Quilt Therapy

Yesterday I spent some time sorting out and discarding or filing miscellaneous papers. I found one I had printed from the computer in May 2006. I don't know if I mentioned it in one of my prior blog posts but if I can't remember, you probably can't either. It is a response from a doctor named Susan Delaney Mech to someone who asked if quilting could be therapy. Her response was, "Quilting has several important health benefits:
* Quilting lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.
* Quilting helps you sleep better.
* Quilters have fewer colds and influenzas.
*Quilter's wounds heal faster.
* Quilting gives you the time and space to think your own thoughts,
to dream your own dreams, and to plan your life.
The calming rhythms of quilting allow us to process whatever challenges we face and to listen for that still, quiet voice that brings compassion and guidance. Quilting is about love and relationship. It is life-affirming and life-giving. In short, quilting is therapy."

The bold to some words are from the author. I have no idea what her opinions are based on but to me they seem to be right-on. Just the message I need just now. Was it just chance that I picked up this paper or ..? Anyway, I got the message and will visit my sewing room today.

Costs to Fly

Like everything else, the cost to fly is going up again. Do you remember that when you were given a price, that was how much money you needed. Many places started quoting prices without the taxes and fees for fuel and whatever. Next they started charging for the snacks and then for the seat. I'm not talking about business or first class. Just coach. Yes, it costs to select a seat on the isle or window. Without paying more money you are assigned the middle seat. They also charge to have your suitcases checked in at the curb. This doesn't include the tip. They weigh your suitcase and charge more if it weighs more than 50 pounds. Once I opened mine and moved things between the two suitcases to keep both of them under the limit. I replaced a heavy suitcase with good pulling power with a lighter one and haven't had this problem since. Have you heard the latest? They are going to fly only one suitcase in cargo unless you pay extra for the second one. Oh, me. I think they were saying the second suitcase will cost $50. If you are flying, read the small print and be prepared for the added costs!

Back Up North and Winter

Kipper and I arrived safely. Three inches of snow this morning and Kipper just loves it. Rolling and Rolling. As you can see I got the computer back up and going. No problem. TV cable was more problem but working now.

Big gratuities to my daughter in Florida who helped me with all the last minute things in FL and got us to the airport and to my son who was here in MI to help me get this house up and running again. He had driven from AL with two of his dogs to leave with Kipper and me for a couple months while they try to sell their house there. They will be moving back to MI this summer.

This morning I am off to see my friend Shirley who visited me in FL in January. She had surgery two weeks ago for a brain tumor. Very unexpected. They found it on a Monday and removed as much as they could two days later. There were no signs of it last August so it is very aggressive. Biopsy says stage 4. Not good at all. They are going to give her radiation 5 days a week for six weeks. We don't know when it will start. They would like to give her chemo but she is a liver transplant (14 years next September) and it would cause her liver to reject. She came through the brain surgery fine and was out of the hospital in two days. Now she is back to her home (alone). She has a very positive outlook and is feeling very good right now. They took her car keys away so I'm planning on spending lots of time with her. Shirley and I used to work together and have done a lot of traveling together since our husbands died. Sorry to be sharing this sad news but there was no other way to let you know why I may be away and not doing much quilty things for a while. I'm planning to get some hand work projects together for me to work on while waiting with her during treatments and such.

Quilt Books

The hardest part of packing to migrate from FL to MI is deciding what sewing things to leave and what to take. All things that could rust go. The stash stays. the books are always a question. I got these books for Christmas this year and had great plans to make all sorts of goodies. It didn't happen. If I take them north, will it happen this summer? I do take pics of things I leave here. This jogs my memory when I repeat this process next fall.

Kipper is all set to fly. He is such a good traveler. He likes his kennel and they are always amazed that he gets right in. Do to his size, he must fly in the cargo. So many airlines do not carry dogs now. Kipper has always flown NWA and they do a good job. They have a special place in cargo that has temperature and ventilation control and his kennel is strapped in. Most of the larger planes have accommodations for two dogs. One time we got delayed on the runway during take- off and they turned off the air blowing to the passengers. I got the flight attendant and asked her to make sure the pilot knew there was a dog in hold. Answer came back that he knew. Five minutes later, I got the attendant again. This time, the pilot said he had air blowing on the dog the whole time. Passengers could be miserable but he's take care of the dog. Some bigger airports like Tampa and Detroit have special pet vans that carry the dog in air conditioned comfort from the airport to the plane. Kipper is very comfortable in a large kennel (weighs 50 pounds but is long and tall) but they insist that he have an extra large one so he can stand up and lift his head. Now, neither Kipper nor I want him doing this during his travel, but...rules are rules. (To fill up this larger kennel, I put a pad inside the sides - like a bumper pad for a baby bed, besides the pad he lays on.) This extra large kennel also means $80 more for a total of $300 one way travel. Mind you, my ticket cost $250 for round trip. Oh well, he is my very good companion and I say this is my smoking, drinking, gambling, golfing, hair dresser, and whatever else money. Much better way to spend it. The airlines also restricts when they will not fly a dog. This is dependant to the tarmac temperature. They can't fly if the temp will be over 85 degrees and you never know about FL. Today is cool - high of about 70 but tomorrow (when we fly) is suppose to be higher. They fly no dogs during the months of June, July, August and September. For the last few years, we had had a direct flight, but this year NWA has none from anywhere in FL, so we must change planes in Detroit. The airline requires Kipper have flying papers saying he is fit to travel. These are done on a form of which one copy is sent to the state. Since my MI vet knows Kipper, he doesn't charge me anything for doing this. Here is FL, I have established a vet too but this year the charge was $10 for the physical and $55 for the traveling form. It seems the State of FL charges the vets for these forms. Oh, me. They do know how to get the bucks from the tourists.

