Louis and Me

A friend of mine told me some time ago that her husband reads two authors: Louis L'Amour and me.

I had never come within a mile of reading Louis L'Amour or anything of that genre, but when I heard that I decided I really need to. I mean, wouldn't you?

Oh wait, I guess I did read a great Western short story last year when I taught a writing class and out of the clear blue one of Steven's friends that you would NEVER have expected to do this handed in a wonderful, detailed story about a young hero who got on his horse and "lit a shuck for Denver" and later shot the bad guy at the saloon and rescued the beautiful young lady but in an uncharacteristic plot twist didn't marry her but moved to some place like Missouri and fulfilled his dream of having a little house with a rose garden in the back. Seriously, folks, keep your eyes open for Western novels by T. Ruckert in the coming years.

Yes, anyway, as I was saying. This summer I found a L'Amour book at a garage sale--The Riders of High Rock. And this evening when I was home alone with Jenny, who isn't feeling well, I started reading it.

Dear me. I tried to like it but I couldn't. "Reaching the summit, he headed downhill and then turned into the brush and found the trail through the pines that Letsinger, the stablehand, had mentioned.
When he had located Copper Mountain from certain landmarks that Letsinger had mentioned, and had reached the pines fairly well up on the crest, he drew back among some boulders and waited until dawn."

Yawn. It all sounded to me like an experienced writer with a deadline to meet, churning out his 75th novel according to well-used formulas and not enjoying himself much.

And did you notice how he repeated the phrase "Letsinger had mentioned" twice in a very short time? Any writers' critique group would jump on that one.

But before I write off Mr. L'Amour completely I think I should read one of his other books. This one, it turns out in the afterword that I read after I gave up on the story after three chapters, was one of four Hopalong Cassidy books that he was hired to write. The publisher wanted a "slick, heroic" Hopalong and L'Amour preferred a rougher character, but he had to do what the publisher said, obviously, so he used a pen name, and--his son writes--he never admitted to actually writing these four books.

Which may explain why I got the feeling the author wrote this book with his teeth gritted like a rebellious child doing the dishes and slamming cupboard doors--"Okay, FINE."

And I still don't have a clue why Louis L'Amour and I would be the two authors someone would enjoy reading.

Quote of the Day:
[This was a first, believe me]
Hearing aid specialist: Were you ornery as a kid?
Paul: Not really. Why?
H.A.S: You remind me of Dennis the Menace.

Tension

The last few weeks: I flew to Virginia with Emily and then I flew home without her. I was home less than 24 hours and went to Bible Memory Camp at the coast for 3 days with Paul and another couple and 12 children. Then I taught my new huge Sunday school class of juniors and the next day I worked on my column for September and got stuff ready for school starting and as soon as that was done I sewed the last few dresses for Amy and took her to Portland on Friday to catch her plane and Saturday we made applesauce all day and Sunday I had even more kids in my class and Monday I spent too much time getting a talk ready and giving it that evening and Tuesday morning I helped in Mr. D's classroom.

And then I went home and realized for the first time in weeks I was free to just breathe and sleep. So I did both.

And then I attacked my neglected house with a vengeance.

Paul's niece came and helped me twice this week and I have this wonderful sense of dust departing and order returning.

And this evening I made a big batch of cinnamon rolls for the first time in months.

I enjoy going and doing, but I love love love to be home. Some time I'd like to be home for a whole week, not sick or snowed in or anything, just home and healthy and staying caught up with things, with nothing that I have to have done by a certain time.

But "going" has its appeal as well, to be honest, and meanwhile God calls me to both homemaking and duties/ministry outside of my home. I feel this constant pull between the two and a constant battle for balance. Yesterday a guy called and asked if I'd speak to a seniors' group at Zion Mennonite, an hour and a half away. I imagined the familiar fun of dressing up and speaking to appreciative people who have read my stuff in the Mennonite Weekly Review and who have plenty of money to buy books. And I also imagined the familiar frustration of signing up for way too much and rushing home to make supper and feeling hopelessly behind for two days.

So I think I'll say no.

And if I feel a twinge of regret on that day I'll remind myself how nice it is to be home.

A rabbit trail--the only person I ask for advice about this balancing act is Paul, because he has great insight and perspective. The advice of friends tends to be all or nothing--"Your place is at home!" or "You need to get out there and impact the world for Jesus!" Paul believes in my giftings and wants me to use them but he also senses when I'm unraveling at the edges. And he really likes cinnamon rolls.

Quote of the Day:
"I just love shopping with you when you're in a good mood!"
--Jenny, at Grocery Depot

Inspiration

Someone in the writers' email group I'm in sent this out:

"Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it

going...I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think,

"Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now.

All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest

sentence that you know."

--Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

Oooo, profound, eh?

And then someone else sent this:

I wouldn't mind looking over the rooftops of Paris myself! Who couldn't get a story going that way?
--"Mary," who isn't in Paris

I would call that Two True Sentences

Quote of the Day:
"One of my worst fears is that the handle will break off when I'm pouring tea."
--Jenny

Letter from Harrisburg

Today's column is about Bible memory camp.

