four years later

It's been almost four years (February 1st to be exact) since Nancy & Mike made a long trip to Lincoln & Bryan West to see Jason after he'd been in a car accident on Showboat road. So this weekend they are back in Lincoln visiting people & places that supported him during his recovery. (Unfortunately Dr Burton was out of town.) We were happy to be on the list & today we had lunch with them at the Isles in Havelock & reminisced about those days when we didn't know how things would turn out. Jason works in Hastings now. Making a life of his own. And we are all grateful.

new view

When driving back from Hastings on Saturday I decided to find a new spot to photograph the railroad tracks that run parallel to highway 6. I chose this location because of the foliage flanking the tracks as I looked west. But I made sure to turn around and photograph the eastern view also.

Bill

We observed another anniversary this week . . . Mom passed away four years ago. I drove out to see Dad today & we took time to visit her grave. Then of course, we stopped for lunch at Dick's Place. While Dad & I dined on sloppy joes & chips we talked about Mom. Dad said that before they were married she took sewing classes in Hastings. He thought maybe she took a few more classes after they were married. It certainly helped explain why she was such a good seamstress. Marge, Dick's wife, heard us talking about her & stopped by to tell how Mom went to Dick's home when he was born to help out. (Dick's father is a first cousin to Mom.) A tradition back then. On the drive back to Hastings Dad told how when Dick was born his father tried to get through a snowstorm with horses & a wagon to his folks place but they couldn't get through the drifts & Dick was born at home with his father delivering him. So some new (to me) stories told today. I brought my camera along & asked Dad if I could take a few shots of him. He's even let his hair get a bit longer. For the winter he says.

more money

fusion food

Austin pointed me in the direction of a recipe for steamed pork buns. A Chinese recipe. I checked out this recipe & decided I didn't care to steam my buns so instead used the filling recipe for a batch of runzas. I used the spicy sausage from Super Saver (1 1/2 packages) & I ended up with a bit of leftover filling. They turned out great. I'll be making them again.

a new home

When Dad had his sale I knew two things for sure. I didn't want him to sell Mom's sewing machine. And I wanted it to go to a good home. It didn't have to be my home necessarily. Nancy said she already had a sewing machine (as do I). Connie doesn't sew much anymore but did want the machine at one time. Betty is too busy to sew . . . a perk of being a grandmother. So I happily ended up with it. I first took it in to be serviced knowing it had been years since it had been cleaned & oiled. And it did need some care. Finally I have it back & it shares space on my sewing table with my own Bernina. It doesn't have all the bells & whistles but it sews a straight line with good tension. That's just about all I ask of my own machine anyway. But I do have a plan for this machine.  I've put cotton thread on it & I will use it for piecing quilts. I still have a big stack of remnants from sewing all those "Lola bags" a couple of years ago & slowly I am turning them into quilts. (And buying more fabric along the way of course.)

I finished this quilt & gave it to Yizhi for Christmas. It even sports a Lola tag like the bags did. I tried out this tutorial for binding the quilt & liked it well enough. I only had to rip out one mitered corner & redo it.  I cut my strips 2.5" wide.

the money plant

I was walking in my neighborhood a few weeks ago with my neighbor, Pam, and we stopped to visit with a woman about the house that had sold next door to her. I noticed these interesting dried plants in her front yard & asked if I could pick a few. She said it was called a "money plant" and gave me permission to take some. Pam took some too. I love their delicate beauty.

more of Carolyn

This is the other piece I taped of Carolyn. I missed the title but it is my favorite of the two.

Carolyn Caruso

Carolyn Caruso performed in the KZUM studio on September 30, 2012. I had the honor of taping her play on her hammer dulcimer & photographing her. She is self taught on the hammer dulcimer & she plays beautifully. She now teaches others to play.

resolutions

A friend asked me last night if I'd made any New Year's resolutions. My quick response was no. Why make a resolution only to fail? But since Don & I were spending the evening quietly at home I had more time to ponder the question. In reality I do have some goals (resolutions if you want to call them that). Losing weight is always a good resolution. This year my goal is to be happy with the weight I am at. Another goal is to finish this afghan I started maybe last year. I figure I need 192 of these circles & I have about sixty done. It will be a granny square blanket. The great thing about this pattern, I think, is that when I have the circles done I will crochet the circles together instead of sewing them together. I'm thinking of using orange but I will wait to buy that yarn when I have my circles done. Here is the pattern if you are interested in making one for yourself (the English translation is included). And good luck with your own goals for 2013!