Over 30 years

I don't care what anyone says - life is not a bowl of cherries - love can be tough - and after 30 years I'm content with the wrinkles on the skin of being married.  I wouldn't have a marriage facelift - if you get my point.  Maybe Botox...

I'm going to be a grand-god mother - if there is such a term.  My first god-daughter is having a baby girl!  

Alex is 29 - and I'm so glad for her.  Her mom and I got married at the same time to good friends.  We both lived in the same cold water walk up flats in Boston for the first few years of our marriage, until they moved to Florida to get away from the nasty winters. Evelien and I bought our first sets of dishes together - at the local Stop and Shop - $0.29/ plate and maybe $0.50 for the serving dishes.  And we also got some recipe cards that fitted into a box and were separated out like - "Desserts the will Please!" and "Main Dishes for the Hungry Man".  What can I say, we were newlyweds.   

Ev is Dutch and didn't move to the states until she was about 14, so she has a cute little Dutch accent.  A few months ago I was online and found some wonderful fabric with little dutch boys and girls playing hoops and other games, with pink circles for the background.  I knew Alex was trying for a baby, and snatched up this fabric hoping that she would have a girl so I immediatly got busy on a new quilt.   A girl fits well into this family, Ev has 5 girls - all beautiful and amazing. 

I picked up the blue and green with some nine-patch - and look at those corners!  Courtesy of the new Pfaff sewing machine - makes sewing a breeze.    The colors don't really show well here but it's really cute and pretty, and perfect for a little 1/2 Dutch baby.  I was tempted to go with a more baby type theme, more pinks and soft greens, but this pink is an odd one and it wouldn't have worked.  

The baby shower is on the 21st, and since I will be in Florida that week - I have this week to finish it off. Wish me luck.    

Illustration Friday - Forgotten

I think this is an interesting topic, and might post a few entries.

We have had wonderful spring weather here in the Northeast, which is unusual for us. We often find ourselves with 1 week of spring before plunging into the heat of summer. When that happens I find myself longing for the cool fall nights, with great sleeping weather.

So, for "Forgotten" ...

"In spring, we easily forget the beautiful leaves of the fall, just as in autumn, we forget the rebirth and beauty of the spring."

Flashback!

I love my iPOD, just love that little gadget and take it everywhere.  

A friend at work gave me a bunch of old music to put on my little ipod, and I put it all on without thinking much about it.  Walking this morning and Steeleye Span singing "All Around My Hat" came on.  Haven't heard that in YEARS!  Took me back to college, dancing with friends, crazy days, seems now that I was very carefree altho' it didn't seem so at the time. 

Wow.  Maddy Prior's voice - I remember now the sweetness and purity and vibrato that she had. And Sandy Denny's voice. And other strong voiced women in the '70's.  

Man...

Since I'm reminiscing - was anyone here.  I wasn't  (WAYYY too young) but Tony was - with the Hogg Farm as the "Please Force". Yeah...right.  The stories that he tells are amazing.  

I wouldn't go back, but there are just certain things that I still think about....

Animal Wednesday - parrot

I did this guy in plain pencil first and liked him...then messed him up with color - but I think I've rescued him - I had gotten his eyes wrong at first.   They are a little bit intense here, next time I'll pay more attention to a bird's eye. 

HAW to everyone today - give a hug to all your animals!  

A new sewing machine.

While riding bikes yesterday, I realized that by purchasing my bike, with top notch equipment on it, that good tools make even the toughest job more enjoyable and easy.  My old bike wouldn't shift well, and sometimes I'd get stuck in a high gear trying to go uphill. This new bike is MUCH easier to shift, uphill...downhill and where ever.   Of course I always knew this intellectually but it didn't really hit home until yesterday. 

After this realization I made a decision.  I have been researching new sewing machines but was put off by the high price but now...after much deliberation and research and soul searching - I've decided to buy a very, very nice new sewing machine - a Pfaff Quilter 2048.  This is more than I have ever spent on anything for myself, but I am tired of fighting with my little Euro Shark.  I love to sew, and want nice, reliable equipment to use.   

Anyone else have a Pfaff?  Any advice? (on sewing, life, equipment, buying something good for yourself etc) 

Sunday - June 1st - an outdoors day.