Finishing Up

I posted a few weeks ago about sewing SMBI dresses for Amy. Two days ago I finished the seventh "identical hog trough" except of course it was classy and chic and not hog trough-ish at all. It was this really basic dark gray that I would never have chosen for myself, and the whole time I was working on it, it reminded me of something. About when I put the zipper in I finally figured out what it was: The fabric was almost identical to my dad's wedding mutza that he wore to church three times a week for about 40 years.

When that dress was done I started in on the one dress that was different from the rest and fun and difficult. Amy had wanted one formal dress for the banquet and such but didn't think she could justify buying the green fabric she wanted. Then at a library fundraiser garage sale in Harrisburg she found the perfect fabric, dull on one side and shiny on the other, for 50 cents. She sketched a diagram and found a pattern in my stash, and I had great fun adding flounces and gathers and making exactly what she wanted. All it lacks is glass slippers.

[And a good pressing]


Then I hemmed two white veils and made her a slip, and I put the paper with her itinerary on the kitchen counter, and tomorrow I take her to the airport.

I am happy for her but oh dear it is never easy to say goodbye to daughters.

Quote of the Day:
"I feel like Dad and Mary Poppins!"
--Jenny, when she got ALL THAT STUFF for Bible Memory Camp in one small blue vintage suitcase

Saved by a Phone Call

My editor at the Guard was gone on vacation so I had a week's extension on my column, until 9:00 this morning, which was awfully nice since I was gone for over a week.

So of course I did my normal wicked procrastinating and left it for the last minute, but sometime in the next ten years I do want to change this habit.

I decided to write about Bible Memory Camp, and last night I got it pretty much done except I wanted to double check with Kendall some of the stuff he had told me about trucks, since the kid blew me away with his extensive knowledge of semi trucks and everything about them.

So this morning I called Kendall's mom, Sharon, and told her what I needed and we decided I'd talk with Kendall when I dropped our kids off at school, which by the way started today.

Sharon said, "Yes, that kid can tell if it's a Peterbilt or Kenworth or Mack just by the grille when it's coming down the road."

And I said, "I believe it, and I am sooooo glad I called you, because in my column I called it a Kenilworth, and if my editor wouldn't have caught it either, Wayne and every other truck driver I know would have laughed me out of the valley."

It's dangerous for a bookish person to write about trucks.

Quote of the Day:
"Welcome to the No-Fun Zone."
--Ben, in his best Bill O'Reilly voice, when Paul told Steven he'd be sitting between Deana and Shanea

Winners!

Here are the winners for the quilt book and the other prizes--

The winner of the book is commenter # 39----MARJ!

The notions winner was # 113--COLLEEN!

Two other names drawn were #43 (Jena) and #1 (Shanzanne) who were put into the pool for the fabric and the gift certificate but unfortunately weren't picked in the final drawing.

And I apologize--I misunderstood the parameters of the drawing and thought one of each of the other prizes would be given for each blog. But actually, the three names from each blog were put in a pool and only one was chosen for each prize. Sorry for any confusion this caused.

Home Again

I'm back from Virginia [just ahead of Hurricane Earl!] and had a good night's sleep and am very happy that Emily is all settled with nice people and busy with college and a job(!) and having a life AND that I am home again with all these wonderful people and Amy the Amazing did her usual magic of keeping everything going in my absence, so life looks perky and good this morning.

We won't talk too much about the fact that I need to scamper around collecting crab rings and sweatshirts because in 5 hours we leave for Bible Memory Camp at the coast with 13 youngsters.

Anyway. BIDDING IS CLOSED ON THE QUILT BOOK. [After 120 entries!] I'll choose a winner after we get back from camp. Many thanks to everyone who came by.

And a special note to Japheth Stauffer who correctly guessed that the to-die-for quilt shop was Patchwork Plus--I thought you should know that on Monday I was driving the back way around Dayton and saw the name "Beery" on a mailbox and thought, "Wasn't that Aimee Stauffer's maiden name?" and then thought, "Oh, well, I can't imagine she was from Virginia. Probably Ohio or something." Now I'm very curious if that was actually her home.

Would you believe I went to Patchwork Plus and all I bought was some elastic?? I am a strong woman.

Quick Emily update--she's at Bridgewater College which is a small college with Brethren roots and old brick buildings and students that opened doors for me wherever I went and a front-desk lady who, when I called two weeks ago and started to introduce myself, squealed, "OH! You're Emily's mom!! We're so glad she's coming!" which my sister said doesn't happen at places like the University of Virginia. Emz plans to major in communications and minor in elementary ed. She's living in a basement apartment below a wise and generous older couple with a young lady who works in home health care and two days in finagled Emily a job taking care of a man with Alzheimers for enough hours a week to pay her rent and groceries until he gets moved to a nursing home in October. Emz still has her residual bad days but figures out how to work around them. So we are very thankful for all this and praying that it all continues to work.

