Rainy Day and Little Sister #1

As Rainy Day has told you before, she has a large Family of Choice, but the other day, she had the excitement of meeting up with her biological sister for the first time in almost 20 years.  You see, Rainy Day's parents were divorced when Rainy D was a little girl, and both subsequently remarried. Rainy's Daddy and his new wife had four children; Rainy's Mom and her new husband had zilch. So while Rainy Day is an only child, she also has four (half) siblings.

Needless to say, they were not raised together, and never became all that close, so when Little Sister #1 contacted Rainy Day a few weeks ago, and realized they don't live all that far apart and further suggested they meet for lunch at a place half way between their homes, Rainy Day was ecstatic! You see, she's always known her siblings, because she is so much older than they, but they have not always known her.

The day came, and Rainy Day was very grateful for cruise control on her car, otherwise, she would have broken the speed laws in her excitement and hurry to meet up with #1. They had a great visit, traded all sorts of funny family gossip, and made arrangements to meet again, at least once, before the weather turns sour and travel becomes a tad bit more iffy.

As Richard Bach says, "Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof." Rainy Day knows this – that's why she has such a large, and loving, Family of Choice. But, she thinks, it's also a great gift to have a family of biology, too. Perhaps because as an only child Rainy Day is now an orphan?

At any rate, Rainy Day is very excited about meeting up with #1 Sister, and hopes you will join in her excitement, and be sure that you tell your siblings (of choice or biology) how much you love them for being them and for loving you.

Day Tripping in the Palouse

Last week, Rainy Day and two of her gal pals, who are also photographers, joined Rainy Day and they took a day trip through a portion of the Palouse. First stop was Colfax, WA for lunch at a nice sandwich shop, and then up to the top of Steptoe Butte, 3612 feet high, about 1,000 feet above the surrounding countryside.

They hoped to go far enough east to escape the smoke from the Washington fires, but bumped smack into the smoke of the Idaho fires. When they reached the top of the Butte, they were out of the smoke and haze, but not for long. The smoke was from forest fires and the haze from plowing. The Palouse is wheat and legume country.

Here are some of the pictures Rainy Day took that day. For more photos go to her Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/62262369@N04/sets/ And do leave comments, Rainy D loves comments.

Common sunflowers by side of road

Cattails and Lady Bug

Wheat and lentil farms from top of Steptoe Butte

Harvested wheat from top of Steptoe Butte

Palouse Falls with Faery Castle

Faery Castle above Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls with rainbow (faery wraiths?)

Railroad bridge across the Snake River just below mouth of the Palouse River

Rainy Day hopes you enjoy the pictures.

Did you know...

 

...there was an article in the news the other day stating researchers have determined that people who smile lower their heart rate?

Rainy Day did not know that, but she did know that if you wear a smile, whether you mean it or not, you can't think angry thoughts while that smile is plastered on your face!

Doesn't that make it worth the time and possible trouble to wear a smile? (Besides, it makes people wonder what you've been up to.)

 

Rainy Day used to commute 50 miles to work, and 51 miles home. Yes, she went home a different route, and it was one mile longer. She tried to smile the whole trip. Made the stop and crawl of much of the drive a tad more bearable. She also kept a jar of smiles (bubble stuff) in her car, and when she was trapped in the traffic, at a full stop, she frequently rolled down her window and blew bubbles. She could see the faces of the drivers behind her go from angry to smiling as the bubbles made their way in whatever errant breezes wafted over the locked grid.

These days, Rainy D's commute is measured in steps – from her bedroom to her kitchen (and coffee pot!) to her office – or her quilting room. She seldom goes forth during 'rush hour', which is next to nonexistent where she now lives, and no longer has the jar of smiles in her car;-)

Warm Memories

But she does have quilts! Remember last week's post (Rainy Day does, but only because she reread it;-) and the photo of the quilt on the Big Beast of a quilting machine? Well, here is that quilt – finished. All 63 of the blocks got their own quilting – she used four patterns and repeated so they formed a pattern. There is going to be a real learning curve on this machine, and Rainy Day is going to have to do lots of practice. And she's not at all sure that practice will make perfect, either! But she will have fun. And wear a smile;-)

 

closeup of some of the quilting

This quilt was made entirely with scraps of other quilts except for the red sashing and the yellow border, those were in Rainy Day's stash. Oh, all right, she may have bought the flannel backing for this quilt, but to be honest, she can't remember. That, too, may have been in her stash. (She tends to by fabric she likes and may need later when it's on sale.)

Uniting for a Cause - Suicide Prevention!
Rainy Day has donated a copy of My Adventures as Brother Rat for the Bloggers Unite for a Cause. The Click HERE below isn't linked, so instead CLICK HERE for more information.

 Thanks, Justine Dell, for doing this!

Rainy Day and Happy Jazz

As you, my Gentle Readers and Fans know, Rainy Day writes. It's currently a hobby she hopes to turn into a full time business. She writes novels because she has stories to tell, and really wants to sell them (so, feel free to buy them, read them, give them as presents – support the arts – shucks, support Rainy Day;-)

However, like all jobs, no matter how fun, there comes a time when Rainy Day wants a vacation, so she is currently on a writing vacation and partaking of her other hobby, quilting.

Several months ago, she saw a pattern in a magazine for a scrap quilt (one made with leftovers) and set about getting all her scraps and leftovers out, and the pieces cut, neatly stacked, and placed in some clean salad boxes (a quilter's goodest friend, those clear salad boxes!) and she waited for her vacation. The vacation arrived. She placed the boxes in order on her sewing table, and pieced the pieces. Then she ironed them, cut them per directions, and repieced them. And, she admits, she now and then unstitched and restitched more than a few. But, finally, she had all the blocks done.

Quilt Top from scraps, Happy Jazz

The next step was to lay them out in proper order, and sew the blocks together into rows, then the rows together until she had the top finished. The sum of the total is considerably brighter than the individual pieces. Rainy Day suggests you view it while wearing sun glasses.

The next vacation project is to learn to use her quilting machine.

HQ Sixteen Quilting Machine and earlier scrap quilt in Rainy Day's Quilt Room

And, while busily quilting, she's also plotting out another novel. A writer's work is never done;-)