The Return to the Stone Saga

 

I'm sitting in a rocker/recliner underneath a warm lap quilt my mom made. That sounds crazy considering we have just been placed under the first heat advisory of this summer. The quilt is more for comfort than anything. The title of this post refers back to the Stone Saga post from January of this year. Once again, I'm recovering from a lithotripsy procedure. I had two procedures on my right kidney in January and February. This time it's my left kidney. I have another rather large stone 14mm, so I've been told two procedures will probably be needed this time, too. I seem to like to do things the hard way!

Trying very hard not to whine, I'll bring you up to date. A few weeks ago, I had a kidney stone episode that sent me to the doctor. I was told the rather large stone was in a lower pool of my kidney which makes it harder to treat.  When the stone is in the lower pool, lithotripsy is not very successful; invasive surgery is usually required. Come back and see me in three months, he said. Fast forward to the next visit and surprisingly the stone had moved up into the middle pool of the kidney. I don't think that is too common. I was scheduled for a lithotripsy pretty quickly. I guess he didn't want the chance of it moving back down. I'm grateful, really, I am, that a lithotripsy was possible. 

As with any procedure there is a downside. Pain, kidney spasms, and nausea followed me home from the hospital. After three days, I'm only dealing with nausea from the very strong antibiotics I'm taking. I'm not sure what I would have done without goldfish crackers the first day. That was all I could eat. I have graduated to soup and an apple today. Maybe I'll try a baked potato for dinner.

I was pretty bored yesterday and wanted to use my camera, so I took twenty pictures without getting up from my chair. Most of them were of things I've enjoyed or needed while I recuperate. I'll not post all twenty, just a few! Of course, I have to have pen and paper. What color ink do you write with. I write with blue. I don't know why; I just like it!

I made sure I had plenty of books to read. I do have an eReader, but I'd rather hold a book!

I have my notebooks beside me on the floor. A binder holding material from a class I'm taking this year, my journal, my book of lists, and my bullet journal.

This is a close-up design on the binder. It reminds me of the sun and makes me smile.

I dug out my coloring book and colored pencils. I'll try anything to distract me from the nausea. 

Since Jerry works, I'm alone most of the day and need someone to talk to and someone to sympathize with me. My trusty bears are there any time I need a hug!

I only have two more days of antibiotics. I think then I'll be able to once again get outside for longer than a few minutes. I really do want to sit in my swing, but that's not such a good idea right now. Back and forth motion . . . not so good.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you're have a wonderful weekend,
 staying cool, and staying safe from Covid!!

Cool Globes

Little Rock is beginning to reopen after months of Covid shut down. Although the Clinton Presidential Library had not reopened at the time I took these pictures, an art exhibit was installed on the library grounds. My sister and I decided to go check out the new exhibit. I don't have a problem with outside activities, but still remain very cautious of being indoors with groups of people. 

"Cool Globes: Hot ideas for a Cooler Planet" is art with a purpose. It features 5-foot diameter globes that present solutions to climate change. Founder Wendy Abrams announced the "Cool Globes" project during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in 2003. The exhibit premiered in Chicago in 2006 with 120 globes. Since then, it has traveled to many cities throughout the country and around the world. Not all the globes are seen at each location. 

I'll warn you in advance that this post is photo heavy and I didn't even include all the globes, just my favorites! I'm saving the best globe for last, so you'll at least need to scroll all the way through. Mean of me?? No, it was just a good way to end the post!

"Carpool" (Artist: Cheryl Stiger) was the first globe we saw. Its theme is sharing a ride when you can which would result in saving millions of gallons of gasoline and millions of pounds of carbon dioxide each day.

I happened to see our reflection in the windows of a nearby building. That's me on the right; Judith on the left.

"Green Investing" (Artist: Oliver Bernex) encourages investing in green technology and environmentally friendly products for protecting the beauty of the earth.

"First We Scream, Then We Act" (Artist: Nancy L. Steinmeyer) The artist Edward Munch's famous painting "The Scream" might represent the planet calling out for help and the iconic "I Want You" poster was designed to inspire us to act. 

"Earth the Nectar of Life" (Arkansas Artist: Lakresha Diaz) is a favorite of mine. The honeycomb that is painted on the continents and the beautiful flowers illustrate how bees work together to create honey and that we must all work together on solutions to save our future.

"Tree of Life" (Artist: Kim C. Massey) depicting all four seasons was beautifully painted. It encourages long-term conservation of our country's landscape including 37-million-acres of Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, National Conservation Areas, National Monuments, Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Scenic and Historic Trails.