Well there's lots I could say about Virginia, including that I got to spend time with author friend Michelle Beachy and it was food to my soul.

Oh, and I need to give you a quick lesson in speaking Virginian.
1. You have to keep talking for a while after the conversation is over. No brisk and efficient say-it-and-go.
2. Power and Very and Iron have one syllable each.
3. More and Store have two syllables each.

Quote of the Day:
"WHAH don't these people cut their haayyee? It's all overgrown!"
--Sarah from Harrisonburg, at a book signing, quoting her husband's comment when they drove through the Willamette Valley a few years ago and he didn't know about grass seed harvesting.

Blog Tour--Star Struck Quilts

--Sept. 1--Bidding is now closed on this post. You can comment if you want but you won't be entered in the drawing. Winners announced soon.--

Note--my "official" blog tour day is the 26th but I'm flying out early on the 26th (to the same area Barbara Cline is from!) so this will be late on the 25th instead.

The last time I was in Virginia, my sister took me to this to-die-for quilt shop not far from her place in Dayton. I started talking with the capable lady behind the counter and found out she is Barbara Cline, one of a flock of creative sisters whom I admire for their astonishing creativity and envy for their practice of getting together once a year for a week of sewing. Imagine, a whole week of sewing with your mom, sisters, and nieces.

As I chatted with Barbara I found out that she was in the process of having a book published. She handed me a flyer. “Star Struck Quilts,” it said, with a photo of a star quilt in--appropriately--a striking black and red.

And now Barbara and her book are on a blog tour, and this is stop number four. I’ll list the others at the end so you can browse there and learn a bit more and register for the giveaways.

Yes, giveaways. If you leave a comment on this post, I’ll put your name in a hat and you might be a winner. 1st place winners will receive Star Struck Quilts. 2nd place winners will receive a Pen-style Chaco liner, Flower head pins, and Best Press spray). At the end of the blog tour someone will win RJR fabric and $25.00 gift certificate from Patchwork Plus.

As I scrolled through a copy of Star Struck Quilts online, I kept exclaiming, “Oh my stars!” until I suddenly realized what I was saying and felt a bit silly. But this is a book for exclamations. The quilts are stunning, and the designs get more complex as the book goes along.

Here are a few questions I asked Barbara—

Who is the book written for? (beginners/medium skilled/advanced? Or a combination?)

It starts out on the beginner level teaching one how to make a simple star. Each star gets a little harder with new techniques being taught. Also as you continue through the book the piecing gets smaller and smaller with each star. With each pattern you learn techniques, steps and tips as you continue throughout the book.

How did you learn to trust your eye for color and design?

When picking fabric for a quilt I first pick a print with the number of colors I may need in that particular quilt. I call this my main fabric. This fabric is then my guide to pick the rest of the fabrics. I will pick different values and tones of colors that are in this main fabric and needed for the particular quilt I am working on. There are times when I will toss the main fabric and not even use it in the quilt. Since I work at a fabric store often I will get my selection approved by another employee and get their input.

Why stars, as opposed to log cabins, applique, etc?

Lone stars have intrigued me since I started piecing quilts. When I learned I could create designs inside the lone star my fascination grew and grew. That is how the book Star Struck Quilts began to take shape.

Do you feel that quilt-making has changed a lot since you first got involved? If so, in what ways? What changes do you expect in the future?

Yes, it has changed quite a bit. Machine quilting has really taken off and art quilts have really gone places. As far as the future I really don't know but I feel traditional quilts will always hold a special place in peoples hearts.

Here's the official book blurb--

Mix ‘n match blocks and center stars for up to 27 different quilts

This book includes complete instructions for 9 wall hangings, which can then be transformed into 27 bed-sized quilts. Barbara shares many valuable life lessons and shows you how to achieve the fine workmanship found in the quilts made in her Mennonite community.

Barbara Cline as been sewing since the fifth grade. She comes from a long line of quilters with a strong heritage based on Mennonite traditions. She resides in the Shenandoah Valley community of Bridgewater, Virginia.

Julia Graber August 23

Polly the Patchworker August 24

Quilters Corner August 25

Dorcas Smucker August 26

Canton Village Quilt Works August 27

Deb Girotti August 28

Spun Sugar Quilts August 29

Quilternity August 30

Burgundy Buttons August 31

Little Lady Patchwork Sept 1

Tazzie Quilts Sept 2

Kitty

Jenny got a kitten from her friends Hannah and Abigail, who had named it Serena because they thought it looked like Kevin and Jean's little daughter. But Jenny renamed it Cleopatra because "she was kind of queenly."

Cleo lives an exciting life, evading Hansie [who we thought was too old to chase cats, but she has done miracles and made the lame to walk again and the halt and maimed to leap and bark] and also playing The Cat in the Hat Comes Back and dressing up and giving me my Grandma Fix for the day.
Quote of the Day:
"Didn't you know this is why God created the X chromosome?"
--Matt, the other Saturday, after I chirped "Does anyone want to hit a few garage sales in Harrisburg with me?" and was met with blank stares from the three guys sitting around the kitchen.