Late Night on Trade Street

Two proposals due this week.

It's crazy.

I was working late and took a minute to wander Trade. Here's what I saw:

South on Trade - not a soul in sight.

The B-String. I covet these stars something fierce.

Looking north on Trade - the Avenue of the Arts

Arts District - that's us...arty engineers.

All quiet in the ISP broadcasting booth.

But they've got a meeting on the b-ball court tomorrow.

Home Sweet Home

Doing What I Do

So, I'm back on my path, doing what I do.

What do I do?

I make quilts. To me, it is the answer to every occasion. Births, marriage, graduation, big birthdays, even deaths. When ever something happens, I want to congratulate or console with the comfort of a quilt.

Several months back, I was contacted by a woman that had seen my Women's Fund quilt when she was award a grant for her new program for girls. She has brought a group of at-risk girls together and through a program she has devised is helping them become better women. They meet every Saturday morning and based on their actions, interactions, service, etc., they earn Andinkra symbols that represent things they have learned and characteristics they exhibit. It is based on African rites of passage and will, hopefully, make a permanent and positive mark on the lives of these young girls.

As a member of The Women's Fund, I was aware of this program and when we were voting on which programs to fund, this one drew me in. I loved the idea of empowering a group of girls. So, when the director of the program emailed me to talk about ideas on how to provide an "award" for each girl at the end of the program, I knew there was no doubt I wanted to help out.

So, I'm making 14 quilts, one for each girl.


Back in March, I met the girls and spent a wonderful morning with them, having them pick out squares of fabric to use in their quilt. I had more than enough 10" blocks cut out and we spread them out on the floor and they took turns gathering their squares. They put their squares in big ziploc bags and I asked them to write their name on the bags with a Sharpie. Many did more than write their name and today, as I've pulled those bags out to get started on the hard part, I have smiled at the hearts and flowers on those bags. One says "Shine wherever you go!"

As the girls earn symbols, I'll applique the symbol to one of their squares. I received the first group of symbols this weekend so I can get started. It's going to be a lot of work but I am so looking forward to it.

Standing at a Crossroads

I've been standing at a crossroads in my life since last Tuesday evening when I received a disturbing email. I have been weighing the pros and cons of withdrawing from this endeavor that I thought I wanted so badly. I'm a list maker so, of course, I made a list. When I meant to type "Why I Quit", what I automatically typed was "Why I Quilt".

This made me smile and it made my decision easier to bear.

Why I Quit
1. Someone in this program set out to do me harm with a vindictive heart.
2. It is time-consuming.
3. It is expensive.
4. I need to be concentrating on my job.
5. I need to be concentrating on my health.
6. I will always wonder if this person I am working with is "the one" who was so threatened by me (or just so mean) that that person felt the need to hurt me.
7. It's interfering with my quilting time.


Why I Quilt
1. Joy - for me and others

I think that's reason enough, don't you?

An Impromptu Reunion

A friend from high school came to town today from his current Texas location. When Ron comes to town, he tends to gather whoever can show up at Natty Green's in my hometown. We made the short trek over to see him and whoever else showed up.

My husband, knowing no one, was a good sport and took pictures.



It was such a blast to reunite with old friends, some whom I haven't seen in over 25 years.

A Fun-filled Happy July 4th Weekend

It's been a been a busy one. That's for sure.

Friday was a wonderful day. It started out with a 3 mile walk in the cool morning air with Miss Shelby. Then we met Mrs. G. at Starbucks for a little coffee and "catch-up". After that, a quick stop in at Sew Original to pick up a couple needful things.

And then, over to Karen's house for a mini sew day with Karen and Bonnie. I was binding a quilt, Karen was working magic with 4-patches on her design wall and Bonnie was sewing strips together for a million 9 patches. Bonnie kept asking "so you think this is enough?", lifting the mound of sewn strips up in the air. We said "no" until it became a joke. I'm betting she's still sewing strips together!

Finally, Friday, we met a couple of friends, Ron and Lynn, for dinner at our favorite hibachi restaurant. It was great to catch up with them. Ron and I used to be cohorts at work until he left for greener pastures in October and I miss him. We are almost exact opposites, which made us a good team. I've been hoping the four of us could continue the friendship but it's been hard to get together because we are four very busy people.

On Saturday, we hiked up Hanging Rock. I was surprised there weren't many people there when we arrived. Well, we were about an hour ahead of the crowd because as we were going back down the mountain, everyone else was going up. I was thankful. It was a beautiful, clear day.



Shelby went too and did very well. She seems to really love to hike!





Yesterday, we went a little east and met a couple of my high school girlfriends for "lupper" (that's lunch/supper). In high school, we always hung out at Pam's house because her parents were great. They didn't care how long we stayed, who stayed, how loud we were, etc. They had a big piece of land and a great great house and a pool in the back yard. It's a different house on a different piece of land and a pond with lily pads instead of a pool but it's the same feeling of welcoming and comfort. We spent many hours laughing and remembering and before we left, we planned the next get together.

Last night, we decided to skip the fireworks. I'm not much for crowds. Besides, the kids across the road provided us with their own fireworks show...which drove Shelby nuts.

Today, the house is quiet. My DH is off to play golf and Shelby is sleeping at my feet. I think I'll do a little planning this morning and this afternoon, I'm getting a little help from my friend, Mrs. G. We have joyous things to do today.

Tomorrow, it's back to work and that's a blessing too.