I have played piano-organ duets with Margaret for 40+ years and it’s her birthday on September 17. I’d love her to be our next card recipient. Here is her mailing address:
Margaret Jass
320 W. 4th St.
Garner, IA 50438
Margaret has been a farm wife all her adult life and just last year she and her husband Alan moved to town so her grandson, Chase, can live on the farm. Chase is getting married on November 30 – and I will miss that fun wedding. Dang.
This is an old picture of Margaret and me from 2019 taken after the cantata.
Such a beautiful warm sunny yet pretty breezy September day. I mowed by the barn and worked on weeds and volunteer trees in the fenceline.
In the upper right of this photo under the tree is an old flat rack that the dogs think is pretty interesting.
I read my email while they investigated.
I am blessed with wonderful chain link fences but it’s a constant job to keep volunteer trees, tall weeds and thistles out of the fenceline. So this afternoon I tackled most of it.
Next was mowing the chicken pen – and the dogs decided there must be a scent there and dug big holes with the chickens looking on.
A good time was had by all!!
One last trip on the wilderness trail and that’s a wrap!
From a reader:
Texas cotton harvest
I love the idea of sending cards to others. It such a simple and kind thing we can do for each other. Sometimes I don’t get it done, but I do try. Cards at the Dollar stores have gotten nicer over the years and are pretty affordable. I hope you continue this. Mine to Margaret is in the mail this morning.
Kim – thanks for sending my friend Margaret a card – she’ll be so surprised!!
Iowa City is having beautiful fall weather. Monday, I weeded my flower beds and cleaned them up a bit before winter. It is great being outside on days like this. Yesterday, I defrosted our two freezers. I am glad that task is behind me. My “breaks” from that task were going outside to enjoy some of the day. I picked a bouquet of zinnias. I love their varied colors. I am still picking green beans, tomatoes, and raspberries every other day. Their flavor is much appreciated – and they are healthy, too! I think I have identified a small hand stitching project to work on. I will try to get started on that in the next day or two.
I love your freshly mown lawn. It is peaceful.
Enjoy your day, everyone.
Vicki – when you pick out your hand stitching project, will you show us?
oh mary, scraps are wonderful. most of my recent quilts have been made from scraps. except for a couple backgrounds, i haven’t cut from yardage in a while. i do use yardage for backs abd/or borders. i just like using lots of different things. if the pattern calls for one red and two browns, then i have to use a gazillion browns and at least 10 different reds. it’s what makes the world go round. oops, i lied. the large 4-patch twin size quilt had alternate blocks that i cut from a consistent dark green. sorry.
i’m avoiding bed because the restless leg thing hit with a vengeance about 4 hours ago and is driving me nuts. i really don’t want to take the nerve pill and as it makes me nuts the next day. i may not have choice if it doesn’t stop soon. it’s already 1:35 am. argh!!!
patti in florida
Patti – I e always heard restless leg syndrome was awful – I was awake last night at 1:35, too. We should have chatted – ha!!
It is neat to see the pups and chickens all playing together in the grass. I just finished another Cat in the Stacks book by Miranda James. They are mysteries, but have such wonderful, comfortable characters. After I read something kind of disturbing or heavier, I go to her books. I think there are 10 or 12 now. They are great for a break from “real” life even though they do have various situations in them.
Buddy and Squeak are enjoying our cooler weather. It will be 88* tomorrow and 90* on Thursday so it is not going to last. But, after that the rains will come, we hope, from the hurricane in the South and it will cool down. I will send a card to Margaret:) Enjoy these nice Fall days. We found the snake skin out front in the bushes. Better that than the snake!
Diane. – oh, good! I thought it was whole snake! Ha!
The whole one was in the garage! The skin is smaller so the big one must be somewhere, but we think he went down the hill. Hope so!
What beautiful pictures. Love the GREEN grass. Being from West Texas, we usually don’t have that kind of green this time of year. Enjoyed seeing the cotton field although that is a daily happening where I live. Just wondering where that reader lives?
Danette – maybe she’ll see this and answer in the comments. I loved seeing it because I never have. We’ve had good rains this summer so it is exceptionally green for mid Sept.
These fields are about 20 minutes southwest of Houston, Texas. We have had a lot of rain this summer, hence the green. Last year was a drought, a burn ban, and brown crunchy grass.
It indeed was a beautiful day yesterday! Warm and breezy but can tell we are moving into autumn. My favorite time of year.
My workout was nothing compared to yours Mary. Keep moving is my motto. I did spend a little time in the sewing room. Had to redo a label for a baby quilt and also pieced backing for a quilt that needs quilting ASAP. Today is sew time in my basement for a few friends so if the sewing does not happen it’s because of the yapping!
