The Stanley Cup Quilt-Off is online! This is my 3rd year to participate in this quilt auction/challenge. All funds raised go the the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative to benefit research for a cure. This is my quilt, I Want To Go Home:

Remember this quilt? You've seen it before. Now you get to see the rest of the quilts. Click here to see them all.

The bidding on the quilts begins November 1 but until then you can root for your favorite player. Each 'root' is $1. Click here to see us in our hockey garb, with missing teeth. Feel more than free to root for me! numerous times. Or root for one of my Feed Dog teammates: John Flynn, Hollis Chatelain, Sue Nickels, Alex Anderson, or Renae Haddadin. I suppose if you must you could root for a player from the Rotary Blades (it is, after all, for a good cause!): Caryl Bryer Fallert, Pat Holly, Libby Lehman, Judy Mathieson, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims.

There are also earrings (click here) and t-shirts are coming soon.

Tell your friends. Remember, the money raised is for Alzheimer's research. I'll showcase each of the quilts in the following days. Truly, each one is amazing and I am very proud to be part of this group. Here I am, tooth- and helmet-less. Very scary.

I had my tear duct re-opened today. My eye is feeling better, my throat is really sore (from the breathing tube), and it’s taken a while to become less fuzzy. For those of you who have not had surgery lately you may not know that Propofol is the anesthetic of choice. If it sounds familiar, that’s the drug that killed Michael Jackson. It has egg in it and I have an allergy to uncooked eggs. So I got the older drug that takes longer to metabolize.

Anyway, as I was playing on my iPad I found these photos to share…

I was reminded when I saw these river rocks in CA of how effective this big/small mix of river rocks is. As hot as it has been in the south, and how much it costs to water, may encourage me to put in more rock for next year. I thought some of you might be interested in this idea too.

And I have always loved Lynn, my editor’s, glasses leash. It goes with everything. I’d buy one but she can’t remember where. It looks like anodized aluminum wire… I think this is make-able. Again, thought I’d share the idea.

And I shopped Lands End online for a dress. I should never have opened the catalog. In my defense there was a sale, the dresses (I got the same one in 2 colors) were reasonably priced, and I didn’t get the cashmere sweater or orange wool coat. And I really did need the dresses.

Tomorrow I should be off the sofa. Christy moved yesterday to a local specialty hospital for wound care. She’s improving and in good hands. I hope Mom is resting more.

My sister is recovering! If you've not been reading my blog long, you may not know that my sister has been close to death pretty often over the last 5 years. This time I really thought she might not make it – but she's better! Medically, the IV antibiotics and good care are what did the trick. Spiritually, I can't help but think all the prayers had something to do with it. Thanks to all of you who did that part :-).

In other news – I did buy a robot clock. He can hang or lean against something. He is a 'he', isn't he?

I left behind these two:

Here's the thing… I am feeling the urge to make clocks similar to these. Different, maybe better (or worse). I need tins or small cans that are painted – not the ones with paper on them. I've talked to Steve (because he does our grocery shopping) to ask that when he's buying something, buy the cute thing if possible. Even jar lids are useful. Altoids tins, wasabi cans, that sort of thing. So, if any of you find yourselves about to throw out a cute thing like that perhaps you can set it aside. Maybe there is a cheap and easy way to send them to me – or better yet, you can make a robot clock of your own!

The other thing I wanted to show you was this:

While in Berkeley, I got to shop for produce at the Berkeley Bowl. Boy, does our produce in Sherman look weak now. Anyway, I bought the cutest little pink apples. I didn't bite into one until I was at the airport to fly home and I about dropped the thing when I realized this is what I was eating. It tasted just like an apple, maybe a bit more tart. But it was sort of creepy.

FYI – the apple is sitting on a scarf that I bought when shopping with Lynn, my editor. She is as dangerous to shop with as I am – she helped me see how much I 'needed' this scarf. I'm glad she did.

I'm having my tear duct opened again on Tuesday. I hope to be able to post all week but it will depend on what's up with Christy and my eye. And, for those of you who have read all the way to here, I want to give you a heads up – we're going to have a sale on our website in about a week. I think you are going to enjoy it 🙂

I've just finished the two-day photo shoot for our next book. Almost half of the photos had my hands in them. Thank goodness for Donna, who takes care of my nails! I followed her advice and lotioned up well!

Before we started writing books I never thought about the work that goes into the photos in a quilt book. I can tell you now – it's work to decide what to take pictures of and to put together the supplies for each photo. Luckily Lynn and Carolyn (editors), and Diane Pederson (photographer) at C&T make sure that the photos look great in the books.

