James' Train Quilt

I made this quilt  for our son James' 50th birthday on Dec. 8, 2006. He loves trains so I looked for train logos and other photos to put onto quilt squares. Each square has a special meaning for him. He picked out the items he wanted me to use for his quilt. He has taken several train trips and when we lived in Wayzata, MN the Burlington Northern train came by our house several times a day. It was comforting in the dark winter days when it would be snowing and you could see the light of the train coming down the track and hear the whistle blowing to greet James as they came by. In the summer he would sit on the hill behind the house and wave to the engineer. They always waved back and blew the whistle.

James is mentally challenged and lives at home with us. His hobbies are trains and watching baseball games and his baseball card collection.

Summery Greenery in our yard

With the rains we have had in July, our flowers and grass have started to grow. Have to cut the grass weekly. Our lawn is partly bermuda, bahia grass, and lots of assorted weeds.

I have signed up to take the Master Gardener classes beg. Aug. 29 for 10 weeks. I want to learn all about taking care of our yard; especially when and how to apply fertilizer and who to get rid of weeds. Jim cuts the grass and I am the flower gardener.

Good book to read

I recently read author Khaled Hosseini's 2nd novel, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and liked it even better than his first "The Kite Runner" ( which has been made into a movie and will be released Nov 2, 2007). Like The Kite Runner, this novel was also set in Afghanistan. But the 2nd novel centers on 2 women and the bond they formed to sustain them through their suffering.

You get so involved with Hosseini's characters and really care for them. It's hard to put his books down. These two books are on audio tapes with Hosseini reading "The Kite Runner". A lady reads the 2nd novel, and she is in the Kite Runner movie. I can't wait to see the movie.

I try to read a book a week. This week-end I read "Chicken Soup for a Mother's Soul" - a quick little book with lots of wisdom and advice and humor of course.
Nell

Warm Summer Day in LA (lower Alabama)

Nell, Jim and James, Jr in our front yard in Elba, AL on July 1st.
We wore our patriotic colors to church for a patriotic service.


Today I decided to start a blog and record memories and photos
for our grandchildren.