daisy already had reservations for spend the week with us while her folks went away to celebrate the second anniversary of their marriage. 

But all four dogs are being very good--well, except Skipper, who wants to make sure Nellie knows he's the pack leader around here. He snarls and growls at her, even though he isn't even as big as her head. But she listens and cowers accordingly.

Happy weekend to everyone out there in Blogland.

UFO Progress Report: Week 36-37 (I think)

This week, I pulled out UFO #24, "Cozy Cottages," and finished the hand embroidery on the blocks. I started these hand-appliqued blocks in 1997 after seeing the new Piecemaker's calendar for that year. The original plan was to make the exact quilt on the cover of the calendar. But enthusiasm for the project waned, as sometimes happens with our projects, and I have only six blocks completed. So instead of lying around in a pizza box for 14 more years, these six blocks are going into a wall hanging.

The original quilt pattern for Cozy Cottages

~~~

Below is Mr. Linky. All you UFO Busters, please add you link so we can have a look at what you've been doing.

Memories and Mysteries

Just look what my friend Nancy M. (Little Green Quilter Lynn's mom) brought to guild for me on Monday! She knows I collect Nancy Drew mysteries, so when she was discarding some of her book collection and found these, she thought of me. I love them!

My friend Joyce Ann introduced me to Nancy Drew when I was about 12 years old. That's when Joyce Ann moved to Leeds from Fairborn, Ohio and became one of my BFFs. 

Joyce had received a bunch of Nancy Drews for Christmas that year. I remember we spent cold winter days and long winter nights inside reading them, one after the other. I was sure at that time that I wanted to become a detective when I grew up. That didn't happen, but I still like mysteries.

When I first began my collection of these vintage books, I was excited about rereading them. That didn't work out so well, however. Apparently, reading material that engrosses us when we're 12 and 13 holds little sway when we're on the far side of 50. I was appalled at the racist references and put off by the unrealistic dialogue. I decided to give up rereading these books and just collect them for the wonderful memories they give me of the good times I had with my friend.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Yesterday, I met my cousin Paige at our historic Depot in downtown Leeds. A group of us local ladies were helping her out with a photo shoot for her upcoming mailer touting her campaign to become our next state representative (see sign above).

I hope you who are reading this and live in Alabama house district 45 will consider giving this intelligent, compassionate, and wise young woman your vote come November. She sincerely cares about the working people of Alabama. I know she'll work her pretty little self ragged to help us when she gets to Montgomery.

Paige has business experience and a law degree. Just to show how versatile she is, she's also a very talented ventriloquist, performer, musician, 1980 Miss Alabama, and 1981 first runner up to Miss America. And Paige is a devoted wife an mom.

On my way back from town, I spotted and photographed one of Paige's signs, as well as a couple of other interesting signs at St. Teresa's Catholic Church, where they're preparing for a yard sale named Hugh.

I'm going back to the sale this weekend..

Making the yard sale dog friendly

Now I'm going to work on a place on my blog to post all the block-of-the-month patterns from my guild's block-of-the-month program. Some of you have asked for them. I'll tell you how to get at them later.

New Year at Guild

The first meeting of the new guild year was held yesterday, and what a busy time it was! I had a head full of hats to wear at this one. I felt like, as the late great Vann Cleveland used to say, a cat covering up for ten.

First, I was stuck at the back table for most of the meeting, signing up members for the Block of the Month program. I got around 75 participants.

I also had to give my committee report before the membership (tell about BOM) and talk about my show-and-tell quilts (my quilt of valor, my smackdown quilt, and "Let Freedom Bark").

Then when all the business and show-n-tell was concluded, I was one of four members who gave a panel talk entitled "Lives and Times of Well Seasoned Quilters." I suspect "well seasoned" is just another way of saying "old," but we had a lot of fun relating our lives as quilters and what we'd learned during them.

Another day, I'll show you the quilt that I showed members during my part of the panel talk. It is a bow tie, one of the first quilts I ever made (couldn't find my very first one), and it's pretty pathetic. But it's fun.

