Happy Spring!

 Hello! It has been a minute. . . make that more than a month since my last post. I had been grounded for a few weeks with a foot issue, so there wasn’t much to write about. It was three weeks of sitting and stitching and sitting and reading . . . you get the picture. Things have improved, and on Friday I had a lovely trip to the grocery store. (I must say Stop and Shop home delivery has been great, but it was good to push a shopping cart again. :-),

It did give me time to stitch “Easter Tree “ by designer Shannon Christine. Though the piece is not that large it took quite a while to stitch due to all the color changes. If you know the pattern, you will realize that I left a few things out at the bottom. I also made great progress on a large piece which should be finished some time this week. I can’t wait to see it framed and hanging on the wall.

As for reading, I finished two novels both by William Martin. If you enjoy historical fiction, he is definitely an author to check out. As the title suggests, the first  deals with the California Gold Rush. Both are Peter Fallon novels. I finished the second in the wee hours of Saturday night. I was so close to the end that I could not put City of Dreams down. It begins with protagonist Peter Fallon receiving a text message asking if he is interested in saving America and a search is soon on for a mahogany box filled with twenty bonds from1780. This is the third William Martin book that I have read in the past two months, so I may choose to read something lighter next, but then I think I will go back and reread some of his other novels. Yes, he is that good! I can only hope that he is working on another Peter Fallon novel.

So, what have you been reading???

I received two beautiful flower arrangements for Easter; one from my godchild and her family and the other from her sister and her family who joined me for Easter dinner along with a friend. Bonus: My young cousin Des who is a Lego fanatic gave me a very lengthy, detailed explanation of the video game Brawlers. Am I ready to play? Did I understand it all? Not a clue, but it sure was fun listening to his enthusiastic, detailed explanation!

Last thing, did you know that this is the 50th anniversary of the tv series Little House on the Prairie based on the books by Laura Ingles Wilder? Nope, I don’t feel old . . . well maybe just a bit. :-) The television series is currently being broadcast in forty-six countries worldwide.

That’s it. Have a wonderful week. Wear protective lenses to view tomorrow’s eclipse, and don’t worry if you miss this one as there will be another total eclipse viewable in the USA on Aug. 23, 2044!!!

The Lincoln Letter and Snow Is Coming

 Today we honor and remember our 16th president who was born on February 12, 1809. It’s appropriate that I have just finished reading The Lincoln Letter, A Petter Fallon Novel by William Martin. It is one of the best books that I have read in the last few years. Martin is a brilliant story teller, and though I have read many books about this bloody period in our history, I came away with a deeper understanding of what life was like for the people who lived in our nation’s capitol during those turbulent times. 

When I reflect on it, I believe my interest in this period stems from knowing about my dad’s paternal grandfather who was an Irish emigrant. He was a gardener who enlisted at the age of forty. The Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was made up of Irishmen and men of Irish descent who answered Lincoln’s call. I have a copy passed down of the History of the Ninth Massachusetts Militia which documents the forming and service of this group. In the back of the book, a few lines are written about each man in  each company. If you were to see this book and examine Company E, you would find a  a small slip of faded pink paper on which in school girl handwriting,  I once wrote “My Great Grandfather” and his name to mark the page. When I was older, before sites like Ancestry came along, I sent away for and received his military records. They contained his enlistment papers, service records, and even the pension request forms from his widow. His first wife had died while he was in service, and after the war was over, he met and married a much younger woman, my great grandmother and then raised a second family.

Why am I telling you this? His last assignment before being released from duty and mustered out was due to serious health issues incurred from long hours of sentry duty along the Potomac. In this novel, the crowded hospitals for soldiers and the city of Washington are a backdrop for the story. 

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly, highly recommend this suspense filled novel. 

SNOW IS COMING!!!

For the last three or four days, we have been experiencing  near spring-like weather. It even hit sixty degrees on Saturday. Glorious! BUT. . . we, New Englanders, are not easily fooled. I knew that touch of spring was a set up, all part of Mother Nature’s plan. So while I enjoyed taking Emma for walks each day, I waited for the other shoe to drop, and it has as we have a snowstorm moving in over night. Our guild meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled as have all schools in the area. Along with the snow, we can expect high winds, just a typical nor’easter. It’s supposed to be a quick moving storm, so we will just have to see how much snow Mother Nature brings us.

Bundle up and keep your shovel handy. :-)

A Project Bag and December ‘41

Did I need to make another project bag? No, of course not, but last week after our Crosstown Quilters Guild meeting, I took a quick trip out to The Quilted Crow in Bolton with my friends Laurel and Edith. There I spotted two fat quarters of Teresa Kogut’s new Halloween fabric. Honestly, who could resist this adorable fabric?

 If you are not familiar with Teresa Kogut, she is an artist and punch needle and cross stitch designer and has a wonderful flosstube channel, Teresa Kogut’s Creative Whims. She has a new line of fabric coming out, and heaven help me, I ordered two yards of it from the Fat Quarter Shop last night. (So much for my resolution not to purchase any new fabric.) Even worse, at The Quilted Crow I also picked up some luscious wool in autumnal colors for a project. (So much for my resolution not to start any new projects; I’m absolutely incorrigible.)

Our local library has recently had a number of interesting speakers. Author William Martin talked about his new novel December ‘41. I don’t know how anyone attending that talk could have left without purchasing a copy of this thriller. First of all, he was an excellent speaker. I’m not giving anything away by saying it involves a Nazi assassin seeking to end the life of FDR. The story starts out in Hollywood which was itself very interesting and then takes off on a cross country train ride.  Though I try to avoid cliches, I have to say that this is an absolute page turner!!!!! Spy thrillers are not a genre that I seek out, but I could not recommend this one more highly. 

 I have finished a few more things but I will save those for my next post.

It’s October so before I end this, let me climb up on my soapbox to remind you to be sure to keep up to date on your mammograms. The process may be inconvenient and sometimes uncomfortable but it is nothing compared to having chemo and mastectomies. I know this first hand as a two time breast cancer survivor. Early detection saves lives. Please if you have let this slip during the pandemic, call and make an appointment today.