Christmas in July

I hardly ever mention that I offer some of my designs on CafePress, but it struck me odd that someone would be buying this yard sign in July. Maybe she is like my mom was--always thinking ahead. Mom would scout out bargains all year long so that by the time Thanksgiving rolled around she was done with her shopping. While I am my mother's daughter, I never caught the shopping bug. Just give me the ease of online shopping and I am one happy camper.

Little Pleasures

New grandmas are apt to go overboard. How can you walk into a department store without seeing something just too cute to pass up? I steadfastly assert that I am not yet one of THOSE new grandmas.

My latest purchase was only $5 and it was for a good cause too. The other day while paying for some socks, I noticed the Kohl’s Cares for Kids books and plush animals near the checkout registers. Kohl’s says it donates all of the net profits to organizations working with health and education programs for children. Eric Carle’s “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?” caught my eye. Carle, illustrator of the classic, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” creates wonderfully bright and charming tissue paper collages.

Depending on your age, you probably grew up with Carle’s books or bought them for your children or grandchildren or as baby gifts. My son still has his tattered copy, which has now been passed along to the newest family member, Nicolas.

So, this little hardback became the latest addition to Nic’s blossoming library. You would imagine a family of writers would love books, wouldn’t you? I don’t know if Nicolas will be a writer or set out on his own course, but so far, this little guy has had one incredible journey. For now, his parents are telling his story on their new blog, Illinois Preemie. Later, Nic, Grandma Sheila expects to hear from you.

For a while I fell off the face of the earth

I landed in Batavia, Illinois, a far-far western suburb of Chicago. Long-time readers might be curious about this journey, but for now, I intend to be discrete and mysterious about my detour along life’s pathways.

My new home, a quaint little town clustered along the Fox River, captured my eye immediately when I first drove into the downtown central business district. Yes, there is still a thriving downtown here, not yet lost to the strip-shopping centers which populate west Batavia along Randal Road where every manner of chain store or restaurant is at your beck and call. The mayor wrote this about his town, “Batavia in some ways looks like a town that time has left alone.” This part of the Fox River Valley is lovely, and I am no stranger to the river having once lived in a Craftsman-style house overlooking the Fox for a short time in Appleton, Wisconsin.

While Batavia is doing a fine job of straddling old and new, I found her charm immediately apparent with tree-lined streets of homes ranging from Victorian painted ladies to one classic Frank Lloyd Wright home. I can walk to my insurance agent, bank, pharmacy, coffee shop, and library.

The library features a mural of the art accompanying this post--John Philip Falter's "Fox River Ice-Skating," which was the Saturday Evening Post cover for Jan. 11, 1958. In the upper right corner, you can see the Challenge Windmill Factory, another Batavia landmark. Batavia dubs itself “The City of Energy,” a right fine tagline since it served as home to five windmill factories during its early years, and it has been the home of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) for more than 40 years.

Well, that’s a short introduction to my new hometown. More later but don't expect me to write about ice-skating on the Fox River or anywhere for that matter.

Gone Fishin'

Dear Gentle Longtime Readers:
I haven't been posting as much lately. You see, I have a new distraction: a new job. I will eventually get back to posting on a semi-regular basis, but I will mostly check in on my favorite blogs when I have a little extra time. But, I will still surround myself with words since the job entails a boatload of them. Happy blogging!

Practical loses out to indulgent

Like one of my favorite bloggers, I don’t write about products for pay. Yes, I know there is a Google ad at the top of this post, but I don’t even bother to see if there is any money in my account, and I certainly have no control over what ads Google plops up there. Ads for Ann Coulter books, sexy singles, quilting supplies, the University of Alabama and of course kitchen sinks—they are all somehow related to the content here or at least Google seems to think so, although I still haven’t figured out the sexy singles connection.

So, this cute little Springer Spaniel stuffed animal by Douglas is not an ad. As a new grandma, I am prone to impulse purchases. Ogilvy, a Springer Spaniel plush dog, was one such purchase. I thought new grandson might like this much quieter liver and white spaniel to match the real life Monte version.

