A Lengthy Absence!

Where have I been, for goodness' sake? I can't even remember the last time I took such an extended break from blogging. While I have been trending to less frequent posts, I do try to maintain at least one per week. Phht! Now even that plan has been shredded! Mercy me!

Since I last posted, life has become hyper-busy. In no particular order, let me fill you in on all of my non-sewing activities. First, we moved our book club meeting ahead one week to accommodate a member's vacation. This meant that I had to hustle to get our book read, and it is so popular that both the library's hold lists - the book and the audio - were long. I ended up ordering it from Amazon, got it on Tuesday and needed to have it finished by Thursday. Needless to say I did not finish in time, but I made what I consider to be quite a valiant effort.

The book? A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. My, my. It is fantastic.

I know so very little of Russian history, and this provides me with a great glimpse into the time of the Russian Revolution of the early 20th century through the Soviets' involvement in WWII about 20 years later--basically the time that Stalin was rising to power. Of course, with frequent flashbacks, the earlier time of Lenin is also prevalent. Surprisingly, I found it quite fascinating--and tragic, all at the same time. The author has accomplished quite a feat of melding a fantastic fiction into the political and social scenes of the day. I am sure I will pick up other Towles' titles, as this one has been a pure delight to read.

Now you know, if a quilter is reading a book, she is NOT sewing, right? I have had only tiny bits of sewing time in the last 10 days or so.

In other activities, DH and I drove down to Jackson, OH, on Friday to meet a dear, dear friend from our college days for lunch. Teri was in our wedding party (1979!), as was her late husband Ray. I didn't take a single picture of our time together, but, gosh, we had a fabulous visit. We could have talked for hours. And the food at Arch and Eddie's is out of this world delish! If you ever get a chance to eat at Arch and Eddie's, do it. I have had several meals there in recent years, and every one has been a pleaser.

This past Sunday was another very busy day, first with a visit to Chillicothe's VA Hospital and the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall exhibit, then in Columbus with our two daughters and their guys.

The Memorial Wall was in town for just 4 days, and since Sunday was the final day, we had to do it prior to our afternoon's activities. And I am so very glad we made that effort, because it was especially moving and  somber - emotional, too. Flower and remembrances had been left by those with personal connections to names on the wall, and several Vietnam veterans were there to remember and honor their fellow servicemen and women.

Our afternoon activity supported DD2, Emma, who had recruited all of us to walk in the Columbus Walk to End Alzheimer's. What a gloriously beautiful day for it. All told, with our walking from DD1, Erin's, apartment to the walk venue Huntington Park, then afterwards to a Grandview restaurant - Haufbrauhaus - then back to Erin's apartment, we tallied 9.23 miles. Yes, you read that right - 9.23 miles! Yowie, my feet still ache!

It's easy to ignore aching feet when views like this of the city skyline are on display. Look at that sky, the calm Scioto River, the later afternoon sun shining off the buildings - just lovely.

Those are just some of the highlights of my non-sewing activities in the last week-to-ten-days. Plenty of goings-on were not captured on camera - a drive to Marshall to get a quarter of beef for the freezer. YUM! Plus, on that little jaunt, I did stop at an Amish market in Rainsboro to pick up some pumpkins and gourds.

Some of these are for eating; others are for decorating. Some will decorate until they are eaten! *hah!* See mantel, below.

Probably the only other activity gobbling up much of my extra time is the teaching obligation. I think I have already mentioned that I picked up a third class, which boosts  my student total from 40 to 60. That will be a lot of essays to read once the assignments begin coming in. I am working very diligently to stay on top of the workload so that the overwhelmed feeling remains at bay for as long as possible.

Now, believe it or not, I do have a very tiny bit of quilting-related activity to share, and I will get that exciting (?) information prepped for the next post! Hope you'll all come on back to check it out!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Country Living Fair

Two weeks ago, before leaving for Hilton Head, I spent a day with my mother and DD1 in Columbus at the Country Living Fair. It was a really fun experience, and I knew I wanted to blog about it at the time, but with the impending week-long trip, I knew it would have to be put off.

Well, put off no longer! I SHALL recap, regardless of how far after the fact!

I used to subscribe to Country Living Magazine, and kept every issue. I suppose at one time I had about 15 years worth of back issues stacked up in closets and on shelves. About the time we had our 3rd child (who is now 22), I ended my subscription. And I think it  has been in these last 22 years that the Country Living Fair has been established and has really taken off. In just passing conversations with different friends and acquaintances, I knew of it when it came to Columbus, but for whatever reason it never really took hold on my radar.

