Thankful ~

If you haven't already done so today, take a moment to count your blessings.  Money cannot buy health and that is the most important thing we can have.  Billions of dollars could not save Paul Allen, one of the richest men in the world.  I know I am truly thankful.

 

I do have a Rebekah L Smith finish to share with you.  Only 11 1/2" high x 5" wide it took me a lot longer than I thought it would.  I am happy with the colors I chose.  I still have a bit of a problem with the corners but hopefully will get better with practice.  (The color is most accurate in the first picture.)

 

 

I also finished the hooking on the rug I cannot yet share with you.  Just a couple little changes and then on to the steaming and binding.

 

Did I tell you I have another hooking class this Friday with Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs and our guild hook in on Saturday?  Fun, fun, fun!!!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Busy Times ~

My Caroline Twigg class (Eagles Nest Woolens) was wonderful ~ but I knew it would be.  I've had her before for a three day class so I was sure it would be another great experience and I was not disappointed.  Here she is working on color planning a rug.

 

And working on color planning my rug.  It is an antique reproduction, Old Hearts, from the Old Tattered Flag.  Sweet Cathy gave me a gift certificate a while back and I used that to purchase the pattern. 

 

Progress as of last night.  Considering I am hooking it with a 9.5 cut, I should be much further along, me thinks!

 

 

Some of Caroline's rugs.

 

If you ever get the chance to take a class with her, jump at it.

 

After spending the two days in class, the next morning before the crack of dawn I headed to Sauder Village for the hooking retreat weekend.  I am always remiss at taking pictures, but did snap a couple.  This was being hooked for the hooker's father-in-law.  He worked for Detroit Edison.

 

I am in awe of anyone who can hook a photograph.

Friend Bobbie's Santa, a pattern by Karen Kahle.

 

Pat was hooking this rug from a painting she did years ago.  This is going to be spectacular.

 

 

Bobbie gifted me this oh-so-sweet bear that she made.  What a cutie he is! 

From Melissa I got these wonderful salt glaze Santas to add to my collection.

 

I am blessed to have such friends :)

 

Yesterday I headed to a historic homes tour in Wellington, Ohio, where Archibald Willard painted the Spirit of '76 about 1875. 

 

 

I must say I was disappointed in some of the houses, but each to his/her own, right?  At my favorite house, I thought this was a really cute idea for a birdhouse using an old enamelware pan.

 

 

They also had this wonderful fountain in the yard.

 

 

This painted lady on the main street in town was also open for the tour.  Year's ago I took my antique grandfather there to inquire about repairing it.  Still have not done anything about it . . . sigh.  Maybe one day.

 

The owner was dressed for the part.  He greeted us in the foyer and gave us a little history of the house.

 

This sign is a hoot.

 

Out back are his antique autos.

I can now breathe easy for a few days (though lots of catching up to do) before my next hooking class this Friday and our guild's hook in on Saturday.  No rest for the wicked . . . er . . . I mean weary :)

 

Yesterday was the day I dread every fall ~ the day my furnace gets turned on for the first time.  A definite sign that summer has left us :(

 

Today is National Pug Day, so here is a picture of dear Ernestine.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

 

 

Up and Running ~

My internet is back up.  I'm happy for that, but what a nightmare it has been.  I don’t do well on my phone, so I am thankful it is finally on.  So funny.  I think we spoke with ”John” in India.  He said the service tech would be here between 8am and noon.  Then he proceeded to say that it could be as late as 2:45pm.  Why didn’t he just say between 8am and 2:45pm???  So the phone guy gets the line hooked back up and I have him wait to be sure I can get online on my desktop.  Whoopee!  I'm on.  But . . .  later I discover no WiFi.  DSO spends at least an hour and a half on the phone trying to get it resolved.  $79.99 later there is a resolution.  Next problem discovered . . . I can't access my email on my iPhone.  A half hour more on the phone and that's fixed.  Then today I can't receive email on my desktop.  ARGH!!!  I am about ready to scream and nothing I've tried has worked.  I need to make a call but just don't have the time.  Now I see my font has been changed on my blog and the font I like is not an option in the toolbar shown.  I've searched around and can't find what I am looking for and don't have the time to continue searching.  Can you say frustrated?

Anyway . . . back to the trip.  Our first stop was Shelburne, Vermont.  That will be a post in itself.  I LOVED Shelburne.  We had planned to spend just one day there.  Thankfully the admission ticket is good for two days because we spent another half day there, but really could have used the entire day.  

From Shelburne, we headed to Barre, VT to the Rock of Ages granite quarry.  The quarry is know for its “Barre gray” granite.  At the rate they are mining the granite, it is predicted they can mine for the next 4,500 years.  We went in the factory and saw them working on gravestones.  Some of them were massive.

 

Next stop was Hope Cemetery in Barre.  The weather was really not cooperating at that point, so we drove through and only got out a couple times.  It would have been a peaceful place to walk around, admiring the headstones.  Currently, any headstone placed in the cemetery must be made from "Barre gray" granite.

The next day was spent at Mt. Washington.  At 6,288 feet, it is the highest point in the east.  Noted for horrible weather, the summit until recently held the record for the highest recorded wind velocity at 231 mph on April 12, 1934.  From the base of the mountain, you could not see the top.  Heck, you could hardly see anything it was so foggy. 

We had pre-purchased tickets for the cog railway up the mountain, but I held little hope that we would be able to see anything once we reached the summit.  Ironically, when at the summit, we encountered the best weather of the entire trip.  Sunny, warmish and little wind.  We were above the clouds and the views were spectacular.

Cairns guide hikers to the summit.

DSO scaring the bejesus out of me!

A highlight of the trip was heading to Holderness to meet up with Cathy of Acorn Hollow and her dear hubby.  From the moment we hugged hello, it was like we had just seen each other yesterday.  What a sweetie ~ hubby, too.  We were so busy talking, we never even took one picture ☹  She delighted me with a bag full of New Hampshire goodies.  Thank you, Cathy.  Oh, and her home is just beautiful.  Built by her hubby 30 years ago, I could just move in. 

On our last day, we headed to Quechee Gorge, the Grand Canyon of the east.  Thankfully the rains had subsided that morning and we got to go on an off-road Segway tour.  I do love a Segway.  So easy to maneuver.  Our guide was great, giving us much history of the area.  I was so happy he took us off beginner mode so at times we were able to cruise at 10 MPH.

After Quechee, we went to the iconic New England town of Woodstock.  There the rains returned, but we walked around in the rain. 

Hydrangeas must love the climate.
They were gorgeous.

Just outside of town, I walked around this old cemetery (while DSO made a reservation for the night).  The stones were very weathered and most were hard to read.  Deaths ranged from the very early 1800’s to a few in the mid 1900’s.

All in all, it was a great trip.  Fall color was running a bit late this year, so we missed out on most of that.  There were a few areas that would have been gorgeous had the sun been shining, but it wasn’t meant to be . . . sigh.  1600+ miles in 6 days.  A whirlwind trip for sure.

Tomorrow and Thursday I am taking a class with Caroline Twigg of Eagles Nest Woolens.  Friday and Saturday will be spent at Sauder Village for a hooking retreat.  I have to leave there a bit early to get home to attend my first masquerade ball (put on by the historical society we belong to) and then Sunday is a historic homes tour in a nearby town.  WHEW!  I'm tired just thinking about it and hopefully will have time for a quick post.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren