- A torn and tattered world

Patch #218 Olympic rings

I have mixed feelings about the Olympics as the ideal is so often sullied. But I'm heartened by the inclusion of refugees this year even though their presence is emblematic of the chaos of our world. Certainly the opportunity for people to gather in peace is something to be celebrated.

A note on the making ... the circles of linen were cut and the spirals split back stitched by eye (without any guide lines). Seen better from the back perhaps ...  

By the way, there is one significant error ... did you catch it?

- Barrowing along

Patch #217 Red Wheelbarrow

We spent the day in Austin with G, starting off with a new-to-us book ...

Originally published in 1994 and sold for $60, we got it for $20 at the Half Price Book store (I know, less than half-price, right?)

Anyway, since we were planning to go out to do some weeding and trimming, we suggested that G might want to help with his as-yet-unused toy wheelbarrow. Then we showed him a page full of gardening tools in the visual dictionary ...

If you've never seen a visual dictionary, make a note to yourself to ask at the reference desk next time you visit your local library. They're sure to have one and they make for some great browsing on a wide range of subjects ...

I could've used this page the other day when I was trying to explain talons. Likewise there are pictures of every imaginable vehicle and sport ... sure to come in handy with three grandsons.

G turned out to be a great help, toting debris away from the garden to a temporary pile headed for the compost heap. He was ever so proud of himself, especially once he figured out that we weren't the least bit upset about how dirty his clothes were. After all, that's what washing machines are for ...

- All in the family

Patch #216 J Picasso

Grandson J, who just turned four, created this great portrait of our daughter ...

which Don deemed to be "Picasso-esque," although his mom was more inclined to attribute it to Edvard Munch. To me it was "just amazing," but isn't it interesting how we look for the familiar?

Obviously our grandson's work is totally his own, but Don and I are keenly aware of how our making is influenced by others. For instance, during our visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas last spring, we saw a classic Rothko (pictured about 3/4 of the way through this post  http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2016/04/take-to-highway-again.html).

When we returned home, we both started looking at more examples of Rothko's work, which in turn strongly influenced  the base painting for Don's latest assemblage (I'm really kicking myself for not getting in-process pictures of how it changed over the course of several days).

Milk paint and burnishing paste were used to color some plain boards, a $5 junk store frame (that took eight hours to sand down), and a rusted tin can lid (found somewhere lost to memory).

And somehow, somewhere along the way, those things combined to create a new story.

Rising ...

- The third time's the charm?

Patch #215 One Hill Country Year

stitched in the ever-present colors of sky, live oak and Ashe juniper.

I've written here before about my other blog, One Hill Country Year (http://onehillcountryyear.blogspot.com which is currently linked in the right side bar under my profile). Twice I've tried and twice I've failed to keep it going. So I rubbed the slate clean and I'm trying again. 

This time I'm going to head out each week to photograph whatever catches my eye. Then I'll select seven or eight pieces of cloth that reflect what I've seen, create a strip of patches ...

and write a photo-essay to accompany the cloth strip.

Since one of the goals of the original blog was to document the plants and animals on our property in order to share that with our grandkids, I'll also be including links to various Texas wildlife sites to supplement my photos and provide more information.

So, here I go again ... wish me luck!

- Something old, something new

Patch #214 August

Single strand of floss backstitched on a relatively fine 100% linen. Which is why I was able to render letters a mere 1/8" high ...

The quarter serves as a 1" scale.

So, new month, old technique. And in working this patch, I now realize what I was trying to ignore: the July patch posted a couple of days ago is obviously not 100% linen. My mistake, buying a much desired navy blouse at the thrift shop and convincing myself that it was linen (the label had been cut out, but the hand should have given it away.)

- How time flies

Patch #213 J turns four ...

Seems like yesterday and forever ago ...

Happy days ...

- Of days, weeks, months ...

There was rain this week, including one day when sun alternated with rain, and another when the skies opened for a few amazing minutes and just as quickly closed again ...

The weather cloth stretches longer yet ...

as another month draws to a close with Patch #212 July ...

which is one day early because tomorrow promises even more special moments to remember.

- They're finally over

I just read an article that claimed you really don't have a moral obligation to watch political conventions. A bit late for that unfortunately.

Anyway, as I whacked away in the garden today, I asked myself what exactly I've done recently that would count as political action. Here's my list:

- voted (mostly a pointless exercise as I live in a red state)

-  stitched a peace pennant for India Flint's Solace Project

-  stitched a quilt square for Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston

It's been a long time since I've demonstrated (the most recent was a very brief stint at Occupy Austin). And my political donations have been few and far between. This is Texas, after all (interesting side note: we actually lived in a blue congressional district for a while,  but got gerrymandered out of it after the 2010 census).

But now, I feel the need to ramp things up a bit. Encourage family members to register to vote. Put some of my thoughts into writing here. And send my thoughts in writing to those who would govern us (both those I agree with and more importantly, those I don't).

So Patches #208-210 for July 26-28 are  words that continue to echo in my head ... 

And Patch #211 for today is a token of my promise to myself ...

Because "they" can't know what I'm thinking if I don't tell them. 

- Hope?

What choice do we have?

Only one that I can see. 

So many elections ... too many ... most ... I have voted for the lesser of two evils.

Then hoped for the best.

Maybe someday.

- Peace out

The chant "no more war" echoed through the arena, eventually fading away under the relentless speechifying.

I have always believed this to be the ultimate solution to the woes of this world.

It feels hopeless.