Backwards and Forwards

Carrie e-mailed yesterday to ask about Mom's big Christmas surprise--the quilting machine. It was wonderful. Here's Mom with Mike, the guy who delivered the machine. Doesn't Mom's face just say it all?


Mom was on the sofa in her jammies, drinking coffee when the doorbell rang. She sent Dad to the door. I slipped into their closet to get her a robe. When Mike asked for her, Dad called her to the door. There he was, in a red jacket and a fuzzy Santa hat, giant truck in the driveway. He explained he was from the Gammill Company and that he had something for her. When she realized what it was, she burst into tears.

It took Mike about almost two hours to set up the machine and several more to show her how to run it. Her eyes never stopped leaking. At one point, she had to go lie down because she was shaking all over, just so excited. My favorite moment came after everything was put together and Mike was gone. Standing beside the machine, Mom ran her hand down the work table and said, "I never in my life imagined I'd have such a thing. Never in my life."

Mike used a plain piece of cotton to show us how to pin the quilt to the machine. We all sewed our names and quilted hearts and flowers and squiggly lines all over it, just experimenting. The next day, Mom turned that piece of fabric into a small quilt she could keep forever, a reminder of the morning Daddy surprised her with a dream. Here they are, moments after Mike arrived.




Next: Jess asked for a picture of the geese. Can't show you how they look right now, because Assholes with Air Horns seem to have won this round. Hasn't been a single goose on the pond for days. But here's a shot of the flock before the boys let loose with their toys.




That's the backwards. Now the forwards.

Had a long conversation yesterday with the guy I've been writing curriculum for lately. He asked me to become Editor-in-Chief for the project. I am ridiculously excited about this. We'll have to see how it plays out, but here's the flat truth of it: from the first e-mail last July through our 90-minute conversation yesterday, I've had the strong feeling he plays a major role in my future somehow. Don't exactly think this, just feel it, and I'm willing for it to be true. Or not. Either way, it's an interesting adventure and I love writing curriculum again. LOVE it.