I can see from my last post 

that it has been 

almost a year 

since I last wrote.  

In that time a few things have happened.  

I could try to list them all 

but I won't.  

Just know that great things happened in my life 

and I was glad to be here to enjoy them all!

I have sewn a few quilt tops 

but have trouble getting them finished. 

 I will get pictures posted to show you 

what I've been working on lately.

As far as books,

I have read a whole bunch of books

that I probably wasted my time reading.

A few of the Great books that I have read are:

All That Was Promised by Blain Yorgason, Douglas Alder, and Richard Schmutz

Fireweed by Mildred Walker (also read Winter Wheat)

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (also read Dreams of Joy and On Gold Mountain)

I read a bunch of the Louis L'Amour books, 

a few Dan Brown books, 

and a few of the Tony Hillerman books while at the cabin.

Hope you have a terrific day!

Ernest Hemingway

For our September Book Group, 

we read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.  

I actually read it twice to make sure 

I understood what was going on in the novel.  

It is a fairly significant novel, 

although its content is not always admirable.  

It was published in the 1920's 

and is based on aspects of Hemingway's life in Paris, 

with the characters based on people he knew.  

There are several reasons it is significant: 

the writing style was new 

-- short brief sentences whereas long prose had been the norm; 

historically it chronicles the Lost Generation, 

a group of expatriots who make their home in Paris 

-- poets, authors, painters, etc, who found Paris open and free; 

one of the characters in the book, 

Lady Brett Ashley, is a "modern" woman 

-- one who has money, 

can choose her lovers at will, 

is beautiful and adored by many men, 

and yet at the same time, still "needs" a man.  

The characters drink to escape 

the nightmares of WWI 

while enjoying the openness of France, and Spain.  

It made Pamplona's 

Running of The Bulls famous to American readers.  

And it launched Hemingway's career.  

While I have never been a huge Hemingway fan,

I have enjoyed his various novels.

My favorite is A Farewell To Arms, 

but I must admit the reason I like it so much

is because of the 1957 movie version 

with Jennifer Jones and Rock Hudson. 

I will be visiting the library to get 

The Old Man and The Sea

For Whom The Bells Tolls

and 

A Moveable Feast.

Then I can make a better assessment

of his writing.

Autumn is definitely on its way.  When I get the paper off the driveway, I enjoy the cool, crisp morning air.  It still heats up during the day but I am glad the nights are cooling down to delightful temperatures. I love working outside and the yard work has kept me busy.  My Little Red Hen quilt is still in the works.  We've had a lot of fun with the family and I am looking forward to more.  

Summer's Almost Over

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over and the cool autumn weather will soon be here.  I can't wait.  Since I am a woman of a certain age, I have been plagued with the hots.  I am always hot.  When I walk out onto the porch or deck at home or at the cabin, I feel like one of those flaming meteors whirling into the Earth.  I feel like I am radiating so much heat that everything around me is going to burst into flames -- maybe I am channeling Like Water For Chocolate.  So I am looking forward to the cool of autumn and the chill of winter.  I promise I will not complain about being cold as I trudge up Webb Hill every morning.  It will feel good to wear a jacket or sweatshirt.

I have played with Donovan and Charlie, Lindsay and Randy, Derek and Bob this summer.  We've been to the cabin, to Logan, to Las Vegas, and various places in between.  I've eaten great food and enjoyed wonderful desserts.  I've cried over dead lawn, pulled weeds, and mowed grass that was too long!  I've gone swimming, laid in the sun, biked in the cool of morning, visited with my sisters and aunts, went to Wicked with my family, rode in the Red Riding Hood bike ride, hiked Bald Mountain, walked the dogs, and read a ton of books -- almost too many to count -- and very few of them worth mentioning.  I have been reading the Tony Hillerman books and have really enjoyed them.  I read a preview book (The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber) that I liked and found another author that can be a hit or miss (Elin Hilderbrand).  I made a bunch of receiving blankets, but didn't put much of a dent on my Little Red Hen quilt.  I completed a project for the NMGS, and one for DSC Library, both family history related.  And I started a new article although it has sort of stalled out for now.

If you look at how time goes by, you could say that I haven't done much this summer.  But on the other hand, if you think about how each day is a gift, I have completed a bunch of projects.  Half full or half empty.  I like to think half full.

