Polyester is forever

I always try to post my favorite picture first.  These are the new drapes in the spare room.  I've been working on them for the last three weekends. 

My Mom will likely remember these, as they are the curtains that hung in my teenage bedroom in 1976.  I had the bedspread to match (I don't know how people didn't know I was going to grow up gay.)  Anyway, I found them in the attic when we were cleaning up and Rob liked them.  They were a very nice set from Sears.  At some point, my bedroom went to green and there were drapes purchased from a neighbor that went with it and I ended up with these when I moved into my first apartment.  It was two large panels that covered a double window and I cut each panel in half and did a really bad job of sewing down the seam and took out some of the pleats to make them the right width.  This time, I took out all the seams and put them back together.  They were three inches too short, so I added a piece of fabric to the bottom and turned it under as the hem.  I bought pleating tape and pleating hooks that have four prongs that you insert in the tape to form the pleats.  And, we hung them.  We didn't go with a transverse rod because I couldn't find one, so we hung them on a regular rod and they work perfect.  They give the room a lovely golden glow during the day when the sun shines through.  It's amazing that after 44 years, they're still in great shape!  Because polyester lasts forever.

Last week, I shared a picture of the studio wall where there were quilts hanging.  Glenda asked about the quilt in the lower left corner.  Glenda, it's not a quilt.  It's the painted pegboard I hang my rulers on.  Unfortunately, I had to clean up the mess before I could take a picture of it.  It had all the boxes of scraps that I've been using to make the arc quilt piled in front of it and they've now been moved back to their scrap user bins.  I painted pictures of flowers that were growing in my yard that year on it to put it in the greenhouse, but it came out too pretty to let the sun fade it, so here it is in my studio.

This is the hanging basket of pansies we picked up on our antiquing trip on my birthday.  It's been this full of bloom since we brought it home and shows no signs of stopping. 

The orange and lemon trees are starting to bud, but there are no bees to pollinate yet.  I don't want this little orange tree to make fruit this year because it's too small, so that's okay, but the rest of the fruit trees will either need bees or I'll be out there with a q-tip spreading pollen from one flower to the next.  I do it nearly every year and it works fine.  I'm even going to try it on the pomegranate tree. 

This is the spirea in the side yard.  Like most of what has grown and thrived here, it came from my Aunt Jane's house.  My parents helped her dig up and divide her bed, like I'm doing this year and they brought me part of what they dug up.  This was in that and it has grown and bloomed for 20 years here.  I almost lost it last year but I fed it really good all summer and it seems to have recovered.  After the bloom, I'll take off those two long limbs on the right, but I was so desperate to save all I could that I let them grow last year.  My Grandmother called this Bride's Wreath and she used to cut a branch and put the end in laundry bluing and I'd watch as the flowers all turned blue.  I'm sure it would keep me entertained all afternoon long.

And finally, me.  I'm learning the art of taking selfies (look at the camera in the mirror, not at the actual camera).  My new glasses came in and I'm liking them.  I picked them up last Thursday and that afternoon, I did not have eyestrain, so that's a very good thing. 

What an interesting week.  My favorite candidate is out of the race for president, even though she was more qualified than either of the very old white men that are still in the race.  One of those has some of the most aggressive supporters (mean and hateful children) I've ever encountered.  I'm sick of the hate surrounding this election and the current administration.  It grows from our desperation to get rid of the POS president and his kind.  My favorite tweet of the week expressed gratitude to the airheaded first lady for building the tennis pavilion, because we're going to need a level place to put the guillotine so it meets OSHA standards. 

I'm part of the emergency response team at my company.  And, we are planning for what could happen if Coronavirus takes hold.  I wasn't very worried until the cheeto in denial told us not to worry.  Then, I started to panic because he cannot speak truth.  We've made plans to close offices and ask staff to work from home and the company has cancelled all non-essential business travel for at least two months.  We've stocked up and told Syd that if things get bad, she should pack her food and come stay with us. 

Speaking of Syd, she invited us to her house for dinner last night.  I didn't make much of it, but when she moved out of our house, she didn't tell us where she was going to be living.  She wouldn't even let us drive her home.  We've speculated on the reasons and settled on the fact that she wasn't very proud of that first place (who is proud of their first place?).  Now, she's moved into a house and she lets us take her home when she stays here after dark and last night, she had the Dads over for dinner.  She made a delicious salsa and cheesy chicken and carrots and we all had a nice visit.  Her roommate came home while we were eating and we got to meet him.  (before you ask, she says it's platonic and we believe her and I don't care.  She's happy and in a good place and that's what matters.)  I told her last night that everyone was so proud of the fact that we have such a close relationship now that she's grown and out on her own.  I credit our willingness to give up passing judgment for that closeness.  When she moved out, we realized we didn't have a say anymore and we just enjoyed being around her and that seems to have made all the difference in the relationship we have now.  And, I'm both happy and proud of that.  It was hard.

Everybody have a great week!  Stay home and sew if you can.  Stay well and avoid large crowds. 

Lane