Road Trip to PA 9/2009

Road Trip to PA 9/2009

Had to believe it has been since July since I posted on my blog. Not that any one reads it, but I thought I would be able to add things here about my various projects and creative outlets.

The truth is, back in August, I found a GREAT old sewing machine desk on Ebay. I could see that the seller would not ship, but I did watch to see if her desk sold. I had planned to trying to find a shipping service to use, but could not find a company that would pick up with out 'crating' the item.

Since the seller lived in New Jersey I thought it was a lost cause, since it was way too far to 'drive'. But the seller and I began chatting via email and she offered to take the desk to her 'cabin' in PA and therefore my drive time would be closer to 7 hours [rather than the 12 to her Jersey home].

The week before the labor day weekend, we made plans to hook up in PA. Keith 'invited' himself to 'drive me' there. So on Sunday morning, Sept 6th, we heading for PA in Keith's truck.

I took my knitting, but forgot my camera. Lesson I had learned on my last trip to San Diego, was to NEVER travel without a knitting project...and NOW I have learned, NEVER leave home without your camera!

Our drive to the 'cabin' [that turned out to be a house on a fabulous river area in a wooded setting that was breath taking!] was very uneventful, except for the 5 times Keith had to stop to go potty! OH MY.....

But we chatted briefly with the seller Lyn and her husband Jim, loaded my new very cool sewing desk and headed back south to hit the turnpike back to Ohio.

We made it to the turnpike in good time and it was about 8:00 pm, Keith was hungry, so we stopped to get a sandwich and fill up with gas at one of the exit areas. We ate on the road thinking it would save drive time and about 2 exits later, the truck started to make a 'terrible' noise from the underside of the truck.

Keith was sure it was the muffler or tail pipe but he didn't stop...just kept driving. From his side mirror he could see sparks flying behind us..and when I turned around to look, the traffic behind us backed off and looked like tiny stars in the sky! I turned back to look ahead of us and saw a sign that said 1 mile to next exit. I mentioned this out loud and Keith said he would pull off on this coming up exit. The sound was something else coming from under side of the truck...it just didn't let up!

As we pulled of the exit, I didn't pay attention to the exit number or even the mile marker we had just pasted....and just like that the sound 'stopped'. The silence was only for a few seconds, and as we turned to the right to what I thought was a 'gas station', the sound started up again. We pulled into the business parking lot, that turned out to be a tire repair place and Keith out out of the truck to 'look' and see what was happening. I had to put my knitting down and when I hopped out, I could see a HUGE puddle of something coming out of the truck. As soon as I said, 'What is that?', I could smell gas!

I walked around and looked at the left side of the truck and the gas tank was laying on the ground with all the full tank of gas, now making a HUGE river that was running all over the place!

It was kind of shocking to see, and knowing we were now stuck in PA with a broken gas tank that could have totally blow up...I called AAA on my cell phone and the next task was to find out where in the heck we were so someone could come and assist us.

Not having the exact address of where were were, the AAA operator told me to call 911. I did as she suggested, and explain our issue. The 911 operator gave me the address of where we were and I called back on the 800# to AAA.

The second AAA responder, when NUTS when I told her it was our gas tank. She told me to call 911 again and get the fire department there asap. She told me I would need a safety 'clearance' from the fire department BEFORE AAA would pick us up! AND if she did call them now, it would use up one of our tow calls and they would have to leave and come back after I had the needed paperwork. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thus started the next phase of our evening!

I called back 911...and told them we needed the fire department to come and give us the clearance to get the pick up..and within a few minutes we had talked to AAA again..and they were on their way. There was NO such thing as needing or getting a 'clearance' to be picked up...but within the hour a truck finally pulled into the lot where we were sitting.

Of course by then all the volunteer fire folks were long gone but Alan and his son. Alan had spent most of the hour 'talking' to us. He was a truck driver and knew right were Findlay, Ohio was since he would pick up tile at Hancor. But the main jest of his chatter was about how he had about died, his son had driven him to the hospital at about 140 mph and he was VERY proud of this fact...and he was then life flighted to Pitts where they had finally saved his life. He also shared, he was declared dead twice and during one of these death experiences, God talked to him and did send him back to talk to a dead friends dad.