Projects: I need to stay busy or . . .

Picture borrowed from Stitches and Sewforth

This is the latest quilt I am trying to do.  

I learned a few things.  

When it says to iron on the Pellon on the WRONG side of the fabric, 

it doesn't mean to iron it on the RIGHT side of the fabric.  

Wrong is right in this case.  

Sharp pointy scissors are the best for tight corners 

but aren't so good for big man hands like mine.  

And the most important:  

a quilt won't get made sitting in the cupboard.

I am enjoying quilting.  

It has helped me on so many levels.  

I have to do a shout-out to my friend, Dana, 

and her quilting business, My Lazy Daisy.

She has been a huge help in so many ways.

The other project I've been working on is for
the New Mexico Genealogical Society 

and the 1918-1919 Death Certificates.  

I received a file of pictures that were identified numerically.  

My job is to re-name them with the person's name and death date.  

If you didn't catch the dates, here's a little history update.   

World War I (The War to End all Wars) ended on 11 November 1918.  

The flu pandemic, known as the Spanish flu, lasted from 

January 1918 to December 1920.  

Between 50 to 130 million people died. 

 Over 500 million were infected.  

Because of the tight quarters where soldiers were stationed 

and how they travelled to various places to come home, 

the flu spread quickly.  

This particular flu affected young adults most severely.

Okay, so back to the NMGS project.

As I re-name the certificates, 

I also notice how they died.  

I've seen mine injuries, a shotgun or two, farm injuries, and infant mortality.

But the bulk of the people died from the flu.  

One the names I did today was Tony Rigoni.  

Say it out loud; it sort of rolls off the tongue!

A few certificates later was Mary Rigoni, his 14-year old daughter.

A few more certificates was Humbert Rigoni, his 6-month old son.

And when I got to Emma Rigoni, his wife, tears came quickly.

A family in just one week.

I try to do 100 per day and there are about 1600 left in the file.

But I got stuck today because of the Pigoni family
and couldn't complete my daily total. 

I'll get back to it tomorrow
where I hope my emotions won't get the best of me.

Picture borrowed from L's blog

These two cuties are just too cute.

Grammy is very happy to have them be part of our family.

L & R:  you make very darling babies!  Keep up the good work!

Summer Reading

B took this with his phone.

I have been up to the cabin quite a bit over the past two months and it has been lovely.  Words can't quite describe waking up to the cool fresh air.  I even enjoy the birds singing.  I don't know what they are saying so early in the morning but it must be shouts of joy that another day has begun.  A while ago, someone told me that waking up each morning is symbolic of the Resurrection.  It give me a different perspective as I greet the sun peeking over the mountains.  And since I am of a certain age, I don't sleep as much now and wake up before the sunrise so I actually do get to see the sun rise.

The fires in various hotspots in Utah gave the sunsets an extra wow factor this week.

What I've been reading:

The Well and The Mine by Gin Phillips

1493 -- Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann

The Beach by Elin Hildebrant

(just bought another one of hers entitled Summer People)

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg

People of Darkness, A Thief of Time, and Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

I recently pulled from my bookshelf for a re-read:  Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

I've been trying to locate B's original copy of The Two Towers (he got this particular copy when he was in the 5th grade) because that is what he is reading for the 12th time.  It is the first time he's re-read it since he read it to D when D was in the fifth grade.  It was our tradition:  I read the Book of Mormon with the kids before their baptism and B read the Lord of the Rings trilogy with them when they were in 5th grade.  I hope they treasure those memories as much as we do.

Latest reading

My latest reading list:

Any of the various books by Tony Hillerman

 (these are the ones I read recently)

The Blessing Way

Hunting Badger

Talking God

Skeleton Man

The Fallen Man

I am working on getting all of the Hillerman books.  

I read his biography, Seldom Disappointed, and really enjoyed it.  

He seems like he was a really nice man.

Other biographies that I have read recently include 

Lisa See's On Gold Mountain 

and 

Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate. 

Amy Tan has two new books coming:  

Rules For Virgins 

and 

The Valley of Amazement

Worksong by Ivan Doig (always 2 thumbs up)

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood (I really like this one)

I am currently reading

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner

Also I ordered new Adriana Trigiani books:

Viola in the Spotlight

and The Shoemaker's Wife