Random Thoughts

Connect the Dots Design

2011-11-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

At our quilt retreat I took a class from Nysha. The triangle I started with is this:

I only shaded the pieces so you could see the different sections. On the quilts I changed the values around.

So here are some of the designs I came up with using that one triangle:

Personalize your own free slideshow design

More flood photos

2011-05-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

From the Arkansas side looking toward the I-40 bridge and downtown Memphis.

An unofficial river gauge - according to the Corps of Engineers we crested at 47.8'

Some fool out there in a kayak. The current is so strong that the river is very dangerous now. Actually it's always dangerous, but even moreso now.

More fools

Two more from the Arkansas side

Harbor Town homes - those are 3 story homes, the bottom floor is all underwater.

2011-05-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

The river crested at 47.8 feet on Tuesday morning. The normal level for the river here for May is 19.5 feet. So we are nearly 30' over normal. I think about 34' is flood stage here. So far the levees are holding, most of the damaging flooding is on the tributaries - the Wolf River, the Loosahatchie River, and Nonconnah that are backing up because they can't drain into the Mississippi.

Shelby Farms 4/28 near my house

I40 Bridge looking toward Arkansas

I55 north toward Missouri

Mud Island Amphitheater

Beale and Riverside Drive

Tom Lee Park where the BBQ contest was supposed to be this weekend

The structure on the left is where the Memphis Belle used to be. Mud Island is now 3 islands.

Jefferson Davis Park next to the Welcome center looking toward the end of Mud Island

One of the casinos

Deer stranded on an island

A deer who found refuge on a roof of a house. Hopefully he got out safely, though they are estimating that 60% of the deer are drowned. Another danger - spiders and snakes are coming to dry land and getting to places where they usually are not so that becomes another danger.

Tom Lee statue, before and after. There was a riverboat that capsized way back when and Tom Lee was a black man who took his little row boat and rescued a whole bunch of people who would otherwise have drowned.

The south end of Mud Island

Harbor town

Tom Lee Park

Mud Island - that is where the "gulf of Mexico" is on the scale model of the river

Mud Island

Mud Island before and after

Beale and Riverside (or Riverunder) drive

Harbor Town park

Beale & Riverside Drive

Dewitt Spain airport hangers

Satellite after the flood

Satellite before the flood

Tom Lee Park taken by me sort of in front of Cybil Sheppards house

More flood photos

2011-05-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

Looking west across Mud Island and I-40 toward Arkansas.

Blowing up the levee in Missouri

And the 200 sq. mile lake that was created. They blew another hole and all that water drained back into the Mississippi and is headed our way.

The statue of Tom Lee in Tom Lee park.

South end of Mud Island.

And here is the end of Mud Island when it's not flooded... only the flagpoles are above water now.

Houses on Harbor Town

Park at Harbor Town

Harrah's casino in Tunica

Mud Island at Harbor Town

Harbor Town homes

Another view of Christian Brothers H.S. athletic field from last weekend.

From several days ago. The south end of Mud Island is now almost under water

Looking west on I-40 toward Arkansas

Harbor Town - see all the trees under water on the Mississippi side.

Wolf River emptying into the Mississippi, except it is not emptying because the Mississippi is too full so the Wolf is running backwards.

Tom Lee Park last weekend during the music festival. It's mostly under water now

Harbor Town

Christian Brothers H.S.

Spain DeWitt Airfield......

..... now under water

The levee that broke and flooded the airfield

From Arkansas looking toward Memphis on I-40

Tunica

I-40 near Brinkley Arkansas, the White River out of it's banks

Flooding 2011

2011-05-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos taken April 29 and 30 in the Memphis area. Except for Tom Lee Park and the photo looking toward Arkansas, all these photos are flooding from the Wolf River. Near the Mississippi it is worse now and not expected to crest until a week from today. They have already evacuated hundreds of people into shelters who live closer to the Mississippi. They are now predicting a crest of 48' - just 6" short of the all time record set in 1937. (Read the book "Rising Tide".) All the casinos in Tunica are closed. The Wolf and Loosahatchie Rivers and Nonnconnah, Fletcher and Big Creeks can't drain because the Mississippi is so high that the water is flowing into those rivers, not out of them. Last night the Corps of Engineers blew up a levee in Missouri, creating a 200 sq. mile lake, but that was to relieve pressure at Cairo, IL where the river was 60 feet. They blew another hole so the water in the lake just flows back into the Mississippi, so it's still coming this way. And in the last 36 hours we've had about 5 more inches of rain here - more up in the Ohio Valley.

This is the Shelby County shooting range at Shelby Farms.

