Ponder Post: Gobble Goodbye, Ho Ho Hello

Today is Black Friday but surely I will not venture out into the stores today. Instead I started my purge of the Halloween and Thanksgiving pumpkins. I enjoyed the pumpkin quilt I made this fall but tis time for it to be put away.

Our collection of pumpkins graced the fireplace in the living room. I'd added the triple decker this year. I take pride in finding different surface materials. From left to right they are copper, knitted yarn, velvet, solid cotton, straw, triple velour, calico plaid cotton. They too are attic bound today.

My three satin pumpkin placemats that I'd placed under those rich colored pomegranates will go back into the bottom drawer of the hutch.

After this weekend I will swap out our turkey dishes for some Christmas themed ones. Any one who knows me is well aware I have a thing for dishes. The sunflowers are beginning to nod their heads that they too have served their time in service. I think we will still eek the remainder of the weekend out of them.

Frank got out our tree from the shed and I assembled it. It is still not totally fluffed from being stuffed in its box nor have I begun to decorate it, but it is a start.

Outdoors, Frank hung the large bulbs on the tree next to our driveway. Their hanging height will be limited. No ladder work for him!

Snow is not in the cards for us at Thanksgiving and has never been. There is no frost on our (non-carved) pumpkins.

Still the season is changing from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Even though it is 78° degrees outside at 5:30 pm today, we could still enjoy the changing leaf colors in our backyard at dusk.

Houston, Oklahoma City, Home

Thursday, November 2nd, I flew to Houston and met up with my daughter Robin to spend two days, Friday and Saturday, with her at the International Quilt Festival. I have an extensive post about the two days at the quilt show itself in my DianeLoves2Quilt blog post for 11/9/17 so be sure to check it out. A small subset of the photos are in this post as a brief summary of that first half of the trip in Houston. Other photos are from the second half of the trip in Oklahoma City, Sunday through Tuesday.  I returned Wednesday, November 8th. Frank's Birthday was November 10th.

My flight out, a direct, non-stop one from Oakland was great. Going through security before hand was – well, memorable. I was not TSA-pre. I had gotten spoiled because my recent previous flights have all been TSA-pre. The rule is that children 12 and under, as well as passengers 75 and older, can keep their shoes on when going through security; otherwise being non-TSA you must remove your shoes. My shoes have Velcro closures so they are not that big a pain to remove and put back on.

I was in the process of undoing the Velcro, when one of the female security monitors at the security gate leans over and "reminds" me, "Ma'am if you are 75 you do not need to remove your shoes". In mild shock, I stared her right in the eyes, a black woman generously-sized like me, and barked out at her, "How old are you?" Startled she stammered, "64". I said, "Exactly my age! How would you feel if someone thought you were 75? I will take my shoes off, thank you very much." That became the running joke of my visit with Robin:

     "I better sit down and rest now. I am, after all, 75." 

     "You better carry my packages. After all, I am 75."

     "Load my suitcase? Yes, please. This feeble 75 year old cannot manage it!"

     "Take a break to eat now? Yes, we'd better so this 75-year old can keep up her strength."

Robin's flight to Houston got in before mine. We were staying at the Double Tree Hilton at Hobby Airport so she took the shuttle there and then three hours later took the short shuttle ride back to meet me at the airport. We ate dinner at the airport so once settled in our room, we would not have to leave again. That is hard on 75 year olds. Time in Houston occurred the week after the Houston Astros had won their first World Series in the fifty-one years of franchise history. The city was excited. Even marquees of the restaurants in the airport sported congratulations. 

The ride from our airport hotel to the convention center was under a half hour. Hotels closer were booked and expensive but this choice worked out great.

Although we got there too late to get a parking spot in the garage associated with the Convention Center on our first day, we were lucky enough to score the very last spot in the nearby Toyota center garage. A very narrow teeny-tiny valet space, Robin let me out first and then squeezed herself out of the driver's side of the rental car.

This is my first recorded image of Robin and my arrival at the George R. Brown Convention Center, her feet at top, my toes below. Yes, those are the infamous Velcro closing shoes of airport security notoriety.

Robin demonstrating "we have arrived" was my second image after we passed through the entrance doors.

On our first day there was a parade about a half mile from the convention center where the quilt show was held. During our lunch break Friday at the show we sat near a window and saw the parade goers filing by all decked out in a sea of orange and carrying banners. Although we could have made the effort to walk over to the parade route, we didn't, instead succumbing to the lure of fabrics and quilts.

