As unto the bow the cord is,
So unto the man is woman;
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him, yet she follows;
Useless each without the other!”
Thus the youthful Hiawatha
Said within himself and pondered,
Much perplexed by various feelings,
Listless, longing, hoping, fearing,
Dreaming still of Minnehaha,
Of the lovely Laughing Water,
In the land of the Dacotahs.

I doubt anyone remembers Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha. Completed in 1855, the poem is a long one, and it seems that noone studies poetry anymore.

I went today (of course after my requisite 5.36 hours of work) to Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis, named for Hiawatha’s wife in the poem. The park is lovely with many old trees.

I met Gayle, Joe (her husband), and Zach and Alex (his sons) for a picnic. But first we walked to see the falls. Here’s the view from the top:

Then we walked down, down, down. Here’s what they look like from below + me:

Here’s Joe just hanging out…

Then if you follow Minnehaha Creek down farther it feeds into the mighty Mississippi. The Mississippi looks a lot purer up here than in St. Louis. Here’s a shot up the Mississippi, including a lock and dam, taken from the confluence:

Some amazing old trees too (with Zach and Alex):

Before Easter dinner:

After:

Today my mom and sister and I decorated Easter Cookies. It was fun!

Yesterday I went to the Como Zoo with Gayle. Here’s me on the ole tortoise. No, I’m not mad, just squinting into the sun.

All in all, an excellent weekend!

I finally got furniture! It makes a big difference.

I got a kitchen set:

And I got a living room set:

Cool!

Special thanks to Mom, Dad, sister Michelle, uncle Dick, Link, and Isa. Belated thanks to Bob, Eddie, Joshua, and Rob who helped me load up in Missouri.

Here’s my office semi-moved in and set up:

And bedroom:

My sister and I finally found the place. It’s close to the Textile Center and in a quiet neighborhood.
Large living room, kitchen with eating area, two bedrooms, and bath. Oh and tons of closet space!

I packed up my stuff:Moved it out:
Left St. Louis looking like this:
And this:
Then I was off through Illinois and into Wisconsin (where I stopped for squeaky cheese curds!):
Then into Minnesota:
And onto 8180:

[Note: I am posting this in March 2010, but in the chronology of my life, it goes here.]

From 2003– May of 2005 I worked on a quilt as a present for my friend Gayle for her wedding. Here it is:

There are nine blocks containing floral wreaths, eight from Karen Kay Buckley‘s Floral Wreaths and one, the Roses and Rosebuds block, created by myself with roses adapted from Elly Sienkiewicz‘s Dimensional Appliqué, Baskets, Blooms, and Baltimore Borders:

Roses and Rosebuds

Tulips and Thistle

Pansies and Forget-Me-Nots

Dogwood and Squill Flowers

Grapes and Violets

Marigolds, Blueberries, and Honeysuckle

Clematis and Bluebells

Orchids

Peonies

The quilted motifs are adapted from Elsie M. Campbell‘s book Winning Stitches:

Finally done:

Special thanks to Mary for helping me with the basting, Diane for keeping my
ambitious plans grounded enough to be realistic, Beverly for doing the binding, my mom Gen for helping me wash the quilt and lay it out to dry, and my sister Michelle for the photos.

Hi, Welcome to my new blog!

Try also my website. [Note: link/website defunct 2009]