The Putt-Putt golf, gocart and entertainment park on Summer Avenue.

The sports complex at Christian Brothers High School - that is the baseball and football stadium under water. Baptist Hospital is across the street and stayed mainly dry. That's Walnut Grove going left to right.

This is looking east from Shelby Farms - Germantown Parkway is the road going left to right. See the dark blue sliver on the left about an inch down from the top - that's Walnut Grove Lake - my house is just east of there in the trees. Fortunately we're up on a hill so the river can't get to us but it made getting around town challenging.

Tom Lee Park downtown Memphis, setting up for the Music Festival last weekend. In two weeks for the Barbeque contest this will all be under water so they moved it to the tailgate parking lot at the Liberty Bowl. It won't be the same as hanging out at the river. The houses at the bottom of the photo are up on top of a high bluff so they are not in danger. The weird rectangular house in the lower right was built by Cybil Sheppard.

I-40 looking toward Arkansas. The river usually ends where you can see the grass start.

Baseball fields near Thomas:

Dealer row on Covington Pike

Summer drive-in

Spain-DeWitt airport at the north end of Mud Island

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Quilt Retreat

2009-11-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had our annual quilt retreat where we spend two days in lodges in the woods, eating, sewing, taking classes, eating, walking in the woods, eating... you get the idea. I taught a class - Happy Villages - where you cut up stair step pieces of fabric, arrange them on some batting, and then add roofs, doors and windows. It's like kindergarten and lots of fun. No sewing, no worry about cutting off points, no worry about perfect quarter inch seams. I had 11 students, and they created 11 very different villages.

Here are some of the

villages at show and tell

on Sunday morning.

Last summer I tried to teach my Wisconsin Girlfriends this same technique. They were not very well-behaved students as you can see at the right. They actually finally settled down and made some neat villages, but since they don't quilt, I ended up quilting all of them for them. And they had so much fun they're making more! My Uncommon Thread Quilt Guild students were much better behaved!

Our guest teacher was Janet Jones Worley, who was just a delightful person and her Saturday night lecture was hysterical!

Here are most of the people who made challenge blocks.

Race for the Cure

2009-11-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the Susan G.Komen Race for the Cure. It's been monsoon season in Memphis, but Saturday morning the rain went away and the sun came out just in time for it to be a beautiful fall day. Over 16,000 people participated! This year when they took the survivors photo, my neighbor and I stood next to some crazy ladies with big pink hair and mardi gras masks - we figured that way we could find ourselves in the photo. It worked! See the lady with the green jacket on the right side of the photo? If you go in about 6 people, I am there, with a pink bandana around my neck.

I'm about in the middle in the photo below, a pink haired lady is on my left, and my neighbor Lynn with a boa is on my right. Julie, who I met on the shuttle bus on the way there is next t Lynn.

Part of the St. Francis Ladies Auxiliary Team -

Romy, Donna, me, Lori and Karen.

Dyeing with Friends

2009-08-31T14:11:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I got together with three friends to dye fabric. Arlene has all the dyes, fabric and equipment so we do it in her driveway. If you had seen me Saturday night, you would wonder if any dye got on the fabric. I was certainly colorful!

Here's Nysha squishing dye around. This is before he just gave up on gloves and used his bare hands. He was pretty colorful too by the end of the day!

This is the neat contraption Arlene's husband built to rinse the fabrics. It beats rinsing in a bucket, and uses less water too. That's Marge rinsing fabric, and you can see the tshirts hanging on the fence that I dyed. Also on the left that splotchy fabric - we decided to use fabric to mop up the spills on the table and then activate the dye. We got some pretty cool pieces of fabric that way!

Here are my fabrics and Marge's fabrics marinating. We used procion dyes. What we do is called "color by accident", which means you will never be able to reproduce a color exactly. We measure about 2 tablespoons of dye powder to about one cup of urea water. And then we pour that onto about one yard of fabric. And leave it about 15 minutes, then add activator and leave that about one hour. You get the idea we aren't being real precise here.

See the gorgeous fabrics on the fence? Nysha fan folded, then scrunched, then wrapped the fabric around a piece of PVC pipe and tied it and then drizzled different color dyes on it. How cool!

More dye marinating in pans. Nysha did something called parfaits - you put a yard of fabric in the bottom of the bucket and pour a color on. Then put another yard on top and pour a different color on. Then a third yard and a third color, and then activate the whole thing. He got some really neat fabrics. I can't wait to see them washed and ironed. Washing them usually lightens the colors some.