Afterwards Frank pointed out to me an example of the exuberance and excitement of the parade crowds that we had chosen to forgo. Someone dropped her hat from an upper level of a parking garage and the crowd passed it back on up to her in this YouTube video. I have no regrets. 

We enjoyed looking at quilts and the fabric and tool and pattern wares of the vendors and tuckered ourselves 10:00 am until 7:00 pm both days. The Stitchin' Heaven steer was a photo opportunity location on the vendor side of the quilt festival. We both look happy. I am sporting my bobbin necklace and Robin is wearing her super sewing machine T-shirt.

A huge 12 feet x 14 foot quilt sported blocks from each of the fifty states and Washington D.C. I thought it fitting to show the block for Oklahoma since that ws outr nxt destination after leaving the show.

As we left the parking garage on Saturday evening, heading to Houston Hobby airport for our flight up to Oklahoma City, I took this parting view of front of the convention center.

At the airport checkin counter we got a surprise. Every Southwest terminal displayed this notice. Something in the commemorative programs was setting off the security alarms for checked luggage and so the program had to be in totes hand carried on board. I wish I had been quick enough to take a picture of Robin plopped on a spare space of floor behind an unmanned ticker counter, suitcase contents splayed across the floor, as she pawed through bags of fabric (plus our unmentionables) to find our programs and remove them.

Once at my daughter's house I got to enjoy my grandkids, of course but also see some of my daughter's handiwork up close. My granddaughter is modeling the knit dress her mom made for her that she to wore to the Comicon convention. I love the Princess Lei hairdo that goes with the dress.

In a rare moment when my granddaughter stood still, I snapped this picture of her lovely wavy blond hair. She is wearing a dress with a navy knit top and a shark print bottom that her mom also made. Yes, her tastes are eclectic. It is a good thing her mom keeps and eye out for specialty fabrics and  loves to sew them up for her.

This is a better view of her shark dress her mom sewed for her. I snagged from my daughter's blog. For even more dress views check out RobinLovesQuilting post dated 9/6/17.

My grandson is at an age where he did not want me to touch him or go near him. Consequently any photos I took of him are of necessity a lower resolution. I had to take them at a distance and zoom in! He did quite enjoy the stretchy Spiderman I'd brought for him.

We soon learned that the blue parts are not as stretchy as the red. Being all red, with shreds of blue still clinging in bits to his body, his dad told him the character became Carnage. He accepted that quite readily.

I'd also brought jackets for the kids. Once I emptied out the gifts I would have more room for the fabric my daughter had had to stash in her suitcase for me on the trip up from Houston. My grandson got a Paw Patrol jacket.

It had an extra hood mesh insert. Note both of these photos were taken in the mirror from outside the bathroom with the zoom maxed out on my iPhone.

My granddaughter got a SuperGirl jacket and she loved the satin cape that came with it.

My grandson did cave and the last night I was there, he allowed me to give him his bath and snuggle him dry in his hooded towel. Yay. Patience paid off for Grandma.

Before leaving, one evening my daughter and I went through our purchases, reliving them again. I took photos so I would be good to go on my quilting blog when I returned. I left mid-day on Wednesday November 8th on a flight that took me through Las Vegas.

The very next day after arriving home, I dove into my suitcase to revisit the fabric and goodies there. I had been very careful to pack few clothes and wear items multiple times so as to have room for fabric. This the suitcase of purchases from the show after I removed the clothes that had been wedged in and around the fabric. For a piece by piece photo journey check out DianeLoves2Quilt blog post for 11/9/17.

Two days after my return, Friday, November 10th, was Frank's birthday. We had a simple celebration at home with a store bought, but personalized, cake and candles.  Even Frank is not yet 75 and he is older than me!

I had no gifts for him to open but we were planning to go to a train show about two hours north of us, near Sacramento the coming Sunday where he could indulge his hobby as I has just done mine. 

Ponder Post: No One But You

No One But You is the second book I’ve read by Brenda Novak and the second in her Silver Springs series. The first book I read by her, which is actually the third in the Silver Spring series, was Until You Loved Me which I reviewed in my 11/2/17 post. No One But You was not quite as appealing as Until You Loved Me but still quite enjoyable. Although I read these two books in reverse order, I did not miss out on any running backstory; they were pretty independent of each other. It was mentioned that the hero in each had spent a stint at New Horizons Boys Ranch, a school for troubled boys with behavioral issues due to a history of abuse, neglect, or abject poverty. The location of each novel was the same, Silver Springs, California, a small fictional town not far from Los Angeles. Other than those two aspects, there was no more overlapping information that was needed to enjoy each book on its own.

