Go see Crater Lake at night

To see a beautiful photo of Crater Lake at night go to this blog from today 4/25/12. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/

I like to check the Bad Astronomy blog out pretty regularly for information on solar flares and space photos from the Hubble telescope and other astronomy and science news.

I have never been to Crater Lake but it is on my bucket list.

Lou

A fabric basket

All the quilters in my group have been making these fabric baskets lately. Each one comes out differently depending on the colors of the scraps one uses and whether you repeat the same fabric for a long time and then change which forms stripes. You can also make them flat like a large coaster or oblong like a bread basket. It is really a simple process. Using a glue stick to secure fabric to plain cotton cording like clothesline and wrapping the fabric strips diagonally round and round to cover the cord. The final step is to set your sewing machine on a large zigzag stitch and sew around in a circle securing each row of cording to the next and angling it to make it curve into a basket.

 Lou

I’m pretty excited about this

This is a real triumph for me. My orchid of the past three years is about to bloom again for the first time since it came home from the grocery store with blooms several years ago. Because of all the cautions about not putting it in direct sunlight it sat near a west window for a year and a half and did nothing despite careful watering and feeding. It had two dark green leaves. I finally went to a class on orchids at the local community college a year and a half ago and even though it was in the dead of winter brought the orchid (all protected in a box and plastic wrap) with me to ask what to do. I learned that orchids only bloom once a year in the winter. They shouldn’t be dark green but rather a lighter green and should have new leaves growing all the time and a vigorous root system or they will not bloom. 

My orchid was not getting enough light so I moved it to a south exposure on our little kitchen table and it slowly started growing again. Several new sets of leaves grew and then funny looking roots snaking out from under them and finally this winter a stalk growing straight up and then another as well. So now the waiting game for the buds to mature and the flowers. I’m sure it will be worth the wait. Perseverance pays off! I was so close to throwing it out, but I am glad I didn’t. I hope to get a picture of the flowers soon.

Lou

Easter and New Life

For those of us who live in the temperate zone of North America, Easter coincides with spring and the greening up of our yards and gardens. My tulips started blooming this week which is early as traditionally we look for them around Mother’s Day in May. We don’t need to mow yet but the new green blades of grass are overcoming the old brown grass more each day. I love these signs of new life. Our new poppy made it through the winter and has started to emerge!

As a child Easter also meant new clothes. We got a new dress to wear to church and maybe a little hat and white gloves too. Easter was a special occasion.  It was exciting to color eggs and then look for them on Easter morning. My memories of church are mostly of the Rockbrook Methodist and singing the hymns and listening to Reverend Zook preach. I remember especially Onward Christian Soldiers and Holy Holy Holy. I remember the choir members in their robes coming in from the back and walking up the center aisle. I also remember gazing at the stained glass windows. One window was dedicated to my little sister Leslie who died as a young child. My memories are fuzzy but going to church was mostly about Jesus and his love.

As I’ve gotten older Easter and the resurrection story have taken on more of a meaning of hope than anything else. Hope that Christ was who he claimed to be, hope that we who love him can follow him to a new life after this one, and hope that there is a purpose for this sad world and the imperfect people in it. That hope is also available for me now in this life as well. Not that bad things won’t happen but that the one who overcame it all is there beside me all the way. Hope is an element of new life.

Happy Easter to all. May you hope in Him. 

Lou