American Made! Oh, yes I am!!

I had an epiphany!! I sell seed catchers over on ebay and one of my customers emailed me to be sure these were made in the U.S.A. I assured her that they were indeed made right here in Pueblo, Colorado. She was thrilled and then it dawned on me that perhaps there is not much out there any more that is made in America. Sooooo. . .

Yes, Isle, this was made in America and I was made in America. My ancestors came to this country through Ellis Island at the turn of the century and that is documented! They came here from Germany to seek a better life in a free country. We trace back to the Erms area and there were a lot of vineyard keepers in our line.

We raised turkeys and geeses and Great Great Grandmother was a midwife. She also took care of people in her area around Abbyville, because doctors were few and far between. The boys hired out on farms in the area. Great Great Grandfather raised sorghum and made molasses. The names Haas, Gagnebein, and Hatfield were well known names in that area.

So when you ask if my products are made in America, the answer is a resounding "YES"! Made in America and made by an American and sold to another American! I had not thought of that angle before.

So thank you, Isle, for opening my eyes to what a rarity my little store actually is in this world. From now on I shall point to myself with pride, because people like you and I are becoming fewer and farther between.

So you and your little rescued chinchillas have a good day and keep searching for American made.

" For I'm glad to be an American, where at least I know I'm free! And I'll gladly stand up next to her and defend her still today......" and I don't remember the words, but you get the idea!!!

What did I do yesterday?

As the chips fall yesterday was spent downstairs trying to wind up a lot of projects.

This is project #1. This one is not wound up yet. This will be my Peacock Wall Hanging that I am making for the neighbor lady who can not keep her peacock home!

This entails embroidering 20 blocks and then sewing them together. Sounds easy, huh? First I have to hoop the fabric with stabilizer. Then thread the machine. This machine holds 6 threads and kind of works on its own until it needs a thread change, runs out of bobbin thread, breaks a thread or just misses me.

I need to do 3 more blocks and then I can assemble the blocks and put on borders and a back and some embellishments. Will post a picture when this is finished, but don't hold your breathe!

This is project # 2. This is my machine quilter and there you see Joanne's quilt which I just finished quilting. I work on this between attention to the 2 embroidery machines. She does her own binding so this project is finished! I can now cross this off my list. Crossing something off the list always gives me a heady feeling of power!
This is project # 3. This is going to be the Nativity for my church. This particular machine is very needy as I need to do a thread change every time it completes a color. It also has silver metallic thread for the stars and I need to hand feed the silver to it, or it shreds it and spits it out. I have 6 blocks done and need 14 more. The next 14 are really time consuming. Watch for the finished product some day!

And there you have yesterday. Today I need to make 2 seed catchers and then make cookies for cookie bags for the Southern Colorado AIDS Project. So I shall commence my day and hope that you enjoy yours! I think the weather is going to be a little nice today.

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday!!

The Cycle of Life

This is Polly. You can not see from this angle, but her right eye has a big black patch around it. She was a very good dog and now her ashes are back at the house. As soon as the ground thaws out, we will bury her right there under that lilac bush.

And here is her buddy, Daisy. You can not see from this angle, but Daisy has a black patch over both of her eyes. Right now Daisy is by my left foot, setting on her haunches watching me. I do not know what she thinks I am going to do, but she will be ready for it when it comes!
And thus is the cycle of life. I was born and as I grew I lost my grand parents, then my father, my brother, friends, aunts, uncles, mother, sister, more uncles, husband, and finally it came to the inevitable. My Uncle Ray passed at the age of 96(?) and I am now the matriarch in my family and I am the "older generation" in the Haas family line.

You know the funny part of all of this? I don't even feel old. Logistics tells me I am, but I don't feel like I am. It makes me wish I had paid more attention to the grandmas and aunts and uncles so I would know how to behave as a septegenarian! I remember once, my dear son, Sam telling me, "Grandmas don't behave like you! Get your apron on and get in that kitchen and make some cookies!"

I do now know exactly what the cycle of life entails . And as more time goes by and more deaths occur, whether it be canine, feline, human, friend, family, or stranger, the cycle of life is an integral part of the every day. It just happens in different forms and we accept and even embrace it at times. For part of the cycle of life is new birth!

