She made me laugh and cry

Image from salon.com

Because this summer will be one of bouncing from here to there, I suspended my hold list at the library.  When I went to return an overdue Elizabeth the Queen this week I decided to see if anything caught my eye for reading material this week.  That was Monday and I picked up I Remember Nothing plus another Ron Rash novel.  This meant that I was reading what Nora Ephron wrote about dying and growing old while she was dying.  I found this very disconcerting but in a way comforting.  There it was, for all the world to read on the last pages; "What I Will Not Miss" and "What I Will Miss."  I think there is a lesson here.  Make your own lists and make sure that the things you will miss are the things that are at the top of your everyday "to do" list.  Considering that Nora was just a bit over a decade my senior, I best start implementing that advice now.

Nora, thank you for being funny and real and for making me laugh and cry over the years.  My favorites, Sleepless in Seattle (Meg Ryan's hair, a house on the water in Seattle, airplane visual crossing a map of the good old USA, near misses, cute little boy, the Empire State building, and a couple finding love - I loved it all!) and Julie & Julia (food, fun, Paris, a bit awkward Meryl Streep - Perfect!)

While Venus crossed the Sun

Sometimes you find yourself in just the right place at the right time.  Earlier this month we traveled with two grandchildren north to Utah.  This trip we planned an overnight stop halfway to our destination at Jacob's Lake with a side trip to the Grand Canyon.

We have driven south from Jacob's Lake several times to the North Rim Lodge area but have bypassed the road to Cape Royal.  That road is now paved and we decided to experience a different view.

We were so glad we did.  The views along the Cape Royal Road were expansive and stunning and should not be missed.

At some overlooks we were able to follow the Colorado River gorge as it crossed the plateau south of the Vermillion Cliffs and then opened up into a Grand Canyon and its turn to the west.

 The above picture shows the part of the canyon that I hiked during Christmas vacation as a high school student many years ago.  We started at Desert View on the south rim in a snowstorm and by the time we reached the Colorado River temperatures were nice and warm as we slept in the sand. It was so fun to see this view of that long ago adventure.

 So there we were at one of the wonders of the world while a celestial wonder took place in the sky as Venus passed across the sun.  More serendipity!

As the sun was slowly receding in the west, we watched the play of colors cross the canyon.

It was truly magical!

 We could see all the way across the canyon to the south rim.  That is Mount Humphreys by Flagstaff in the background.

We also walked out onto this outcropping over nature's window.

As we made our way closer, the window provided this stunning picture of the Colorado River.  Notice the two figures up on top.  One did feel that a strong gust of wind could blow one into the canyon while walking that ridge.  

The now paved road leading southeast off the main road to the lodge is a bit narrow and winding but so worth it.  Glen and I agreed that it provided the best views we have ever had of the Canyon.

This eerie shot was taken from the car as we drove back to Jacob's Lake.  Several years back there was a horrendous wildfire on the Kaibab Plateau.  The back lite burned out forest was other worldly.

The recycling quilt store

Photo from Facebook Page of Fabric Recycles

While in Kansas Lynette and I went to a fabric/quilt store that was not like the others.  Fabric Recycles  is located in Overland, Kansas and basically recycles sewing and craft rooms and closets.  Most of the inventory comes from someone's fabric stash or whatever kind of crafting stash they might have collected over the years.  The owner purchases from estate sales and also accepts fabric, patterns, notions, yarn, thread, sewing machines, and projects in progress at the store from quilters/crafters/sewers or the ones they have left behind. One may accept cash or store credit.

The store is well organized with fabric and yarn sorted by color.  Near the front of the store is a table labeled "Started Not Finished."  Turnover here is high as buyers pick up a stack of quilt blocks, cut up pieces or hexies used for Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts.  The owner, Page, is friendly and helpful.  The idea for the store came in part from the inheritance several years ago of her own mother's sewing room which took an 18 foot trailer to move it the contents to her home.  She is hoping to use her business model to start other "Fabric Recyles" outlets across the country.  Would you patronize such a store if in your area?  I must admit I purchased a few more things to pack into my suitcase.

Images of Christ at the Garden

Something new and exciting is happening at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi, Utah.  Angela Johnson's bronze sculptures depicting the life of Christ are being installed in a beautiful part of the garden.  Some are life size like this one of Christ walking on water.

And this one of Christ carrying the cross.

Many are small, but still beautiful depictions such as this one of the Father and the Son appearing to Joseph Smith.  There is currently a fund drive underway to fund the final sculpture garden of full size images.

The images are detailed and moving.

They evoke feelings of compassion. . .

and great empathy. . .

including this one of the raising of Lazarus.

I think it will be a wonderful addition to the gardens.

And I can't wait for the completed installation in the next year or two.

I hope that you have been enjoying a peaceful and rewarding Sabbath Day.

"B" books and relationships

Relationships are often challenging, constantly changing, and take genuine care.  These two books beginning with "the" and then a "B" word are contemporary books which tell the story of what happens after the death of a family member.  There is shock, grief, denial, immobilization or unusual action in both books.

A giant tree falls on the house taking the life of a wife in The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler who tells the story of the surviving spouse who has to repair the house and make a life in Maryland.  As he does so, he also evaluates the relationship that was his marriage.

Luz Avila flounders after the death of her maternal grandmother, the only parental figure that she has ever remembered in The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe.  Luz had always been told that her mother had died but her abuela has left behind a slew of mysteries.  Luz decides to follow through with her grandmother's plans for a road trip to Mexico following the migration pattern of the monarch butterflies through the Midwestern United States to the extended family's home in the mountains of Mexico.  Along the way, she meets other women also searching to know more about themselves.  In the end, she must reconcile her false memories and tales told by Abuela with the reality that is her mother.

Relationships may be hard and even demanding but they also bring us our greatest joys and rewards.  We all long for some sense of family and close relationships.  They ground us.

A million pillowcases

I recently turned in these pillowcases to our church women's group as part of the million pillowcase challenge.

 

Earlier this spring, the women met at the church to cut, sew, and press together.  I went through my fabric stash and had a dozen precut kits so that we could immediately start sewing and ironing.

Ever noticed how a group of women have fun no matter what they are doing.

There were those who ironed. . .

and those who cut and then pinned the rolled up tubes before passing them on to the sewers and pressers.  For a youtube tutorial on making a tube pillowcase go here.

I cut and coordinated fabric because I had it down after all that prep at home.

There was also a quilt on the frames to be tied.  The lady in the stripped shirt is always working on tops made from donated fabric that can be quilted and then sent on to be distributed to those in need.

Our pillowcases were made from three coordinating fabrics.  I think they are so much cuter with that accent stripe.  A couple of dozen pillowcases are now a part of the challenge as well as available at "New Leaf," a center for those trying to move on to a new life.

To find out more about this year's million pillowcase challenge go here.

Using up the leftovers

I'm pretty excited about how far my layer cake of Ruby fabric went.  Earlier I showed you the quilt top I put together for my granddaughter Ruby from the Ruby fabric.  There were enough pieces left from the 10 inch squares to put together a smaller quilt top for her baby sister Mabel shown above.

Then I just kept going and used up all the trimmings and one inch strips and made three doll size quilt tops for the three sisters' doll bunk beds.  I plan on making middle sister, Sadie, a quilt top from Marmalade when it becomes available.

Admittedly, I had a fat quarter or two to help with the sashing. . .

and with the borders as well as yardage of dotted fabric for alternating squares.

But I was pretty happy to do so much with so little.  Now on to the quilting and binding.