packing up to fly west

Last month Son # 2 (aka Story Man, of the BBQ pit) texted to tell me he had bought two tickets to see Patty Griffin in Austin.  And did I want to come down and go with him?

Hmmmm….give me a second to think about it……hmmmmm…..hell, yes!!!!

So I’m packing some shorts, t-shirts and sandals for the Texas heat (it is still 40 degrees here in Rhode Island, raining a little every day with no hope of sunshine) and getting ready to fly away.

Without Banjo Man.

But don’t feel too badly for him.  He has a huge project, a makeover of a bedroom.  He is going to paint a ceiling.  I always painted everything, but my shoulders can no longer take the stress.  So he’s on his own, with a long list of instructions.  And a gallon of dark blue-gray-green paint for the walls.

It’s very exciting.  I’ve wanted to do this for years.  In fact, I picked out the color three years ago.  And we still like it.

Along with Patty Griffin, I get to see my grandson and his parents!  We’re having dinner together Saturday night.  It has been many, many years since I’ve celebrated Mother’s Day with one of my sons, so this will be a special weekend.

Definitely worth getting up at 3 AM.

 

Posted in austin, books & music, family, rhode island, travel | 4 Comments

sunday quilts

Last weekend Mom and I went to the Narragansett Bay Quilters bi-annual quilt show at a nearby high school.  We met my good buddy Ruth there and proceeded to walk around the gym while oohing and ahhing about the amazing talent on display.

So I thought I’d share some quiltin’ eye candy with you.

I thought this quilt was stunning.  Paper pieced and gorgeous.

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Here’s a vintage top quilted and displayed.  This has inspired me to do something with the vintage quilt tops I’ve collected since 1972.IMG_0929

I loved all of the intricate machine quilting on this one.  I could happily do this kind of machine quilting for weeks on end.  Until I went blind.IMG_0923

This one definitely takes a design board.  Simple blocks, but a complicated assembly to make it into a work of art.  We all loved this one.IMG_0921

And now for some applique.  My fingers can’t do this kind of needlework, but Ruth’s can.  She’s really good at it, so this quilt inspired her.IMG_0924

What a variation on a wedding ring pattern!  I’ve always wanted to make one of these.  Maybe next winter…IMG_0925IMG_0926

And here are cross-stitch blocks at the center of log cabin blocks.  These were the smallest cross stitches I’ve ever seen in my life.IMG_0928

Of course no quilt show would be complete without a vendor section.  I resisted buying fabric and a sewing table (saving that purchase for next winter), but I won a door prize at one of the booths!

We went out to lunch, celebrated Mother’s Day early (I’ll be in Austin on the official Sunday) and staggered home.  I have a few quilt projects to finish up before we leave for the lake–mostly making binding–but there will be no more new quilts until November.

Summer = cooking, canning,  music, dock time, parties, reunions, family gatherings and staring at the mountains.  Heaven!

 

Posted in family | 4 Comments

biting the bullet x 2

bite the bullet

Ouch.  This afternoon I really feel as if I bit down on a bullet.  That cracked molar I’ve been in denial about since  February now has a temporary crown on it.  The dentist and I are hoping that will solve this “cracked tooth pain” without having to attempt a root canal or an extraction.

It might take a week before I am pain free, but if it works?  Hallelujah!!!

Right now it doesn’t feel too good.  As my five year old grandson would declare, “I can’t like this.”

I also bit another bullet today, which was to buy a new computer.  I need more space for music and for pictures.  My music issues have pretty much shut down any progress on my learning to play the dobro or take up the violin again.  The issues with pictures made blogging something that took hours.  It finally dawned on me that I was stuck.  Majorly stuck.

Being stuck is not a good feeling.

I didn’t want to buy a new computer—and learn Windows 10—any more than I wanted to have a root canal (or any dental work at all), but after a trip to Staples after the dentist visit (I explained to the salesman that I sounded funny because of the novacaine and he asked me not to drool on the laptops) and then, once home, after several hours of reading online reviews and checking prices, I made my choice.

Banjo Man thinks I’m ridiculous:  For heaven’s sakes, will you just go buy a new computer?????

He wanted to race out and replace his laptop yesterday, but I talked him off the ledge.  Google Chrome is not playing nice with Windows 7.  It’s an internet issue, not his computer.  At least that’s my opinion.

He has calmed down, I think.  He needs to chat with the Staples technician and see how to fix this.  I tried a few things I read online, but nothing worked.