I know new parents would love more practical purchases, but sometimes a grandma just has to be indulgent.

A Dog Senses Danger

My son called me on his way to work this morning. “Did you hear about the earthquake?” he asked.

I had and was going to E-mail him later to ask if they had felt the quake in the west suburbs of Chicago.

My daughter-in-law had been awakened by a shaking house and had tried to convince my skeptical son that she wasn’t imagining things. Only after checking the morning’s news did he realize she was right.

Now, unlike the west coast, you don’t really hear too much about earthquakes in the Midwest, but according to the U.S.Geological Survey, "this region has more earthquakes than any other part of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains." For example, the New Madrid Fault is one you might have heard about most. Back in 1811-1812, a series of earthquakes hit New Madrid, Missouri, and even changed the course of the Mississippi River. Today’s quake, which occurred in the Wabash Valley fault system, was centered in southern Illinois and was felt in St. Louis, Cincinnati and even as far as Canada. Because of the region's geology, earthquakes here tend to be felt over much greater distance.

But, what captured my attention was the strange behavior of grand-dog Monte as reported by my son. My son said that yesterday Monte was barking at the ground like he was terribly afraid. Monte's legs were trembling from fear. From past experience, I know dogs will bark at a lot of odd things--motorcycles, vacuum cleaners and especially items that are out-of-place; however, I am now convinced Monte is an earthquake-detector dog.

The National Geographic has an interesting article on the subject of animals sensing earthquakes. Next time, I think I’ll listen to Monte when he sounds a warning. I have a new level of respect for him.

When Whimsy Strikes

In looking for an image this morning, I consulted Dover’s Pictorial Archive Series, “Life” Magazine Cuts & Illustrations 1923-1935. Life got its start in the late 1800s with founder John Ames Mitchell patterning it after the Harvard Lampoon.

Mitchell, himself a cartoonist, gave many budding artists a start including Charles Dana Gibson, who was famous for the Gibson Girl.

During Life’s heyday, works of some of the country’s greatest commercial artists appeared on its pages including illustrations by Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss.

Dr. Seuss fashioned a career illustrating for big advertisers like General Electric and Standard Oil, drew political cartoons, joined the Army during World War II and eventually wrote and illustrated children’s books, which we remember him for best.

This is the illustration that caught my eye this morning. I don’t know how it was originally used, but I thought it needed some orange.

Call Me

I’m a total nut about serendipity. Here’s a recent example.

Our house phone had been out of order for God only knows how long. Since I was away for two weeks, I can’t say when I would have noticed it. Some time during that time though, husband called and asked if I ever had any trouble with the phone. Well, yes that was a strange thing to ask me, but he did set up an appointment with AT&T to have it checked.

The repairman showed up and promptly found the source of trouble. Our service box had been struck by lightning he deduced. Anyway, I was happy that the source of trouble wasn’t with the house wiring which would have meant we would have had to pay for the repair.

Here’s the serendipity. Even before Mike called (that’s the AT&T guy) to tell me the phone was working again, I heard the phone ring and answered. It was a call for Scott about a summer internship. Good timing or serendipity? Well y’all know what I think.

Plus, Mike showed me how I could troubleshoot to see if the house wiring might be at fault should we ever have trouble again. You take a working standard phone (you do still have one of those, don’t you?) out to the service box and plug it in. That could tell you the house wiring is at fault if you get a dial tone out there and not inside. But I guess if you don’t, you’ll need to call the phone company anyway because it could be a case like ours or not.

My Two Cents

I think I might know why so many of us are in economic trouble.

Yesterday, the third grocery store I went to had the hazelnuts I needed for a recipe. I paid for the package with two one-dollar bills and 50 cents in change. My purchase totaled $2.48. The cashier asked, “Do you want your change?”

You are darned tootin’ sweetkins. “Yes,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm. I reckon Dillon’s thinks my two cents doesn’t matter much to me. Well, two cents is two cents, and after awhile a big grocery chain with two cents extra from every shopper could actually add up to some free money.