This is my last post until I get set back up in MI.

My Iron

People have been showing their irons, so here are mine that I have here in Florida. The humidity here is hard on irons so I buy an inexpensive one and replace it as needed which is often every year. Actually this one is on its second year. I like one that is not too heavy. Those cordless ones are way too heavy for me. I wouldn't have one that doesn't have auto shut off. I like lots of steam holes. As you can see, the plate on this one is showing some use. I have cleaned it and it is smooth and still working okay. The little one is not a toy but one I bought on sale at the fabric store. It is nice for a carry along.

Another Redwork

I finished another redwork but found the flowers and leaves were not differentiated enough. I tried joining the petals and or centers and wasn't happy with either. So now I'm filling in the petals. Three more flowers and one more tea pot to do. I also found some red check material that I really like with the tea pots. It was here in my small FL stash. I have no idea what I' going to do with them. I considered making hot pads. Also thought about a wall hanging for here in FL.

My friend who was visiting has gone back to MI. Kipper and I fly back on the 26th. Oh me, that is less than a week away. I got my computer backed up. I usually do it before I migrate. I carry my lap top with me on the plane. No machine quilting for a while. I must go through my sewing things and pack what will go with me. One of my two suitcases always gets filled with sewing goodies. I have one set of clothes and most other things that stay in FL and other set that stay in MI but most sewing goodies migrate with me.

Another Post Script

Be sure to click on the pics the the following posts to really see the detail.

Katie

Sculpture (post script)
I have posted several pictures of this exhibit and the next one describes what it is about. I mentioned the woman who is running and forgot to include the pics so here they are. I also showed pics of the soldier coming home. Here is a distant pic of it. The sculpture used a real returning soldier for his modal. Enjoy.

Sculpture Exhibit

The following several posts are all pics about this art exhibit. I love it!

If you ever get a chance to see any of J. Seward Johnson's sculptures, don't miss it. A brouchure titled J. Seward Johnson Collection discribes them best. Each sculpture is entirely made of bronze. The realism of the textures and details is the hallmark of Johnson's art, and this detailing is achieved through hours and hours of intense labor....


Mr. Johnson has made more than 250 life-sized figures and his collections can be seen in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. They are sponsored by local people or groups as is designated on a plaque. The neatest thing is how they are placed in a park. They are where the people the sculpture depicts would actually be. The brochure has the names of some of the sculptures and these I have noted. The ones I did not give the names were not in the brochure.

More Scupltures

This one is titled A Little Right. Notice the detail in the close ups. The runner from the prior pic is just below them.

More Sculptures

Can you figure out who are the sculptures in the first two pictures? They are the two boys to the right and the lady in the hat to the right in the garden. The sculpture in the second pic is titled Best Spring. The last two pics are titled Caution Man Working.

More Sculptures

The top pic is titled Life at a Distance. The girl with braids is titled Yum Yum.

More Sculptures

The first one is titled Coming Home. The one with the girl playing with the hoola hoop is in an area for children to play.

More Sculptures

Look at the detail on the boy's overalls. Who's that dog sitting by the boy who is copying from a newspaper? They really should have a sculpture of a dog. The bottom pic is my favorite. It is actually in the water and sure looks like he is fishing there.

Manatee

These big gentle mammals are fun to observe here in Florida. When the Gulf gets cold, they come into the inland waterways that have warmer water. Homosassa Springs is one of those areas. You can pay to go on a boat to scuba dive in an specific area where they often come. The area is roped off so the manatee can remain secluded, if they desire. However, the animals are not afraid of people but are curious about them. Many of them also like to be touched and they come past the rope to where the people are to touch noses or get a belly rub.

You can also see manatee at Homosassa State Park. It is like a zoo and, expect for one, all the animals there are native of Florida. Most of them are rescued injured animals. Manatee are injured and die by boat motors and also by red tide. In the first picture at the park, they are gathering for a feeding of carrots. Volunteers, many of whom are senior citizens, give narrations about the animals. Manatees are vegetarians and in the wild eat all day. The park has a walk way out to a dock where you can observe the manatees by looking into the water or through windows. They have built a pipe out from the dock and one manatee is holding on while she naps. Another is just floating on her back. What animal do you think is the nearest relative to the manatee? The elephant, of course.

Kennedy Space Center

My friend Ann from MI is visiting me. No quilty things going on but some site-seeing is.

In the first pic, I am touching a moon rock. The pic is shot thu glass with light under it so not the best. I did turn off the flash which helped.

The other pics are of a Gemini module. You can walk very close and really see inside. They have a lot of memorabilia including personal items. I was most intrigued with the astronaut's notebook. I expected to see type written checklists. Oh, no. They were hand written. To remember how much of this was before computers really made me all the more impressed at what they did. I know so much of what we have today, especially in communications and medical technology, was developed by the space program. This is an example of government money very well spent. If you ever get a chance to visit Kennedy Space Center, don't miss it.



Thank you, thank you.

Spell checker is fixed!