- Come a rain

Patch #233 Agave

Eight inches of rain fell this week ...

inspiring a very green look over at One Hill Country Year, re-visioned from this ...

to this ...

as I wasn't sure about the Pojagi-influenced patching. The posts have all been revised and I'm much happier with this new version. 

In any case, it was this photo of an agave ...

that inspired today's patch. Turned on its side, it looked for all the world like clouds swollen with rain ...

I also used it as an opportunity to re-try my hand at seed stitch, which has never been a favorite. And I've gotta say, even though I like the effect, it's a stitch that simply doesn't make my heart sing while working it.

Oh well. At least I have this to make me smile ...

Found in Don's scrap bin, it looked for all the world like the moon peeking out from behind a cloud. Don claimed it was purely accidental, a scrap of wood used to blot the paint from a foam dauber.

Whatever. It has found a home by my sewing chair ...

Because there are no accidents ...

- The rainbow connection

Patch #232 R is for ...

After finishing G's anchor patch yesterday, we looked back on some of the other patches. 

"Do you remember the 'Q is for quilt' picture in your book?" I asked (seen here http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/07/q-is-for-quilt.html).

"No," said G, so we pulled out the book and looked at the page.  "That's my favorite color," he said, pointing to the orange background. "And that's your favorite color and Pop Pop's favorite color," he continued, pointing to the green and blue in turn.

Then looking at the next page in the book he asked, "Can you make a patch like this one?"

"A rabbit rowing roses under a rainbow? Of course I can," I assured him.

Better yet, as the afternoon showers gave way to the evening sun, a real live rainbow painted itself onto the clouds ...

After snapping several shots, I asked G which one he liked best. "This one," he said ...

"It's got the brightest colors."

- A patch to match

Patch #231 Match that patch

Can you draw inside a car?

Can you draw near?

Can you draw far?

How about this one instead?

Drawing on a bouncing bed! 

Well, it's not easy,  

But it's fun!

Then you sew 

Another one!

Check that patch 

and never fear ...

Just put that matching

patch right here ...

Can you tell 

that we just read

Dr. Seuss 

then went to bed?

- How it goes around here

Patch #230 We get ...

So this is an example of how things happen around here. Meliss sent a picture of a frame she wanted to hang ...

along with a question about how to get a quote reproduced to put inside.

"Oh, your dad can do that," I said with great assurance.

"Wait, I've never done lettering," Don said with equal intensity.

"Not a problem," I shot back. Then I proceeded to audition a number of fonts, finally securing Don's approval for one called Papyrus.

Meliss sent frame dimensions ...

and I mocked up the quote in a close-but-not-exactly frame that we had on hand ...

Then Don tried his hand at lettering with milk paint, after I put in a request for the word "days" since there's a Walt Wilkins song by that name that I really like  ...

Meanwhile, I tested out boards to see if I could get them to add up to the requisite 23+ inches. They did ...

Meliss sent a color sample ...

after commenting that the initial paint test of black on white didn't look quite right. So Don did a second pass of brown on cream, which inspired him to consider combining the word "days" with another work in progress ...

So yeah, this is how we roll ... laughing all the way.

- Cue

Patch #229 BBQ

We've had rain in abundance this week ...

which has brought cooler temperatures. So our Tuesday afternoon errands in San Marcos provided an opportunity to indulge in slightly heavier fare: cue ... as in barbecue, bar-b-que, BBQ, or simply Q. Which means beef brisket if you live in Texas and something else entirely if you don't.

Growing up on Long Island, a backyard barbecue meant burgers and hot dogs. In Virginia, Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que was the non plus ultra, where the meat was pork and the sauce had a tomato base. 

Nothing could beat it for succulence.

So I didn't really "get" Texas brisket at first. It seemed kinda dry and not all that flavorful. Until the fateful day when I stood behind someone in a cut-to-order line and overheard, "Fatty end with bark, please." Ah, that's the secret!

Because really, lean makes no sense. If you're going to eat cue, you need to go all the way. And I've since learned that properly smoked brisket, with its blackened exterior and red halo line, needs no sauce if the meat is already dripping in its own juices. All you need is some white bread to soak up the excess drippings and some vegetal sides so you can convince yourself you're eating something healthy.

