Stitching Up a Storm in Alamo City

We're fine, but this was scary!!

As I was leaving the grocery store, which is about 2 miles from our house a couple of days ago, I couldn't help but notice a huge plume of smoke in the sky in the general direction of our house.  I headed home and lost sight of the plume for a few minutes until I went out into our backyard.  

And this is what I could see.   Turns out the wildfire was about 8 miles from our house, but on the radio they were talking about Camp Bullis (a military installation used for night-time maneuvers) the border of which is about 1/4 mile from our house. 

This was all in the midst of Colleen (The Needleworks in Austin) being evacuated from her house due to wildfires in Steiner Ranch in Austin destroying 30 homes (not Colleen's, Thank God), and a fire raging in Bastrop which at latest report has destroyed 1400 homes.   Can you even begin to imagine what that kind of devastation would feel like or look like?

I can't.

So, here in Texas we are divided in our thinking about Perry as a presidential candidate, immigration reform, light rail, how to tackle our immense problems in education, etc, etc, etc.   But we're all united in the desire for rain and a break from the heat and the drought.  Lord, hear our prayer!

Amen.
And I can assure you, that's about as political as I'll ever get on my blog.
Jane

 

Where to start.....

You're guessing by now that I'm either really busy or really sick.   Fortunately it's the former, not the latter.  

Last year after we did our expansion/addition, I started ruminating about the colors in the family room and kitchen.   I love the color that we painted the walls, but everything was the same tone - and the things on the shelves in the family room just faded into the medium brown tone. 

I'm a novice about wall colors - so my first guess was that the wall color was wrong, but then I realized - through a blog, I think - that the cabinets were very outdated in color.   So.  It took me a while to get Mark used to the idea and also to get myself geared up for a mess.  

This picture shows you the gist of the problem + Maddie when my niece (40+ years old) encouraged Maddie to dress herself - this is a while ago - Christmas 2009.

Also, after the expansion, I realized how much I love wood floors.  When I was told last fall that I'm allergic to dust mites, the fate of the rest of the carpet in the house was sealed.

For the last two weeks, we've been totally upside down again taking out carpet, installing wood floors and painting cabinets.   We're almost done, which is a good thing because we have house guests arriving on Friday. 

I've been looking for a "before" picture of the kitchen and can't find one. 

But here's the after.  We're still a bit in disarray - hence the Windex, and the lightbulbs and the Rx strength Motrin.   That wasn't a set up, I promise.

And here's the family room.  

The last thing to finish up is the wood floors - today they came to get me because Nora (the cat) was stranded on the steps - she'd already tracked in the sealer on the wood - but wouldn't let them pick her up to get her out of the way.  

So, we're all a bit stressed but looking forward to the results, which I think we'll like.

Well, you figured out that I haven't stitched in ages.  Hopefully you're having more time to stitch than I am.   I was jealous today when I saw that Ms. Front Range Stitcher was having alone time to stitch.   Need that.

Happy stitching.
Jane

Searching for the perfect thing to put over the fireplace

The wall over our fireplace in the family room has been empty since we moved back into the room in December.   We actually had a painting done for it and once it arrived, I hated it.  I was very worried about it all along - during the MONTH that the artist was working on it.  We have 3 of his paintings and I like all of them very much, but I had a bad feeling about this one from the get-go.   I knew he didn't listen to me when he sat in this very room and looked at the colors and the walls, etc.  

So, we're working with a lady who is a retired art teacher here in San Antonio, and who is very plugged into the local art community.  Since she retired a few years ago, she has been conducting tours of local artists' studios and shows at galleries.   I've been on several of them over the years, and when we hit this wall with the commissioned piece, I called her.  So far we've been to 3 private studios and an exhibit.  Today I'm going with her (Mark bowed out) to see some one-of chairs and other furniture pieces by 2 different artists.  We don't really need another chair, but a footstool or something might be fun.

While Jordan, Jo and my dad were here, we spent a few minutes in the Marketplace downtown.  It is next to Mi Tierra, a local restaurant that every tourist to San Antonio must (and does) visit.  I saw these longhorn skulls, complete with horns.  Manda is thinking she'd like to have a longhorn over her fireplace.  I LOVE Texas, but I'm thinking I'll keep looking.

Back to the beads.
Jane

Reminiscent of Indiana

This morning on my way to get my hair cut I saw a sign outside a florist shop that said "California Peonies."  The sign brought back a lot of memories about May in Indiana.   My dad is a fabulous gardener, and I grew up with fresh berries, sweet corn, tomatoes and green beans when they were in season.   He's also an amazing flower gardener, partially because my mother loved flowers so much.   Every year he gave her a gift of the backyard full of beautiful flowers. 

We always had peonies near the back gate - and every Memorial Day my mother would make vases by covering mayonnaise jars in aluminum foil and we'd pick huge bouquets of peonies. Then we'd load up the car and take them on the hour or so trek to the little town on the other side of the state where her parents are buried.  My Aunt Bett lived in that little town - actually in the home place where my mother was raised.   So every Memorial Day for years and years we'd go to Aunt Bett's for the day - her husband and son were big fishermen and we'd have a big "mess" of fried fish every year.

These California peonies are a very coral color - unusual, I think.   I remember very pale pink and rosy colored peonies in Indiana.  And ants crawling all over the big buds before they'd bloom.

And finally, how do you say peonies?  My mother called them PEE-o-knees.  I've heard them called PINE-ees.   Either way, they're beautiful and sort of unusual, I think.  

Nora likes them, too.
Happy spring.
Jane

Closet cleaning today and Cornyation

About 9:30 this morning, I decided I'd had enough.   The stash closet (which also houses my linens, gift wrap, household files, family pictures, Easter and fall decorations, etc, etc) was bursting at the seams - no space on the floor to put my foot in to reach for anything.

So I spent about 4 hours cleaning and organizing.  

Manda's neighborhood is having a collective yard sale this weekend, so I thought it was a great time to reduce the stuff in the closet. 

I didn't get rid of anything needlepoint related - just other stuff that's been hanging around for too long.

Tonight we're going to Cornyation - it's a takeoff on the Coronation of the Queen of The Order of the Alamo -which is the central event in Fiesta, which is taking place right now.   The family of the lucky girl gets to spend about $50,000 (no kidding) on her wardrobe, including "the" robe (which is always an absolute work of art).  

I think tickets to Cornyation are about the hottest tickets in town EVER.  They describe it as "the raunchiest, cheapest event in Fiesta San Antonio." They always sell out the first day they go on sale.   I happened to see people (strange looking people) camping out quite early in the morning at the box office a few years ago when I worked for the symphony.   Could not figure out what was happening, until I realized Cornyation tickets were going on sale that day.

Anyway.   Can't wait.   I expect to see flying tortillas and (stationary) transvestites and to laugh my head off.

Hope you have a fun night, too.
Jane