After all of this 'sharing' I was very ready to get on our way home...but trick was going to be, the AAA driver only had enough log hours left to drive us half the way home. Alan of course thought we were going to get stranded somewhere on the Ohio boarder so he gave us his card and 'promised' he would come and help us, drive us home or whatever it would take! He gave us his card and let us know he would also come and speak to any group that would listen about his born again experience. It was really an oh wow kind of thought for me!

We climbed into the back seat of this huge tow truck. It was full of 'stuff' everywhere, looked like it had not been swept out or picked up for about 10 years! I never found out the couples names, but it was a husband and wife team that works that part of PA doing AAA work. We could only drive so quickly and did make some stops to use the restroom on the turnpike and get some soda and a free coffee from the folks that were working the break center at the rest stop. It was labor day weekend and so they do that on the main roads...anyway I heard the life story of this couple. The have a house full of cats and one son. He now works in a factory for the health insurance but has helped out the 'family business' of driving this tow truck over the years ..and it is still his dream to own that truck again...dear god the truck is so banged up I don't know what the poor kid is thinking...but I think they probably have relatives living near Williamstown for sure! :)

We finally got to Rivanna Ohio. It was the plan for the driver to leave us there, in a dark parking lot and then we would just call AAA again and say we were broken down. So that is just what we did. The new AAA responder said it would be another hour or so. It didn't take that long for the new nice and shinny tow truck to arrive. We had had time to walk to the 'light' across the street and get coffee and some snacks at the Speedway. As soon as the new driver hopped out, I could see the clearance lights on his cool looking truck did not work! He saw it too and called his boss and told him he was going to go back and get a different truck. The Boss told him there was no need to do that, but the driver did it anyway. That was a good move for sure, at least we thought that, until this young driver came back with this most god awful truck you can image.

It looked like it needed to be retired a few years ago, it had a stub nose cab and was NOT designed to haul 'people'. I had to sit in the middle and it was like sitting on a slab of cement. We only stopped twice on the LONGEST drive ever to get home, and I tried to walk as much as I could when we did stop, but my ass was totally numb when we got home and it took 30 mintues of 'needles' to get blood to flow again in my butte cheeks!

This drive, was the longest 'haul' this young guy had ever done and he was SURE he would 'hold' a company record for the longest haul now! I asked if he got a prize or some bonus..and when I would try to make jokes he would look at me with this blank total stare on his face ...again I think he could have had some relatives that were in the movie Deliverance! We had not gone far and when we hit Akron, he starts asking me where he needs to go! He didn't have a GPS or even a map. It was something...so I kept telling him where to turn and we finally were getting closer to the middle of Ohio when the thick FOG hit!

As some point, and I really don't remember how far out of Akron we were, there was a vehicle that would drive up close to us on the left side of the truck and just hang with us...then fall behind and pull up on the right side that wasn't really a lane at all. The driver kept repeating this and it REALLY spooked the driver. He said no way no how was he stopping for this guy...he even said that is how people get shot and robbed! DEAR GOD....finally I just looked back and said...I THINK all our clearance lights are out!!

The driver slowly pulled over...got out and sure enough, we had break lights and that was it..not even sure the turn signals worked! It was like on my god when else can possibly go wrong!!!!!!! We had no choice but to keep driving and hope a cop didn't pull us over. BUT thing was..the fog was getting thicker and thicker....the cops were not even out on the roads it was just like some Chevy Chase movie...but I had a sleeping husband sitting next to me.....where the hell is Chevy when you need him or anyone else with a sense of humor that is...or someone to slap me down when I had my next out burst!!!

As the fog got thicker, our driver didn't seem to mind or really notice. We are looking right out the front of that short nose cab, can see the white line as it feels like it is touching our feet and the glass of the window is hugging my knees. All of a sudden a huge deer runs across the 4 lanes of traffic and he leaps at the very last second out of our way. All I could see in my mind were deer parts, glass and lots of blood covering all of us. I was uncovering my face when the drives says.............whoa, did you see that deer! I was starting to get slap happy and had so wished I would have bought a bottle of wine or a BIG boy at that last truck stop!! But I just starting laughing to the point I totally sounded like I was losing my mind...and then got my composer and started to tell the driver how Channa had hit a deer with this little truck we had and so on.

As we get closer to our part of the state, finally we saw a sigh for Mansfield. I don't remember if the driver said it first or if Keith asked him after we passed Mansfield, but we were now about out of fuel...and were driving on fumes. Keith kind of yelled at him to 'get off here' as we saw the exit for Bucrus. ..but most of the side of Bucrus we were on was totally closed. Again, being a holiday weekend and WAY after midnight, few things were open.