I stopped by Publix for some grocery shopping on the way home. By the time the groceries were put away and the doggies were fed and walked, I was pretty well pooped. But feeling fine today except for the usual aches and pains. Got a "date" in a couple of hours with my sister Ramey and cousin Paige. Will tell about that later. Meantime, below are some photos I shot at guild yesterday.

Mary J. and her gorgeous heart quilt


 If memory serves, which it rarely does, I think this masterpiece is Ruth Ann's.

A Betty K. beauty

Mary U. shows the quilt she made for her son's wedding gift.



 A Quilt of Valor

Another Quilt of Valor (This might be my favorite.)



 Our Cuddle Quilts ladies


 BQG presents cuddle quilts to Sister Mary of the Sisters of Mercy for a home for mentally challenged people. That's Sister Mary on the left at the podium. 

And just because I love it so, I have to show Mary J.'s heart quilt one more time.

Nine Eleven

"You're in the arms of an angel; may you feel some comfort here."
--Sarah McLachlan

 

All weekend I've been sewing and watching 9/11 memorials. More than a few tears. So much has happened in the past 10 years.

Love to the ones who died; peace and comfort
to the ones they left behind.
God bless them all. 

Quickie Post

I have lots to do today. I just realized that Monday is guild meeting day. I'm scheduled to take part in the program and I'm not prepared. I also have two quilts I want to take for show & tell that need finishing touches. So I better get hopping.

But first, let me wish everyone a Happy Pink Saturday. If you're a fan of pink, be sure to visit Beverly's Pink Saturday Blog Party. I plan to go over for a quick visit before I start working.

But first a question: Does one ever stop having hot flashes. I'm sitting here with my shirt pulled up to my chin and my pants legs rolled above the knees, sweating and panting.

Five Things

ONE
The power is back on and Ginny is put away till next time she's needed.

TWO
I had another restless night last night, but no more dreams of parakeets. I can't even remember what I dreamed last night.

 THREE
I have now been on the Nutrisystem plan for 10 days and have lost 10 pounds.

FOUR
I took a Lortab yesterday because the all-over pain was so bad I was going crazy. The Lortab stopped the pain but also made me itch all over. It always does. I don't know which is worse, hurting or itching.

FIVE
Vann's friend Gary sent me this photo a couple of days ago:

 ***
Ooops! I almost forgot that this is UFO Progress Report Day. I myself have no progress to report. I hope someone else has been more productive this week than I have. Below is Mr. Linky. If you're a member of the UFO Bust, please post your link.

 

Surprise Visit

Yesterday, my friend John H. brought his family for a visit. John has a brand new grandson, Jake, and the fam was out showing off this handsome guy. (Jake is the baby for whom I made the Slash a Stash quilt.) Here are some pics of the visit.

Beautiful Baby Jake


From left: New mommy Caysee, baby Jake, Grandma Becky

Poppa John and the Muttlets
**

We're still on Ginny power here at The Yellow House. I'm beginning to believe Alabama Power has forgot about our neighborhood. Everybody else seems to have their power back on. I'm down to my last generator tank of gasoline. Guess I better go replenish the supply. Or better yet, I think I'll call Jesse and get him to do it for me. Before he left yesterday, John put air in Ginny's tires and oil in her, uh, oil receptacle.

Not feeling too pretty good today. The pain is back with a vengeance. I guess the respite wasn't due to the diet after all. I didn't sleep much last night because of painful back, legs, feet, hips, shoulders, arms, hands--well, you get the picture. When I did sleep, I had a dream about being at a Road to Emmaus weekend retreat with lots and lots of friends. I had brought not only Sophie and Skipper but also my beautiful turquoise parakeet (which I don't even have). It was time to leave and getting dark, and I couldn't get the parakeet to come down out of the trees. His name was apparently Birdie, since that what I kept calling to get him down. But he wouldn't obey me (just like Skipper).
I was very worried about Birdie.

Thrift Store Finds

I promised that I'd do a show-and=tell on the thrift store goodies that Andy and I found on Saturday. So here goes.

My lovely glass covered dish

My cement bunny plaque

My Cracker Barrel cardinal mug

And, best of all, Andy's sweet bunny paintings for her new house

Still running on Ginny power here at The Yellow House. Saw an electric company truck mosey down the street a little while ago. So maybe we'll be back online soon. Happy Hump Day, everyone.

