I was not in the mood to blog last week. My dad was back in the hospital. I cannot imagine being in the hospital and not having visitors. So I made it my mission to see him each day while he was in the hospital. Fortunately for me the hospital my dad often goes to is only about 25 minutes from my house. The good news is that is he home and doing better. That is a relief.
The other thing that kind slowed me down from blogging was all the rain we had last week. It reeked havoc on our state. Our house is far removed from the devastation of the rising water but I could not keep from checking the news for the water levels to be reported. When I was in high school I remember how high the Susquehanna river rose into the little town where we lived. It is something that will stay with me forever. All of the houses on front street had water in their first floors. I hoped this storm would not reach that height. It did not. But it sure got close. In our area we’ve been trying to figure out how we could bottle up all this rain water and ship it to Texas where they really need it. Bummer that we cannot do that. Joe said to me that when they fish in the Susquehanna it is around 3 feet deep. He said, think about it, the river is now 25 feet deep. Amazing.
As I was driving to New Jersey Saturday to work with the Courthouse Quilters of Hunterdon Co, I saw this amazing sight.
The thing that amazed me was on this 2 1/2 hour drive I saw two double rainbows. I wonder what are the odds of that happening? It was not safe to pull over to get photographs of them or I would have shared them with you. On Sunday morning I met my guild contract, Helle-May, to get organized for the workshop. The Courthouse Quilters Guild of Hunterdon Co. had a full workshop. Hellel-May did a great job organizing everything. And all 25 ladies were ready to learn some new things. We had a great workshop. If you live any where around the area and are looking for a great group of ladies to learn and quilt with check them out at http://www.courthousequilters.com Even if you aren’t in the area check out their great website.
Later in the day I presented my workshop called, From the Beginning Album of a Quilter. One lady in attendance came to talk to me after the lecture. She said, “I noticed your thread stand in one of your slides of your new studio.” I said yes, my girlfriend Barb gave me that after she saw me eying it up at the Lancaster quilt show several years ago. The lady from the guild said, “My husband made that.” Since it sits out in my new studio you know it is one of my favorite things because I downsized when I made the move to the new studio space. So the fact that it is sitting on the corner of my table speaks volumes. This sewing spool caddy was made by Richard T. Hyers. He is a custom woodworker. You can find out more about him and his impressive products at www.HyersWood.com Many of you know that I like to make circles to sew on my quilts. Well, every time I have to baste the fabric for my circle making process I pull my thread from the spools on this caddy. If I could add to the song Julie Andrews sang in the Sound of Music about her favorite things I would have to add this to my list. It’s functional and beautifully crafted.
Here are some shots from our garden.
This little guy was so happy to be out eating after all the rain.
Joe watches for the hummingbirds outside his office window and has often gotten pictures of the female because she sits on the feeder and drinks the syrup. Joe actually got a picture of her with her tong out. I’m thinking she was sending Joe a message…
Joe was so excited the other day when he as finally able to get a photo of the male. The male never sits to drink. He just hovers.
Talk to you next week.