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Wednesday, June 06, 2018

Cabin Weekend Ahead!

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I headed up to the cabin in Virginia yesterday afternoon after my wonderful massage – BOY, did I need that one!

There are times when I think the only way to get the knots out of my neck and to lower my shoulders down from my ears is to torture myself with deep tissue massage on a MORE regular basis.

All of the plans are there, to keep scheduled and keep it regular, but life gets in the way.  Still.  I love going to see Mel, she has a wonderful touch and when she gets to your feet – it’s instant sleep!

If I am cabin bound, that means that I was able to get all of my ducks in a row before heading out to the massage – and that is a GOOD thing!

There is much to do ahead – and yes, I know it’s only Wednesday, but weekends up here START on Wednesday, and I’m all for that.

Oh, this tractor guy?  Followed him for miles of narrow 2-lane mountain roads, yellow double line all the way, winding, curvy, hilly and nowhere to pass – and nowhere for him to turn out and let me by either.

Appalachian Traffic Jam!


It’s times like this when we tell ourselves that there is no rush – it is an opportunity to not let the world whizz on by at 55 mph, just slow down and enjoy the scenery.  Roll the windows down.  Smell JUNE all around.

The temps were lovely yesterday – about 82 as I left the flats of Winston Salem and headed West toward the mountains.

By the time I got up the pass to Sparta, NC – it was close to 10 degrees cooler and PERFECT.  Summers are definitely better in the Blue Ridge!


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Housekeeping Haul!

I swear that they are getting to know me by name at Costco, too.  I went to check out the Sealy Posturepedic twin mattress sets – they are on sale, but what’s this thing with mattresses that you can’t turn over and use the other side anymore? 

Am I so old school as to still think that being able to use both sides of a mattress gives you longer mattress life?

I picked up bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths and kitchen towels instead. I'll need more, but this is a start, and it seemed like a fair trade for my time.  I LOVE the kitchen towels – so super cute.  And they go right in with the kitchen colors of black/grey/white/red with a splash of yellow.

The hook boards are going to go in each bedroom for hanging sets of towels and other personal items the quilters may want to hang.  There are 6 hooks per board, and it was 2 boards for $15.00  A great price!

I dropped everything off at Quiltville Inn on my way to the cabin – and unloaded a couple of other special things that had come my way while I was in Mississippi.

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Quilts in a box!  Quilts in a box!!

Thank you, Sue!

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Don’t you love seeing penmanship?

It’s so personal.  I miss it.

Sue included a wonderful letter of the story behind these quilts that she is gifting to the Inn.  They were made by her grandmother, Sussie Thomas Pruitt.

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Oh my goodness!  This is beautiful!

I think Sussie and I would have been best friends, trading our scraps back and forth.  Look at her colors!  This one is from the 1950s.

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Beautiful pine tree quilt!

With Christmas tree farms all around, and directly across the street from the Inn, a pine tree quilt is perfect!

As she said in her letter above, the one brown fabric shattered over time – but to me that is a sign of a quilt that was well loved and used often – just what are we making quilts for if they can’t be used and loved?  It will be perfect as is, folded and displayed at the end of a bed or across the back of a chair, and I look forward to finding these a new permanent home at Quiltville Inn.

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A gifted book for the Quiltville Inn Library!

Robin Wood in Knoxville, TN sent a copy of Farm Girl Vintage by Lori Holt to add to the shelves of donated books for retreaters to enjoy.  Thank you so much, Robin!

I envision the den being set up with many comfy chairs, each with lights to stitch or read by, the glow and crackle of the wood stove keeping quilters cozy as they plan new projects, or stitch on some hand work while much chatter fills the air.

At this point we are not planning on a TV – but WiFi can keep people connected if they must watch something on their phones or tablets.  The definition of the word retreat is to BACK AWAY (from the world) and I can fit more comfy chairs in that den if we don’t put a TV in there.  We didn’t have TV at Asilomar, and I rarely turn a TV on anyway.

In summer months, a peruse through the Quiltville library book shelves while enjoying some porch rocking, and tea sipping is another vision floating around in my head.

I am planning a sound system that will work with Bluetooth so folks can stitch to music if they so wish.

I didn’t stay long at the Inn, I was hungry and headed over to the cabin to enjoy an easy dinner.  I LOVE rotisserie chickens from Costco, and I’d been smelling this one for the past 1 1/2 hours in my car, all the way up.  Add a simple side salad, and I enjoyed a solo dinner out on the deck, watching for bears…..GAH!

As in – this one:

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GO AWAY!

This was taken a couple of weeks ago. by trail cam.  There is a mama, and at least one cub if not two.

But this one was solo – so is this the bear that was in our yard last year?  It and it’s sibling were caught here.  Remember that?

We had an experience this week while I was in Mississippi, and The Hubster was here with Sadie.  He took her out the back door to do her morning business and she set up a barking right away….there was a bear just at the side of the chimney right off the back stoop.  A big one.  It scampered off into the woods as fast as it could.

Luckily Sadie only barked – she didn’t chase.  But we are very leary here right now.

I have found muddy bear paw prints on the side windows of my van.  Dave has muddy bear paw prints on the cover of his pick-up bed.  There are prints peeking in the back door window.

There is no food of any kind in any vehicle, not even gum.  Cars are kept locked at all times, and the garage door is kept down.

Sliding doors upstairs (deck access) are also shut and kept locked.  I heard bears can open sliding doors.  So my sewing studio door as well as all others are kept closed and locked.

I make a racket of noise whenever I have to go outside – and I will be picking up a couple of marine horns to keep around.  They don’t like noise.