This time it was my turn to go to CA for the photo shoot. Here are some shots of Diane and me, working. Carolyn is out of the frame, keeping track of what to shoot and changing the text as needed. I'll admit that I've looked better in photos but my face wasn't in any of the photos for the book :-). I would figure out how to hold the stitching in my hands for the shot and then I'd move my hands out to the place where the light was best.

Diane would lean in, I would lean away and then down so as not to block the light.

After taking the photo, Diane would bring it up on the monitor and we'd decide if it was good or not and where to crop it. Sort of like this:

Yesterday at lunch I went for a walk with Lynn. I was admiring pine cones and Lynn spotted this one for me to take home:

I'd never seen this variety of pine cone before. It was heavy and dense and sticky in places from the pine resin. I got this photo taken and was going to put it in a ziplock bag and I must have held it too tightly in just the wrong place because it exploded in my hand! Pine cone parts ended up all over the floor.

There were a lot more 'leaves' than this but what surprised me the most was that pointy part from the central core of the pine cone. Who knew that this structure was inside that pretty round pine cone?! I'm glad I got the first photo when I did.

I'm heading home tomorrow. It's possible that a robot clock will need to go with me. I almost hope that that shop is not open when I go by…

I know what it is – they're cold! I flew into SF today and then took the BART to Berkeley. It is much cooler here, even inland. I love it! I'm staying with Lynn, my editor and friend, and her husband Glenn. Tomorrow I'll be at C&T for a photo shoot for the next book. It's my hands that will be in the photos so I need to lotion them up before bed.

I meant to post on Sunday but events got in the way. Christy is back in the hospital with an abscess at the surgical site. For a couple of days it was particularly bad, now it's just bad. She is getting better but she's probably going to need to be in the hospital for a while. The wound needs professional care.

But tonight I have pictures to share:

Steve got the front step finished at mom's on Sunday. I helped a bit, but he did the majority of this work. The step is finished now, the forms are off, and it works. One more thing marked off the list.

On my way out of the SF airport I stopped at the cutest little shop. I got some Christmas presents, I didn't buy one of these guys. But I may on my way out of town. I don't know what it is about robots, but I'm hooked.

Lynn and I did a bit more shopping. I stimulated the economy of CA a bit. One thing I found was this vintage silver charm that says 'Love is blind". I know it looks gold, but it isn't. The little case opens up to reveal a bitty pair of wire glasses. The chain is vintage as well. I love it and I'm sure if Steve had been there he'd have insisted I needed it!

Seriously, how could you pass this up?

Lynn drove me by this 'art house'. The owner makes sculptures from found stuff. At least of few of neighbors like his work too – it spills over into other lawns. I especially love the masks.

The rope elephant is great, as was a turquoise poodle.

I found this dog decoupaged to a wall outside of a salon. It reminded me a a similar dog (or cat?) that I saw in Paris. I need to put one of these on my house somewhere. Maybe the garage door?

This bike rack with the guerilla knitting is fun.

I can't think of anywhere in Sherman where I would find any of these things. If only I had more time, I'd funky up my own yard.

We went to Chez Panisse for late lunch. It was so very good! We each took photos but this is the only one that came out. We ended the meal with a mint infusion. I have mint growing at home and must remember to do this. It made us both happy.

And then there are the flowers. It's so hot at home – the flowers are not as plentiful. I should know what this fuzzy thing is, but don't. I liked it against the red car.

There are lots of succulents in yards here. I don't think they will grow this well in our hot weather and clay soil. However, if they would, I'd plant some. I love the circular growth pattern. It's rhythmic.

And lastly, there are trees who think it's fall. Lynn says it's very early for this sort of color. At home it's so hot that trees are dying all over town. Don't know what our fall will look like.

That's it for today. I'm heading off to bed.

This is our bed. Steve made the headboard and the bedside shelves, all of which hang on the wal.

When Mom down-sized, she decided to not use some of her pictures. I finally found a place for Mom (on my side)…

…and Daddy on Steve's side.

I'm pretty sure these were taken before I was born, maybe right after they got married. I need to ask Mom to be sure. Pretty great, huh?!

I'm off to teach in Tulsa for a few days. Steve is holding down the fort here. Christy is in the hospital – the pain from the surgery was too much for home. But she's better now that she's getting stronger drugs. I feel bad leaving but it sure is nice knowing that they are in town and Steve is handy.