- 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?

- On the trail

I love maps. In college I majored in geology and hung a stratigraphic map of the United States in the hallway of our apartment. Even though I didn't pursue a career in geology, in a weird twist of fate I ended my library career in a government documents library unit where we printed out topographic maps on demand using a huge plotter printer.

Patch #223 Cascade Trail

So this patch came to mind upon learning that National Geographic is offering a service (http://www.natgeomaps.com/trail-maps/pdf-quads) whereby one can print topo maps on a standard printer. I hasten to add that this has always been possible using screen shots of topo maps from the U.S. Geologic Service (usgs.gov), but the new NatGeo service is much simpler.

Just look up your address ...

then click ...

and zoom to your heart's content ...

Of course, Don and I often find ourselves on similar creative wavelengths and this is no exception ...

It's an early work-in-progress, but for sure there will be more to show soon.

- Another blast from the past

Retrospective (8/14)

Patch #222 Button candy

I actually bought these for G last year ...

then had grandparent guilt about the fact that they were pure sugar and copious quantities of food dye, which overrode the initial nostalgia factor. So they sat in a kitchen drawer until today, when the past expiration date landed them in the trash. But not before inspiring a patch of innovation ...

Original Post

Hazel Monte triggered a retro memory with her recent post about ColorForms.

It's probably understandable that my all-time favorite set was called Miss Cookie's Kitchen. So I googled it and found this ...

I'm thinking the version on the lower left was the one I had. It should be fun coming up with a patch to match.

- Feeling the heat

Patch #221 Hot Hot Hot

No great surprise ... this is Texas after all. But I do get a kick out of the weather forecasters trying to find yet another way to say the same thing ...

Giving Roget's a workout, for sure.

But then I looked a little more closely ...

Patches, right? Maybe next year's weather cloth ... hmmm.

Meantime, I've made the next row of patches for One Hill Country Year ...

Revised 8/22/2016: http://onehillcountryyear.blogspot.com/2016/08/week-2-august-7-13.html

- Heading in the right direction

Patch #220 Pointing the way

I must say I'm quite good at thinking up projects for Don to do. For instance, I recently commented that he had made growth charts for G ...

and J ...

when each of them turned two and "Oh, by the way, remember Jace is turning two next month."

So, Meliss was consulted for ideas and she promptly texted pictures of arrow-shaped growth charts (she too is good at coming up with projects for her dad), along with pictures of the room for color matching.

A shopping trip to Lowe's yielded some quarter-round molding and bead board. A little milk paint here ...

a little trimming there ...

and soon enough this somewhat blurry mock-up was sent for preliminary approval ...

Green light!

- Long, hot summer

Patch #219 Anole

Another week ...

Some things are struggling from too much spring rain followed by too much summer heat ...

But not all. This green anole (Anolis carolinensis) was stretched out on a cholla, enjoying the sun ...

then took a moment to pose for the camera ...

- 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 ...