I guess the stories about the death of the penny are true. But I’ll keep my two cents for what it’s worth.

Eco Shopping

I was in an eco mood yesterday when I popped into Wal-Mart. It’s been awhile since I’ve shopped there, and I noticed that Wal-Mart has embraced green and organic like only Wal-Mart can.

Organic is sometimes more expensive than non-organic, but the fresh organic sweet potatoes and lemons were nearly the same price.

Then, I noticed the Palmolive dishwasher detergent called Eco and decided to try it since it was less expensive than regular brands. I passed on Clorox’s new green brand but perhaps I’ll give it a try soon.

The display of Campbell’s Tomato Soup with the Earth Day label practically demanded I buy a can. Plus, I remembered that April 22, is Earth Day.

And finally, all this talk about ‘green’ reminded me of my favorite green character, Kermit the Frog, who sang, “When green is all there is to be” . . . “I think it’s what I want to be.”

Chancing It

April showers bring May flowers. What do Mayflowers bring? Why Pilgrims of course.

I thought of the old saying and kids' joke yesterday when I got what I deserved shower-wise. I tempted fate with two quick stops before getting caught in a downpour at the last shopping foray. I thought briefly about taking the blue and white Seton Hall umbrella so casually tossed on the back seat of the car. So, that’s why I got what I deserved and why I never would have made it as a Boy Scout had I been eligible to join their ranks of “always be prepared.”

Perhaps had I not dallied over the produce or if the young cashier hadn’t wanted to run back to the frozen isle to get me another sugar-free popsicle package because the one I selected was too soft or if I hadn’t been mentally tallying up prices in my head to reach the magic $90 so that I could use a $9 off coupon, I could have beaten the storm. But maybe I was destined to get a drenching to the bone. It’s been a while after all, and a shower can wash away many things including predictability.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

It’s amazing to see the changes since I’ve been away from home. Suddenly, over the course of two weeks spring waved her magic wand and splashed away winter’s drab with yellow.

Daffodils punctuated the landscape as far north as St. Louis on the return drive along Interstates 55 and 44. And Forsythia shrubs drew my tired eyes away from the boring task of interstate driving. As I pulled in the driveway at home, I noticed the neighbor’s apple tree awash in beautiful blossoms too. Stepping out of the car was a bit of a treat too for you see spring is a little slower coming to more northern climes like Chicagoland.

So, you might wonder, am I happy to be home? I suppose so, but I must acclimate myself again to different rhythms and routines as well as prepare for a new challenge next week. And I miss one certain new member of the family much more than I thought possible. Such is life these days.

Can You Spare Stuff

I've been away from home but not the news of the terrible flooding in Missouri. This morning's mail brought a call for help for a family who lost everything. The Springfield chapter of the international organization, Freecycle, is adopting a family that basically needs well, everything.

I've written about Freecycle before because I love the idea behind exchanging or giving away stuff you no longer want to need in order to keep it out of overfilled landfills. E-mail me if you want the link to those who are helping.

A Work In Progress

Part 4
I’ve decided on the dimensions, theme and color palate. I took scissors to cloth, cutting out several appliqué pieces and selecting the background material.

The beauty of my self-inspired design is that I can change my direction at any time. This first section, however, is fairly inflexible.

And I set about embroidering by hand the first appliqué letter. I will spare the details and show the first completed piece. If you know me well enough, you will figure out what the following letters of this first word will be.

Care to guess?

Quilting Away, Part 3

Part 3
I don’t want to reinvent the wheel but I’m going about this quilt project from the ground up. Yes, I know there are software programs but I suspect they are too basic. I have a grand vision and will thus strike out in my own direction. I have read that other designers use the computer and maybe I’ll stumble upon their hints along the way.

Today’s field trip was to two Springfield quilt shops and Hancock’s Fabric store. By the way and entirely off topic, I must ask a perplexing question: why were so many men shopping with their women folk? My husband wouldn’t be caught dead in a shop dedicated to sewing.

The first stop was overwhelming. Not only do I have to figure out how to make the quilt after I design it, but I have to choose the fabric. The fabric choice is astounding. Just like having too many telephone companies to choose from is confusing for me, so is this.