We got back in SR 30 and kept driving toward home.

Keith told him Upper was the only place he could probably get fuel, so we got off and by now Keith has had a nap so he is going to direct he poor guy to the closest gas station. Now, keep in mind ALL THE Speedways we have passed in hours and hours were CLOSED! BUT Keith told him to turn right..and sure enough a Speedway is on that side of the highway and it was closed. We then drove down to the Pilot or what ever is next to the McDonald's. This is where things got even worse for the poor driver. The whole time he was trying so hard to be professional and took his job so seriously. He would say over and over, his most important job was to 'get us home SAFE'. So we finally pull up to the station, he has his pilot card...he puts in in and it is totally denied! He didn't want to tell us, we had gone in to go the the bathroom and I was walking trying to get blood back in to my bum...and when we go to get back into the truck that he had now pulled into a parking space...he finally tells Keith the card will not work...

Of course, we just want to get home, but this poor guy, has to get back somehow!!

Keith goes ahead and offers to pay for the fuel and then the total can come off of the towing charge. The guy has NO choice...he says OK.

We fill up and head on home. We take him the back way to our house or try to..thinking it will be faster but he drives right past the road. So we go on to road 177. As we drive there are corn fields on both sides of the road. Our driver comments he has never been 'surrounded' my corn before ...and he is driving a totally normal speed. Then I piped up and said this is JUST how it looked when Channa hit that deer with the little truck...so the poor guy slows down to like 10 MPH the rest of the way to our house...it is now 6:00am as pull into the lane.

Keith was all about trying to get his clearance lights working...so he has him pull in to the morton barn. I grabbed a beer...and tried to unwind! After about 30 minutes, and a no go on fixing the lights....our driver hands Keith his bill and comes up with a little note that states we paid for his fuel. Keith was NOT happy with the way did did the paperwork...but it was a one time thing...poor kids had no idea how to do it!

He pulls out and head back to Ravenna. As I start my third beer, a light rain starts to fall..and we go take my wonderful sewing cabnit out of the back of the truck and carry it into the building just in case since keith is going to drag the truck somewhere as soon as possible to get the gas tank fixed!

I spent part of the next day cleaning my cool cabnit and then moved it into the house! I was pleased as punch with my new buy....and I think I would do the same again..even though as as after thought, I would have probably been able to get it in my truck of my car. I never thought to measure!

Live and learn!

Blog isn't working..and it is not pleasing me....you pour out your words and then it doesn't save! GRRRRRRR

Great news!!!

I have been spending about 2-5 hours a day, sorting and organizing. So far I feel as if I have been making progress. I did empty one box of stuff from the attic. Only found a few knitting patterns I wanted to keep. BUT the best treasurer was a crochet pattern that is in Beth's hand writing. I 'think' it is for the crochet vests she would make. I am not sure and at some point will study it and even try to make one, see if that is what it is!

But I do have the memory boxes started for each of the kids. I will sort later this fall or even winter and keep adding what might be in the files in my office area.

I have also found time to keep moving forward with my 'creations'' for the baby. But more of that in my next post! with pictures as well.

I have come to the understanding....I need to make order of things more quickly. I just have a hard time letting go of those little notes the kids have written or things that had to do with their school life. So I have 5 lidded boxes now and one for each kid.

I will keep sorting stuff..and fill a box for each of them and they can go through what is important to them when they get the box. I hate working in the attic. You can't even stand up when you are up there. BUT I will just have to keep cleaning, sorting and make my way through it.

I want to make order of our living space and then the sorting of the bits and pieces will have to come as I have time. Soon Chloe will be moving on with her life and out of the house. At this point I don't see a job in my future, at least not one out of the house. I can try to do Esty and some of that..and take a day a week to keep sorting and storing.

It is the only plan I can come up with!

I am going to take the next few hours and see how much I can get done digging out the house!

I hear we have a crowd coming to the house one week from today!

The race is on! Which usually works every time!

Update for tonight....I figured out what I was doing wrong on the patches so the corners would be straight! GEESH.....was kind of easy when I really "LOOKED" and could see the points needed to point right to the corner. :)

I did get one row of patches done, which is seven patches. It is going to be a crazy quilt for sure! I really like it...sure hope Corey and Kat will like it too.

It is made with love that is for sure! For our little one!

