Step Two

I finished putting "Block B" together this morning. This one, unlike Block A, features the background, or main, fabric for the quilt. When I did Bill's quilt, I selected a neutral, solid white for the background and let the "chains" bring in the color for the quilt. With this one I am maximizing the beautiful background and pulling in color of the flowers for my chain. Does that make any sense?

So, this is how the double chain will look on the finished quilt... sort of. Once all these blocks are sewn in place I will put two or three "frames" or borders around it. And then I'll back it with a really pretty fabric that complements the colors on the front. I'll show you that next time.

Just because I know you heard we had snow in San Antonio, here is a picture of the accumulation! This is the innards of my Sago Palm in the front yard. It stays full of little birds all day long, right next to a couple of feeders I put out for them. The thick fronds serve as umbrellas for them! One day I'll get lucky and get a picture of the birds in the bush!

Step One

I finished sewing together "Block A" for the quilt today. It is amazing to me every time that one can take multiple strips of fabric, then sew them in such a way that you end up with a block that doesn't at all resemble what you started with! I guess that's part of the mystery of quilting.

My next step is to square off these blocks and then start on "Block B". I remember doing Bill's Irish Chain quilt and thinking that it will never look like the picture I was working with! Thankfully, I have a wonderfully illustrated book with step-by-step instructions. But what do you suppose our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had to help them put together their wonderful quilts? I guess instructions were handed down through quilting bees and church gatherings.

Two years ago I went to Pennsylvania with Graham and our friends, Lois and Doug White. One of my favorite stops was an Amish store located on a family farm. Fully half of the store was filled with the most heavenly quilts you can imagine. They ranged from pillows to baby quilts to king-size bedding, in an array of patterns and colors, all completely hand sewn. Yes, the prices were through the roof, but worth every penny. I'll never reach that level of expertise, but I'm sure having fun working on it!

More updates as I get to them.

I'm Ready!

After a very slow start, I'm finally ready to start putting together a new quilt. I ordered a quilt book back on February 1st through Amazon.com. The policy with their sellers is that an item must be shipped within 48 hours of purchase, so I figured a week or 10 days would be enough time to allow for my book to arrive. On the 16th I got an email saying the book had been shipped that morning. NOT ACCEPTABLE!!

So I went to the fabric store that afternoon, bought a book there and the rest of the material I needed, and I'm now on my way to making my next quilt. And that other book is going to be returned with some negative feedback as well. I'm a fellow seller for amazon.com and I know this is not the way to keep customers happy.

Stay tuned for some progress reports.

Latest Treasure Update

I'm a little late getting this Treasure report posted. Her appointment was on Monday, but my week thus far has been more than hectic. Yesterday, after watching Adrian for an hour or so, Graham and I drove to New Braunfels for Uncle Joe's graveside funeral service. Without being maudlin, I have to confess that I like funerals, for the simple fact that it is an event that draws family and friends together like no other. You get to catch up on all the goings-on from that "side" of the family. And it was nice to do that yesterday. Uncle Joe made arrangements for all his family who came to his funeral to enjoy a wonderful lunch together at a restaurant in Gruene, an activity that just characterized his love for family.

So today, I'm mapping out time to give you the latest on Treasure. Her tumor has advanced a little more than at any of her other checks. I kind of suspected that because she seems to have less capacity in her bladder and makes more frequent potty stops than before. She has been getting me up multiple times at night as well and I mentioned this to Dr. Earl. He was able to do a urinalysis since Treasure, for the third time, graciously tinkled on the floor in the exam room, giving them enough of a sample to test. She has another infection which Dr. Earl says will be a chronic problem for two reasons. The tumor bleeds into her bladder and serves as a breeding ground for infection and there is always some fluid left in there. So she will be taking antibiotics from now on, in addition to the Previcox.

Other than that, she is behaving much like a twelve and a half year old Westie. She still enjoys her walks and greeting other dogs out in the neighborhood. We go a little slower, make many more stops, but she relishes the time outside. I keep her confined to the utility room whenever I go out - rather like a very large crate to her! She's always sound asleep when I return. And she's eating well. I found that Petco carries the Solid Gold food that she eats to keep her allergies in tact and she likes it enough to consume the pills that are tucked inside.

