Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A surprise ...

This morning my husband called me into the computer room to show me something on his computer screen. Yesterday I heard that the pastor of the church in Tohoku had sent a video to the pastor of Tokyo union church and they were planning to show it to the congregation on Sunday.

Luckily, by then, I will be off in the woods with the Scouts and thus saved from embarrassment. Well, my husband, greatly involved with the outreach ministry team, managed to get hold of it and by now it is on the family blog and the relatives list and who knows where else.

I don't know if I can add the link or even if anyone is interested in seeing it. I did like the clips of the women working on their projects and I was happy to get the news that the women have continued to meet and quilt. I don't like to hear myself stumbling around for words but...
 http://vimeo.com/66915216 anyway... that is the site.

The weather report on my "smart" phone (a google android) has been claiming rain every day for the last beautiful week ... not all that smart ... but at last it has begun to sprinkle and there is a typhoon predicted. I'd say it will be good to get that out of the way before camp starts.

The first of my lilies have begun to open.


I spent a few hours yesterday trimming back the azaleas and the enkianthus so the rest of the plants can get a touch of what it already a short exposure to the sun.

My neighbor's daughter said I might take some cuttings from her mom's garden so I potted up some Hostas  from back under the wall.


And, in the back garden I set out pots from my greenhouse, hoping things can survive a week of neglect.







I noticed the biwa are beginning to ripen along the wall. This "tree" came from our last house in a tiny plastic pot and I set it along the ledge next to the neighbor's wall. The pot tipped over but the roots went through the bottom of the pot and into the few inches of soil and that tree took over the space with nary a complaint. Now at a bit over six feet and six years of age, it put forth flowers at the end of winter and here are its first fruits. They will be orange when ripe and are well on their way.

Have you ever eaten a loquat? I hear the seeds, though rather tough and bitter, are a good preventative of cancer.

And, today's project??? I began cutting the sky fabric to add to the owl but measuring ... and then measuring again, I found something wrong. Finally I figured our I had made the Owl's tail two inches too short. (And he never mentioned it until it was all done). Well, after some thought, I decided I really had to stick to my drawing so I have un-sewed and am now re-sewing the tail section. It sure would have been better to do it right the first time because the order of the seems was not particularly conducive to ripping out.

I want to prepare piecing to take with me to camp, hopefully to finish the piecing and baste the quilt if I have enough time during the evenings. I also need to prepare a construction project for Friday's Pack meeting. I need to get the lumber and nails and cut the most complicated pieces. The boys will do the straight sawing and hammering. We will work in a relay fashion. Hopefully there will be time left to pack for camp so I can get an early start on Saturday.

Are we having fun yet? Happy rainy season!

24 comments:

  1. You have such beautiful flowers. I'm trying to untangle the weeds in the flower beds from the previous owner, only I'm just getting started. The rain this year has been crazy.

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  2. Oh Julie, thank you for sharing the video! It is so nice to see you in action and to hear your voice. You had a lot of people's attention as they worked on their quilted pieces! I saw your owl and a lovely blue piece. So awesome. Your flowers are lovely too.

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  3. Julie, I had tears as I watched the ladies learn to stitch and quilt.To hear you,is one more step, in my "meeting" my blog friends. I'm so glad the ladies are continuing, this must have given them much happiness, and a purpose, after devastation. Owlie, he will be happy with a longer tail. and yes, we had a loquat tree at a previous home, lovely fruit. Greetings to all, and a message for the ladies further north, you are doing so well, lovely stitches and squares, please continue, I think of you so often. Jean.

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  4. Another job well done, Julie san. Someone gave me a jar one time filled with biwa and sochuu. Interesting. Love you.

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  5. Oh Julie, what a beautiful job that was done on the video. It was so touching and wonderful to see you and hear your voice.