I’m headed out on a walk as soon as this posts – but I’ll be driving the RZR down to the main road, as they stay off the main road.  The RZR is noisy – they will shy away from the noise as I get myself from cabin to road, and then back up to the cabin again. (And it keeps me from having to hike that heinous 11 degree drive!)

I need to tackle one of my 2019 Addicted to Scraps columns today.  And then head over to the retreat house to scrub more baseboards, etc..

One thing at a time!

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Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Beautiful vintage quilt shared by Connie during our Jackson, MS workshops last week!
(Miss you girls already!)

There are precious lessons in everything, if we simply look for them and learn from them!

Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!


23 comments:

  1. Magnesium. This will help your tight muscles. You can soak in an Epsom salts bath. I use Ancient Minerals magnesium oil. When I have tight muscles I just spray some on. The relief is amazing.

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  2. Oh, Bonnie, I love reading of the progress of the Inn! And I have more books to add to the Quiltville Inn library! Will give you those and the other things when I see you in August in Bedford. Looking forward to seeing you! Hugs!

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  3. The letter would be nice mounted and framed to hang in Q.V. Inn

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  4. There are a few mattress companies who still make flippable mattresses. Spring Air is the one I bought, and I love it. Very comfortable sleep and it was reasonably priced.
    My heart is warmed by the generosity of quilters helping you furnish Quiltville Inn. I think many of us are anxious to give back to you, for all the hours of joy you've given us with your blog, free patterns, tips and techniques, etc. Wishing you great success in this new venture. May it bring a more relaxed pace to your life while you continue to be active in the quilt world.


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  5. Yes! About the mattresses. More p,anned obselescence and landfill! 😡

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  6. A park ranger told me that bears are also attracted to anything with a scent left in a vehicle...like air fresheners, toothe paste etc. I was amazed when he said they can actually recognize coolers through the windows of the car! It was an informative chat. Your Inn looks amazing.

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  7. WOW! That 12-point star quilt is fabulous, and the colors!! And I love to dig into a juicy Costco rotisserie chicken also. Mmmm ... might have to make a run this afternoon. LOL. But mostly -- Bears!! Yikes. I'll bet Sadie will stay a bit closer than usual when she joins you for a walk.

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  8. The quilts are beautiful! Hopefully, people who gift you family quilts for the Inn will handwrite a label and attach it to the back of the quilt. They can include all the info they have regarding the maker and the quilt and perhaps also include their own name (as donor).

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  9. What awesome gifts those quilts are. I have a few books I can donate to the Quiltville Library. Great idea!
    Book rate is cheap. Have a great weekend/week. Whenever it starts.
    Watch out for bears. Be safe!

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  10. I agree about the mattress' it is weird to think you not supposed to flip them, I have one that is'past' the time it should be replaced by today's guidelines, but it is still fine because it gets flipped every 6 month's and turned when you change the bed...my grandmother taught me that. I do hope those quilts have labels, if you met more, maybe but all the letters in a binder to keep together.

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  11. Wasp spray has a long spray and might be small enough to have near the door in case the bears are close. Has the same effect as bear spray but a whole lot cheaper.

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  12. Beautiful quilts. Loved the story with it also. I didn't think about a library at Quiltville Inn. I have 2 books by Edyta Sitar that I could donate, if you're interested. Love the books so much I ended up with duplicates.

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  13. Hello Bonnie, I think the hand towels will look pretty with a strip of HST at the lower edge of the towel to put your own personal stamp on the towels. Such lovely things going on at the Quiltville Inn.

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  14. Sue's grandmother's quilts are gorgeous! I love following your adventure and admire your energy levels, Bonnie. Particularly enjoyed your quote. It's something I tell my 16 year old nephew all of the time. It was great to see it printed as "Truth" with a beautiful quilt as background. Take care of you!

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  15. Beautiful quilts - and many congrats on the upcoming Quiltville Inn! I have heard that communities way up north keep all their car doors unlocked, just in case someone needs to find quick shelter from a bear. Something to research more and consider? Cathy from Canada

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  16. Bonnie, you might want to take down the ladder I see in the picture. Bears can climb and I know you wouldn't want to see this bear peaking in your window!

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  17. Those quilts are beautiful! Since I'm from Kansas and the name Pruitt is familiar to me I googled Sussie Thomas Pruitt and Oak Grove School. Here is a link I found. https://www.kshs.org/natreg/natreg_listings/view/1740. Click on inventory and it mentions the name Cary Pruitt. Then I found an obit for Joan Sue Pruitt the youngest child of Cary and Susie Pruitt. https://www.kshs.org/natreg/natreg_listings/view/1740. I wonder if it's the same family? Love Quiltville Inn. Enjoy those quilts!

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  18. Stunning quilts and a perfect new home for them. More teds around! Went to see our new home to be - no bears, but a deer in the garden! I was YAYYY until I saw how much they loved to eat the garden flowers. Hmmmph! LOL.

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  19. the only mattresses that I know of that can be turned, are made by the Original Mattress Factory. https://www.originalmattress.com
    I'm sure you could work a deal w them knowing the number of beds you will need

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  20. You’re amazing, Bonnie! I appreciate how hard you’re working and then to keep us posted, too!
    P.S. the letter brought up memories of my grandmother from back in the day when we wrote letters to each other. She also wrote around the note when she just had a little more to say. Or, she would find a scrap of paper to make room for a P.S. Sweet.

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  21. Restonic out of Buffalo, NY is another company who makes mattresses you can flip. Have been pretty happy with ours. No affiliation other than having bought one from them.

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