Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Do not attempt to adjust your screen

...this image is horribly out of focus. But I still think it is an awfully sweet picture. And it seems to say more about them than the other picture I took. This is my mom's twin sister Patsy and her husband Greg. Mom and I took a little road trip last weekend and had a very pleasant visit with them. I had a great time. My Aunt Patsy is a wonderful cook... I'm beginning to see a connection here between my wandering waistline and the inordinately large number of great cooks in my family... Oh I guess I'll just have to suffer through! She made a really delicious lunch of beans and cornbread with a fresh fruit salad and my oh my, brownie sundae for dessert!!! I think I just gained 5 pounds thinking about it!! She had the brilliant idea to make her brownies in these over-sized muffin tins- very pretty and super-thick so they were fudgy in the middle and chewy all the way around. I love a great brownie. And I'm thinking they would freeze very well. Aunt Patsy is a hospice nurse- she has a very serene kind of personality- quiet with a twinkle in her eye.

Uncle Greg... well, these are some of his latest quilt blocks.




Aren't they incredible? He does wonderful work. All hand pieced and these blocks are full of his hand-painted and stamped fabrics. The colors look a little deeper than they are, actually, but I think you get the idea. He says he has almost enough to start putting the top together. You should have seen the huge pile he has!! I asked if he knew how to make a quilt smaller than Georgia?! Apparently not! And, as he loves piecing, why should he settle for a small quilt? He says that the quilt is really incidental for him- he just loves the process. You see, Uncle Greg is, pretty much, confined to an easy chair or bed. He can't sit up like most folks and has to sit hunched over. And he endures intense pain- which seems to send him slowly rocking as he sweats it out as best he can. I think he has some pretty powerful dissociative abilities. But amazingly, I never heard him complain, but was wowed by his casual talk of how "the good Lord" was looking out for him. And Aunt Patsy and Uncle Greg were so sweet, they even offered to take us to their favorite quilt shop. It was a 40 mile drive and you could tell it really cost him, but he seemed so happy that we enjoyed it. They have a bed in the back of their van and I sat back there and enjoyed his company while he endured the bumps and curves without a bit of fuss. Aunt Patsy likes to sew and even made that cool batik shirt she has on- batik designed by a friend of theirs. We had a lovely visit- I think 2 years is too long to wait to see your sister. Evabeth was sad that I was leaving to go to Ohio, but when she discovered that I would be taking her Grandmother to see her sister that she hadn't seen in two years... well, she was alright with that!

9 comments:

Sarah said...

Ok, girlfriend! I stayed up till 11:30 - surfing on the laptop in bed. Hoping...hoping...hoping...that maybe you would post something! Yeah!
Uncle Greg's blocks are amazing!

Miss you!
Love, Sarah

ForestJane said...

That's really inspiring. I hope that as I get older, I can do it with such grace as these two seem to have done. And Greg's quilt blocks are amazing!

Tonya Ricucci said...

Wow, excellent work. Will-power, determination and the soothing effects of quilting...

Cher said...

amazing blocks...I guess those complicated piecing blocks really help him keep him focus off the pain-what beautiful work! You have a wonderful family Nines.

Rae said...

Yes 2 years is too long. For that same reason I convinced my 86 yr old aunt to come & visit my 93 yr old mother. My aunt arives Friday, June 2.
I love your uncle's blocks. They are fantastic. Hope you get to post the finished top.

Samantha said...

Uncle Greg's blocks are amazing!

Pamela (Peni) Teel said...

I like the fuzzy picture, too. Or am I must a bit misty over it's sweetness? Aren't they sweet!

Darcie said...

What a precious picture, Nines. Glad you shared that with us.

And Uncle Greg certainly is the proof that quilting heals...the mind, body, and the soul. God bless him!

Isobel said...

What a sweet pair. I am allowed to say this with conviction because this is my baby sister and I agree two years is too long between visits--that is why I intend to go back this summer again.