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  6. Julie - I think that you shouldn't be embarrassed at all - it is a WONDERFUL video! Thank you for sharing the link - ;)) And how rude of your owl not to mention that his tail was short - but perhaps he enjoys the time you spend together and wanted to ensure that you spent even more time with him - ;))

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  7. What a wonderful video!
    For those not fortunate enough to have met you in person, the video shows your beautiful deeds, as well as your beautiful quilts. You have helped to spread beauty to the devastated Tohoku and should not be embarrassed by anything!
    Young Biwa leaves are used in a kind of heat treatment in holistic medicine.
    Have fun with your owl at the camp!

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  8. Oh Julie, the video was just wonderful. It was so fun to hear your voice and see you in action. I am so happy that you shared the link. I put the link on our Quilters' Book Club as well!

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  9. Thanks for posting the video, Mom! I'm always glad to be inspired by your words, but hearing your voice and seeing your face are nice too.

    I'm jealous of your biwa. The one I planted over the winter has not put on even an inch of growth despite mulching and regular watering. And some pest is munching on the leaves. But the terminal leaf bud is opening up, so something might start to happen soon.

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  10. JULIE!!!!! THAT IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL VIDEO!!!!! I just love it! I love hearing you, I love seeing you! (Almost for the first time) The photography was beautiful, I love listening to your "philosophy. May I add that link to one of my blog posts? I know that most of the bloggers who visit me are already visiting you, but I'd love to connect a few more people with what you were doing in the Tohoku. And I'd really like to "preserve" your video on my blog for posterity! Do say yes!

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  11. I am so delighted that you shared the video, it was like having you in the room in person and how I loved to see those wonderful smiling faces of all those ladies. Can I second Tanya's request to share the video on my blog please? Enjoy camp and I hope you keep dry :-)

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  12. Julie I loved this video....absolutely amazing and a fitting tribute to you. Your dedication to your art and to the spreading of it has made many lasting memories for those whose lives you touch. blessings, marlene

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  13. this is a wonderful video and you should be proud xx what a wonderful opportunity for us to see your beatiful face and smile xx thank you for sharing xx

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  14. oh I loved the video so much - it was wonderful to hear your voice and to feel the compassion and caring in it. I watched it three times. Your interaction with the quilting ladies was wonderful, you could feel the caring and sharing.

    Your flowers are beautiful - what a surprise of color that lily is. Thanks so much for sharing. We are entering our "dry" season - dry being a relative term in Washington state - but more sun and partly cloudy skies than rain is alright with me - I do love summer!!!!

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  15. Sweet! I love hearing your voice and seeing you teach. I wish I could have been there to learn how to sew by hand from you. While Japan heads into the rainy season, California is entering the dry season.

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  16. What a delight to see your video and the work that you are doing. Well done.
    Good luck with the typhoon. Your lilies are looking lovely.

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  17. Of course I watched your video! Lovely to see you again! You are such a wonderful woman! It looks to me like you did a great job of teaching quilting!

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  18. Great video! We never like to hear ourselves. We always sound funny to our own ears. Our Lillie's are starting to open, too. Have fun at camp! I'll get to the post office by early next week. Loving that owl quilt.

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  19. Your flowers are beautiful. I also watched your video and have been inspired by your deeds.

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  20. Hi Julie,

    We loved your video ! You should be very proud of it. "Making lemonade out of lemons" was a perfect analogy for quilting. One starts with tiny non-descript scraps and creates a work of beauty and usefulness. You did a really great job ! It was so nice to hear your voice and see in action.
    Best wishes,
    Marina and Daryl at Quilt Inspiration

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  21. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you so much for sharing the video!! I was so excited to get to "meet" you via video. :) :) :)

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  22. Julie, what a great video, it was a pleasure to watch and your enthusiasm was wonderful.

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  23. I am in agreement with the other comments on the video. Loved it and thought it was so artfully done.

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  24. I cannot wait to see the video. The flowers are marvelous and if I were your neighbor I would ask you to help me in my garden. You have a green finger for sure. We had a biwa tree in our home when I was a child. The fruit is delicious.

    Hugs, Sandra

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