I was so impressed with the "Cool Globes' exhibit that I took my two of my grandsons and their mom, to see them. I knew this exhibit would be something they would enjoy and appreciate. My other grandsons live a little too far away to join us that day.

They spotted this dragonfly on one of the globes.

"Non-Electric Play" (Artist: Francis W. Parker School students and faculty) features wonderful ideas for outside play and non-electric indoor play such as board games, cooking, reading, and craft projects. This one brought back many childhood memories.

"Drawing a Line on climate Change" (Artist: Thom Cicchelli) was a fun globe with its suggestion to use less energy while doing laundry.  The clothes used are representative of the area they cover. For instance, across North America there is a pair of denim overalls, Africa is covered in a safari print, and the ocean has a bathing suit.

I told you I was saving the best for last. This globe was my absolute favorite. The painting on it is simple stunning! "Souvenir" (Artist: Constance Mallinson) illustrates Earth's beauty as well as it's delicate ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them, all of which is worth remembering. The word "souvenir" comes from the French word "to remember."

My favorite section of the globe was, of course, the eagle flying over North America. It was a little hard to get this picture since it was near the top of the globe which was taller than me and full sun was shining it. I stood on my tiptoes and held the camera above my head. It took several tries to even get the eagle in the picture!

The idea of Cool Globes was to display "sculptures on the sidewalk, each depicting a solution to climate change, forcing people to confront the issue, but in a non-threatening manner."(Cool Globes.org) You can't wander among the globes without realizing that we all need to do what we can to conserve energy and protect our world. I'm trying to be more conscious and change things like laundry habits, not leaving the water on when I brush my teeth, and turning off the lamp in the living room that used to stay on all day. Doing small things doesn't make a massive difference, but even small things help.

If you happen to be in the Little Rock area, I urge to to visit the exhibit. As the Chicago Tribune said "Cool Globes teaches while it delights." It was a delightful exhibit. If you're not in the area visit the Cool Globe website for information and images. Information I used to describe the globes was taken from plaques attached to the globe base.

Sorry this was long, but I do hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much if you stuck with me to the end!

Arkansas Quilt Trail - Part 2

I'll begin the second post of the Quilt Trail excursion with a block that has one of our families' favorite things painted on it . . . a train engine!

Quilt Block #15

Rock Island

This block was painted in "honor of all those, past and present, who've made the rail industry what it is today in Arkansas." The Rock Island Railroad has a special place in my family's hearts. It once ran at the back of our property, long ago when the red caboose was on the end!

Quilt Block #16

The Chamber of Commerce Building in downtown Perryville had quite a collection of quilt blocks. The one on the right is called Red and Yellow Pinwheel.

Quilt Blocks #17 through 21

Several of the blocks at the Chamber of Commerce were not named nor had any information about their meaning. I noticed in this picture that there is a white tag on most of them. I wonder if these are for sale.

This hummingbird block was one of my favorites!

Quilt Blocks #22 through # 28

Starting at the far left, is Crossed Canoes which was selected because of the lakes in Perry County.

The green and yellow one is named John Deere, chosen because the artist's "father-in-law's family were farmers. They always had John Deere tractors on their farm."

Right below that is the Irish Knot in honor of the artist's Irish heritage.

A wonderful patriotic square is in the center with Eight Point Star to the right of it. This block celebrates the stars that are very visible in the night skies over Perryville. "Stars are simple and complex at the same time. Life in a rural setting is often simple and complex at the same time."

The one under it is a bear paw pattern. There were no comments about this block, but I'm pretty sure there are bears in this area.

Entwined Squares is on the right. It "honors all the quilters in Perry County past and present who continue the tradition of quilting."

Quilt Blocks #29 through 31

These patriotic blocks honor the veterans of Perry County.

Quilt Block #32

We felt a little uncomfortable taking a picture of this block. It was on the back wall of a garage. In order to get the picture we had to walk right up to the garage. It was called Lone Star Quilt Block, but it's not what I think of as a Lone Star. It looks more like a Eight Point Star to me, but I'm no expert at quilt block names. Notice the writing on the right side of the block. It's a record of the children's heights.

Quilt Block #33

Star of Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem represents this families commitment "to follow Jesus Christ.  It is backed by a simple nine patch pattern of blue-green and white which symbolizes our National Forest and the old Christmas tree farm" which one existed at this location.

Quilt Block #34 through #36

Wyoming Valley Star, Homestead Star, Swoon Block

These blocks were some of the more intricate ones we saw.

Quilt Blocks #37 and #38

Not all blocks we saw were on the quilt trail list. My sister spotted the American Flag and the Arkansas Flag on a barn set back from the rode. It was hard to get a decent picture of them. Storms were bringing in dark skies and the barn was pretty far away.

