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.