When Emmy Lou Came Home.

This happened on Friday evening.  Now that I am in Virginia “MOST” of the time, it’s been weighing heavily on me to get Emmy Lou up here where she can live out the remainder of her days in peace and quiet – not in mayhem and chaos having to deal with rowdy Dresden and Lola.

The trio has never gotten along really well, and at 19 – who can blame Emmy Lou for just wanting to be left alone?

The getting her here was an adventure all its own, and luckily I wasn’t the one doing the driving.  The Hubster returned from China on Thursday night, took care of a bunch of things on Friday while working from home, and brought Emmy up with him in a carrier on Friday evening.  

I don’t know who to feel more sorry for.  Dave?  Or Emmy Lou, who proceeded to get sick at both ends and meowed pitifully the whole 100 mile journey.  She hasn’t been in a car in many years, and it was very traumatic for her to say the least.  And Dave too, who not only had to listen to the cacophony, but smell it as well.

Emmy Lou, after a much needed and even more traumatic bath!

We don’t have any trips that overlap each other over the rest of the year.  Someone will be here for both Emmy and Sadie.  And my friend Martha has offered to step in and check in on them should we need her to.

At 19 we don’t know how much time she has left – there is a growth on her skin on her side that seems to have not only grown, but ruptured.  I’ll have to brave the cat carrier and the car to get her to the vet to be seen to this week, but it needs to happen so we can give her the best years for the rest of her years.

She has wandered the cabin with wonder, has discovered where we’ve put her food and has no problem reaching it.  She’s comfortable with her litter box in the laundry room area.  She’s just settled in and is talkative and inquisitive.  I hope she’ll be happy here.

“You stay on YOUR side, and I’ll stay on MINE!”

The funniest thing was how Emmy Lou took over Sadie’s bed the first night – and poor Sadie didn’t know where to go or what to do with herself.  Yesterday morning, Sadie claimed her bed first thing before Emmy Lou was done eating, making SURE there were no further Cat Take Overs!

I remembered to take a photo!

This is the sweet pitcher I picked up while out antiquing with Martha – there is something about the silver nearly worn off on the rim and the crackle of the finish that just spoke to me.  It’s not very large really, and I think it would be pretty with a bouquet of silk flowers or a silk ivy in it for décor. 

Was it ever part of a set?  Maybe with a sugar bowl that matched?  Who knows – but I love how delicate it looks.

Also from Friday’s road trip -

Seven Mile Ford Presbyterian Church.  Oh how I love white clapboard country churches!  And Martha knew as soon as I said “Oh my!” that she needed to pull over for me to get a photo.

The only history I could find through a web search was “The Seven Mile Ford Presbyterian Church, built in 1880, was constructed of lumber and beams taken from the property of John M. Preston, who built the church.” [source]

But there are things I noticed just from the front that made me smile – You might not see it from this angle, but check this out -

The top of the door -

To the covered entry roof line,

To the next vestibule roof line,

To the top roof line -

And then to the steeple.

Everything points upward at nearly the same angle -

It reminded me of those nesting cups my kids played with when they were little.

I also love that no matter what your faith tradition is – hope leads us upward.  Such beauty in simple architecture. 

I was right that there wouldn’t be machine time yesterday.

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t cutting out time!

And as I look at this photo I am amazed at that far left strip bin and how it is balanced over the edge of the ironing board.  LOL!

It must be the weight of the strips keeping that thing from completely falling off – or a trick of the camera angle, maybe? 

There was football on the TV upstairs.  That’s all I can say about why I was down here cutting in the first place.  Some of you will understand, the rest of you won’t – but football makes me run away to safe corners elsewhere.

From chaos to order and productivity!

This is waiting for me to sew today.  I’ve decided to take the Jack’s Delight quilt and make it at least twin size.  It’s just not speaking to me at the size that I stopped at.  It needs more to be useful.  And it’s not like there is a shortage of recycled shirt plaids going on around here – so more it is.

The blocks are fun and easy and will be appearing in a 2020 Addicted to Scraps Column in Quiltmaker Magazine, so be watching for it.  And I’m still thinking on what to do for borders to spice it up a bit, but that’s how things grow. In stages.  I rarely know what a quilt is going to look like start to finish before I begin.

There was also a bit more cutting out of Shoo Fly Shoo blocks to use as Leaders & Enders during this block building process.  And by the looks of it, there is no shortage of scrap strips and squares that these can continue to come from with no dent being made in the volume. Ever.

And that brings me to now – it’s a lovely cool morning, and I’m just happy to be here to enjoy it!

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Every single day.

Scrappy nine patch quilt made many years ago as a table topper.

Oh, how I love a small simply scrappy nine-patch!

have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!