All my favorite people are broken.  This is a song by Over the Rhine and I didn’t grasp the full meaning of it until lately. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ea9uy6Mngk

Two of my friends are fighting a cancer battle, three have lost their husbands in the recent past, one is fighting her own inner turmoil, two have broken body parts, two are battling their thyroids, and one who broke her leg is finally riding her motorcycle again.

And I sit here and moan and cry and it does nothing.  Would you, if able, give a day of your own life to know your friend would live one more day?  Just to have one more day with them?  Would you give a week, a month, a year?  I think we all would, in a heartbeat.

I just want to emphasize that we must give to them in the here and now.  Give with your love and your time.  Go kayaking.  Go to the Conservatory.  Go walk in the forest.  Give them your time now and tell them that you love them and care.

Tomorrow I’ll still have my breasts, my husband beside me, a good shoulder and be able to walk on two legs.  Sure my shoulder hurts, but I’ve got everything I need.

Is this what old age is?  Watching your friends deteriorate?  I’m deteriorating but not quite as fast.  I can’t do anything but watch and cry and pray and give consolation,.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could give them a day of our lives for them to live happily and fully for one more day?

Peace be with you.

I saw an interesting little story the other day.  It was about feedbags.  Back in the depression years, mothers would take empty flour sacks and various other feedbags and turn them into dresses and shirts for their kids.  In return the companies that produced the products began to make the bags in pretty designs.  And so a simple plain white feedbag was suddenly a red print with little black Scottie dogs or brown material with horses and pastures.  I thought to myself, “What a wonderful thing for these folks to have done.”  I’m sure the kids that got new flour sack clothing were thrilled.

I have just finished the most recent quilt that I have made.  It is made entirely of old blue jeans and material that I already had on hand.  I, as most of you already know, am the queen of miserdom.  I squeeze my toothpaste tube completely dry before I pitch it.  I use my floss picks twice or until they break, washing them in the dish washer between uses.

I have made two quilts for my girls’ college graduation made entirely of used materials.  I used their old sheets, clothing, Grandma and Grandma’s old clothing and even old t-shirts and p.j.s.  After I made the quilt I wrote a story about the materials in the quilt, where they came from and their special meaning.  I made two other quilts using a lot of clothing I had gathered at my parent’s house after they passed away.  My mom was a material hoarder too.

One of these quilts was made of mostly my father’s shirts.  I think he was a shirt hoarder as he had a whole closet full of button down shirts.  I don’t think they every threw or gave clothing away. (Oh, and I saved all the buttons.)

And just so you know, these quilts are not works of art.  I just piece materials together.  I’d really like to make a real quilt like a log cabin or an applique quilt but I don’t think I have the patience to do such.  I’m just quilting because I have the material and I do love to sew.

I had so much fun with this last quilt that I may try to make another one.  You cut the blue jean material into rounds and put a pretty fabric square in the middle and sew the outside round edges onto the square.  I think it is called a peek-a-boo quilt.  When it is washed the round edges fray and it is quite pretty.

However, I must let my fingers recover before I start again.  Sewing double thicknesses of denim really take its toll on your fingers.  And I have broken all my fingernails pulling the needle through.

And, no, I still haven't figure out this new computer and my photos or the smart phone either.  I snarfed the photo from the internet. But that is what my new quilt looks like.  Isn't it pretty?

Peace be with you.