Here's more fabric being rinsed. Do you think we like intense colors? I was trying to do gradations from yellow to red. They looked great in the buckets but when I rinsed them, they turned pink. So I overdyed them and got orange with pink overtones.

Here's our "supervisor", Arlene's husband Bill. He was nice to go get us pizza for lunch.

And here's Arlene and Marge showing off Arlene's gradations of purple.

Our Back Yard

2009-06-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not the only talented one in the family. This spring Armando decided to give our back yard a facelift. First he rebuilt the stairs that go to the top of the hill behind our house. Actually he did that after I pitched a fit because the old stairs were rotting and dangerous.

Then he decided to stain the decks. His first attempt at color was a real bright orange. I told him it would have to be changed, so he came back with this redwood color. I like it better.

He decided to build a top for one of our old round tables (in the background) but after it was built he realized it was too heavy for the skinny legs so he built a base for it. And put ceramic tile on top.

Then put tile on our existing table so they match.

That big table will stay permanently where it is - it already was heavy, now with cement board and tile it would take at least three people to move it! I'm not sure how well it will winter. I guess we'll find out.

Then the pool was leaking and I couldn't clean it.

Finally the pool is fixed and clean and sparkling so I took these photos today - the back yard probably won't look this good the rest of the summer!

Ghost Birds Too

2009-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

My brother David wrote a book about saving cranes and swans. See my March 13 post for more details. I made him a quilt for his office, and he said it was too nice for his office, it would go in the living room. So I said I'd make another for his office.

He received it the other day, and called to tell me it's too nice to hang in the office, so it will go in the dining room.

I told him then I guess his office wall will be bare, because he has had his quota of quilts for awhile, and if I did make another one, it would not have cranes. I'm over cranes and oriental fabrics.

My soon-to-be famous brother has been invited to do a book signing and lecture at the Smithsonian this summer. He'll also be doing book signings and lectures in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He's going to take the quilt along as a prop.

Italian Festivals and Italian Weddings

2009-06-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Jan and Curt, friends from Texas, stopped in last weekend. We headed down to the Italian Festival on Friday.

We actually knew someone who had a booth who invited us to eat and drink with them. Here's Brian and Bill:

And Glen:

The next day we headed to Graceland. They have added the stables as a new attraction, but it costs an extra $15 for the tour. We passed. I've been to Graceland so many times I think I could recite the taped tour by memory. Armando said he is never going again.

After that, Jan, Curt and Armando headed to Tunica and Beale Street. But I passed, since Whitt and Kristle's wedding reception was that night. They were married in Jamaica two weeks ago. She looked like a little Hawaiian princess.

The mother of the bride, Barb...

and the parents of the groom, Suzanne and Dave.

World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest

2009-05-19T09:01:00.001-07:00

Every year Memphis throws a big party - Memphis in May. The first weekend is the three day Beale Street Music Festival (or should I say Mud Festival, since it ALWAYS rains that weekend). The fourth weekend is the Sunset Symphony where they play on a stage at the river and people come with their picnics to listen to the music and enjoy the fireworks. But by far the craziest weekend is Barbeque Weekend.

Some of the team names:
Greaseland Porkers * Notorious P.I.G. * Pork Illustrated *
Wasted "n" Basted * Three Pigs to the Wind * Four Pork Harmony *
Adribbers * Aporkalyps Now * Barefoot in the Pork *

When we first went years ago, we walked around and saw the crazy booths and smelled the good smells, and watched everyone having a party, but since each party is private we could only watch. This year we knew 4 people who had booths and were invited to stop by each. So we got to party and eat great barbeque. Here's Tim, Armando and Margie at the Rebel Roaster Revue booth - they came in 6th in the shoulder contest. They have winners in three categories: ribs, shoulder and whole hog. From those three winners they select the grand champion.

Oinking on the River * Pork Fiction * Rib Ticklers * Serial Grillers *
South Pork * Swine-o-mite * Swinebucks *

It's billed as the World Championship Contest - 240 teams competing for big prize money and bragging rights - there were teams from Denmark and Norway to make it truly international. But most of the teams are from Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas with a few from Georgia, Alabama, N.Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana. Texas thinks real barbeque is beef, and Kansas City seems to think they are the #1 Barbeque capital in the US but we know better.

This booth belongs to Sow Luau. Every year they add a new head.

Any Pork in a Storm * The Hogfather * Holy Sow *
Not Ready for Swine Time Porkers * Parrothead Porkers of Hogaritaville *
Pit and the Pigulum * The Ques Brothers *

On Thursday at 5:30 they have the "Official Lighting of the Grill" - sort of like the Olympic Torch I suppose, but more like NASCAR -"Ladies and Gentlemen, light your fires!" They have the Miss Piggie Idol Contest - mostly guys dressed in pig noses and tutus. Friday night on the stage we watcged Ralph Stanley & Clinch Mountain perform - an OLD bluegrass band. If you saw "O Brother Where Art Thou?" it was that kind of bluegrass - in fact Ralph Stanley is featured singing in that movie.

