a little bit corny!

This is the time of year that I miss my Dad the most. I always tell people that he knew more about corn in his little finger than most people knew in their whole hand. He grew the absolutely best sweet corn in the world and LOTS of it. He would plant about a quarter of an acre of sweet corn and he lived alone. So he shared it with everybody. He would start thinking about his garden and ordering his seeds about the end of January when the seed catalogs came in the mail. By the time he was ready to actually plant the garden, he had had his garden planned for months.

This is a scene about a mile and a half from my house. We live on the north edge of a small city so I see fields of tall corn often. When I was a kid (back in "the day" circa 1959) one of our family's weekend pastimes was to take a ride in the country on a road very much like this so that Dad could check out the corn fields that he supervised for the company that he worked for. We were too young to worry about Dad's tendency to keep his eyes on the corn field on his left or right and not on the road. Of course it probably helped that my Mom sat next to him and alerted him to the oncoming car or tractor and "Get on your own side of the road." Somehow we lived thru that time with no seat belts.

Laundry day

I love to hang laundry on the line. In the summer I try to hang all of it up except for underwear and socks. I like my dryer and would miss it if I didn't have it but I really love the smell of the laundry fresh from the line.

My family had to get used to scratchy towels in the summer time. Scratchy towels remind me of growing up in a simpler time. When we would be thankful for a breezy day to dry the clothes a little faster and leave them a little fluffier. When Moms wore aprons with big pockets to hold the clothes pins.

I think of my Mom everytime I hang clothes up. She had a particular way she wanted it done. You always overlap the corners of the items and hang them with one pin. You always hung the shirts with a little slack to save room on the line. Hang the shirts one after another and then hang the pants one after another. Towels together then sheets.

WoodMan hasn't had to put any lines up in our yard because our neighbor is gracious to let me use hers. She doesn't hang clothes on the line. Maybe this is a dying art.

Pillow Girl

This afternoon was fun! PGD and I spent some time in my sewing room together. The goal was to introduce her to the world of sewing. We made a cute pillow. The by-product was quality one on one time doing something together that we both enjoy. She has shown lots of interest in sewing for about a year but I wanted to wait until I was sure she would understand the safety issues involved. She was ready! She picked out 3 fabrics from my embarrassingly extensive stash. I cut the fabric and she sat at the machine and pressed the foot pedal. She was a little intimidated by the sharp needle so I guided the fabric through the machine. She was so proud of it and I am so proud of her. We have plans to make a bag next.

Let's get this thing started!

I have been hemming and hawing around long enough. I need to get this whole thing started. I have thought about blogging ever since I started reading friends' blogs but I never felt like I had anything to say of any longtime value. Well, if you want to get your feet wet, you have to get out of the boat.



I am a mostly mature woman, if age has anything to do with it. I am married to WoodMan, since 1970. We have 2 grown daughters, 2 sons-in-law, 4 granddaughters and 1 grandson. We live in the Upper Midwest.



Here are a few of my passions:

• My love for Jesus Christ who is my Forgiver and Life Leader.


• WoodMan. He is beyond patient, kind, loving. Wonderful DH and great father and grandfather.


• Our daughters. They teach me, encourage me, love me. They married young men who are like their father in so many ways--the good ways.


• Our grandchildren! They light up the room when they enter. They stole our hearts before they were even born.


• Sewing, especially quilting.


• My girlfriends. We laugh, we share, we drink coffee. They bring a wonderful balance to my life.

I will use this blog to share my life and my thoughts, to brag about my kids and grandkids and to show my quilting creations.

Sue