Four Year Anniversary... I Missed It

On August 13, 2005 I made my first ever blogging post. I never dreamed that I would still be posting 4 years later. The customary thing is to link back to that first post on your anniversary... however... we were out of town. So I will do it here... Sharon B's Bags of Fun That was a fun undertaking. As the pages clicked by while I was looking for that first post there were several that stood out as places that turned out to be kinda important. Here's one...

The Joy of Handspinning Anyone who has been around my house lately can vouch for the fact that this site definitely changed my life...lol I am now surrounded by hand made spindles, a spinning wheel and a rigid heddle loom. I teach anyone who will stand still for a minute and doesn't fight back...lol

This site gives step by step instructions for making your first spindle and how to use it. Somehow it never left the back of my mind, but nothing happened until August of 2007. That was when I had been back to the site multitudes of times and finally decided that I would give it a try. That would be 2 years ago this month.

Much has happened in the 10 days since my last post. A trip to see my sister, on to Tulsa for a trip to the chiropractor (none near us uses our insurance .. bummer), and back home just in time for our son and daughter in law to arrive from Michigan. Busy time.. ;o) What a wonderful visit!

I hope all are having a good Sunday... It's a lovely, sunshiny day here and we have tiny baby wrens just hatched out in the back yard. It will be fun to watch them grow...

Home At Last

We left last Thursday for a few days in Bull Shoals, AR. It was a short vacation mixed in with a trip to the dentist...not that that really makes sense..lol Anyway, it was wonderful to visit with friends and see the changes that have come about in the 5 years we have been away. There are a lot of things about Bull Shoals that we miss... the people, for the first and foremost thing. The quiet beauty of the lake and the country. The Ozark Mountains are absolutely breathtaking in their spring beauty. .. But of course, 5 years cannot pass without some changes...and the loss of those dear to you.

The first day we were there, DH came down with a "cold"... or maybe allergies. But by Day 2 I also had it. That was Saturday. By Sunday my nose was dripping like a faucet and I felt like I had been kicked by an Arkansas mule. Monday was the trip to the dentist.... teeth cleaning and a couple of fillings replaced. Then immediately on the road home....

Boy...was I ever glad to get home. Still sick yesterday and most of today. Feel better right now than at any time since we left. There is something inherently wrong with that.

Home Again

It seems that we plan and look forward to trips, then as soon as we leave the city limits we're ready to be back home...lol We had to make a quick run to Bull Shoals, AR and on the way back stopped in Eureka Springs. Thought we might go a show, visit some of the caves and ride the trolley around for the tour. We slept, got up and decided we were just too ready to be home.

On the way back, we stopped at a couple of the many antique stores on the side of the highway and while I didn't find any old spindles, we did find a few treasures.

DH found a couple of clocks that he will be able to fix and put new workings inside. Talk about tickled..lol And we have been looking forever for a creamer that actually has a lid on it.. look around on your next trip to town and see what a futile search that turns out to be...well, we finally found one.

A while back I had to darn the holes in the socks that I knitted for DH. I had to use a light bulb for the darning egg... well not any more! There were actually three to choose from, but the other two (while they may have been older) had a kind of ceramic feel glaze to them that had been pitted and worn. I was afraid this would make working with the socks more difficult, so this black wooden one was my choice.

We have been watching Midsomer Murders for quite a while, renting them through Blockbuster and watching the series as many times as we like. That turns out to be many times..grin Anyway, the series is based on books written by Caroline Graham and the first book she wrote was The Killings at Badger's Drift ... and look what we found...

All in all, it was a good trip...even if it was quick. The company and the scenery were great!

Split Rail Fence Quilt Update

I've been quilting the SRF Quilt. The quilting lines are too close together and are flattening the quilt somewhat, but they also give the quilt a look and feel of this perhaps representing a flower farm... with the rows of plowing in the fields. I'm almost a quarter finished with the blocks and then will decide what to do with the borders.
We've spent the last 2 days "tripping"... first to Dallas to the VA on Thursday and then to Bonham to the VA on Friday. Both were uneventful and even pleasant, but it sure makes those lazy mornings with little to do except have breakfast and coffee something to appreciate..grin