clothespins

My sister-in-law, Jean, leaves her clothespins on the line as far as I can tell. I really appreciate that when I visit the farm with my camera. Colleen packed a few of her dish towels as props including a white one that was sometimes tricky to work with. It literally disappears in some photos I took. The sky was cloudy while we visited the farm. A breeze sometimes came up enough to put some life into the dish towels. I had a lot of fun with these photos.

a second look

• Oftentimes, things deserve a second look. For me today, it has meant relooking at photos I took last September. I happened across these on a flash drive & knew I'd never posted them. Dad still lived in his house. His next door neighbor had these lime green sheets on the line. The more I look at these photos the more I enjoy them. I even like them in black & white. This green is symbolic of spring despite the forecast of snow tomorrow . . .

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clothespins for sewing

I may not be taking a lot of pictures lately but I have been doing a little sewing. I found the pattern for these fabric baskets here and decided to make one for a possible baby gift (don't know if a boy or girl yet; someone I work with). I found these Clover clips at Hobby Lobby that have come in handy with this kind of project. I made the smaller basket & when finished ends up being 5" across & 7" tall when folded back like shown. She doesn't say what the seam allowance is but I figured it out to be 1/4". It is a great pattern with the ability to alter the size easily to fit your needs. Instead of finishing it like she did I put the lining inside the outer basket wrong sides together & folded down the top edges 1/2" then sewed them together.

Sher's clothespins

I've rather gotten out of the habit of blogging lately. I can't say it's because there is nothing to photograph because there is always something interesting out there. More it is the winter doldrums I think. These photos were taken last summer at Sher's home. New to you & a nice change from the snow. We only ended up getting six inches or so yesterday. A snow day for the schools. (I miss waking the boys up to tell them there's no school.) Sher had a great collection of clothespins on her line. I commented on her colored, plastic pins & she said they were not as good at the wooded ones. I enjoyed capturing them with my camera anyway.

Amber's clothespins

On the last day of July I drove north to visit my friend, Marcia. On the way home I stopped to visit my niece, Amber. She & Marc weren't home from work when I arrived so I ventured into their back yard & found the clothespins I was hoping to find . . .

clothespen

Union Bank is having a photo competition. They asked people to use their ubiquitous pen in a photo. No photoshopping. I had a couple of ideas & finally settled on this one. There are a lot of fun photos posted. Voting by the public started Wednesday & continues through August 31. Click here to see my entry. There are a lot of fun submissions!

clothepins on the home place

Don & I were up north last month to visit Herb. We made a trip to the farm where Don grew up. Don's cousin, Kevin, owns the land now & his son lives there. Dustin was home when we stopped by. Clothespins were on the line. Dogs in the yard. It felt good to visit even though things have changed. Thought about the days when Mavis lived there with Herb. We even stepped inside the house. I hadn't been in there since Herb moved out. So many memories there. I was glad to step back in time for a moment. Then we headed home.

Sacred Heart school

Yesterday I visited Dad. We dined at Dick's Place with Thelma. While they continued their visit I got a tour of the parochial grade school guided by my cousin's wife, Jeannine, who also teaches there. The upstairs gym was once the parish hall & is where my parents had their wedding dance. The choir loft is gone but the stage still has a yearly Christmas play. I saw where aspiring actors etched their names on the inside of the doors to the costume closet. Walking through the classrooms reminded me of my own time in grade school. The chalk boards are still there & computers are there now too. Cursive is still being taught. Bugs are pinned to boards. And crosses & photos of the Pope adorn the walls. I even found some clothespins! Lots of wooden floors & bannisters. So much history here. And more still being made.