Monday, November 26, 2007

UFO Madness!

I've been busy...what else is new? We've been getting 3 times the amount in deliveries as we stock for Christmas! I come home so tired! Friday our furnace at home went on the fritz! ugh, apparently it needs a new motor...the furnace is only 9 years old! The part won't be in until today (Monday)! So I have been living like a refugee from the war! Lots of quilts, sweaters and space heaters! My parents always the optimists, tell me "Now you know what it was like when we were kids in Holland!" My dad says they would leave the window open a bit "because it was healthier" and when they woke up the water in the basin would be frozen and they would use the water from their hot water bottles to wash up with! Yes Dad I am grateful for the what I have, although I wish I had heat!

I did get to spend Saturday at the UFO day with some of the guild and managed to complete the top for my Dutch Mini quilt (July 21st post) I was making. I am glad it is done! Please put mini paper piecing down as "Once is enough"!




Here is Christine at our very organized and tidy work station!

Friday, November 16, 2007

First Snow

Yesterday:


Today:


sigh.
wasn't ready, never ready.
leaves aren't even raked yet.
brrr.

I'm in!

It's true! I'm in for Gwen Marston's Beaver Island retreat in Michigan next year! This is a picture of the postcard she sent as a confirmation! Way cool! I'm going with my quilting buddy Christine!!!! woohoo!


Took out Kaffe Fassett's Passionate Patchwork from the library and there was a neat idea of an unquilted top used a blind in the window. Just last week I saw Hedgehog's post of her quilt hanging in front of the window and it inspired me to make this:


Also, I finished my Sakura wall hanging:


Also, got my bingo card made for the guild (Fons and Porter, September/October 2006):




Sometimes it feels great to get the little things done!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Lest We Forget

A friend of mine wrote this for Remembrance Day:


FIVE MILES TO PASSENDALE


LET NONE SLEEP TONIGHT WE`VE GOT A WAR TO FIGHT
CAME THE EARLY REVEILLE HORN
WITH DRIED MUD ON MY FACE IN THAT FRONTLINE PLACE
AND A DUTY AS SURE AS I`M BORN
THE PRICE WAS QUITE HIGH FOR A HILL SO NIGH
THAT CURRY WAS FROZEN TO THE CORE
BUT HAIG SAID PUSH NORTH WITH YOUR CANADIAN FORCE
ALL FIFTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR

WHEN DOES LIFE BECOME AN OBLIGATION
WHEN MEN DIE TO SAVE OUR NECKS AND NATION
DO YOU FEEL IT BEARING DOWN UPON US ALL
THOSE OF US WHOM LIVE AFTER THEIR FALL

WE WERE THE 3RD AND 4TH CANADIAN DIVISION
WHO WERE THE FINAL SACRIFICING MISSION
TO PULL OUR GUNS BACK OUT OF THE MUD
OR BE SUCKED INTO A GRAVE OF DIRT AND BLOOD
EIGHTY PERCENT IS TOO HIGH WAS THE GENERAL`S CRY
THESE MEN ARE DESPERATE TO FIND COVER
HOWEVER THE MESSAGE CAME THROUGH
AND ALL THOSE CANADIANS WE KNEW
BECAME THE KEEPERS OF OUR BROTHER

A REPRIEVE OF COURSE FROM THE OPPOSING FORCE
ALLOWED THIRTY MINUETS TO REMOVE THE DEAD
BUT WE ALL KNEW THAT WHEN FINALLY THROUGH
THEIR SIGHTS WOULD BE BACK UPON OUR HEAD
TO RESTART THE WAR AND NOT KNOWING WHAT FOR
WAS A MOMENT THAT PERPLEXED US ALL
YET THE COMMAND CAME DOWN AND AGAIN WE FOUND
OURSELVES HAD BEEN TAKEN TO THE WALL

IT WAS A SENSELESS PARADE AND A FALSE FACADE
THAT THIS HILL NEEDED TO BE TAKEN
OF COURSE WE ALL KNEW THAT THE GENERAL`S VIEW
WOULD BE OF HUBRIS, PRIDE AND HIS BACON
SO WE DID OUR JOB IN THAT NOVEMBER FOG
TO PLEASE THE COURTS AND ALL THAT TALE
AND WE DID WHAT WAS DONE, IN THE END WE HAD WON
THE LAST OF FIVE MILES TO PASSENDALE

WHEN DOES A LIFE`S REGRET BECOME OUR DEBT
FOR ALL THOSE WHOM WE`VE NEVER KNOWN
WHO PAVED THE WAY SO THAT WE COULD SAY
THANKS FOR MY LIFE, MY LIMB AND MY HOME

JOE RENAUD