It is funny...how we can be humbled when we least expect it. I bought fabric to make Channa's seat cushions for the chairs in her apartment. They went together so quickly and looked just GREAT. So I was all about keeping my Featherweight running and getting the baby quilt made.

I had watched Shirley do lots of patches when we were at Amish country in March...she had most of them done when we left, or at least I thought she did. And I thought the pattern seemed easy and looked really nice. So I started buying fabric!

Of course, I just shoved the fabrics I had found in a bag and put them in my big fabric basket.

So after the seat cushions were done, I thought the quilt would be a snap! ON MAN...was I wrong.

To begin with, the pattern called for 17 fat quarters for the pattern. I was not close to that so when I did get the fabrics out and started cutting I 'knew' I was not going to have enough. So thought I would just try a sample patch or two. Again, seemed not a easy task ...not at all!!

I don't know what is wrong with how I am trying to do the pattern, but adding the corners to each square and I found out that I was also sewing the seam too close to the middle square and the fabric pulled a part when I barely tugged at it. At that rate one wash and the it would have raveled pieces every where!!!

I still like the pattern and thought I would go ahead and keep going. So tore out some of my goofs and heading for Findlay to get more fabrics to go with what I had.

Channa met me there so I could hand off the 3 cushions I had finished. She and I started checking fabrics and seemed neither of the two Findlay stores had much that would match my 'non-traditional' baby colors! I wanted and there were only a few colors that matched and wanted a dark orange and dark yellow. So I got a bright yellow and orange and tea dyed those two pieces. There are drying as I type and I do think they turned out great if I do say so myself!

I finished the altering of the yellow and orange fabrics I found and laid out the new colors and they are ready to cut. SO tomorrow I will cut and sew away...see how much progress I can make. As you can see, Alice, is always there...ready to 'help'! She loves to lay in the ironing board and sleep!

It just goes to show, I need to get my butte in gear, get my studio cleaned up so I have a place to sew. I need to have a place that I can leave things out and not have to put things away all the time. Ruth Anne told me this years ago. If you don't have a place that you can just go and sew you will NOT do it!


Shirley really made it all look so easy as I watched her start her quilt last March. I know there is always a learning curve and I am committed to learn!

I hope to just keep messing with this pattern, and let things flow. Just so it holds together and looks OK is all I care about at this point.

I am really feeling like...I want o finish this baby quilt now matter what! I have always been told that is a something I got from my grandma Fairy.

So I will keep at it and not give up!

I am feeling a little muddy here....trying to figure out how to get some things moving with things I need to do. I just keep feeling like I am always running...and it just doesn't seem to ever slow down.

I have lots of projects I want to get on with and maybe I just need to write myself in on my calendar. Block off some days just for staying at home.

I have my pen in hand...I am going to make a plan for next week....Only leave the house when I have to got back to Columbus to pick up Corey and Kat!

How does that sounds? I think it is a plan!

I have faith I can get something done in the next hour!

Time to do some things that will be just for ME! Forget the computer room for now!

Very sad I keep posting about 'cleaning' ...my least favorite thing to do....when does the fun start!???

But for the next few minutes....my sink is empty!

Life has no meaning on its own:
it all depends on how you look at it.
The way we look at life has a direct affect on what develops inside us.
Look at the bright side of life and look for light everywhere
because through this, joyfulness and light will be born within you.

Li tzu

GREAT to see old friends!!

I love you Champ!

I was cleaning today....and 2 toilets was part of the plan! YUK..I just hate toilets!! ..guess there are other ways that you could enjoy toilets rather than cleaning them. I should have been a dog...but I am a cat.

And when you need the sun...it does come back!

There are times......we just feel like clouds are all we have.

There was a guy like this outside of my window yesterday morning. He was just jumping from tree to tree and sat and looked at me from time to time...just like this guy is doing on this blog page.

It would be nice to be or feel as free as that little guy looked.

He just has to worry about getting it by cars I guess.

I am so getting the itch to get to some of my projects started. I have all my fabric for a quilt for the new baby. [I have to smile when I say new...my dad always would say, "Have you ever seen an old baby?"]

I only have part of Thursday, Friday and then Saturday morning to try to get things 'ready' to set up my sewing area in my art room. I don't know how much I can get finished since I really don't know how to lay out the room! I do want to be able to see out the french door if possible, but that area was just set up for a 'chair' when it was designed as a bedroom.