Sadie, the heroine in No One But You is in the process of divorcing her domineering and controlling ex-husband, Sly, and is in desperate need of a job so she can support herself and her five year old son Jayden. In the small community, where her ex is on the police force, her efforts to acquire work are thwarted by his influence on and manipulation of potential employers. Sly is convinced that keeping Sadie penniless and with no hope for employment will force her back into his arms and under his control. Out of earning options and determined to wriggled free from under the thumb of her ex, Sadie warily accepts a job from Dawson, a man who was accused and acquitted of hatchet murdering his adoptive parents in their bed. The adage “innocent until proven guilty” does not hold true in a small opinionated community and even an acquittal does not preclude perceived guilt and associated harassment and shunning. Despite the heat and threats he may feel from her cop ex-husband and his buddies on the force, Dawson hires her to be his housekeeper and help him recover his home from a year of neglect and vandalism while he was being held in prison. Once she has an income, Sadie feels she will be in a position to thumb her nose at Sly’s nasty actions and violent tendencies when angered. In this book I was really rooting for the underdog – both of them.

Even though Dawson was acquitted of the murders, he still is trying to gather the evidence to find how who really did kill the adoptive parents he loved so much. Since No One But You is a romance novel, of course there is a love interest and love-making scenes and, although they play a strong role in the storyline, they do not dominate it. No One But You has a lot of tension throughout which makes it a real page turner. One is always wondering when the simmering cauldron of Sly will explode and what nasty move he will make next to harm Sadie or Dawson, strategically or physically, when they outwit him or refuse to capitulate to his ploys. I give No One But You a 7 out of 10 on the tongue-in-cheek but highly descriptive Grabill Scale of Literary Tension.

As she did in Until You Loved Me with the main characters of a chemist and a football player, Brenda Novak reveals the difficulties inherent in someone’s situation to which the reader may not be sensitive having not “walked a mile in their moccasins”. In No One But You the reader is confronted with a two people’s situations and can’t help but ponder how they can learn to survive, or hopefully eventually thrive, within those constraints. How does a woman deal with a man more powerful than herself who presents himself as a pillar of the community but, in reality, is a bastard within the walls of his own home? Barely subsiding on a minimal income, being robbed of any employment prospects, living daily with the fear of losing custody of her young son to a man definitely not at all paternally inclined, walking on eggs constantly in her ex’s presence so as not to evoke his anger and retaliation – however can a woman like that break free? For someone like Dawson, acquitted of a crime yet still having to live with the associated feelings of isolation and loneliness that accompany a stigma of guilt within a community –  how does he cope and move on? How can he take the time to grieve the only parents who ever showed him any kindness and love when forced to keep from drowning in the disdain of those around him? The author claims herself to be an eclectic reader and writer and I feel she portrays these “eclectic situations” in a very thought-provoking and enlightening manner. Because of these character insights and the suspense involved, I give No One But You 4 stars, despite the stigma of being a fluffy "chick lit" romance novel. Remember – innocent until proven guilty, folks.

Ponder Post: Capital Gaines

Capital Gaines ©2017 was written by Chip Gaines, co-star with his wife Joanna of the hit HGTV remodeling show Fixer Upper. Chip is the impulsive, wild, exuberant half of the husband wife duo, so it is no surprise that the author of Capital Gaines subtitled his book Smart Things I Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff. His wife also wrote a book The Magnolia Story about how they met, their lives together, and the growth of their family and business. I read her book during my recent trip to Chicago, reviewing it and describing the Fixer Upper TV show in my post for 10/30/17.

Rather than being repetitious, Chip’s Capital Gaines was a read-worthy complement to Joanna’s The Magnolia Story. Capital Gaines, despite its double entendre title, is less about the highly successful business and more about an attitude toward life, about pursuing an objective without allowing fear to get in the way or guide you in your decisions. It embodies “the entrepreneurial spirit” and is motivational by way of example. Chip and his wife demonstrate a lot of faith – faith in themselves, faith in other people, and faith in a higher being on their road to “success”, however you want to define that term. It is refreshing to see so much trust in action. Sure, Chip has been burned a couple times because of misplaced trust, but not enough to shift to living a life doubting the inherent goodness and abilities of others. I read this book in one fell swoop on my plane ride from Oakland to Houston. The writing style and self-deprecating tone made it an easy, relaxed read but never the less, very inspiring. At the beginning of the book, immediately after the forward, there is a hand-printed note from Chip Gaines which states: “for this period of time that we’re together, I’d like to be your coach... Side by side I’m going to run this leg of the race with you, but get ready, because in the end I am going hand you the baton.”