So, as a very old radio program once used to sign off with, I shall copy it today:

" It is hard to sprinkle showers of happiness on other people without getting a few drops on yourself!"

What function does the doggie actually perform?

Have you ever really paid attention to your doggie? Dogs are man's best friend and I am sure there is some sort of reasoning behind that statement. For years, when I would be planning a trip and would be gone for several days, Polly knew. I would start packing several days ahead in preparation, and Polly would start acting all sad. While I was gone she did not eat.

Then I decided, I would not talk about the trip nor pack early. She still knew and when I started out the front door, she would look at me all sad and turn and go downstairs. She knew. When I came home, she would be standing by the back gate waiting. The neighbors assured me she did not do that until shortly before I came home. She had to know I was getting close.

When I took her for her trip to the vet, she knew. I am not saying only Polly had ESP (Extra Sensory Perception), I am saying all dogs have it. When my son was here with his three dogs it was almost humorous the way they acted. If he left them and went some where they would lay around, but suddenly, they would wake up, leap to their feet with ears alert. And after a few moments, Sam would come driving up the drive. They knew the exact moment to run to the front door so they could be there to greet him.

I don't think most of us even give any thought to how well they take care of us, even when we don't know they are taking care of us. I know if I am sad, Daisy now lays by my feet. When I go out to do chores, Daisy is by my side. When I go down to sew, Daisy is the one who lays at the sewing room door to stop intruders. I pet her, but she knows she is not Polly.

Someday I may not miss Polly so much, but until that time, Daisy will be here trying to fill the void. Why? Because that is what the doggies do. They are here to fill a void in out life and be a warm body to pet, when there is not other warm body around. And what do they ask in return? Nothing, only that we be there for the petting thing!

This is my gourd!!!

Above you see the inside of my gourd! It takes a lot of woman power to scrape all the seeds and gross stuff out of the gourd so it can become a lovely vessel like this!

After I got it all cleaned inside and out, I put tan shoe polish on and buffed it all pretty. I used the kind that is a wax in a can.

Then I wove pine needles around the top, stuck in some feathers, strung on some metal jewelry things, like this butterfly and the silver feather.

This is some sort of pine coney like seed pod. This sets on top of my entertainment center for all the world to see. I am working on a red gourd which shall be a harem belly dancer when I get it finished. Now I am even excited about that one getting finished!!

More gourds at a later date! Just kind of keeping in touch with you today! Have a good one and keep in touch with me!!

The Day Before the Big Day

This is the Indian who will be bringing me a turkey to go with the corn I already grew. That is , of course, a big lie! That is one of the fellows in native garb at the Chile Festival back in September.





Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but today is not. Today is the day I have to take my dog Polly in to the vet and today is the day she will not come back. It is so sad when this time comes. She was Kenny's dog. He picked her out of all the puppies in the litter. She slept under the bed until Kenny passed and then she slept on the floor on his side of the bed.



She mourned Kenny for a very long time and never did quit watching for him to come home. She was never far from my side. If I was in the basement, so was she. If I went in the bathroom she lay on the floor outside the door, waiting. When I went to Kansas and left her home, she didn't eat. She lay under the buffet and waited. When the neighbors came in to check things, she growled at them, but did not move.



And how is loyalty like that rewarded? It is rewarded with a trip to the vet so she can go to the Rainbow Bridge and find Kenny. When she is too weak to get up the stairs without falling, when she growls at Daisy for no reason, it is time. I did not do this for my selfish reasons, I did it because she was not happy. I only wish that when I get in her shape that someone could take me by the hand and make me happy again.

Trying the woven blanket again!!

Look at this!! I have a picture here. Hope it is here when I publish this! This is one block on my blanket. This is the right side. You know I wove the whole thing with the wrong side up, so was very suprised when I say what it looked like.

This is the full blanket. It measures 52" x 48". Just the right size to not be too big or too small. It is made with 8/2 white cotton and washable wool. The wool is not itchy at all.
This is what the wrong side of the block looks like. Looks as good on the back as the front! I am so proud of myself that I could jump up and down. There are a couple mistakes in this one, so I am going to make another just like it only I will weave it right side out and it will be just PERFECT!

Whole blanket, wrong side. I sure hope when I hit the publish button that the pictures will be there.

If the pictures are there please let me know how you like my blanket, because I am really a very needy soul!