Who knew?

 Is it a snake plant?  Mother-in-law's tongue?  A sanseveria?
By whatever name you call this plant, anyone who has ever owned one knows you will need a lot of friends to give them to, as the multiply with merry abandon!
But did you know they also have interesting blossoms?  I didn't, until last week when I found this.
(as you can see a few more of my friends will soon be receiving gifts!)











They're sticky, like the blossoms on my gram's wax plant.  

I'm doing this on the blogger app, which leaves something to be desired.  So here's a link to the wax plant:

http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/wax-plant.html

Anyway, the blossoms are very delicate, but pretty.  

    In other news, the kittens found in the trash are growing up.  I was happy to discover that Glady, the little girl, actually CAN see?  The vet told her first foster mom that poor Glady would be permanently blind.  Her eyes are deformed, but she sees pretty well!!

                     I am hoping she and her brother, Hefty,will be adopted together.  (They were named for trash bags, since they were found in one)   I think if I get the local media involved, it won't be too hard to find a kind- hearted soul to take them.  Wish me luck.           

The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed an ordinance requiring a 5 cent deposit on plastic bags distributed by any retailer within the city limits. 

http://www.collegian.com/2014/08/plastic-bag-fee-now-applies-retailers-fort-collins/84530/

In this article, one person opposed to the deposit said that citizens have the ability to reduce waste without the city collecting a fee.  Yes, I agree, they do have the ability.  We all do.  But they did not have the incentive.  Now they do.  

I am grateful for:

The air conditioning is working again in my office.

Fun people to sit with at a boring meeting.

Pancakes for supper.

How  if the sky is here, and how beautiful it was yesterday.

The writers who have these great stories in their heads for me to enjoy!

Scrap quilts- love them or hate them?

This is the actual quilt I used when I was a kid.  Look in the upper left- some of the patches have worn away- the yellow is the original backing.  I say original because the backing disintegrated and my mom added a new one.  
This quilt was made by my mother's grandmother- my great-grandmother- Jenny Marvin, pictured here when she was in her 90's and still making quilts!


















Her quilts were all scrappy- some made from what looks like old dresses or men's pajamas!  She used any fabric.   This one has scraps from some dresses my mom made for me when I was little.   




In her living room, there was always a quilt on the frame!  (Sorry for how dark it is- these are very old pictures.  Almost as old as I am!)

This might or might not be the quilt from the frame, but it is surely the same quilt I have in my collection (Left)



 





















These are the quilts I grew up with. 
They are tied, not quilted.  I was once told that makes them comforters, not quilts.   I objected strongly to that! 

This one is my favorite pattern of the ones she used.  I would love to replicate it some day. 









Here you can see she wasn't fussy about mixing fabrics.  The blue on the left is a shiny satin or rayon.  It has held up well, though.  The red paisley is a linen type fabric. 

This is one of the rare examples of a quilt with a border of any kind- probably only because it is a sashed setting.


I love how the value of the fabrics wasn't really a concern to her- or maybe she was playing with the values??  I regret that I was too young to be interested when she was still making these.




















I use this one on the guest room bed.  It must have been fairly new when  we cleaned out her house, as it seemed not to have been used at all. 



So it was only natural that I would make scrap quilts when I started making them!  We were having a discussion in my online guild a few weeks ago about scrap quilts.  Some girls love them, others think they are too chaotic.  Needless to say, I was on the love them side of the discussion.

There was great environmental news this week, when it was announced that China's largest city, Beijing, will ban the burning of coal in power plants by the year 2020.  The use of coal has long been known to be one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. This ban should (MUST) be the first step in moving toward cleaner technology world wide!! 

I am grateful for:
The cooler weather.  (Sorry summer lovers)
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
The blind kittens are truly blind.
The ArtCGirlz.
Finding help when I really needed it.

What makes it a home?

The wildlife in the back yard has been abundant this year.  I was doing dishes when I saw this guy visiting again.  The leaves are my giant pokeweed, which has grown to cover the kitchen window.








On Monday I was once again in Herkimer, still trying to get my aunt settled in her room in the skilled nursing wing.  She seems to be getting her new routine established, and adjusting to her new situation.  But her room was still very sterile, owing to the fact she is unable to hang pictures and get things up on the small shelves available to her. So I spent an hour or so digging through the box of decorations and family photos we had brought over for her.  I got them all in frames and set out, along with a few of her tchotchkes.  It made a huge difference.  She brightened when she saw what I had done.  At last her tiny new space is her home.
It made me realize that no matter where we go, we long for the comfort of our own "stuff".

Some of the "stuff" in my kitchen.

My own home is packed full of "stuff". 
I was once told my house is fun to visit because there are so many things to look at.  It might be clutter to some, but it is the things that bring me joy, or hold memories; and I can't imagine not having it.

Some of my bunnies on the curio in the dining room.

  I often joke I am like that old lady in Titanic.  When I travel, I bring as much of my "stuff" along as I can- including one of my own quilts for the bed!

Think about it- what makes your house feel like home?







In the nursery, I am enjoying some new arrivals.  These are more of the babies saved by the foster mom who takes in small orphans and hopeless cases.

This guy is called "Galen".  I call him "fuzz".  He is a cuddler!  It makes me happy just to have him climb on my neck and rub an my head.  He is the only survivor of a litter eaten by a dog!

This is Mokey.  I thought he was an odd looking little duck when I first got him.  Look at those big eyes.   He looked like an alien!
He is a happy little kitten, though.

This guy is called "Husky".  He is one of three found in a trash bag at an apartment complex!  In the trash!  He is an explorer- charging past me every time I open the door and running down the hall. He doesn't know where he's going, but he's going quickly!






The oil and gas industry would have us be slaves to their poisonous products for as long as they can.  But more and more evidence is showing how harmful "Fracking" is.  Just a couple of weeks ago, there were earthquakes in Oklahoma linked to this practice.  We as intelligent people must insist that "cheap" energy be abandoned in favor of more earth friendly types.  An on-going project at Oregon Tech has allowed them to become the first university to generate most of their own power using sustainable technology.   The climate deniers and the oil lobbyists cannot win this battle!  Now is the time to demand change!

I am grateful for:
Teamwork
Busy days at the office.
Cool nights
A reunion with dear friends.  (note I didn't say "old" friends!)
A preview of Outlander, since I won't be able to watch until it comes out on dvd. (unless a friend with Starz won't mind company for the next 8 Saturday nights....)