I bought some fabric and brought it home to ponder. Pondering begat another trip, this time to Hobby Lobby for more red or more precisely, crimson.

May the Luck of the Irish Be With You

College Boy just returned to Hendrix College yesterday after a week at home for spring break. Mostly we caught up on how he's been doing, what he does with friends, what college students watch on TV (House & Project Runway)--that kind of stuff. He applied for some summer jobs, made his dad a birthday cake and definitely caught up on his sleep. Remember how I worried he wouldn't be able to wake himself up for classes? I didn't even ask if the Sonic Boom Alarm Clock was still in use, but rest assured, his hearing-impaired roommate isn't bothered by it. Funny how things work out sometimes.

And today I post this as I head back to Chicagoland to visit. It's about an eight hour drive and I'm throwing my Chiefton's CD in the front seat for the trip. It is St. Patrick's Day after all and I feel lucky.

Quilt Design Project, Part 2

Part 2
First off, I researched quilts and techniques. I lean toward a quilt that is appliquéd. This French term means one layer of fabric is placed over another layer of fabric and sewn in place. This appeals to my design instincts and I did a computer version of the design first. I know I should just do a simple patchwork quilt as a rookie, but I am not content with simple.

Right now I’m not sure how much I’ll show of the process. This might be the last you read of it until the quilt is complete. However, if progress is fulfilling, I’ll share. I have made field trips to scope out fabric, and I loved traipsing through rows of rolls and bolts. Not one item was purchased at first for after all, this was research.

Quilt Design Project

Part 1
I’m the type of person who is happiest with a project percolating in my head. If you saw the movie Waitress, I’d say I’m like the title character always creating new kinds of pies in her mind. I do love pies, but in this case, my head is turned by designs, colors and shapes—not yummy pies.

At any rate, learning to quilt is my current project. Granny Martin was a quilter and my mother picked it up when she retired from over 30 years working for the U.S. Air Force. Let’s just say Mother was happier quilting. However, I want to make a quilt like no other. No standard designs. I will blaze my own quilting path. Dear gentle readers, you will be a part of the mystery. Will my quilt be in the same league as Granny’s and Mom’s or will it be one big poorly-stitched disaster?

I Wish the News Had Been Different

I am a writer and used to working with words, but sometimes there are situations where I find myself at a loss as to what to say. I think that I am not alone. I pray I don’t rattle on filling the quiet with annoying attempts to ease the pain of someone who is hurting.

“I’m so sorry this has happened,” seems appropriate, as does “I wish the news had been different.”

Today I wonder what I will say as I write a note to my cousin. It happens all too often and I will always struggle. But I will write.

Miles to Go Before I Sleep

The list. We all may have one either written or only in our heads. Here's my list of things I want to do before I die. And as far as I know, I am not doing that right now and hopefully not any time soon for you see I have lots of things left to do.

The List
See Scott graduate from high school. (I wrote this last year and Scott graduated in May of 2007)
See Scott graduate from college.
Be a grandmother. (Nicolas Bryant--born February 23, 2008)
Open my own business.
Succeed in my business.
Return to Italy.
Visit Greece again.
Travel by car to Montana and ride horses there.
Lose 22 pounds and have a BMI of 24.
Own an English Springer Spaniel again.
Run for public office.
See my Oklahoma relatives.
Find a hairstyle I really like.
Learn not to worry.
Perform many random acts of kindness.
Fly in a single engine plane.
Go to Mexico and eat an authentic meal.
Have a birthday party with a Mariachi band.
Visit the Smithsonian again.
See a play in New York City.
Go camping again.
Become a muckraker and right an injustice.
Go to an Alabama football game in Tuscaloosa.
See a really difficult situation to the end.
Help someone through a difficult time.
Drive a Miata.
License a design.
Laugh a lot.
Have more fun.
Spend time with my family.
Paint a picture of a cow.
Become a better photographer, writer, editor and designer.
Earn enough money to support myself, my family and have some left over for the greater good.