Marsbarn Designs...

At our leisure and on the loose.

There was a certain yin-yang quality to our mini-vacation,
where yin was represented by fabric and yang by brew pubs.
Balance in all things. Sigh.

We started our trip with a perusal of a quilt show.
Big E took photos of some of the quilts, but I'm afraid I didn't get any artist info.
I apologize for that.

This quilt was particularly incredible in person.

I picked up some fabric and some ideas for future projects,
while Big E found adoration and probably has inspired grief 
for some absentee husbands.
("Wow! My husband would never come here with me!")

After the show, we crossed the river and headed east 
along a scenic highway.  It was a lovely drive, 
once we got away from the big rigs and the traffic.
We had reservations in Hood River, but were in no hurry 
to get anywhere, which is a simply divine way to travel.

Once in Hood River, we parked the car and started 
investigating the local breweries.  I can't testify to the beer,but the food was lovely.  There is something slightly 
wicked about starting with appetizers at 4 at one pub,
having a main course at a second pub, and finishing up
with dessert back at the hotel at 8 pm.  
We were at our leisure, and that is a rare and lovely thing.

The next morning featured a slow breakfast in the hotel 
restaurant, which was surprisingly good and friendly,
followed by a meander through town to the farmer's market
(where I bought 23 pounds of Mackintosh apples. Score!),
then a quick drive in the car to the local quilt shop,
and a visit to their local history museum,
before checking out the last pub on Big E's list for lunch.
Then it was a slow drive down the length of a second scenic highway back toward home.

A quick word about local history museums.

I love them, and we have been lucky enough to visit some really well cared for ones.

On this trip, I was particularly interested to learn how early Japanese families had begun to immigrate into the Hood River area.  There was a small exhibit about one woman who came to the area from Japan as a bride in 1916. She and her husband owned an orchard that grew apples and pears.  It was delightful to see photos from the 20's of local grade school classes that were an integrated mix of faces.  Of course all of this makes the interment of Japanese American's in World War II all the more outrageous.  The woman in the exhibit had been living in the area for 35 years when she was moved to a camp in 1941.  

As a side note, the apples I bought at the farmer's market were from a farm which was founded in 1911, by Japanese immigrants.  The same family still owns the farm, but it made me wonder about their experiences during WWII.

There were other interesting exhibits, like one about telephone operators.  A very well turned out older woman approached us as we looked at the switchboard, and said, "I used to do that."  She told us about her first out of state call (to Arkansas) and about how long distance calls were processed during World War II.  

Mission accomplished, we have been Away.

Now that it's too late to jinx ourselves, 
I'll say, "Big E and I had plans to get away this weekend."

Oh, you might say, "Jinx?  Really?"
Too which, I would point to: 
the birthday trip shortened by pink eye,
and the romantic getaway nixed by a hernia.

So this trip? I kept it on the down-low.
I was all, "Universe, this is no big deal.
Don't take any notice of this."

And the Universe was all, 
"Well, you might be planning something, 
so here is a virus, and a strep throat scare."

And I said, "Oh, is that all you can manage?
I blow my nose at you!"

Friday morning Big E and I stealthily gathered 
our overnight bag and vacation reading.
We played it cool.  We drove to a quilt show.
Meandering was done, as was some shopping,
as if to say, "We don't have plans.. 
we don't have anywhere we need to go."

Then, we turned away from home, 
and headed out of state.
And the Universe woke up.
It said, "HEY! Those are romantic plans you have!"

At which point I must interrupt my story.

You know when something really bad is going 
to happen, and time slows way down, 
and your brain speeds up, 
but there isn't anything your body can do?

Well, as we waited to get onto the interstate, 
a semi misjudged its turn, and we had nowhere to go.
As we watched it coming closer and closer to us,
I thought, "The Universe hates a romantic weekend."
Followed very closely by, 
"We are going to spend the weekend buying a new car."

And then... it missed us.
I don't know how it did it, it was so close.
You couldn't have fit a grape between us.

Stunned. The light changed, and we moved on.
And know what?
The rest of our trip was fabulous.
Utterly dreamy.
But I wouldn't have admitted it until we were safely home.

Tincture of Time

Shall we just fast forward through the strep throat scare?
Yes, I think so.

It was one of those, "Gah, Swelling! Pain! SPOTS!
I should go to the doctor!  
Not futz around like I normally do!" situations
which evolved into,
"Bah, I should have waited. It was nothing."
with a short, "Phew, no nasty antibiotic side effects."
to top things off.

My GP prescribed, and I quote, "Tincture of Time".

That would be one popular prescription med 
turned black market street drug, let me tell you.
"Man, I've got to go score some T and T... 
you know, Tincture of Time?  I get all my crap done now, 
and have time to keep up on my TV."

Of course, could he hook me up with a source?
No.  

Damn tease.

 

Anyway, my cold is waning, my energy is returning,
and hey, look at that.. Big E and I have anniversary plans.
The fabulous Auntie O is spending the night with the girls 
while Big E and I sneak away for some quality time together.

Next week.  Next week will be the week I start sewing,
and dyeing, and making stuff. Ya. 