More Than We Bargained For

This picture of Skipper really has nothing to do with the post to come. But I don't have any pictures of flooding, wind damage, power outages, and muddy doggie foot prints.

We were all so grateful when Lee brought us all that refreshing rain. But nobody told us we were going to have to pay. 

Power went out to a large portion of our area last night, including the Yellow House. Alabama Power informs us that all power should be restored by 10:00 p.m--SEPTEMBER 10!!!!

Also a big, like huge, tree was blown down at Andy's new house, taking out gas and power lines. Since Andy hasn't taken ownership of the house yet, it will be the responsibility of the present owner and her insurance company to make the repairs. Andy is hoping this won't cause a big delay.

I guess I was just too preoccupied with trying to get Sophie to go out and pee yesterday to realize that the storm was as bad as it was. I stayed soaked for most of the day, taking her out in the rain, putting her down, and watching her run back to the door. Soph refused to tinkle from 8:00 yesterday morning until about 8:30 last night. Finally, Mother Nature got the better of her and she answered the call.

Skipper, meanwhile, has been reveling in the return of his ability to dig a fine hole in the backyard. Many foot washings later, I have now placed a big plastic drop cloth over the main area where he loves to dig and anchored it down with big rocks. I wonder how long that will hold.

So I gotta go now. I have to fill up the gasoline cans (Ginny is running on the last of my supply), stock up on fresh veggies and fruit (for my diet), and buy some more doggie treats. 

Rain, Beautiful Rain

We asked for it, and we got it. Tropical Storm Lee is drenching us, with promises of more of the same for a couple of days. I love it! But I do hope nobody gets flooded.

The only problem here with the rain is the doggies, of course. We ran out for a quick walk this morning when the rain had slack to a drizzle. But before we could get back home, a downpour ensued and we got soaked. 

Also, Skipper has resumed his dig to China now that the ground has softened up. I had to go out last night in the downpour to get him. It was 10:00 p.m. and he was digging and barking (he always barks when he digs--loudly) and I feared he was disturbing anyone trying to sleep or watch tv or concentrate on anything. When Skipper digs, nothing will deter him; I had called until my voice was hoarse; so there was nothing to do but go out in the rain and get him.

Had a good weekend. I have been feeling much better during the past week. I'm crediting the new diet, but it could just be that the fibromonster is on hiatus or something. Whatever, I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

On Saturday afternoon, Andy, sister Ramey, and I made a run to the thrift store. Andy found two darling paintings for her new house. Come to think of it, she left them in the trunk of my car. I'll try to think to photograph them today so I can show them to you. They're wonderful! I found a covered dish and a red bird mug. I'll photograph them too.

I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day. Mine will be quiet, I hope. I plan to spend at least half of it in the sewing room. 

Sunny Saturday

Thank you for all your comments, prayers, and cyber hugs on yesterday's post. If was not too bad a day, thanks to friends and doggies. I've accepted the fact that I'll always have an empty place in my heart that only he can fill. And one day, he will again.

Skipper is having ear problems. He has been shaking his little head almost constantly since yesterday. I tried to clean his ears with the drops I have. The process was much like trying to clean a fish out of water's ears. Some black stuff came out of one ear, but he's still shaking. If this is still going on on Monday, I'll take him to see Dr. Rachel.

Football season starts today. Kent State is at Bama. The Kent State players have been in Tuscaloosa for several days helping the Tide players work on rebuilding from the tornado damage of last spring. What a great spirit. I hope nobody boos the KS players at the game. That would be ugly. In fact, I think they should all get a standing ovation at some point.

Looks like we might a get visit, early in the week, from that tropical storm that is now soaking Lousiana. We can use the rain. My yard is so dry that Skipper has even stopped digging.

Now let's all take a blog hop over to Beverly's Pink Saturday celebration. I've already had a sneak peek, and I'll tell you that Beverly's own post contains some of the loveliest pinkabelia you'll want to see.

Always on My Mind

Donald Vann Cleveland
12-7-45 --  9-2-09

*No Mr. Linky this week. Today is devoted to memories of my Vann.