Aprons and Quilts

Last night I read in the local paper that the traveling exhibit The Apron Chronicles was coming soon to a museum near us. This is an exhibit of 200 vintage aprons and the stories that go with them. So that got me thinking, about a lot of things - aprons, how women throughout history have shown their creativity. Who do you remember from your life wearing them? For me, it is my Great Aunt Stella, who lived in St. Paul, whenever we visited you would find her in the kitchen cooking, with her apron on. I wonder if any of her aprons are still around?

So then I started thinking about history, aprons, quilts and other textiles in the home. These items had to be one of the only ways that the women who helped build this country could have a creative outlet. Their days were filled with the hard work of living, but in the evenings as they sewed things that they needed for everyday life they were able to express themselves by their choices of fabric and designs. We'll never know so many of the stories behind those quilts or the aprons. So I celebrate an exhibit that will showcase and tell the stories behind some aprons. I'm going to make it a point to see this exhibit.

This brings me to stories . . . . we all have them, no matter how small and insignificant we think our lives are. We each have something within us to tell, to share that may entertain or help others. I truly believe that our stories are the fabric of our lives. This summer our town was lucky enough to play host to The StoryCorps. This organization is the neatest thing. They are traveling around the country recording stories of people all over the US, each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the Library of Congress. You can hear StoryCorps stories every week on NPR. My Dad participated in StoryCorps this summer and my Mom interviewed him about his hobby of amateur radio. I think that's the neat thing about this concept, you don't have to tell a "story" you just share something about your life. Imagine future generations hearing our oral histories. It's all very cool if you ask me.

Porcupines

I often wonder how they survive a Minnesota winter! With temperatures dipping to -30 how do they survive up in a tree. Brrrrrr! I pondered that question with my neighbor just yesterday afternoon. I have seen them in the trees in the winter, but never on the ground. How do they get from tree to tree and how difficult is the journey? Yesterday we had a dusting of snow, TF and I took our evening walk through the woods last night at dusk/dark. It's always fun to be out in the woods after a light snow - so many tracks!! There is so much life going on out there that we don't see. Well, low and behold there was a BIG porcupine in one of the trees. TF loves porcupines, or she gets excited at seeing them. We have had many nights of quill pulling. You'd think she would fear them. Or maybe she wants to get them, who knows? Anyway, it was fun to see the porcupine's path through the woods from one tree to the other. It definitely had to slog through the snow, but only sunk down about five or six inches, hard work, when you're not that tall! I wonder how much they weigh - the quills can't weigh much but they would have to have some fat layer to withstand our winters.

Inspiration

As a people we're inspired by many things: our surroundings, other people, events. Throughout my life one of my inspirations has been my Grandmother!! She will be turning 86 in about a month. Right now she is down in Florida with one of her best friends for two months. "The girls" rented a trailer so that they could escape the icy, snowy winter of the Midwest. Grandma called to check in this week, and she sounded so great. She is taking a writing class (you go girl), doing a bible study course and attending purple hat luncheons, among other things. Their favorite mode of transportation are three wheeled bikes. Wow! I hope when I'm her age I'll be able to have her energy and enthusiasm. She worked with my Grandfather for many years to run the farm and raise a family - it's fun for us, as a family, to see her come into her own!

Frosty

It has been extremely cold the past few days -- so I've got great frost formations on the windows of my house. Too cool not to share! So what do you see in this photo? I see a wolf peeking in, or the face of my dog, Solo, who recently passed. We have wolves here in our woods. We saw signs of them this fall, could even hear them howling at night. This winter though on our walks we're seeing no sign. It's kind of sad, but I bet the deer are glad.
My dog Tootsie Fritz (or TF, her name has been changed to protect the innocent) and I walk twice a day, in the woods, usually for an hour at a time or so. Unless it's been as cold as it has been lately, then it's a walk a day. TF lives for her daily walks. She is an Alaskan Husky, a retired sled dog. So during her formative years, she learned about running, pulling and working as a team - she loved it, and even completed a 200 mile race. When she came to live with me she didn't really get the whole "playing" type of behavior. She does chase a tennis ball now, but really doesn't enjoy much play other than running through the woods. Yesterday we saw a Grouse "hiding" on a tree branch. It was pretty funny he thought he was invisible, or was it he hoped he was invisible? He stayed on the branch as long as he could before he got too scared and then flew off. It's so cool to see what animals and birds do tough it out through our cold, northern winters. Another cheerful face out there - the Chickadee. I really think they should be the State bird of Minnesota, they don't desert us even in the coldest weather.

A Weakness of mine . . .

Has become on-line jigzaw puzzles - too many puzzles, too many cuts, so little time. If you have a minute or two to spare, take a look at the Jigsaw Puzzle of the Day

So have you ever?

Gotten something in your mind and then not be able to "shut it out"? That was my dilemma. I have been thinking about starting a blog for years, and never done it. I decided to look into the idea yesterday, all my choices seemed overwhelming, too overwhelming. I pondered what to write, what choice of photo, colors and then what do you write in the "About You" section. Yikes!! I did know I wanted to tell you about the other great blogs I'm reading, the books I'm reading and the projects I'm doing. But where to start?!?!? So then I woke up at 3:58 a.m. and couldn't stop thinking about it. So after an hour tossing and turning here I am. Beginning my shout out to the world. But once again where to start . . . . . .

How about COLOR? Isn't that what you might ask a new friend in grade school? A guy you're starting to date? It's one of those elemental things. I wonder, do we think we can know someone better if we know their favorite color or are we just looking for common ground?? Anyway, I digress (something you'll find I do often), so I'm thinking about my favorite colors and I think why not checkout the Crayola website! So here are a "few" of my favorites (not in any particular order) -- Caribbean Green, Cornflower, Cerulean, Electric Lime, Inch Worm, Laser Lemon, Fuchsia, Green Pacific Blue, Periwinkle, Purple Heart, Razzle Dazzle Rose, Robin Egg Blue, Screamin Green, Shocking Pink, Turquoise Blue, Unmellow Yellow, Wisteria, Yellow, Yellow Green. Honestly, can you tell that Gen X has been put in charge of naming colors. Wow! I love Inch Worm, but I'm not sure you would know what color I mean unless you look it up. I noticed after sorting through this list that I was missing one of my all time favorites that I remember from the box of 64 you had to buy at the beginning of the school year, am I dating myself yet? Thistle was missing from the list of colors. A search ensued, and here's what I found out . . . it was introduced in 1949 and remained in the box until it was removed from the 120-count assortment in 2000 to make room for Indigo. What? I mean, isn't Indigo just another name for Navy? Anyway checkout the Crayola website there are all different color facts there, it will tell you the personality traits for your favorite color, if you can just pick one!