Thinking of you enjoying the weather with the dogs and chickens. So great to have a nice day to relax. Nice pictures.
I have a small yard that my dog likes to stretch in and roll around on his back! He’s quite content to just lay in the yard and hang out, but only if I sit on the porch near him. No digging in the dirt for him. You have your work cut out for you cleaning them up!
Perfect weather here but we need the rain.
Carolyn – now that’s the problem here – my dogs have 6+ fenced acres to play in but won’t go out unless I go with them and I have other things I need/ want to do! Like kids, they need an audience and some days I just feel guilty because I know they’d like to play outside and I’m sewing. Yes, they can dig nearly anywhere here except the house yard.
Hi Mary-
What a great slice of life you captured in the photos of your day on the trail. A beautiful day in Iowa. We are having gorgeous weather right now on Cape Cod. Now that it’s after Labor Day many tourists have left and the traffic is a bit easier to navigate. I am out walking in different areas where we have nature trails and places to hike. Soaking up this time of year to get me through my least favorite – winter!
Thanks for the blog and everything you do to keep it going. My day wouldn’t be the same without it!!
Wendy – I feel the same way about getting outside as much as possible knowing that winter is coming. I hate winter – but I want to live in North Iowa so it’s the price I pay, I guess. Weather seems to be unsettling everywhere these days.
Mary – Lovely photo of you and Margaret! Will send her a card!
Hazel and Keeper sure look like they are enjoying the dig. So fun!
My two cats and I enjoyed the summer, but we’re ready for a cooldown. It was 90 today.
Take care everyone.
lovely pictures. you have so much to mow and so much fence line to keep clean. oh my. and hazel and keeper digging big holes. don’t you trip in the holes? the audience for the hole digging was hilarious!
today i cut yet more fabric and then stitched up the final 21 happy ‘cat’ blocks. they are pressed but no where near ready to lay out. the other day i did gather several things and labeled them so other people would know (or to remind me for next time). have bins for at least six projects being cut.
some time ago i bought a huge box of scraps from homestead hearth (a store that makes tons of kits). oh the joy in opening those boxes. lots of yardage. lots of 1/8 fats. some of it is modern, some batik, some country type, some reproduction (1800s type). it is all glorious. i’ve already used tons making backs, making tops. that is largely what i’ve been cutting. i just checked the site and they are calling a large box a USPS flat rate box. the one i got was 3′ tall and originally held batting. lots and lots of fabric ($87). just revisited the site to remember the name and see i could get in tons of trouble there. no, no, i have tons.
getting ready for another week of doc visits. get my eye zapped tomorrow and see the kidney doc on thursday. phone visit with back doc. saw a cartoon today saying that a week without a doctor visit was like a vacation to retirees. yep, kinda how i feel. nothing and then tons of them for a month or so.
our town has had so much rain i’d love to share it with you all. we have had 24″ in about 5 weeks. today my town had 4″ before 5 pm news. and more on the way. lots of street flooding in different areas. seems like it is either too much rain or no rain for a long time. wish it would even out.
your friend margaret’s birthday is the day after mine. september is a heavy birthday month in my family. mother on the 10th, great niece on the 8th, another great niece on the 17th, my niece and brother-in-law and me on the 16th, my father-in-law on the 27th. geesh.
happy stitching, patti in florida
Patti – I love to hear how you work and manage all those scraps. I wish I had an outlet for scrap bags because mine are accumulating. Since I hate cutting mine just sit there. 24” of rain!!! Holy Moly!!
Mary, you’ve sure trained your dogs and chickens to live happily within the same space. How fun to watch them! What a pair, that Hazel & Keeper!
I too loved seeing your barefoot toes on the dash of the golf cart. Pure relaxation and a great summer memory. Our weather has been exceedingly dry this summer and my yard is covered with dried dead leaves . Way to soon to need to deal wtb leaves Thanks for all your sharing on the blog.
Karen – we all love the photos – I just wish I got more from readers! With the name of Karen, you must hate that women who complain and feel entitled are labeled “Karens”. I would if they were called Marys!
That cotton field is beautiful.
I had lunch with a fellow and his wife that works at a vets practice. He told us, for some unknown reason, many birds of prey have been injured this year. More than most years. An Eagle was brought in and its talons were as big as his hand! They stabilize them as much as they can. Give them to the Game and Fish. GF take them to a rehab center in Ft. Collins, Colorado. What an interesting conversation we had with him.
Hazel and Keeper are sure busy. I can only imagine what what their thinking when the nose kicks in.
Jo – sad about the Eagle – I hope they can rehabilitate and return them. I wonder why so many have been injured – did he say? Becky lives in wooded area by a river and sees eagles on a regular basis – I don’t.