In keeping with this overture of intention, after the conclusion of the main body of the book, there are several pages of lined pages with merely the word NOTES in the header for readers to make plans in their own lives, to assess what they might do were not fear holding them back. Please peek beyond these pages. There is one more section, titled From THE DESK OF CHIP GAINES that I highly recommend you read. Three of his assistants over the years, when they learned he was writing a book, insisted that he let them, “Speak their mind”. Their anecdotal stories do so much more to reveal the kind of man Chip is, than the TV show or the preceding 170 pages. Do not overlook this fun conclusion. As I did for The Magnolia Story, I give Capital Gaines 4 stars out of 5. I deducted one star only because I felt the audience was limited.

Ponder Post: Until You Loved Me

How do I pick the books I read? It varies but this one was a random choice in a grocery store. I'd flown down on the spur of the moment to help out my son in southern California when he had an emergency appendectomy while his wife and two daughters were away visiting family back in Ohio. I'd packed hurriedly to get on the next available flight, taking only the book I was currently reading. Post-surgery my son slept more than I had anticipated and consequently I ran out of reading material. So on a grocery store run, I picked up Until You Loved Me ©2017 by Brenda Novak. My criteria? It was not too big and bulky to carry on a plane since it would fit in my handbag – unlike those larger sized trade paperbacks. It had a decent size font. It was a dollar cheaper than the other  paperbacks. I liked the bright yellow purse and jean jacket combination on the cover. I know – these are all truly in depth, valid, literary criteria.

I was very lucky. My book choice was a resounding winner. Yes, it was a romance novel genre but the heroine was an intelligent woman, not a ditz, and the hero was an upstanding guy, not a womanizing jerk. The basic scenario is spelled out on the book cover so I am giving nothing away here. A workaholic scientist, Ellie Fisher, has a liaison with a professional football player, Hudson King – a behavior uncharacteristic for both of them. Despite taking responsible precautions, Ellie becomes pregnant. Hudson has no family of his own having been abandoned on a street corner as an infant. This child, if he can be convinced is indeed his, could be his only family.

How these two people support each other and work through the logistics of the situation is believable and mutually respectful. A pregnancy is rarely a vehicle for plot advancement in a romance novel so this was unique. I liked the writing style, the speed of story advancement, the depth of the characters, and the bit of a back story probing into the mystery of Hudson's parentage. Most of all I liked both Ellie and Hudson personally and was rooting for each of them equally. One does not usually give a five star rating to romance novels since they are generally not considered high class literature. I would make an exception for Until You Loved Me. One does not always need to feast on filet mignon. A well prepared, juicy hamburger can be just as satisfying. Read this book. It will not disappoint.

Ponder Post: A Drunkard's Path

Drunkard's Path by Clare O'Donohue is the second book in the Someday Quilts Mystery series. I reviewed the first in the series, Lover's Knot, in my post for 9/9/17. In the first book I was overcome by the huge cast of characters – all the members of the Friday Night Quilt Club. By the second book I was more familiar with them and so that was not such a hurdle. In the first book a dead body was not found until far into the book. The corpse was found much sooner in A Drunkard's Path. Even though these mini-gripes of mine were fixed in the second book, still, A Drunkard's Path was not stellar. The mystery and clue revelation is adequate. The back story of the budding romance the main character Nell has with the police chief progresses at a snail's' space from the first to the second book. The quilting references are really fun for me as a quilter. But overall the book was just so-so.

The front cover really bugs me about this and other books in the series. The book is titled after a quilt pattern. The cover of the book has a quilt on it. Wouldn't it make eminent sense to have the picture on the cover be a quilt in the same pattern as the book title? Perhaps this might even educate the readership, quilting and non-quilting. A drunkard's path pattern is made up of square with a quarter circle of a contrasting fabric inset in the corner. A complementary square with the two colors reversed is also sewn. The following sample block is made up of sixteen such squares in a classic arrangement. The crooked path they form is like that of a staggering person who has had too much to drink and is a bit tipsy.

Those quarter-circle squares can be oriented in a myriad of ways. This quilt below shows twelve different options. See if you can pick out how those quarter-circle squares were arranged in each case.

I did check the third and fourth books in the series out of the library. They became overdue and I renewed them but not before accruing a fine I had to pay. I still have not read these books and they are due again. I think this may be word from above that I should give up on this series, at least for now. I will be returning The Double Cross and The Devil's Puzzle unopened. The cover photos do not match the title quilts anyway.