Barbara's Moving Fingers and Endless Dreams

I watched a guy clime a ladder yesterday to do what I thought was repair work, instead he left something behind.  Well, today I looked up there and I saw something moving in his left behind item and guess what it was!!   Well, take a look for yourself!

Now who says my life can't be interesting!

(As a little side note; This kind of stuff has helped me to stop thinking about the first part of my more sad week!)

We now have a new Civil War Museum added to our main museum and a couple of months ago after a fire they had an opening for a day to just give a brief showing and our lace group was asked to demo.  Now this past weekend they had a whole weekend again doing a Enactment and our group was again asked to demonstrate.  Because of my mother I didn't do it myself this time, but I was there for the first one.  I had taken pictures and would like to share them with you.

This is our Civil War Museum

             The main Museum

This is a piece of Torchon Lace which will be a collar.

 This just happens to be my pillow and some of my other made items around it along with some books, tools and tatting stuff.  I was just packing up my stuff and remembered to take some pictures.  Most of my lace that I do can be found on my own web site. 

www.barbaragordon.ws 

 This was the week before the Enactment and she, Naomi is working on that large collar piece.  Bobbin lace is done by working with four bobbins at one time and just cross and twisting them in a certain direction.  No matter how many bobbins are on a project only four are used to complete a stitch.

Here is Kathy doing crochet snowflakes, she also does bobbin lace.

Now this picture is very interesting because we have a member of the Enactment who started doing it when she was just six years old, now 13.  This is first piece of bobbin lace she has ever made and she had almost finished  it in a bit more than two hours.  To all of you who happen to know Marilee from Yarnplayer, that is her there in the front demonstrating her tatting and boy is she good to!  Marilee is also a member of my lace group and I find her very inspirational.   

Here in another section of the room are women who do there own weaving.  Children were having a real good time doing it also.                                                                          

This little gal was really having a good time.

Actually,  this one was a gift was from me to her quite a few years ago when I was first getting into doing Bobbin Lace and now it has been returned to me after her passing.  I had made this piece of Bobbin Lace for her to hang in her window and it is now hanging in mine.   The back ground isn't always the best for pictures.

The second picture is one that she made herself back in the early 50's.  To make this one she went to the library and got books of flowers, birds and tree branches to give her the ideas for this picture.  Our insurance man of many years ago offered her $500 for it, but she just no, this is being kept for my family.  Actually it turned out to be me!  For that I will be forever grateful.  The actual picture is 43" x 9.5"

Now here is another picture that my mother did that I forgot to take a picture of.  She had this on her dresser, but I am going to hang it on the wall.  This is done on a smaller fabric count, but done from the same pattern book as one of the pictures on my wall done by me, but I used  a different color and fabric count than she did so I won't put them together.

My dearest Mom has been suffering now for quite some time and more so during the last week only to be taken up to heaven yesterday morning on the start of the first day of Summer.  She looked so much at peace after her passing, but now I will need time to get used to her being gone.  We had become so close during he last year especially since I had to start taking care of her every need and some of it even being embarrassing to the both us, but while raising me/us, she to had to do much of the same thing so now it has been our turn.  Now she is at peace and has joined not only God, but all her other friends and family who had passed before her.  God Speed Mom, I miss you so much already!!! 

My brother had to call the rescue squad on Thursday morning because my mother's breathing had gotten so bad.  With her in the hospital he was going to contact nursing homes and see if we could find one for her.  The Dr said that don't have to worry about a nursing because her condition is to serious.  My brother and I went over to the hospital this morning, but first we went and got our sister from the nursing home and took her with us.  She has to use a wheel chair yet because her walking is still not good.  We are pretty sure that this will probably be the last time for her to see her alive.  We saw changes in her already from yesterday .

This is going to be a very sad weekend for us all.  I guess the good side of this is that my mother said she is ready to go.  I just wish I was ready for this, but I'm not.

My sister is still in the nursing home getting therapy for her legs, but nothing is working to good for her right now.  Her meds are so mixed up and no one seems to know what is going on.

My mother is slowly going down hill.  Her breathing is getting bad and she has fluid build up again in her chest.  Her confusion is getting so bad and my brother has now put her name on a list at a nursing home, but the only problem is the list consists of 400 names and she just got on it!

Now here is a new addition.  My older brother has always been a heavy smoker along with being an alcoholic, even though he has not drank now for over 10 years.  Well, it has all caught up with him and next Friday he will go to the hospital to have one of his lungs drained.  Would you believe they can do that as an outpatient and he can even drive himself.  Along with that he used to be 6' 2 ", but now he is only roughly 5'8", but he only weighs 103 lbs.  I have never seen anyone look so thin in all my life, especially for his height!  He is nothing but skin and bones.  I could just cry every time I see him.  He is also constantly coughing every time I talk with him.  He told me tonight that he isn't feeling to good about what's happening to him right now and he doesn't really think things are going to get much better either.

As far as myself, I go for therapy on my neck, shoulder and back three times a week, but feel that I am so much better off than any of those listed above.  For that reason I do a lot of praying for them right now and  I know I still have a lot more going for me right now than they do.

I just finished doing some heavy cleaning in my living room and now it's time for me to hit the sack.  I have therapy again at 8:30 am.

FOR ALL YOU SMOKERS OUT THERE, QUIT!!!!! 

This one had been ordered by my lace group for anyone who wanted one of them.  Our group is called "Lighthouse Lacers" so this was made for us and this design won't be used for anyone else.

The Sewmates were out of stock, so I saw this shuttle and ordered one. So far I like the looks, but I am so used to using a shuttle with a tip on it, that it will take me a bit to get used to it.  It was my mistake as I didn't see that you had a choice.  I hope I can get used to it because I think it's kind of cool looking.  So I took a picture of both the front and back.  I purchased this from Lacis.  http://lacis.com

Nothing is going out and what's coming in I can't open up.  I tried to update some stuff and then I used my new Ad-Aware and I think I really screwed something up big time.  Thank God for my laptop which I just now took out.  My other software works, thank god, but not my internet and Microsoft Outlook.  I have some machine embroidery to do for a neighbor and I'm sure glad that works OK.  Wish me luck with the mail section though.

The weekend is getting closer and my one brother leaves on a fishing trip in Canada on Friday morning which means more work for all the rest of us.  I hope he has a good time, but already I can't wait until he gets back.   (I wish I was going!)

Last week I had a major rash all over my body that was a reaction to an antibiotic.  This week all of a sudden I have to walk with a cane and my hands are swollen and my shoulders and arms are aching big time.  What's Next!!!  I wish I could just get in and get some ultra sound as I have had this before and it helped, but first I would have to go to the Dr and then wait until I could get scheduled.  By that time it might be gone on it's own, so I guess I will just wait it out.  I'm supposed to baby sit tonight and today I can get around slowly without a cane, so of coarse I will go.  Wish me luck!!