Dear Mary, this is the first time I have sent a card to anyone that you’ve encouraged us to do. Once I got started, I was full of words and they came easily for once. Thank you for encouraging us to do that. My mom is 92 and lives in an independent facility and doesn’t get any mail except from Special niece but she is ok. I feel like I know Margaret from your blog. I found a few things in common with her so it was easy to write. Thank you for allowing me to get a blessing and hopefully give one too! Love you Mary.
Nancy – let’s send cards to your mom!!! What do you think? Would she enjoy it? I could list her next – I need a bit about her and a picture – could you handle that?
Nancy – I’m going to ask you a very forward question now – do you not like the concept of me listing people to send cards to? What has kept you from sending cards before now? Is it the cost, the effort, the whole idea of sending a card to a stranger? Please don’t be offended – I’m just curious because maybe others feel the same way and I should stop doing this. I’d kind of hate to stop. It on the other hand I want my readers to be happy and I don’t want to pressure them to send cards. Thanks for your honest answer.
Keeper and Hazel look like they had a blast today. What a wonderful life you have given them. Chickens look like they couldn’t care less.
But what I really really loved is your barefeet and happy toenails propped up on the dashboard!
Pat – it really was a great day to be outside!
Margaret must be happy her grandson is keeping the family farm going. A nice gesture sending her birthday greetings so thanks for sharing your friends with us , Mary, so we can honor them.
I went to our library today and took out the book you liked “The Younger Wife” by Sally Hepworth. On my way to bed now to begin reading it as it sounds good.
Went to a funeral today for a quilt friend who lost her father. We were asked to wear blue jeans as that’s all he ever wore…..even to his place of worship. I did but it sure felt strange to me.
Kathy – I love that you wore jeans! Bruce was buried in his bib overalls – it would have been fun to wear bibs! Ha! I hope you like the book – I rarely recommend books because I think we all like something different. I can’t attach a picture here but I’m going to send you a photo via email. I just got done – and I did not think it was easy.
Mary, our library books have inside the cover a paper attached with comments patrons write their opinion of the book and this particular book was nothing but praises for it. 6 comments all saying it keeps you guessing and couldn’t put it down. I think you have put me on to a new author as I’m hooked.
What is challenging to you in sewing probably isn’t to others is what I find when I chat with my quilt friends. I’m struggling with borders lately and others find them a breeze. I do like paper piecing and it’s not your thing. I’m still staring at Give us this day our daily bread wallhanging all sandwiched together trying to see how I can quilt it!
Kathy – I love this idea! Maybe my library would do this
Looks like the dogs had a really fun day!! I agree that chain link fences are great, but they are a lot of work to keep clean. My dog had a fun day too, she ate a cicada, snuck in the tack room of the barn & ate the cat food, found several piles of raccoon poop on our walk thru our field, & found a huge vulture eating on something (we gave it a wide berth). We have had beautiful weather here the last couple of days, but we are in a drought situation & really need some rain.
Debra – oh, I really hate it when they eat all that stuff! And then they want to kiss me! Ugh, no! It was such a gorgeous day I just had to find something to do with them. But I worked a lot harder than they did. We really need rain, too, but I dont think we’re in drought conditions.
Seeing the pictures of the Texas cotton reminded me of a book I just read for my book club…A Painted House by John Grisham. It is about harvesting cotton in the early 1950’s in Arkansas. it is told through the eyes of a 7 year old boy. Picked it by hand…backbreaking and at the mercy of the weather. Love hearing about the antics of your pets. Sure make your days happy!
Ginger – I’ve read that book – it’s good.
I would love to know what kind of organ is at your church and how many keyboards there are on it I forgot what those are called. Is it a pipe organ or a regular organ? I love hearing organs.
Nancy – since I don’t play it I don’t have the answers but I’ll find out. It’s a regular organ with two keyboards. If you’d asked me about the piano I would have known – ha!!
If I recall I helped pick out the church’s organ, maybe 20-25 years ago? I believe it’s a Rodgers, 2 levels. It is not a pipe organ. Fairly simple model as we did not have any professionally trained organist. Margaret was likely trained as I was at the time. Just by learning from the prior organist.
Hanks Mom – oh, thank you for answering this but hasn’t it been longer than 25 years? Do you have to tune an organ? If that’s correct, we’re long overdue
Oh crap. Yes, it’s been more like 35 years as I think it would have been in the late ’80’s. I don’t know that you have to tune an organ but I think we used to have it looked at occasionally. Again, I haven’t played an organ for nearly 2 decades so what do I know?
Love Hazel’s escapades 🐶🤣
Hazel digging to go to China? Oh that girl