That wraps up our Quilt Block hunt in Perry County. We're already planning our next trip in a different county.

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Update: Ten more pictures have been added to my 100 Day Project page. Scroll back up to the top and look right under the header. You'll see a tab that will take you to that page.

Arkansas Quilt Trail #1

 Happy Summer to you!

I hope you're finding ways to stay cool. We definitely need COOL here as the heat index is quite often over 100 degrees!

Some days though, I just fight it and get out a sweat! Yesterday was one of those days. My sister and I went on a road trip searching for painted quilt blocks in Perry County. The actual driving time was cool, but the taking picture time was hot! Thankfully it was a cloudy day which helped some with the heat and also helped with taking pictures mid-day.

Quilt designs have been painted on barns and other buildings for many, many years. In 2001 organized quilt trails that you can follow began in the U.S. There are five counties in Arkansas that have official quilt trails. That doesn't mean that you won't see quilt blocks in other counties or even blocks not on the county list. Counties wanting to have an official quilt trail must have at least 12 quilts. Right now there are five counties in Arkansas with a quilt trail. There are eight more counties working toward that goal Those who wish to have their quilt blocks added to the trail have guidelines to meet and also must be willing to allow strangers (with cameras) on their property.

Quilt Block #1

Mixed Colors

Our first quilt block was  difficult to find. We were at the right address, but after driving deep onto the property to the house we didn't see a block hanging on any of the buildings. Fortunately I had printed out a picture of each of the blocks from the quilt trail website. We saw that this one was nailed to a tree, not a building. We drove back out to the road and turned the opposite direction from which we arrived and there it was. 

Many of the places we stopped had other beautiful things to take pictures of. This lovely garden scene was by the mailbox.

This is the mailbox post. What caught my attention was the heart-shaped rock.

Quilt Block #2

Welcome Home

The owner of this barn, which she believes is called a Gothic or rainbow arch barn, received her quilt block as a Christmas present. She says that "it's easy to see that the sight of the barn and quilt block is like a 'welcome home' greeting."

Quilt Blocks #3 and #4

Dreamer's Weave and Sunbonnet Sue

These blocks have a funny story behind them. We were traveling highways trying to be safe and looking for addresses at the same time. Neither of us see far into the distance, so we were grateful when the numbers were large. We spotted the very large numbers, pulled in the driveway, and once again didn't see the quilt blocks. As we checked the pictures I'd brought of the blocks we began to laugh. Both of us were concentrating so hard on finding the right number we totally missed the quilt blocks. Don't judge . . . we're getting older you know!

Quilt Blocks #5 through #13

The Quilted Barn and Home Sweet Home

One of our favorite stops was at the Double D Lazy T Bed, Breakfast & Barn. Yes! We did see the blocks on the mailbox this time! There were a total of nine quilt blocks on their property. I understand that the owner painted all the blocks herself. 

Patriotic Pinwheel

This quilt design is painted directly on the silo. There's a little story behind this one. The owner tried her best to give this old silo away. No one wanted it, so she decided to make it a thing of beauty by painting it and adding the quilt block. She succeeded! 

Betsy Ross

This one hangs on the oldest remaining "barn" on this property which is her childhood home place.

Dresden Plates

She used a quilt pattern from her family collection to paint these blocks. She says that to her they look more like bright sunflowers than Dresden plates. I agree.

Star Spangled and Flags & a Star

Finally we come to the Bed, Breakfast & Barn. Two blocks greet you as you arrive at the front door. The front porch is so pretty and fun! I say fun because that is one funny lady on the left of the door.

By holding my camera against the door glass, I was able to take a peek inside. 

Not only did she have quilt blocks, but she had yard art.

More art.

Quilt Block #14

Mariner's Compass

This was one of my favorite quilt blocks. Not only is it beautiful, but the home and yard were beautiful too! The owner of this block had a special story about her block. "Compasses are used not only by mariners by also by Aviators. The Mariner's Compass was chosen as a fond reminder of many years my husband spend as a USAF Navigator in the C-130 airplane."

Is this not the cutest way to have your name and street number posted?

The flowers in her yard were huge and gorgeous.

This is going to be all I show today. I don't want to bore you with tons of pictures. I'll do another post soon with the rest of the quilt trail blocks.

More information on Arkansas' Quilt Trails can be found here.

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Update: Ten more pictures have been added to my 100 Day Project page. Scroll back up to the top and look right under the header. You'll see a tab that will take you to that page. I'm slow about getting these posted so you will see some ice!