So my aching tooth and I are now going to Staples to pick up the hunk of technology that will solve all of my problems.  Just like the temporary crown is going to–eventually–fix my tooth.

Yup.  That’s what I’m going to tell myself.

 

 

Posted in family | 1 Comment

gotta love my daughter-in-law

Believe it or not, this is a tablecloth!  My daughter-in-law surprised me with this for Christmas and I have to admit it is my new favorite.

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We were shopping together last spring in  Georgetown, Texas, when I spied a red and white  checked vintage tablecloth printed with red roses, in a nice big rectangular size.

I didn’t buy it.  I resisted with every cell in my recently-lunched-on-grain-fed-burgers-body.  I do try so hard to resist buying any more tablecloths, I really do.  It’s a sickness, I admit.  But I love them.

My daughter-in-law told me months later that she had gone back to buy it for me, but it was gone.

So here is my brand new Christmas present.  There is a cowgirl in each crisp, cotton corner.

Boots!

Roses!

Blue and white!

Perfection!!!!

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Time to party, don’t y’all think?

Posted in family | 4 Comments

recreating the figs & pigs sandwich

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Remember my delight with a roasted mushroom sandwich in Worcester during Sew Expo a few weeks ago?

It was REALLY easy to do it myself.  All I need were sliced mushrooms (which I sauteed in a little bit of olive oil), grated Swiss cheese, sourdough bread and fig spread.

Not exactly rocket science, but really, really good.

I’m making them again for dinner tonight, while Banjo Man and I watch Season Five of Game of Thrones.  We’re halfway through episode 2 (10 total) so this could be a great evening of binge television.

I have a toothache.  It’s a rainy day.  Banjo Man is cleaning his office.  No one is going anywhere.

Back to the sandwich…

I buttered one side of the bread (the one facing the pan), then sprinkled cheese on the other side.  Topped that with mushrooms.  Then more cheese.

Spread a light layer of fig spread on the other slice of bread (I used too much the first time) and butter the other side.

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Yep, this is going to be Saturday night dinner. 

Posted in food, rhode island | 4 Comments

a flower, finally

 

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Our tulips are old, Banjo Man told me.  This might be the last one unless we get ambitious and plant new bulbs next fall.  Is that when you plant tulip bulbs?  In the fall?

I have no idea.  I don’t think I will be ambitious.  Dirt does not excite me.

But this tulip was a welcome sight this morning.  It has been a busy week.  Taxes.  Car buying (we picked up the new old Toyota Highlander in the Big City Wednesday afternoon). Work (Banjo Man) and errands (me) and cleaning the basement and closets (me) and a cracked molar to be dealt with (also me).  And a phone call from Sarge saying he has a girlfriend and can he bring her to meet us next month?

Of course, I answered.

She has never had lobster, Sarge said.  Can we have lobster?

Of course.  Lobster is now on the menu.  That’s easy enough.

This is serious, Mom, Sarge informed me.

Yes.  I get that.

This is not my first time around the “meeting a girlfriend” block.  There have been highs and lows.  Mostly highs.

It’s always an adventure.  I will have to clean.  A lot.  The cooking part will be fun, as will the touristy stuff and a possible picnic on the beach.  Maybe Banjo Man will clean out his water fountain, plug in the pump and wow us all.

Maybe I’ll recite some poetry, after the lobster and the waterfall and the wine…

“In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish’d dove; In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”

Alfred Tennyson, Locksley Hall (1835, published 1842).

(I’ll keep you posted.)

 

 

Posted in family, rhode island | 2 Comments

what the heck is that?

I was in Banjo Man’s office this morning, just having a little chat before I headed to the workroom for some time on the treadmill, when I saw what I thought was a large dog trotting down the driveway towards the house.

What the heck is that?”  was exactly what I said to Banjo Man.  My second thought:  I’m going to have to deal with a lost big old dog before I get on the treadmill.

We stared out the window.  The black animal looked much bigger than any other fisher we’ve seen and besides, it didn’t move like a fisher.  They lope.  They’re fast.  This animal-walked like a cat and was in no hurry.

“Get the camera!” Banjo Man shrieked, so I put down my coffee mug and raced upstairs to take some pics out the living room window.

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The stump on the left is 8″ high.

If this was a house cat, it was the biggest damn house cat I’ve ever seen in my life.

If it was a fisher, it was the most relaxed fisher I’ve ever seen in my life.