Every year Memphis in May picks a country to honor. This year was Chile. We saw lots of Easter Island heads at booths. Some of them had pig noses.

We got invited to one party where they had a three story space. We went up to the top and got some great photos.

See the houses in the background up on the bluff? Cybill Shepperd has a house up there overlooking the river. What a view, but I'll bet they get no sleep during Music Festival or Barbeque Weekends.

Armando's cousin Magda and her husband Pepe are here visiting from Peru and they got to enjoy the 'Que experience with us. Pepe is the photographer for this blog entry.

Great food, great fun, great silliness.

Flocked!

2009-05-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I woke up to discover that a flock of flamingos had landed in my yard! And not just any flamingos, but dressed up ones! Wearing leis and Mardi Gras beads!

Don't you think they go well with my azaleas? I thought they looked pretty cool, but couldn't really think who would put them there or why. And then I read the note. It seems that a woman named Millie McAllister is going to participate in the three day Walking for a Cure in San Francisco in the fall, and is trying to raise money. So she sent this flock of flamingos flying away, they land in your yard and stay two days, and then you get to decide where they fly off to next. What a great fund raising idea! I might not have donated if she had just asked for money, but the flamingos were so much fun, and then I got to send them to someone else, so I just had to send a donation.

The Girlfriends

2009-05-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Every year I get together with four crazy friends from high school. This spring it was my turn to be the hostess. Sue couldn't come so they brought a rabbit as a stand-in. Since it was Easter week, our craft was coloring Easter eggs. They turned out pretty neat, even though Mary complained the whole time that she hates coloring eggs.

Here we are at the theater with our bunny ears. Except Mary, she had to be different and wear lamb's ears. Notice the tasteful necklace I am wearing! Not only was it beautiful, the eggs flashed!

Not only did they bring me a special necklace though, they brought me this:

Here we are antiquing....

On Beale Street....

In front of the National Civil Rights Museum...

Since it was Easter Week, our craft was coloring Easter eggs, and I thought they turned out beautiful, even though Mary complained the whole time about how much she hated to color eggs.

Here we are trying on silly hats at A.Schwab's General Store on Beale Street.

And we decided to try some Asian Bubble Tea - we all decided after trying it that it was pretty silly.

Ziploc Omelet

2009-04-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is a really cool recipe Beth gave me.

Each person cracks 2 large eggs in a 1-quart size ziplock bag. No more than 2 eggs. Shake to combine.

You put out a variety of ingredients such as cheese, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hashbrowns, salsa, mushrooms, anything you think might go into an omelet. Each person adds ingredients of their choice to their bag. Shake again to mix everything. Make sure to get all the air out of the bag, and zip it up.

Have each person write his or her name on the bag with a permanent marker so they don't get mixed up. Place into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. Six to eight omelets can cook in a large pot. If you have more, heat a second pot.

Open the bags, roll out the omelets and serve.

Ghost Birds

2009-03-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

My brother, David, has written a book called Chasing the Ghost Birds, Saving Swans and Cranes from Extinction.

From the Barnes and Noble website:
"Part environmental essay and part adventure story," Chasing the Ghost Birds takes readers to the front lines of three of the most important and innovative wildlife conservation projects of our time:
* Returning the trumpeter swan to the Midwest Flyway after an absence of 120 years
* International efforts to save the last of Russia's Siberian cranes
* Saving North America's whooping cranes from the brink of extinction

The book offers up details about the birds' biology, behavior, and habitats, and of the meticulous fieldwork required, without losing the sense of drama and excitement inherent in these efforts. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, Chasing the Ghost Birds ultimately gives us hope that "with enough brains, resources, determination, and hard work," we humans can preserve and protect the wild world around us.

No other book, no other source, covers any of these three projects in as much depth and breadth as Chasing the Ghost Birds. Yet it remains a very engaging and readable book. George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, calls it, "a remarkable chronicle," told with "balance, accuracy, and lucid detail."

Since he is my brother, I may be biased (I doubt it) but I have to tell you, the book is really a good read. I even thought it might be dull until I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Read more about the book, and then go here to buy a copy.

Last year I decided to make a quilt for him and asked what he'd like. He said earth tones and if it had a crane on it, he wouldn't mind. So here is the result.