I should have just smiled and accepted the gift with tissues in hand

Currently, I am refusing to accept the cold the girls have tried to gift me with.  
I was hoping that if I pretended not be home,  
or if I adopted a foreign accent 
(Que? Non.. déjà vu.. bechamel.. pain au Chocolat?) 
I might be able to avoid the package.
But no. 

Viruses seem to adopt the attitude of subpoena servers 
on Television dramas: 
They see you, and *BAM* you've been served.  
There is no chance to redirect or avoid contact, 
they have you and they know it.

 

Of course, the girls whizzed through this cold in three days. 
One day of absolute snot, followed by two days of sniffles. 
Me?  I've opted for beginning with four days of being tired
as the snot s.l.o.w.l.y. builds in my brain.  
Obviously, I should have gone for the "wham, bam, 
thank you for the tissues" express virus version.

Dice bag show and tell

This is a special order dice bag I finished up last week for my shop.
The client (ooo-oooh fancy word) wanted a superhero themed dice bag that honored his favorite X-man, Colossus.

 

The challenge (well one of several) was that Colossus doesn't have his own symbol. (Yes, there is the hammer and cycle of his origin, but really that doesn't represent the current incarnation.)

(Don't understand the Geek stuff?  No worries.  
The insta-primer on Colossus is that he's a super strong, defected Russian who has metal skin.)
 

To reflect his bands of metal skin, the bag is lined with a stripy silver shirting. (Note: not the friendliest fabric to work with, but totally worth it since it gave the correct look to the bag.)

The outer design is hand cut thermoset vinyl. The vinyl layers well, but you have to be careful with the heat, or your design can melt.  But I'm really pleased with the final look the vinyl gives to the bag.  Hopefully the recipient will be pleased as well.

It wasn't a bad week, but I would have liked a little more joy.

Big E and I spontaneously bought a rug last weekend.
This is where 'spontaneously' means "searched, researched, pondered, procrastinated for years, and finally rebelled against the dire ugliness and filth of the previous rug".

I'm still getting used to the new rug.
It is a synthetic, hard wearing rug,
not the beautiful, hand tied, wool rug I'd dreamed of.
We went with the practical, instead of the desired.

But, the stained, horrible rug that we put up with for a dozen years, but was always the wrong color, is outta here.
Huzzah!

 

This week I've watched my dance card fill with school events.
I try, very hard, to keep to just the things I actually enjoy, 
but it is still alarming to watch my time get eaten up like M&Ms 
(but without the chocolaty goodness).

On Wednesday, I rented a 20 yard dumpster for compost, 
and we did a massive clean out of the yard.  

Thursday was my yearly exam, which counts as another thing I don't like to do that is now done for another year.  

Yesterday, I updated my shop with more than twenty new bags.  I love making them, I love selling them, but some days listing them feels like a lot of work.

And today, today I think I should catch up on all of the things I let slide this week.
Hello clutter!  Prepare to meet your maker.

But, tomorrow... tomorrow will be a fun day.
Yes.  No chores, no exams, no things that should be done,
no list that start with "To Do".
Perhaps, I'll make donuts. Perhaps I won't.

And there is still no sign of the kitten.

That would be a big No from the universe

And as soon as I posted the previous blog post,
 the kitten disappeared.
Poof! No more temptation, no more sweetness.
The assumption is that he went back home,
where ever that may have been.

 

Damn, but I hate that.
When you say Yes, and then the circumstances say No.

When the feelings of anticipation and excitement have 
overwhelmed the hesitation and worry, 
and you decide to commit and just do it,
but then everything goes bust.
There's just this empty, sad feeling,
with the only consolation being that The Tank won't have a reason to start peeing on things.

Oh, poo.

Today's temptation purrs

I've mentioned our cat previously.  The Tank is... 
opinionated?
antisocial?
This is his house, and he allows us to sublet.

Big E and I are loved, but the girls... 
are largely tolerated to live in his house, 
They are not allowed to pet him or hold him,
and he keeps them inline with swats and intimidation.

But this weekend,
a lanky, half grown kitten appeared in our yard.
He's a stray without a collar,
and he's The Tank's younger twin.

 

But, this kitten is a lover.
He purrs, and rubs, and encourages the girls to love him.

And The Tank?
From inside the house, he growls, he yowls, he hisses, 
and when that fails to scare off the kitten, 
he snuffles and snorts like a congested pug.

Today, The Tank is quieter.
There is the occasional hiss, but the more angry outbursts have eased.  

So, there is a fragile hope that this kitten might become ours, and that the girls might have the joy of a cat who will love them.

weevils in the bread: an original musical

Sweetheart G and Little e created this musical video this morning.  

The setting: An unhappy orphanage where children are fed brine on bread as a staple, and weevils in bread as a treat.

The characters: The unhappy orphans and the cruel and brine addled caretaker.

What you need to know

I have a cat in my lap.
Obviously, the only thing to be done is to write a blog post.

 

I keep thinking about Danny & Annie.
There's just so much love there.

 

Sweetheart G and I watched the short together.
We cried a little,
and talked about love and sadness, 
and how important it is to love, 
to tell those you love that you love them,
and to know that you are loved in return.

Such important things for my Sweet G to know as she grows.