Take-along work

My owl is flying along with me these days.
I'm pinning the blocks together in rows. They go into a little baggie and all I need is my cutting disc and the pin cushion that goes on my finger like a ring. Can you see it? It was made for me by one of my quilting friends. (A walnut shell with a ruffle of yellow and a brown plaid cushion in the middle). There is a adjustable ring glued to the back. I have another pin cushion that fastens around my wrist but I really don't need that many pins.

The above strips are the wings. I honestly think it takes more time to find and cut scraps than it does to sew them together.

This weekend and the coming week I will have no time for prep. Tonight I will be at camp for an Order of the Arrow weekend. Since I have to sing on Sunday morning, I will return late Saturday night.

I'm not sure of my duties for the "OA" work and ceremonies, but since I was Lodge Adviser for six and a half years, there will be a number of places I can be of use.

One thing will be getting ready for the following weekend where I will be teaching crafts at Cub Camp.



Most of my time has been spent getting ready for the trip to Tohoku. I will leave Monday morning after returning from rice delivery. (that means ... by the mobile sardine can). The first part will be by train and the second by bus.

The classes will take place all day Tuesday and Wednesday, then I will reverse the trip to Tokyo in time for choir practice Thursday night ... the last one before our big performance Sunday. ... and then re-pack my stuff for Cub camp.

I wish I could feel more excited about the quilting lessons. I have prepared several lessons that should cover all the basics ... Yes, like a Scout, I like to be prepared. The big worry is that I have no idea of what the expectations are. If it is just to learn a new hobby, I think I can handle it ... even with my miserable Japanese skills. If they are looking for something they can sell ... well I sure am not getting rich quilting, and I have been doing it a long time. I hope I will return with a good report and some pictures. I know there will be no internet connection at Camp and I have no idea about Tohoku. How will I survive without my blogging friends? What will Nikko get into when I am away? If I leave my windows open, will my husband remember to close them if it rains or will I return to flooded bedding? If I leave the windows shut, will my plants cook in the day-time heat? (a greenhouse can get pretty darn hot on a sunny day).

This is what will be happening while I am away. These flowers are volunteers along my little ally.

Each time I walk by, I pull weeds from this tiny strip where the pavement meets the wall.

Both of these flowers grow from tiny bulbs. When a section of the wall was replaced, I re-distributed the bulbs and now there is a nice strip of color along the entire length.  These are what I had planted in the hole outside my entry. Too bad the neighbor prefers bare concrete because these look quite pretty and last a long time. The damage to the wall post happened during the earthquake but the wall held upright. The wall on the other side lost almost all of its stucco finish at that time. That is why you are told not to stand near a wall if you run outside during a quake. Well, the place I am going has suffered much more than a cracked wall.

I hope I will have something positive to post next.