This was a quilt that didn't want to be made. I found the crane fabric and cut wedges - each block needed 6 identical wedges. I sewed them together by hand because it's more accurate. Then I found the blue-green fabric and decided the blocks needed that for sashing. Turns out the only way to attach sashing to a hexagon is to undo part of each seam, sew the sashing and then resew the seam.

I finally got it together and took it to my friend Marge's house so I could quilt it on her longarm. It sat there for months. Finally I loaded it on the frame and started to quilt the border using dark redish brown thread. I wasn't totally sold on it and was afraid that if I started quilting the center I'd really mess it up. So it sat on the frame for a month and I very carefully avoided quilting.

Finally she asked if I would mind if she quilted it. No! Of course I wouldn't mind! Thank you!!!! So she used metallic thread and outlined every feather. It turned out gorgeous. Then I had to take it back and pick out all the quilting I had done so that part of the border could be requilted with the metallic.

I gave it to him last summer (a late, or early, birthday, Christmas, Easter, valentine's, fourth of July present). It was supposed to be for his office, but he said it's going in his living room so he needs another quilt for his office. I'm working on it.

This is the back.

Bathroom Remodeling

2009-02-25T14:27:00.001-08:00

We had some cracked tiles in the master bath floor. Decided to fix the tile. You know how that goes. We discovered we only had 4 spare tiles, and then discovered that the toilet had been leaking and the whole floor had to come up. So, I'd always wanted to tear out the cheap plastic tub/shower surround and build a shower. I didn't necessarily want to do this right NOW, but since we had to replace the tile, it was now or never. Too bad I forgot to take a before photo of the bathroom. Here's right after we ripped out the surround. That's part of a curious cat in the lower right corner.
Here it is in progress. In this photo the shower walls were tiled, and the other walls painted but the floor wasn't done.
While we were doing everything else, decided why not make an even bigger mess, and scrape the popcorn texture off the ceiling and make it smooth.
A word of caution... Large tiles look good on shower walls, but they are a pain to install. They are too heavy for the mastic. We would glue a couple of them, hold them for what we thought was long enough, let go and the tiles would come crashing down. We finally had to put nails beneath each tile to hold it. But that wasn't easy either, because that isn't sheetrock, it's cement board. We would pound one nail in and two would fall out, then pound those in and another would come out. Aaaagghhh!

And here it is finished!!

I made a stencil and painted little "tiles" around the back splash to match the little insets in the tile walls and floor.
And I got a roller shade, took it apart and made this shade for the window.
We're on a roll - now we're working on the upstairs bathrooms!

2009 Guild Challenge

2009-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

Our Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild Challenge was "Opposites Attract" - to take a color and its opposite on the color wheel and make a quilt using only those two colors. Last night was the deadline and we had seven great quilts. Unfortunately, in order to enter American Quilter's Society's Ultimate Guild Challenge contest in Knoxville, we needed eight quilts, so we won't be going this year. Too bad because we had great quilts, and we have been accepted into the show every year but one. Oh, well, there's always next year, and anyway we first and foremost make quilts because we love to. Congratulations to everyone. And thanks to Marilyn L. for chairing the challenge and for the great little gift each participant received.

Marge N. - "Dancing in Circles"

Carolyn J.

Marilyn L.

Mine - "There's One in Every Crowd"

Linda L.

Nysha N. aka "Tall Guy"

Kathy S. - "Halloween Night"

New Years 2009

2009-02-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

For the first time since New Years 1996, we were in the
United States for New Years Eve. We kinda hated to
break our record, but the economy limited our travel.
So we spent New Years in Westfield Wisconsin at
Mary's and Rick's cottage with them and my brother
David and his wife Christal.

Rick, Mary and Armando

David & Christal

Then we went to Chicago for a couple of days. Here
is Lake Michigan next to Navy Pier.

And then we stopped in Shipshewana, Indiana for
a couple of days, just because.

My Beautiful Grandchildren

2008-12-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Our grandchildren (and their parents) came for Christmas this year. Here are some photos taken at the Peabody Hotel. Click on them to make them larger.

Sandra (15), Ben (12) and Maritsa (18)

My Unexpected Journey

2008-12-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is the quilt I made during my cancer treatments. I designed it one night in my head at 3:00 a.m. when I couldn't sleep. Had to get up the next day and draw it before I forgot what I'd thought up. It's meant to be a happy, hopeful, uplifting quilt, documenting my unexpected journey last spring. Making the quilt was part of the healing process for me. When it was finished, I decided it should go where it might help others, so it is being donated to the Methodist Breast Center where some of the most wonderful, loving, caring angels work.