I still have to get my 'new' chair photo on here....and then get it down to Uncle Leo this week so I can get the dowel finished off!

I still have not figured out if the scarf I am working on would be Catherine's taste. I think I am going to do the cream one. I just think it would more her taste and go lots better with her work clothes!

I did a very crazy thing..without thinking..I posted on my Facebook {I am sad and trying to not be]....anyway, I did have two people post to me in reference to it.

The one lady, Briana, ....well we are on a national committee together and I have really not gotten to know her very well....BUT just the post was not all she did..

I was on the phone with another friend and my cell phone rang twice. I didn't pick it up and see who had tried to call until I was done with my land line phone call....

I checked the call on the cell phone...and there was a voice mail....it was from Briana ...she was calling about my post..and she sang the following to me...
You've got a friend in me You've got a friend in me If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you We stick together and can see it through Cause you've got a friend in me You've got a friend in me

I can't tell you how much that meant..and how it make me feel!

I knit this baby sweater for Ryan and Jennifer's baby girl that will be born the end of May 09. I used sock yarn that is self patterning. I added some length to the body, after making my first from this pattern for Cooper and I felt the length would help with the tummy hang out! :)

I will be making more of this little pattern for sure!

Sometimes, there is a song that just sticks with you.

Sometimes, there is a song that just sticks with you.

A good friend recently told me that she always wanted to be Aretha Franklin. Now, Aretha is just one of those pulsars that grace a generation. She’s an institution, yet she’s not so self-consumed that she forgets that her gift is to provide music that kun-NECKs with folks. Makes you feel. Makes you sing along.

While Aretha is not high profile anymore, recently she recorded “Never Gonna Break My Faith” with Mary J. Blige and the Harlem Boys’ Choir. Wow. Here are the powerful lyrics to that song, highlighted in the movie, Bobby, about the late Robert F. Kennedy. These lyrics are sooooo powerful to me:

My Lord
I have read this book so many times
But nowhere can I find the page that says what I experience today has any Grace.

Now I know that life is meant to be hard that’s how I learn to appreciate my God
Though my courage made me tried I can tell you I won’t hide
Because the footprints show you were by my side.

[Chorus]
You can lie to a child with a smilin’ face
Tell me that color ain’t about race
You can cast the first stones, you can break my bones
But your never gonna break, You’re never gonna break my Faith.

Faith and Hope aint yours to give
Truth and liberty are mine to live
You can steal a crown from a king
Break an angels wings
But your never gonna break, You’re never gonna break my Faith

My Lord
Won’t you help them, help them to understand
that when someone takes the life of an innocent man
Well they never really won because all they’ve really done
is set the soul free where it’s supposed to be

[Chorus]
You can lie to a child with a smilin’ face
Tell me that color ain’t about race
You can cast the first stones, you can break my bones
But your never gonna break, You’re never gonna break my Faith.

Faith and Hope aint yours to give
Truth and liberty are mine to live
You can steal a crown from a king
Break an angels wings
But your never gonna break, You’re never gonna break my Faith

[Bridge:]
For those we lose before their time,
I pray their souls will find the light.
I know that the day will surely come,
When His will, His will, will be done.

While designed to pay homage to Bobby Kennedy and his “walk”, the song has meaning in so many of today’s struggles. In light of all those “situations”, this song — delivered with added emphasis from Misses Franklin and Blige, parlay courage to face the day….

Remember, no-one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission.

Autobiography in Five Chapters

Autobiography in Five Chapters

1) I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I fall in.

I am lost…I am hopeless.

It isn’t my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

2) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

I can’t believe I’m in the same place.

But it isn’t my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

3) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I see it is there.

I still fall in…it’s a habit

My eyes are open

I know where I am

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

4) I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk

I walk around it.

5) I walk down another street.

Poem from: The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche

Today was a busy one. Trip to Columbus to take another load to Channa's new apartment. And then drove Chloe to the park to hang out with James.

I bought my pansies, my first new plants of the season!

Today was just so busy...trip to Columbus with a load of things to Channa's new apartment and then a trip to the Park for Chloe to hang out with James. I did some 'baby' shopping for my grandbaby. I found real diapers! :)

I hope this week will have some time for some more knitting and sorting time.

I found a cool new chair

Today was a GREAT day...I have more tile to use on my table. And I also found a GREAT 70's chair. All the chair needs is a new seat cover. It doesn't have arms and I think it will be cool knitting chair. Might need a footstool though! We will see.