And then serendipity stepped in. Within about 24 hours, both my mom and my older daughter mentioned that they wondered if I'd like to go. Weird! So we three got together and made an afternoon of it. What fun. There were crowds aplenty, but we managed just fine. I wasn't shopping for anything in particular, and judging from the little that we three purchased, I don't think Mom or Erin were either. My focus, mostly, was to see what was "hot" or "trending" these days in home dec, crafting, upcycling and repurposing. I don't do a lot of this stuff myself, but  I do enjoy seeing the creative ways people use things.

So with that introduction, let me just show you my pictures. I snapped such random shots that there's really no way to explain what motivated me to take the pictures I took. It was a cool fall day, mostly overcast, but pleasant - perfect sweater weather!

Rustic surrounding; straw seating; shady lawns.

Quilts for sale!

Rustic fall scene. Very cool juxtaposition of truck and 'punkins.'

The other half of the quilt booth pictured above.

An early booth we visited; loved the quilt and the vintage dishes.

This old fireplace mantel caught my eye.

Quirkiness had a definite role in the displays.

Quirky skirt; simple construction; high price.

Patchwork tablecloth covered with lace trimmed cloth.

A Texas Star quilt and transferware pottery.

Loved this display of linens with French stenciling.

This little sewing machine looked so sweet; I hope it found a good home.

The shop where the little machine was for sale.

I spent a good bit of time visiting with the shop owner of Salmon Alley, pictured above. Debbie is in the center of the picture, and her shop was just fantastic. I wish I'd had more life in my cell battery, for I definitely would have taken more pictures. Here is the link to her blog, and the precious little sewing machine is pictured there! Cool! She also has a website that you will enjoy perusing. She is located in Cincinnati, so I do hope that locals will make the effort to check her out. It was really cool talking to her, and she had such energy and enthusiasm about bringing her products to guests of the Fair. All the shops I visited seemed to carry that same enthusiasm; there were lots of positive vibes, for sure.

The afternoon was wonderful, in every respect. As I said, I went with the mindset that I was just looking, and both the people watching and the window shopping were excellent. The first image I can conjure up is of a couple we saw in the parking lot when we first arrived and were trying to find a place to park. They had purchased two metal porch chairs and were trying to get them loaded into a small sporty convertible. I don't know how both people and both chairs were ever going to fit in that car. It was surely a sight!

Another little side note: I was no more through the gate and visiting my first booth than who do I run into but quilter friend Mary Harwood, who opens up her little barn for quilting. You've read about her here on this blog. Click here for one of those posts, if you need your memory refreshed. Great seeing you, Mary!!

I think I will go again to the Country Living Fair, and maybe I will take a shopping list with me next time!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Frankfort Girls

We met at Sharon O.'s house on Friday morning and we were busy as always. Sharon was unpiecing a project she was dissatisfied with, and then repiecing it. No pictures to share, but perhaps I will have at some point. Sheryll worked on appliquing the borders on a quilt she'd made of her father's flannel shirts.

Isn't that a great quilt? I love how bright the plaids are, and how she's arranged the colors. Sheryll says that a couple of these shirts were quite threadbare; in my opinion, those would be the ones I'd think she'd remember the best. What a great way to pay tribute to a hard-working father.

Terry worked on binding a quilt that she'd quilted for a customer. It was a Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern made with solids in what we would call 30s colors. Again, no pictures.

We were missing JoAnn who was away on a trip - to Italy!! Oh my gosh how I'd love to go back there! I can't wait to see her and hear about all that she saw.

As far as what I worked on, you will be happy to know that I have a UFO in the portable quilt frame, and I began hand quilting! I am using the method that Laurie Simpson recommended, and I am feeling a bit of trepidation about it! I hope I am satisfied with the results. I will have pictures to show you tomorrow on that.

I had a fantastic weekend with my husband and my mother in Columbus. About 20+ members of our extended family converged on the city to take in the season home opener of our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. Except for losing the game, the weekend was fantastic. I met cousins I'd not seen in years, and their children and some spouses, too. It was absolutely the best time. In addition to all the family and football stuff, DH and I had a chance to stop by our daughter's offices over in Reynoldsburg, take a stroll through German Village and the ever-popular Book Loft (32 rooms of books!), take a drive up High Street and through campus on game day (mayhem!), take a second drive on High Street the morning after the game (peaceful), and stroll around the Park of Roses in Clintonville. All in all, a very enjoyable weekend.

Above it s picture of the Park of Roses. What a wonderfully serene place in the heart of the city. We really enjoyed our brief walk and could have walked so much further had we not been so anxious to get on the road for home. It was a beautiful spot to be sure.

I'm off the teach some classes! Happy Quilting, Friends!