Race for the Cure

2008-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure
October 25, 2008
Germantown, TN

On Saturday morning I joined 14,216 other people and walked in the Race for the Cure to raise money and awareness about breast cancer. What an experience! I knew it was a big event but didn't have any idea how big. I arrived about 7:00 a.m. for the survivors' breakfast, provided by Kroger. A sea of pink hats and t-shirts.

Ron Olson from FM-100 provided some entertainment.

Many of the teams wore matching outfits, and there were many women with fancy hats, boas and all sorts of other crazy costumes. A lot of men - husbands, fathers, sons, boyfriends - walked too, and many of them wore pink as well. I was on the Jazzercise team. They had a team t-shirt, but I wore my pink survivor shirt and cap. The Jazzercise team was the third high money-raising team, raising around $9700. Total raised was over $800,000!

Along the parade route, many people had decorated their yards. Many were out cheering us along. One man was playing the theme from Rocky from speakers in his driveway. The high school cheerleaders were out with their pompoms. It was just amazing. I had no idea people went all out like that. It just blew me away - we were in the back third and when we would go up or down a hill you could see the crowd in front of us that just stretched out as far as you could see. That's Elvis on the roof.

Kiss was there in one yard.....

....and Elvis again.

This one said "Camping for a Cure"

Those are pink plastic poodles.

This was my favorite decorated house with the pink pumpkins, and "Save the Boooobs".

After the race, we had our photo taken by the pink horse. That's Arlene, Marge and me.

The Bouffants sang "I Will Survive" and had a bunch of survivors on stage with them singing and cheering. I tried to get up there, but by the time I got to the stage, the fire marshall said no more people up there. Next year I'll have to get closer.

And Elvis came down off the roof to have his picture taken. He was having too much fun!

It was such an outpouring of love and support. Memphis can get so bogged down in stupid politics, and racial stuff, and this long drawn out election season has gotten so ugly ( if you don't support my candidate I hate you) it was so refreshing to get together with so many people where no one cared what age, race, sex, political affiliation or religion anyone else was. We were all out there supporting a common cause - most had either had the disease themselves or were walking in celebration or in memory of someone who did. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if somehow we could work together like that all the time?

If you have never participated in this before, consider doing it next year. You will get lots of smiles and hugs and make some new friends. I will definitely be there again next year, in fact I am considering volunteering to help organize it.

Before the race started, they took a photo of the survivors. I am way in the back on the left somewhere.

Quilts for Mary

2008-07-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year when I was undergoing radiation treatments, my friend Mary sent me a care package and a poem every week for seven weeks. Now she is recovering from cancer surgery and I wanted to do something special for her. I got the idea from this little quilt that my friend Deb made for me. Look closely at the buttons (click on the picture to make it bigger).

So for Mary I decided to make little quilts and send one every day. I am making one for each letter of the alphabet and 4 more to make 30. And for each one I wrote a poem. Mostly very bad poetry. When we were in high school we used to pass notes in class, but written in poetry, so the tradition continues.

Here are the first few quiltletts for your viewing enjoyment and the poems that go with them. They are all about 4 1/2" x 5 1/2".

Angel

I know an angel named Mary.
She’s like a godmother fairy.
She doesn’t play a harp or fly with wings,
But she sent me the most incredible things.
With a surprise arriving every week.
How could I be sad and have my eyes leak?

Biopsy
They put your feet in the stirrups
But it’s not like riding a horse.
Then they snip out a piece of your inside.
I suppose it could be worse.
They try to be gentle and cause no pain
But when it’s all over you’re sure you’ve been maimed!
“Relax”, he says, “this won’t hurt a bit.”
Ha, ha, he is funny – he is such a wit.
Let’s trade places and see how he likes this shit!

Cancer
Cancer’s a word you don’t want to hear.
When the doctor says cancer it fills you with fear,
But it doesn’t kill friendship or love or hope
Or dreams or plans, and you can cope.
With good friends and family you won’t mope
Because you are no dope.

Doctors
Doctors come in all sizes, shapes and sexes.
They each have a specialty and they all drive a Lexus.
Gynocologist
Oncologist
Radiologist
Endrocrinologist
Surgeonologist
General practitionologist
And many other ologists that I can’t name.
Wouldn’t that make a great trivia game?

Elvis

Mary still has what it takes
Even if she has a few aches.
Elvis is there to give her hope
So she doesn’t sit and mope like a dope.
Mary believes that Elvis is alive
And doing tattoos and living in a dive.
Doctors cut a hole in her pelvis
But she can still shake it like Elvis.

