Kentucky State Fair 2008

WE'VE GOT HAIR!!

Jennifer was having a good day today.  She actually wanted to go the State Fair.  Nothing heals like corn dogs, lemonade and a good jug band.  This is the Juggernaut Jug Band. I think the junk food and sunshine did her good.  The weather here is the mildest I can remember for August.  Last year was the hottest on record, this year it was pretty cool.  So I sucked up the worrying and we had a very nice time.  My quilt group will tell you I've got my set route I like to walk at the fair, into the Agriculture wing and look at the exhibits, of course the quilt and finally swing through the myriad fair flea market finds with a load of fudge and nuts to take home.  This day we only skimmed the surface, but, I got to see some things I hadn't really paid that much attention to before, because it been too hot to spend any time outdoors.  I've seen the rose garden before but, today I spent some time there.  .  Here are some of the lovely roses from the Louisville Rose society.  There is a new wing to the fairgrounds, in which they house the horses.

Jennifer like the cakes.Here's 

 great pumpkin cake for all you pumpkin block of the month gals.  

The proverbial Fox in the Hen House...

We are supposed to be at the hospital before 9:00am. My DD wants to be awoken 3 HOURS BEFORE!!! to give her plenty of time...ahem....

DD it's 6:00am...DD it's 7:00am...DD it's 8 oclock. NOW MOTHER I NEED MY BACKPACK...WHERE'S MY PURSE...I'M NOT IN A GOOD MOOD I DON'T WANT TO GO, I'M CALLING TO CANCEl...okay, fine...get the picture. feathers flying everywhere, fox 1, us chickens...not much to cluck about...

But, by golly in the end, all it took was one devoted nurse practioner at Kosair that just knows the right things to say to my DD and we are here. Purse left at home, husband takes extra long lunch from his job downtown to house in the country to retrieve said purse. I'd like to say forgiveness and hilarity ensuse, but nope, cluck cluck.....

Only 7 more weeks....smile.

Easiest Website to Navigate for the Olympics.

Leave it to NBC to make a good website for the Olympics.

What's up with the Olympics?

300 million spent on the opening ceremony and their website, maybe 20 bucks. It's awful. Come on you techno show offs...where's your sense of community? As in all the world? The worlds largest LCD screen, the opening floor like the Colosseum, the precision fireworks and video on the ceiling. It was, without a doubt the most impressive opening ceremonies I can remember.

But, PLEASE GIVE US A DECENT WEBSITE we can actually navigate! You know user friendly?

Off my soap box on that subject for now. My other gripe about the Olympics, is why can't soccer players from professional teams play for their home countries? and what's up with the age requirement being 23 and younger, then you get 3 wild card players...Ronaldino for Brazil? I know it's the opening season for some teams areas, but, the Olympics is only once every 4 years. If you really want the world to "catch on" to soccer/football you need to have spectacular games in which the whole world is watching...now you guys in America need to work on that...WAKE UP MLS!

OMG, I better go hide now...smile.

10 out of 14 done-woohoo!!

Chemo and radiation (especially radiation) be dammed it's all so horrible, but we endure (that's easy for me to say) it so my girl will live to be the wonderful independent wild child adult she was destined to be. Really she's not so wild, but, she is my bald headed beauty, of which I am so proud. Number 10 out of 14 is over, another 5 nights in the hospital complete. Jennifer gets a 2 week "breather" then back at it. She's going in for scans next week and we are praying it's all still good. Thank you to the many wonderful thoughts and prayers from near and far, bloggers, quilters and anyone in my extended family of support for Jennifer. All you've done for her is truly and greatly appreciated.

What have I been working on lately is that ole hand sewing hexagon, Tillie's Mosiac project. The original plan was to make a king size quilt, but, the best laid plans...I'm thinking it might weigh too much. You'd be surprised how much 1 inch hexagons and their 1/4 inch seams weigh when sewn together.

Normally when you make a quilt and construct it, you go block by block or strip by strip, but, you work in rows. Since this quilt has some toile placements in it, I'm working on the the rosettes of the toile centers, surrounded by the hexagons.

Ah well, life goes on. Here's a contrast of my Jeni's style and me. Guess who is who...smile.

Finding your Rhythm in life is essential

Row, row, row your boat; rollin', rollin', rollin', keep them doggies rollin'...Do you get me? These are rhythmic songs, one from childhood, and one, that dates me, from my youth...any Clint Eastwood fans out there?


You experienced hand quilters know that when you find the rhythm of hand quilting, there is nothing more relaxing. The sensual feeling of rocking back and forth may have something to do with it, but, it does feel good. Of course this is many callouses later than beginners, but, stick with it if you want to relax and I believe it can be physical therapy for some. FYI my favorite thimble is the coin thimble from Clover.

Just like the comfortable rhythms in life, so does cancer require these same rhythms to be found. Although, there was no rhythm found in radiation, just pure pain and chaos-whew! glad that's over! Now it's back to finding our rhythm with the chemotherapy, once again. Jennifer is back to the Kosair Children's Hospital, in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is the geriatric patient on the floor with androgynous toddlers. There are a few other teens but, mostly babies and little ones. Rhythm for us is Chemo every other week, because, Ewings Sarcoma has had best results with a compressed schedule. Ewing's is a classic childhood cancer, that's why we are with the kids. I'm not complaining. The next treatment is July 28, the week after her birthday, she'll be 24. On the cusp of life, of which she will dive back into and find her own rhythm-off the meds and back in school to begin, hopefully, this Spring.

I see the faintest glimmer of light...smile

Fernando Torres - The King ( 26,27,28,29 goal )

Sports has become big business, but, what I really like about soccer/football, in Europe is the players seem to really enjoy the game. You would never see such happiness from players in the US, and I wonder why?