Something like this ...

served on sheets of salmon pink butcher paper. Pure bliss.

Oh, about that "Q" on the patch. I found a box of rubber stamps at the local thrift store, so even though I'm far more comfortable with hand lettering these days, the "Q" gave me the perfect excuse to try out my new toys ...

done in satin stitch for a change ...

N.B. I just slipped in a retrospective post for last Sunday: http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/08/up.html

- Happy House-iversary

Patch #228 Orisha

If you look back to my blog post on August 15, 2015 (http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2015_08_15_archive.html) you'll see a couple of works in progress and a picture of G heading up the walk to his new house.

Today's patch is a scrap of sample stitching that I did while making a kitchen towel housewarming gift, pictured in detail here http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2015/06/always-learning-latest-lessons.html and saved for a rainy day (which today happily is).

So Happy House-iversary to the happy homeowners. May each year in your home be better than the last.

- Up!

Retrospective (8/16/2016)

Patch #227 Jace's Arrow

This post was originally going to be titled "Funk" because that's how I felt on Sunday morning. I was six days behind on the blog, the dishwasher died, my back hurt, and it was grey outside (hot, hazy, and humid). 

Lassitude ... lethargy ... ennui ... the words rolled through my brain as I tried to get in gear. But as the patches fell from my hands and rain began to fall from the sky, my spirits lifted. 

So, looking back at my photos, here's a shot of Don's creative clamping solution to putting Jace's growth chart together ...

It's the perfect metaphor:  make the best of what you've got and things are sure to look ... up!

- Dessert first

Patch #226 Ice cream

I grew up in a blue state (New York), went to college in a red state (Virginia), and then happily watched it turn purple over the forty years that we lived there. After which we picked up and moved to the bluest area we could find (Austin) in arguably one of the most radically red states (Texas). 

Fortunately for us, we managed to move in next to neighbors who shared our political proclivities. Not to mention our taste in adult beverages and live music. So it wasn't a stretch to imagine that we'd enjoy dinner together. 

During a conversation that included mention of homemade pasta, we ended up inviting Charlie and Jane over for a dinner of lasagna, bread, and salad. They in turn offered to bring red wine and dessert.

At the appointed hour, they showed up on our doorstep with a Cuisinart ice cream maker and a milk container full of custard base. I love these people!

"It's my mother's recipe," Jane said, "made with whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk."

"Tres leches!" I exclaimed, thinking of the locally popular cake which is also made with three kinds of milk. "I can't wait!"

After dinner, the ice cream churned and decaf brewed as we showed off the latest additions to our walls. Then the perfectly soft custard ice cream was scooped into bowls and topped with fresh-made ganache and strawberry jam.

Which just goes to show, red isn't all bad ...

- Star light, not bright

Patch #225 Perseus

We went out twice hoping to see the Perseid meteor shower. On Thursday evening, the waxing gibbous moon lit the sky and we only saw a couple of faint streaks.

So we set the alarm for 5:00 am and tried again. Even with the moon set, the sky was still a gauzy gray, rather than the incredible black slate of my childhood memories. A few more streaks lit the sky, but nothing like the light show the media had been hyping.

Back in the 1960s we spent every August at my grandparents' cottage on Shelter Island. And if it seems strange that I would recall seeing the Perseid meteor showers back then, it is perhaps understandable if I explain that my parents met on a blind date in mid-August of 1950. Every year we not only went out to watch the shooting stars, we heard all over again the story of their first night together.

I also remember how the Milky Way painted the skies back then, like one of Hazel's star cloths. Sadly, I haven't seen a similar display for many years. 

So if the stars on my Perseus patch seem faint, it is because they are a reflection of the light-filled skies of this new century. Perhaps our next visit to the desert Southwest will include clearer skies and a chance to experience the magic once again. I dare to hope ...

- How the ball bounces

Patch #224 Tennis

I've written before about the tennis racquet we got for G ...

This week we got racquets for ourselves as it rapidly became apparent that we couldn't field G's shots with our bare hands, even though we were using very light, under inflated balls ...

What were we thinking?