Flamingos
Flamingos are pretty birds dressed in hot pink.
They would look elegant with pearls and a mink.
Some are real, some are whirligigs, some are yard art.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.
Floyd is a special flamingo it’s true.
He’s been to Iraq, Rockton and Peoria too.
You’re a real special person if Floyd visits you!

Mary's family has a yard art flamingo named Floyd. He has lost his legs but he still gets around. Whoever has him decides who should get him next. No one except the person who has him knows where he is at any given moment and you never know when or where he will show up. He's been to Afghanistan, to a funeral and a wedding, and all over the United States visiting family members.

Here are the next 6 quilts. The first and last are bonus quilts so when they are assembled they will be a rectangle. 26 doesn't divide well. When we were in high school I was Mary's campaign manager when she ran for Homecoming Court. I made signs and plastered them all over the school and I guess it worked, because she was elected. But the football team chose someone else to be Queen, a decision they no doubt still regret.

Why Beef When You Can Have Lamm?

“Why beef when you can have Lamm?”, I wrote,
Trying to get the seniors to get out and vote
For Mary Margaret for Homecoming Queen.
You’d have been the best teen queen they’d ever seen.
But Sheryl got the football team’s vote,
While you tried not to let it get her goat.
You served on the court as a Homecoming Princess
And never blamed your campaign manager for the mess.
Jean Carol, the manager, did all that she could.
But even sleeping with the whole team did no good.

(I didn't really sleep with the football team. This is an inside joke and would take too long to explain!)

The Girlfriends
First it was Beth’s kidney,
Then part of Jeanie’s boob,
Next Lucy’s Tom and now Mary, too.
Has anyone thought to check up on Sue?

Hospitals
Hospitals are dreary places
Full of strange things and strange faces.
Doctors and nurses and expensive machines
All beeping and clicking making you feel mean.
And everyone who’s in the hospital that day
Gets to send you a bill that you must pay.
You want to get out as soon as you can.
Rick must whisk you away in the van.

Illness
Illness is something that’s not any fun,
But with great medical care the battle can be won.
Just as important is your frame of mind.
You must stay cheerful even if it takes a little wine.
Good friends and family you need now the most.
We’re all rooting for you and giving a toast.
Soon you’ll conquer this, it won’t get you down.
For many more years, we’ll both be around.

Jealousy
If you know Mary, you know it’s all about her.
She doesn’t want to be outdone, that’s for sure.
When Beth lost her kidney, Mary was sad.
Cancer wasn’t something she wanted Beth to have.
Then Jeanie lost a lump and Mary was concerned.
She sent presents to Jeanie, and then she learned
That Tom had cancer – that was the last straw!
Everyone had cancer but her, it stuck in her craw.
So Mary went out and got cancer too.
Isn’t it amazing what some people will do?

Keep It Between The Fence Posts
“Keep it between the fence posts”, Uncle Fred said.
Don’t run off the road, go home safely to bed.
He might also mean you should walk the straight and narrow
To be a good person and to be a straight arrow.
You should treat others like you’d like to be
Uncle Fred was a wise man, you see.
Uncle Fred is gone now, I’m sad to say,
But we should remember his wisdom every day.

Kindergarten
Since kindergarten we’ve been friends
And I know our friendship will never end.
We’ve been there for each other thru joy and sorrow
And we will still be there for each other tomorrow.
I can’t imagine life without you.
I’d have to go and live in the zoo
And Lucy, Beth and Sue would live there too.

Lamm
Mary had a little lamb, the doctor was surprised.
But she named him Tom, he was the apple of her eye.
Then Mary had another lamb,
the doctor didn’t know what to do.
She named this lamb Jayson and she loved him, too.
A third lamb arrived, the doctor threw up his hands.
This was Amanda, the fairest in the land.
Tom and Jayson have their own lambs now,
It’s a good thing Mary didn’t have a cow!

Mary
In high school you were on homecoming court
and played in the band,
Sang in the chorus, acted in plays, the best in the land.
We were together when Kennedy died.
You’re a good friend who never would lie.
You were my friend when I dated all of West High,
And still you didn’t hang me out to dry.
You’ve been a good friend in all kinds of weather.
You are the glue that holds us together!

(Okay, I didn't date all of West High either. Same inside joke.)

Nurses
Be nice to that woman because she is your nurse.
If you don’t treat her right she can make you feel worse.
So smile and be pleasant, it isn’t that hard.
If she likes you a lot she might bring you a card,
Or rub your back, hold your hand, or tell you a tale,
And before you know it you’ll be hearty and hale.

