Last week I was driving home and spotted what looked like a blue coffeepot on the shoulder of the highway.  I turned my car around and sure enough, it was a blue enamelware coffeepot that had seen better days.  It had recently been in a fire and it had ash and rust all over it.

Here is a before and after picture of the blue coffeepot.  I think it’s spectacular, don’t you?

 

This is Linus, a shitzu who is staying with me this week.  He is easy to have around and really enjoys the gals in the quilt shop, especially Mary Baker!   Yesterday Mason visited and got down to Linus’ level to say “hi”.

   

It’s Retreat Week again at the farm.  These gals are from Ohio, Texas and Minnesota, all friends from previous camps who visit Country Threads once a year to enjoy each other’s company.  From left to right:  Cindy, Monica, Lisa, Lori, Mary, Rosie and Sharon.  Several are enjoying our new hotel in town, the Garner Inn and Suites while the others are staying with Pam on her farm.  We love having retreats at the shop/farm – why don’t you and your group come to sew?  Just a thought.

Remember those pale pink hydrangeas in the blue Mason jar that I showed you last week?  In one week’s time, the blooms have turned a deep rose color – they are beautiful!

And then there’s the Dogma quilt which measures 68” x 77”.  We are in the process of cutting the kits which will sell for $101.95.  I absolutely love this quilt because the contemporary fabrics are dark!  We will not put this on the website for a few days to give those who follow the blog and the Farm News first chance to order the kit.  Call the shop at 641-923-3893 to order.

 

I have finished physical therapy and know what I need to do to keep myself feeling better – stretch, don’t sit too long, don’t lift anything heavy and stretch some more.  Ha!  I should just follow my mom’s exercise DVD.  She would have just loved it if I had joined her exercise group at church.

Bentley Greiman is arriving tonight for the weekend which will make Telly so happy.  Linus is OK but he doesn’t know how to really play and run.

Until I’m back to the blog, keep sewing and enjoying the end of summer.  Today I have to bake eggs again because my fridge is too full of egg cartons.

Mary

From Mandy –

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A Book Review

Hello Mary,  I don’t know if you are still doing book reviews on you blogs, or website, but I wanted to recommend “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” by Karen Joy Fowler, who also wrote the Jane Austen book club.  The New York Times review was written by Barbara Kingsolver so that was enough of a recommendation for me to request it from my library.  Basically it is about a young woman who for the first 5 years of her life was raised as a “twin study” by her professor father with a chimpanzee.  It talks about all the ways it affected her and her family.  This book addresses animal intelligence but also emotions and memory.  I hope you get a chance to read it.