Quilting

I have a quilting class today in Bowling Green and I am so excited. I know what you are thinking, but you make and sell quilts. I make very homespun quilts so I am hoping to "up" my skills by taking a class.

My hand quilting is very primitive and that is about the nicest way I can think of saying it. So, I am hoping through this class to improve that a lot.

And to tell you the truth, I think I just wanted to hang out with some other quilt enthusiasts. It gets pretty lonely around here at times.

Another motivator has been the Elm Creek Quilt series. I started reading the series over Christmas and I am now on book number 3, so I just seem to be surrounding my life with quilt jargon except there is no one to talk to.

So, I am off to quilting class.

Ky. National Guard

If you live in the state of Kentucky or read the news, you know the entire Kentucky National Guard has been called out to help people in the midst of this ice storm.

My son Dusty, pictured above, is now in the Lake Barkley area. When he called Sunday night, he said it is really bad and these people have been without anything since the storm first hit.

We were very lucky here because we were only without power for about 10 hours. However, just 20 miles north of us, the folks in Muhlenberg County are still without power, the schools have been closed until further notice, and they are begging for blankets, water and non-perishable foods. Muhlenberg Co. is so rural, rescue personnel is stated as saying they are really worried about those who have no phone communication or cell phone because they really don't know if these people have survived or not. Keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers.

New job

I have a new job (doing the happy dance) in the background.

Well, not a new job where I have to punch a clock and all that, but a new job where I get to write feature articles and take endless photos. By the way, I am praying for a digital camera, so if any of you happen to find a really nice one laying in a parking lot, hay field, or somewhere and want to mail it to me it would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, a very nice lady in Bowling Green is trying to get a new publication started here called the Logan Independent Journal. It's going to be tough to get this started because we are going up against the current newspaper that has been here for 200 years.

But, if you lived here and could read our present newspaper, you would understand our need for a new one. If you get a chance, check us out at http://www.loganandbeyond.com/
When the page loads, there will be a little icon to your right of some newspapers, click on that, register and then you can read it.

Ice Storm

If you have been reading the news at all, or live in the state of Kentucky, you know that the entire Kentucky National Guard has been called out to help those in parts of Kentucky who are still without power.

My oldest son, Dusty, called last night and said he had been moved to the area of Kuttawa and Eddyville.Dusty talked like it is bad, it resembles a war field and the people there have been without any electricity for several days.

Mark and I did a craft show this past summer in Kuttawa so I at least knew what town he was staying in. Kuttawa is a beautiful part of Kentucky near Lake Barkley, with rows of quaint looking homes, and a just a really nice part of the state to visit or live. So, I am really hoping they are able to recover from the damage done there.

Today, Dusty's unit is going to start with door to door welfare checks. I just pray they don't find anything but survivors who have managed through the storm somehow.

Dusty stated that is he glad he is able to do something to help out. He is now under federal orders and said it may be a month before he gets home.

It means a lot to me that both of my sons are willing to serve not only their country but their fellow mankind as well. They are willing to sacrifice a warm bed, television, and good hot meals to go and help other people.

The flag that shows on top of this page was taken in front of the rubble of the Russellville Middle School. That flag has come to mean a lot in this house. After marrying Mark I adopted an entirely new respect for the flag even though I was raised in a home with a strong military history. Now, with two sons in uniform, the flag flying in the wind will bring tears to my eyes.

We have two flags in this house that mean a lot to the occupants here. One is the flag that was presented to my great-aunt and great-uncle after their son died in WWII. This flag only has 48 stars, each one of my sons has asked for it, so that will be a hard decision one day of deciding which one will receive it.

The other flag holding a special place of honor is the one that draped the coffin of Mark's dad, Kenneth Hathcock. He, too, was retired from the Army. One day the decision will need to be made of who to pass that flag onto. This flag holds a very special place in Mark's heart since he followed his dad's footsteps of a career in the military.

My mother still has the flag that draped my dad's coffin. He was a disabled vet and instilled in all four of his daughters a love for this country. I guess when the time comes to find a new home for that flag we will just have to put our names in a hat and see who gets drawn out.

I am very proud of my sons, and all three of my children, because they are always so willing to give to others. Their unselfishness toward others is one that fills my heart with pride. They don't look at situations and ask what they can get out of anything. They aren't the type of people that believe in the "I" mentality.

the weather

I guess the weather is pretty the main topic all over Kentucky. It is hard to believe that I took this picture above less than a week ago (if you know what type of a grass this is will you please let me know.)

We were pretty lucky here. We were only without electricity for about 12 hours. There are parts of this county, however, that are still without power. The county north to us, Muhlenberg, is in really bad shape. Some estimate it will be at least two weeks before the juice is flowing through their wires once again. The Red Cross has stepped in to provide people with blankets, water and non-perishable foods. I think around Louisville there may still be people without lights, heat, and all the good things that go with electricity.

We have a lot of Amish in this community and I am sure their life went on as usual except there weren't grocery stores open either.

So, during this down time I started reading the Elm Creek Quilt series. I have long wanted to read this collection but wanted to start from the beginning. So, with one of my hand little Barnes and Noble gift cards that I received for Christmas I ordered the first four in the series. I have to say I am really enjoying it. I just love these types of books that just tell a story.

My daughter doesn't go to college today so I am babysitting free. I think I will try to get my hair cut, get my sewing room warm and just see what the rest of the day holds.

For those of you able to read this, I hope you have a good rest of the day, for those of you without electricity, I am sorry and will be keeping my fingers crossed that the magic of the light bulb will once again shine at your house before too much longer.

weather?

Who knows what this weather is going to do today? I can hear the rain falling, the temperature is right at freezing, so who knows if it is all going to turn to ice or not.

Today is my daughter's first day back at college, 30 miles away, and my grandmotherly babysitting duties start again. Naturally, I keep thinking they need to call off classes but then college seldom calls off classes, so I guess we will just have to see.

I spent the day yesterday running errands for everyone else, don't you just love those days. I took my sister to a cardiac rehab and I seriously wondered at times if I would get her there without inflicting bodily harm since she kept telling me how she did not want to go.

Anyway, I am off to turn on the news, and grab my much needed handwork for the day ahead.

New quilts and a terrible blogger

Well, I think it is no secret that I am just a terrible blogger. I come sneaking in here every two or three months to say hi, then disappear again.

It was even one of my resolutions for the New Year to do better at this, but you can see how well I keep my resolutions.

Oh well, there is always tomorrow, right?

I actually have some good news, shouting from the roof tops. An opportunity has presented itself to me this past week that will allow me to somewhat get back into the newspaper business. It will actually be more on a freelance type of writing but at least I get to get out and meet people again. I get to walk around with a camera strapped to my shoulder, a notebook in hand and ask people to tell me their story. Hooray. Hopefully it will become a profitable adventure for the person behind this brainchild and won't go down the drain with the rest of the economy.

As you may have noticed, I also have new quilts that need to find a new home. The top one is done in mint green with a blue backing featuring horses in each one of those blocks. The blocks are six inches inside and the quilts is 11 blocks across by 13 blocks up and down.

Of course, my favorite ones to make are the homespun patchwork ones. This is a pretty good size quilt. Once again, the blocks are six inches with 14 going across and 16 up and down.

If you think you would love to give a home to one of these quilts you can email me at thebackfence@yahoo.com

Who knows, I may even make it back tomorrow. Have a good one. It's cold here in Kentucky, how about your neck of the woods?