A Piece of History

I love old quilts. Even if they are worn and faded. Christina and I found this red and white quilt yesterday. This color combination seems to be pretty popular and hard to come by. This particular quilt didn't have a price tag on it, so Nan at Spring Creek Antiques called the dealer and left me a message. For $11, it could be mine. The dealer had told Nan that it wasn't in very good shape. She's right I guess. It has a few holes and tears, but I still liked it. When I buy old quilts, I always wonder about the woman or women who made it. Since I can barely sew a button, I am am especially amazed by the tiny perfect stitches.

This is a quilt made by my Grandma and her mother. As you can see, it is in pretty rough shape. It wasn't just for decoration - it was really used. When my Grandma pulled it out of the closet, it had another cover sewn on. After the original quilt wore out, a cover was made so that it could still be used. Nothing goes to waste with my Grandma.

This was the first old quilt that I bought. It is also the cheapest, at $1. I bought it at an estate sale that I was at with my Dad. It didn't have a marked price, so I asked one of the ladies having the sale. She wrinkled her nose a little as if to say "who would want that old thing?" and said "A dollar." Sold! It is pretty fragile, but it's still one of my favorites.

I would love to learn how to quilt. The odds seem to be against me though. I nearly failed Home Ec in 7th grade. My teacher was mean, but I was also quite incompetent behind the sewing machine. I wouldn't have made it without my Grandmother who bailed me out by helping me sew a pair of shorts - that I never wore. Ever the glutton for punishment, I took Home Ec again in high school. Much better teacher, but by the time I finished sewing my skort, I had outgrown it. Sewing machines and I do not get along. I will just have to continue appreciating the handiwork of others.

Going Where the Weather Suits His Clothes

Since David started his job, he's been heading northeast almost every week. Every other week, he goes to Canada - Montreal and Toronto. Here's the weather for this week in Montreal.

This week, he is heading southeast. He will be in Orlando tomorrow and Miami on Tuesday. The weather that direction is looking better!

I'm glad not to worry this week about icy roads! :) See you soon David!

Buggy

Poor Henny. I had noticed some black flecks where she would sit, but I didn't really associate it with anything. Then, I was petting her and noticed a live bug. Uck! We bought a flea comb and found that she was covered in those black flecks. And there were a couple more bugs. Flea combing Gracie turned up nothing. I wasn't sure that the bugs were fleas, so I trapped one under tape and stuck it to a white paper. An appointment was made for Henny. First, the crazy cat lady - that would be me - showed the vet tech the bug taped to paper. Yep. Flea. I wonder how many people can't identify a flea? She weighed Henny then left us alone in the room to wait for the vet. I started to take Henny's picture for the blog when the vet tech returned to ask a question. Sitting with my camera in hand, I tried to stutter an explanation for why I was taking pictures of my cat at the vet. She smiled and pretended to understand. I'm sure I have solidified my standing as the crazy cat lady.

Oh, and a bit of Frontline has started to clear up the buggy problem.

One Man's Trash...

is one of my favorite pastimes. One of the best ways to while away an afternoon is wandering through flea markets. It's even better with a friend to go with, so today Christina and I headed to Ozark for an afternoon of junking. I found a couple of treasures, and one that I'll run back for tomorrow.David gave me the Clabber Girl baking powder sign for Christmas several years ago. We saw it together in an antique store. He's always been really good at remember good gift ideas, but by Christmas I'd forgotten all about it. I was so surprised and I love that sign. I always think of that gift when I see other Clabber Girl stuff.


So, I was pleasantly surprised to find this little Clabber Girl booklet today. It says that it is for a "want list." Someone's name is written in pencil on the front, but the wish pages are blank. According to the advertisements in the little book, baking powder retailed for 10 cents a can. Wonder how long that has been!


I also found this cute red lamp for $5. I'm not sure it really counts as a bargain after throwing away the ugly dirty lampshade that was on it and buying a new one for $12. But, it's just the lamp I'd been looking for for the table in my office.

Thank you Christina for driving us around!

168,000 Drink Combinations

It was a Monday, through and through. On my way home, I rewarded myself with a soda. They were pretty busy, so I pushed the little red button and got involved in a story on NPR. When the speaker crackled to life, I couldn't tear myself away from the story. I stuttered and sputtered my order out and then went back to the radio. When my order arrived, it was a Diet Cherry Limeade with...VANILLA. Did I really say Limeade instead of Dr. Pepper? Apparently so! I was so surprised that I didn't send it back - especially since I think I may have ordered that! It's not awful, but it's not a combination that I'll try again anytime soon.

A Rare Moment

Henrietta's life changed forever when I brought Gracie home. For four years, she was a happy and content only cat. For two days after Gracie arrived on the scene, Henny hissed if I so much as looked at her. Since, she's forgiven me, but not Gracie. They've never exactly bonded and Henny still hisses with great regularity. So this was a Kodak moment! Touching kitty behinds!

Engrish

This was David's fortune at dinner last week. Patience is the gravel pathway behind one's house? What? Oh! Maybe they meant "ally" instead. You think?