If you have any idea what this is, please leave a comment!!!!  

Posted in rhode island | 4 Comments

in ten weeks…

I’m ready for summer.  Get ready, girlfriends!

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Posted in friends, lake | 2 Comments

lost and found

Today Banjo Man and I bought a car.  We have owned a 2004 Toyota Highlander for about 5 years now.  Or maybe four years.

I can’t remember, but Banjo Man pointed out that we have driven it across the country four times, which is hard to believe.  We love this car.

Anyway…this year we planned to fly west instead of driving.  We would buy a car in Idaho and leave it there.  I’ve been shopping long-distance (via cars.com, autotrader, cargurus and craigslist) and the ugly reality is that AWD cars are a lot more expensive in the northwest.  And less plentiful on the used car lots.

So…after much discussion and lots of online shopping, we found a 2005 Highlander here in Rhode Island Wednesday and today our mechanic pronounced it to be in excellent condition.  To Banjo Man’s joy, the shopping is now over.

Such a relief.  We’ll pick it up in a few days, after it is inspected and has a new battery, etc.

On the way home Banjo Man realized we were out of gas, so we stopped in Giant Suburbia to fill ‘er up at a monster gas station, which I picked out because I was pretending we were on a road trip (which is what I do quite often) and needed a cold drink with a straw (because when I am on a road trip I always need a cold drink with a straw).  Then Banjo Man suggested we stop at Trader Joe’s to buy “treats” to celebrate finally finding a car.

“What kind of treats?” was my question as he pulled into the Trader Joe parking lot.  “Sweet treats?  Fancy cheese?  Or weird vegetables?”

“I was thinking of a slab of salmon,” Banjo Man admitted.  In the meantime I realized Panera Bread was next door.

“I was thinking of a sandwich,” I said, “so you go get what you want and I’m going to get my own lunch.”

This is how you stay married for 45.5 years, by the way.  Do your own thing.  Live and let live.  Don’t make negative salmon comments.  Let your spouse enjoy monster gas stations.

We happily went our separate ways.

Here’s the “lost and found” part:  While crossing the parking lot to Panera Bread (and a turkey avocado sandwich) I saw a green and gold credit card shining from the pavement.  I picked it up and realized it was someone’s debit card from a local bank.  “Karen” was going to be very, very upset when she realized she’d lost it.

There was an elderly couple entering Panera ahead of me, so once inside I asked them if it belonged to them.  It didn’t.  But the woman said she’d seen a lady with a large bag heading to her car a few minutes earlier.

I debated about what to do.  I didn’t want to leave it at the restaurant, even if they had a “lost and found” section.  I felt responsible for it.

I ordered the sandwich and bought a loaf of sourdough bread while the elderly couple kept glancing my way as if I was going to rob them or use Karen’s debit card to buy out the entire pastry section.  Ease up, elderly people!  You’re watching too much news!

Two policemen were eating lunch over by the window, so I realized I could ask them for advice.  I personally thought the best thing would be to take the card to a branch of the bank.  After I picked up my sandwich I went over to the policemen, one of whom had lots of braid and gold stars on his uniform (which meant I was interrupting the Chief of Police?).  I apologized and explained what had happened and said my only thought was to drop the card off at Citizens Bank.

The policemen thought that was an excellent idea.

(As I was explaining all of this to Banjo Man ten minutes later, he was appalled that the police hadn’t taken the card from me.  Are you?  I look old and honest and was wearing my nicest coat and my  new necklace and besides, the Chief of Police has better things to do than deal with lost debit cards.)

So off we went, heading home.  There’s a Citizens Bank in our own town, so we stopped there and I gave the card to a cashier, who seemed happy to have it and gave me a big smile.

I hope she had Karen’s phone number somewhere in the bank records, because otherwise Karen is going to wonder if someone is trying to access her bank account before she can report the loss to her bank.

credit card thief

It’s very exciting to leave the house, go up to the Big City, buy a car and thwart crime!!!

 

 

 

Posted in rhode island, road trip, secondhand stuff, shopping, travel | 5 Comments

sarge bought a truck

Sarge came home last weekend.

In this.

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He is ready to move to the Northwest and start working on the cabin.   Can you tell?

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Inspected by Banjo Man.

Sarge took us for a ride Sunday morning.

We ruled the road!

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Still waiting for Spring.

Posted in family, rhode island, secondhand stuff | 4 Comments