First of all, a plea for some computer advice. When I used a PC to blog, I would add the images that I wanted to my post, and all would load at the top of the entry. I would grab the picture I wanted and drag it down to where I wanted it in the text. As I dragged the photo, the text would scroll down so that I could place it exactly where I wanted it.

With the Mac, everything loads at the top as normal. But when I grab it to move the photo, the text does not scroll down and I end up pasting the picture sort of outside the blogger text box, and then having to move it again to it's new location. Maybe this explanation doesn't make much sense, but if anyone has any good hints on how to load and move pictures in blogger, using a mac - I'd appreciate the help.

Okay, onto my weekend post!

Mountain Bike Riding

I am not an athlete. I was never a tomboy, never climbed ropes or managed to hit a baseball. I was (an am) a reader, thinker, dreamer. But an athlete? Nope, not this chicken.

But many people in my life have tried to show me the joys of coordination, and athletics. My cousins tried to teach me to ride ocean waves. I sank, or got left behind or got scrambled in the surf. In camp they tried to teach me tennis or team sports and I was a miserable failure. The only sport I liked at camp was rowing. It's a solitary sport, and you move forward while looking backwards - how great. Anyway, since my childhood camp days, boyfriends have tried to teach me sports. My brother has tried, and my cousins are still trying. No one really understands that I mostly like solitary sports, with minimal pain.

Now - DH's latest interest is mountain biking, so we went out and got me a mountain bike and off we go. (I am taking lessons next week so that I learn how to not kill myself.) We went out to what was supposed to be an easy trail, and while it was fun - I also felt a constant terror. Plummeting downhill towards trees and rocks! Bonking over roots and rocks! I did like it, but am heading to the store this week to get all the protective equipment I can find. Wrist protectors, ankle protectors, elbow, face, etc. A slight exaggeration, but I'll really get what I can!

When we got done with the terrifying ride - (it was supposed to be easy trail,but even Tony said it was "intermediate") we went to a semi paved rail trail and rode there for a few hours. I got to take some pictures of the Blackstone valley area - really beautiful

The two field above were just so green, and luscious looking, I wanted to stay there all afternoon.

Don't you just want to walk down this path, in the dappled green sunlight?

These pink flowers are not phlox - they are wildflowers and I don't know the proper name. An old friend called them "lady flower" - she said that they were for the Virgin Mary, with their four petals.

This rock was covered with these unusual lichens - so much so that some of the rocks I saw in the woods looked like piles of leaves. It wasn't until I got up to them that I saw that they were rocks covered with these lichens.

And this rock was evidence of "pin and feather" rock cutting from colonial times. After reading "Sermons in Stone" which is all about New England rock walls, I was fascinated to see this actual evidence of the tools used to split rock. As usual, it astounds me to realize the amount of work that went into farming (still does I know - but different work right?) Imagine, hand drilling holes in stone....inserting tools to split the rock....pounding those tool....breaking the rock and then MOVING it. I understand the need for lots of sons to help on the farm.

At the end of the canal towpath, there was an old woolen mill from the 1800's. It was in production until 1988, at which time it was closed. Families in town had had generations that had worked in these mills - of course I wondered what happened to everyone and where they went for work when this mill closed. Now they are talking about renovating it, and putting in shops etc. But, the town itself is not in such great shape economically, and I wonder how well the shops would do. Perhaps a tourist destination, but I just don't know. Anyway, I took this picture of the lock, you can just imagine this lock open, and the water power running this whole building.

So, as you can see, I really enjoyed the flatter ride, it was much more scenic and relaxing. I got to take pictures, and read signs about the farm that used to be in the area, and enjoy myself. The tougher ride, while exhilarating, was not as much fun at all, and much more of a physical challenge. I am suspicious that DH is trying to make me into an athlete again, and voiced my concerns. "No, no" he protested, he just wants me to have fun with him and to have us bike ride together.

I'm thinking that here is another misguided male, trying to get this I-would-rather-be-reading female out into the wide blue world to get exercise - and I think that he's hoping that "maybe she'll like THIS sport". I'll give it a try, but I think that I am going to enjoy seeing winter again, when the snow stops all relentless outdoor activity and one can sit in front of the fire, reading, with a clear conscience.

Sorry DebKay - I know you love mountain biking. Maybe I need a woman only group to ride with....