Silver Threads Among the Gold

The candles on my cake number seventy-one,

But no way, my friends, is my life yet done!

Stacked high are the bins with quilts yet to do,

And skills to master that for me are new.

A self-portrait journal quilt—oh, dear me!

Maybe this time I am up a tree.

For never, with paint or pencil lead,

Have I tried a self-portrait, it must be said.

"Don't over-think it," said dear friend Lin,

"Just grab the scissors and plunge right in."

So here's a self-portrait of Alice B.,

With hair shorter now, as you can see.

Silver threads now show among the gold.

It's time to admit, "I guess I'm getting old."

But at 71 this old gal still has nerve--

You might even say: she has some verve!

Mis-matching earrings, hey, who cares?

They coordinate, so, yes, of course she dares!

A huge pendant hanging from choker on neck

At 71?  Well, what the heck!

A New Look for the Quilting Room

I moved a lovely baker's rack that had been on the back porch into my quilting room today.  Outside I feared the elements might harm the furniture, and besides, I knew I could better use the shelf space in here.  So now my baskets holding soon-to-do projects, some bolts of fabric, my old pink sewing basket that Bob once gave me, and my thread racks have a new home.  I also totally reorganized the closet that holds bins of fabrics I've already set aside for particular projects.  And I even found room for my ink jet printer, in case I ever want to print on fabric (which the new laser printer won't do).  My Ikea cutting table, in the middle of the room, has drawers and deep shelves for still more supplies.  The other pictures show my organized-by-color fabric stash in Elfa drawers. Then on the left wall is the sewing machine, and in the corner, the computer where now I sit.  And what about the pretty little antique writing desk that did occupy the wall where the baker's rack now stands?  It's found a new home on a wall just beside the French doors leading out to the screened in porch, in the breakfast room. 

Our Beautiful Spring Continues!

Here's a close-up of a rose at my sister Kathy's house.  We stopped by to visit them briefly, en route home from a super birthday weekend for me in Ft. Worth.  I plan to post about that later, but I just couldn't resist putting up these gorgeous flowers!  And I didn't take any pictures of the wild flowers all the way home.  The blue bonnets have faded, but the black eyed Susans were particularly striking, whole fields of them, bright orange in the sunshine.  There were others I couldn't identify from afar, a delicate yellow flower, and then there were the pale, gentle-looking buttercups.  We've had in Texas by far the best spring for flowers in many years, thanks to our cold, wet winter, and a cool, rainy spring.  Now more flowers from sister Kathy's yard.  This tall one Kathy couldn't identify, but it was lovely and unusual.  Climbing up a tree were more roses.  These are just three small samples from a corner yard that is almost all blooming flowers!  And then, finally, a lovely arrangement of flowers that Kathy had just cut.  It looked charming against a rustic cabinet with beautiful old glass doors.

Flat Stanley and the Waco Suspension Bridge

On a windy Thursday evening last week, Bob and I took Flat Stanley with us to dinner. (See my blog posting of April 9 for an explanation of Flat Stanley.) Actually, he waited patiently in the car while we ate Mexican food at Ninfa's, and then we took him around downtown, to see several Waco sites. It was so very windy, we had to hold on tight to Stanley, lest he blow away. Stanley visited  a sculpture of a cowboy and steer, near the famous Waco Suspension Bridge.  

This bridge, completed in 1868, was designed by the same man who designed the Brooklyn Bridge. For many years it's been closed to car traffic, but it is a lovely site from which to view the Brazos River, or actually, Lake Brazos, which was formed when a dam was built some 20 years ago. I hate to admit that after over 40 years living in Waco, I had never walked across this bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, I picked up a branch that had fallen from a Cottonwood tree, to show Stanley the little "bolls" of "cotton" that form on the tree.  On windy spring days in Waco, this cotton flies in the air and looks like snow!   Here, Stanley is peeking out from between two branches.  I think Stanley enjoyed the views from the bridge more than anything!

After we got back home, we stopped by the Dyer's house for Stanley to meet Snuggles, the mother of Rolie, a poodle Stanley knows well, since he is Lia's poodle.  The other poodle is another one of Rolie's relatives, perhaps an aunt or a girl cousin!