My main concern presently is what to do with her when we travel. She requires a little more attention than before, especially at night. For short term, I think she'll do well at All God's Creatures, as Karen has a doggie door so she can spend time outside. But when we go to France in May for over two weeks, well, I just don't know. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Meanwhile, I have my quilt book in hand, bought the material needed for my next project, am about 2/3 completed on Andrew's birth announcement, so I guess my time is mapped out for me for a while! We haven't had the snow here that has plagued the rest of the country, but our below normal temperatures have made me feel the coming of the next Ice Age just like everyone else! Bring it on!

Graham's Uncle Joe

Graham's uncle, Joe McAuliffe, passed away early this morning at the age of 96. Actually, he was just a month shy of being 97. Joe was the oldest, and only surviving, of four children, the youngest of whom was Graham's mother. He set the example for two of the other three who loved the world of music. Joe traveled all over the world with his music, playing in numerous bands when he was well into his eighties.

Here is a link to a website set up by Joe's niece and her husband where they share their memories and photos of their beloved uncle. In the days ahead they will add more of their personal tribute to Joe. Graham and his siblings have a multitude of memories as well. One incident stands out in my mind about Joe. I bet you will find it as peculiar as I do.

In 1998 Graham was recruited to go on a mission trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, with a friend and former Greek teacher to bring Bible messages to pastors in the region. After agreeing to go, he set about the task of securing his passport. He filled out all the forms, got his birth certificate from the safe deposit box, wrote his check and mailed the contents to the proper agency, then sat back to wait for his passport to arrive in the mail.

What he got, however, was a letter explaining that, since his name was not recorded on his birth certificate, they could not issue him a passport. Panic set in immediately, but soon he was able to ask some questions and discovered that, if there was one living relative who witnessed his birth, an affidavit could be obtained and would be approved for the issuance of said passport.

Here, however, was the problem: Graham's parents were both deceased, he was the oldest of his siblings, and there was only one relative who might have been around at the time of his birth - Uncle Joe! After several phone calls he was able to track down Joe who was more than happy to verify that his little sister's baby boy was indeed named Harry Graham Wilson Jr. He wrote out the affidavit, had it notarized and sent off to the State Department, and helped Graham get that passport just days before he left for Russia!

A strange story, yes, but just one example of the interesting life of Joseph P. McAuliffe. When we were in Ireland last spring, Graham asked at every stop about the McAuliffe clan. The best we could determine is that they were located up in Tipperary, even though Graham had always thought they were from Cork. Given a few more days, he might have been able to track them down. We shared that bit of information with Joe just a month ago while he was visiting his niece, Suzanne. Happily, he and Graham were able to share a few laughs and a lot of memories. He will be missed.

Bold & Fresh

Graham and I went to see the encore showing of Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck's Bold & Fresh Tour last night. It was showing at a local theater. We got there about twenty minutes before the start of the program, thinking on Tuesday night it wouldn't be too crowded. Surprise, surprise! We had to find seats on the third row from the front! We were so close I had to take my glasses off to see! I was glad to see, though, that the theater was about 95% filled.

The venue was interesting. Glenn started the program off with a 30-40 minute monologue. He blends his outlandish humor into some serious political thought so that you are neither laughing the whole time nor drifting into depression over the state of the government. His take on Nancy Pelosi is worth the admission fee!

Before you realize that Glenn is finished, O'Reilly sprints on stage, dressed in his preppy white slacks, coat and tie - quite a contrast to Glenn's t-shirt and jeans. With the visual contrast in place, you immediately feel the difference in presentation. Glenn is all raw emotion, while O'Reilly is more "refined" in his humor. He draws on his upbringing in New York, as well as his background in teaching, to open himself up to his audience.

After a twenty minute intermission, the two come back on stage for some friendly bantering. The differences in these two men is evident in their dialog, but you can sense the esteem each has for the other. I don't know that I would ever have positioned them together, but whatever chemistry they have works well for them. Don't fall for any rumors that these two don't like each other. After being with them for two hours, it just isn't possible.

If you have the opportunity, go see them together. It's serious fun... really.