Opening a new lipstick is equal to the joy of being the first to use a new jar of vegemite. Didn’t you just love to be able to put the knife in the jar and take out a great big scoop?
Maybe its just that my lippy costs less here than half the price than I would pay in Australia…..!!!!
Small things amuse me. At least it’s better than the plane trauma that’s continuing today.
It’s Friday the 11th, and at 11.00 pm tonight I’ve will have been back here in the USA a week.
There’s a milky sun filtering through flimsy clouds today. As I look out of the Gazebo, the butterflies are trying to extract nectar from the rather dry lilac bush and the humming birds are zinging around the feeder. An acrobatic squirrel almost fell in the water bowl and spent a time drying his little wet feet one at a time.
I feel rather reflective today on the frailty of life. Our dear family friend Ray died last Friday as I was in the air; his funeral was last night (USA time) so I played music I thought he might like and sent a silent prayer into the beautiful black sky last night.
Yesterday was an interesting day for me as a quilter.
I was invited to a quilt show and luncheon in Ackeley
It takes a couple of hours to drive up to there, of course we had a few stops to visit several fabric shops on the way. As we pulled into the Church where the quilt show was held the streets were lined with large middle class vehicles. Buicks, large pick up trucks and even a few Mercedes. We pulled up by a garden full of sunflowers, hollyhocks and bright blue summer flowers. As we opened the door to the venue we were greeted by a warm buzz of voices. Lunch was being prepared and about 100 ladies were enjoying conversation only known to women who share the love of being a quilter. It seemed to me that they were mainly middle age freedom friends, although there were a number of young Mums. Quilts surrounded the room, tagged with small written expressions of how and why they were made. My observation was that this group love to make tops and send them out to be quilted. Lovely utilitarian quilts just like we would find in any small show at home. There were a few antique quilts that took my eye and of course found the eye of my camera.
Lunch was very different to one we would have. A variety of salads, that we don’t experience at home, Wild rice, grape and tuna, - marshmallow, cheese and carrot. Jelly and pineapple. Most of which I couldn’t eat so I tucked in to the mini savory muffins and coffee.
The after lunch speaker was Gail De Marken. I was delighted. Gail is the illustrator of the book the Quilt Makers Gift and quite a few other publications. We spent a delightful hour as she took us on the journey of how the book came to life. She talked about her life overseas and the dramas that made her the colorful person she is today. I identified with her creative expression and marveled at her artistry.
What a bonus, What a treat, What a great day.
