Saturday, August 22, 2009

Interesting Times

"May you live in interesting times." This quote accurately describes the past week. In my case, it was not quite the curse it is intended to be, but this past week has most certainly been "interesting".

The week started with a five hour drive to Virginia to deliver my daughter's things to her at UVA. She'd gone to Virginia the week before, but since she was a guest and a passenger in someone's car, she couldn't take everything she needed. It was my job to load up my car and schlep her stuff on Monday. I left at 4:00 AM and I still managed to get stuck in the morass that is I-95/Baltimore/DC traffic. After unloading the car, I checked-in at the hotel and, thanks to a hotel error, I walked into a room that was already occupied. The occupants were not in the room, but it was disturbing to think about the embarrassment and discomfort that could have happened if they'd been in the room. The high point of the day was meeting Linda, the Danville Girl, at Les Fabriques in Charlottesville. I love it when I get to meet the real people behind the blogs. We only had time for a quick visit, as Linda had to return to work. Linda bought a beautiful piece of unusual fabric I can't begin to describe! I hope she does a "show and tell" soon. I bought the less spectacular fabric pictured above for a blouse.

My daughter is living off campus this year, so she has a little more freedom in decorating her living space. By the time I arrived, she already painted her room and the bathroom. She wanted a beach theme for the bathroom, blue ( to represent the sky and ocean) and tan (to represent beach sand) being the featured colors. We shopped in every store along Route 29 (in 90ยบ + heat) before finding an appropriate shower curtain. Luckily, all I've been asked to sew are curtains. In keeping with the beach theme, I was able to use my one and only stencil to couch a wave pattern on the curtains. DD has no plans for the kitchen curtains. We have totally different tastes and I'm a little reluctant to select fabric without her pre-approval.

My daughter returned to PA with me on Wednesday. One of her good friends was killed in a tragic accident and DD wanted to attend the funeral. It was a very difficult time for her. It was so sad to attend the funeral of a 19 year old, who died as the result of a dreadful, yet avoidable, accident. Let this tragedy be a lesson: Please stay focused when driving. It takes only a second for a catastrophe to happen.

Needless to say, I haven't been sewing much in the past week and sewing is not in my immediate future. I have to deal with two major mojo squashers – housework and "Back-to-School/Work" –before I get to relax and unwind in the sewing room. I want to get the housework done early in the week so I can end the summer doing what relaxes and renews me.

4 comments:

  1. The NY Times just did a big series on texting and driving and how it can be worse than drinking and driving. So scary and sad.

    You have been a busy bee. I can see how getting kids settled at college can be a big time-sucker.

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  2. Your story also made me think of the Times article, these preventable tragedies are always the hardest.
    I like your fabric. It's a great color for you.

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  3. My friend, leaving even @ 4:00 a.m. from Philly heading "south" is horrendous!--still too late cause you'll still be BUMRUSHED with rush hour traffic in Springfield (AKA The Mixing Bowl), Woodbridge, Manassas, Fredericksburg--forget it!! And let's not forget those potential beach goers near I-64!

    We had a 21 year old cousin pass in an accident in my area (you know I'm in the DC area) and it was very sad. Glad to hear your daughter is off to a good, safe start. We can never be too careful.

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