Life Happens

A day or so after my last post, I made more blocks for the string quilt.

 Eventually I would like to make 9 more blocks, if not 21.  It may be big enough with the large dark squares set 3x4, rather than 4x4.  With the foundation and all of the seams, it gains weight quickly.

Last week...or was it the week before?  My father had a medical issue that necessitated a trip to the emergency room.  His subsequent treatment of his treatment (or lack thereof - he refused to fill the prescription, then decided to do a home modification on an inserted medical device) landed him in the hospital and eventually in surgery.  He's currently in a rehab facility, but going home is no longer an option.  Here you can see the dramatic property line between the neighbor's place and my dad's.  Can you say, "fire hazard?"

 Needless to say, there was no quilting happening last week, as I spent 6 days visiting with him and trying to make sense of some of his paperwork.  I came home for a couple of days, but will be headed back again. My impassioned plea to all of you is to make sure that you have your estate paperwork in order BEFORE you need your estate paperwork.  He has maintained control for YEARS, and now that we need to be able to help him (he's 88), he's tied our hands in more ways than one.  If you love your family, you will not do this to them.  seriously.  The result of procrastination/refusal is hateful, and really limits his own options.

On a brighter note, I was home for a bit of weekend estate-sale-ing.  I only had time to swing by one, but I found this bright and cheery wedding ring.  It is graphically delightful, with its bold reds and happy ginghams.  Because it has worn spots and a tear, it was a mere $15.  I bought it with the thought of using it as a cutter quilt, but it is in much better condition than I initially believed.  I might have to do something fun with it...like even patch/repair it!  Just looking at it makes me happy!

 And finally, the primary motivator for returning home this week was the wrap-up party I planned for the quilt show committee.  I'm not sure if you can see how bright and happy it looked, with the tables and new umbrellas and Adirondack chairs, etc.  It almost looked like a resort by the time everyone began to arrive.  My backyard is my happy place.  :)

And on that cheery note, I am sitting here looking at two gorgeous bouquets of roses from two of my children.  It's Mother's Day, a day that often leaves me melancholy.  The last time I saw my mother was Mother's Day 2000.  She passed away a few weeks later.  And now my dad is ailing.  Maybe the bright side is that he's left so much undone, we are busy from morning until night trying to put things in order.  Maybe.  But it's not easy, and I'm sure many of you know that.

Every day is a gift.  Treasure it!