Old Friends
Friends come in all sizes, shapes and ages.
They all help to fill many of life’s pages.
Very special friends are the old ones.
My old friends sure know how to have fun.
They know where I come from and where I have been.
They might even know a few of my sins!
I love my new friends, to my life they add zest,
But I still think that maybe old friends are the best!

PAP Test
Pap tests are no fun.
You want to turn around and run,
Or become a nun, or get a gun.
The doctor looks like Attila the Hun.
But pretty soon it’s done
With good results, so you have won.
Now go out in the sun and eat a bun.

Queen
Mary Margaret Patricia is the Queen.
She’s the prettiest woman you’ve ever seen.
With her tasteful makeup applied just right
And wearing her tiara, she’s quite a sight!
When she enters a room, everyone knows
It’s all about Mary, and boy does it show!

Rick

Rick is a saint, he is like no other.
He is there to hover and help you recover.
He treats you better than your mother.
A lesser person wouldn’t bother
But Rick is a saint, better than any other.
It’s a good thing you picked him to be your lover.

Surgery
Surgery is not fun to do.
You don’t want someone cutting holes in you.
But when you have cancer you find
That about surgery you change your mind.
“Get it out quick! Don’t waste any time!
Get it out now! Give me some wine!”
You want them to remove it right now.
Do it right now, you don’t care how!

Tiara
A tiara is a special thing that is worn
By a bride, a princess or a queen to adorn
Her head, and make her look regal in the morn.
Mary Margaret gave a magic tiara to Dorothy
Who gave it to me.
Now I must find someone else worthy to be
Crowned with this tiara; I must chose.
I’ll have to choose carefully and not snooze.

Before Mary knew about these little quilts, she told me she wanted me to make a uterus quilt since I had a breast cancer quilt. The doctor told her that before the surgery they were going to bathe her uterus (I have no idea why) so she wanted her quilt to have a uterus being bathed in blue liquid. Mary should be careful what she wishes for! This is my personal favorite!

Uterus
At 60 the uterus is a useless thing.
It only causes trouble, so we sing
To the doctor, to tell him to please take it out.
It’s just a big problem, “Remove it!”, we shout!
We don’t want it inside any more, there’s no doubt.
If you don’t get it out right now we will pout.

St. Mary’s Glue
St. Mary’s Glue, I’ve been told,
Is worth its entire weight in gold.
It can glue most anything,
Even a vase from dynasty Ming.
It can glue paper, cloth and leather.
It’s the glue that holds The Girlfriends together.

Vacation
Every August I get in my car and drive north
And sometimes you come to Memphis of course.
The rest of the time you cruise to different ports:
Panama, Mexico, Alaska are some of the spots.
Meanwhile I’m in Argentina, Spain or Peru
Finding interesting things to see and do.
Someday we must take a trip together.
Our husbands can get to know each other better.
They have at least one thing in common,
they think we are crazy.
But they don’t understand, they’re a little hazy.
We’ll talk and talk and talk some more.
They won’t get a word in edgewise
and they won’t be bored!

WWMD
What would Mary do? We don’t always know,
But we look to her for guidance, for her to show
Us the way. WWMD, that’s what we ask
But we’re really not sure, so we bask
In the knowledge that Mary will steer us right
So we’ll do the right thing and sleep well at night.
If we follow her lead, we won’t be sinners,
Instead we will all be winners!

Bitch
The Girlfriends are different as can be,
Lucy’s the saint and the slut would be me.
Beth’s always laughing and the sweet one is Sue
And Bitch is the label we reserved for you.
You really are not (not most of the time)
Except when Mr. Tall Man gives us a sign.

(It's that private joke again!)

Xray
Superman had x-ray vision to see through stuff.
Could he see through your clothes to see you in the buff?
Doctors with xray vision could come in handy.
Of course some may think that’s a little bit randy.
But what if they could just look inside and see what is wrong.
Your diagnosis wouldn’t cost much or take so long.
For now we are stuck with xray machines,
In order for our insides to be seen.

Yesterday We Were Young
Yesterday we were young
And thought we would live forever.
Today we are older and we know better.
But we’re not done yet, we’re not at the end.
We still will have many more Girlfriend weekends.
So don’t look back – it’s not where you’ve been
But where you’re going.
It’s not the destination
But the journey that’s important.

Zebras

You think zebras have nothing
To do with your cancer
But for that I have an answer.
You feel like an animal in a zoo.
All the doctors and nurses looking at you.
Sometimes who they are, you haven’t a clue.
And I couldn't think of another “z” word
So what was I to do?
I’m all out of rhymes so this must be the end,
But you are good as new now. Love, Your Friend.

Here they are all attached to each other and hanging on the wall.