When I first moved to Austin in 1988 I was a little homesick and went to the local bookstore to find some "Sylvia" cartoon books to make me feel better.  That local bookstore happened to be Book People.  (Wish I could find a photo of it from back then.)

 … Read full post »

My step-daughter Hannah had her babygirl back in February.  She is a young woman who loved babies even when she was practically a baby herself.  So making her little daughter a quilt was something I looked forward to doing. 

I was going through a break-up and couldn't concentrate.&nbs… Read full post »

In recent years, I have had spotty luck with men.  And really in the whole scheme of things I always seemed to attract men I wasn't particularly that crazy about in the long run.  Until last October.  That's when a nice, attractive, somewhat younger man contacted me on a dating site.&n… Read full post »

I vaguely remember my church-going days.  It was before I entered grade school in 1960 that my Mother would scrub my brother and me, stuff us into our Sunday best and cart us off with her to the nearby Lutheran Church situated in the small, tiny town of Glendale, Kansas.  My… Read full post »

               Post Valentine's Day Lament (A Poem)

After V-day I thought you were evil.

Then I got to thinking about

The whole time we spent.

It was the purest form of happiness

Strung out in increments.

And then I se… Read full post »

I think being on facebook sort of brings me down at times.  It's nice to have contact with people who live far away, but then it's not the most intimate of contact, and after a while it can get depressing.  Or is that just me?   Finding acquaintances on there still living… Read full post »

           I am unique in the reality of never having ridden in any car but a Studebaker up until I was six.  O.K. maybe sometime before I was six some aunt forced me to ride in her Ford, but as my memory recollects it doesn't seem likely. … Read full post »

The thought entered my mind when Ralph Lauren brought overalls into haute couture levels back a few fashion seasons ago.  The models were wearing one long braid draped in front of one shoulder.  Beings I'm part Swiss and grew up on a farm, this look was speaking to me.

Here's a… Read full post »

I have sewn a lot of things throughout my life.  Clothes for myself, clothes for friends, dresses for young girls, outfits for my godson when he was 4,  stuffed bears, stuffed bunnies, home accessories, a few stuffed roosters, and I attempted to re-upholster a chair once, but until&nbs… Read full post »

It was a typical Monday morning -- being responsible after a weekend of not being responsible.   I was writing out my check for a credit card, which I am trying to pay off, and called to make sure a vitamin distributor wasn't going to hit the account when I found out… Read full post »

My mother had something wrong with her mind for most of my remembrance of her.  I don't know the clinical terminology of what was going on with my mother as my father, a dirt farmer, didn't have the money nor the belief that a mental health issue was treatable or worth… Read full post »

I pretty much have allergies to everything out there in the air, and I live in the allergy capital of the world, Austin, Texas.  Currently, I believe there is still ragweed pollen, high counts of mold and certain grasses gearing up for the coup de grace -- cedar fever (also called… Read full post »

I joined a book club I found on the popular website, meetup.com, because it had a snappy name, "Beer and Cookies Book Club," and I wanted to meet new people who had similar interests.

Little did I know my cat Henry would be gone within a few months of my joining… Read full post »

I sat in a theater this past Saturday watching the Nora Ephron film, "Julie and Julia" enjoying Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Childs, all the while someone in the right of the theater was letting gaseous emissions rip in a loud and noisy manner.  I kid you not.  The first time,… Read full post »