The Daffodils Last Longer This Way

Happy Earth Day! It's 43 degrees and cloudy in Shavertown today. Only sixteen degrees below average temperatures. Br-r-r. But the upside is that the daffodils are looking just great. And no, this isn't a photo of this year's daffodils. The yellow ones have started blooming but these have appeared yet. I pulled this picture from my files from my first spring here. It was obviously much warmer. I really don't feel like going out today and doing photos. But the ones in bloom are beautiful. The cold weather is like a refrigerated case for them. They last longer.

I'm not sure how much longer I will last though. It's been a cold spring. And our beloved bishop and his wife have announced they are moving as are my wonderful soprano and fellow Texan and her family. And my tenor is leaving in June. Woe is me!

It was sad remembering my nephew, Gordon, this week. And GL sent a picture of our newest grandbaby smiling yesterday. It's been a long spring knowing I haven't even met her yet. I will never get over missing my family while we live here.

My writing goes better some days and worse others. My brothers would be shocked to know I'm writing a book about a boy who loves baseball. I'm no expert, but I absorbed a lot about baseball growing up with two brothers who were both fans and players.

On other fronts, I'm doing ridiculously well selling 1980s fabric on eBay. Rainbow Brite, Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Who knew?  And I am cutting out an adorable pink plaid dress for granddaughter number three for her birthday. I'm enjoying having the best pattern collection in the area and am trying to sell it as fast as I can.

Even so, I welcome spring. I remember a very hot first Earth Day in Baton Rouge so many years ago. But  up here in PA, I have on a nice heavy sweater and central heat and can admire the beautiful daffodils  through my office window. And I keep a beautiful daffodil in a small vase on the dining room table.

Where to walk?

 So here's only a small part of a huge stash of patterns I bought last week. It was impossible to walk through the living room for days. I'm still working through them and so there are still boxes stacked high in the living room. (And let's not even mention the store pattern catalogues she gave me. I just sit and read the over and over. And yards and yards of vintage plisse and some silk shantung thrown in for good measure.) But hundreds of them have migrated into the office and a small handful have made it to the attic. An even smaller number have sold as I have had time to list them. The one box you can see into is the oldest box and it was full of 1920s, 1930s and 1940s patterns. Some of the most amazing things you can imagine. I am particularly fond of the mail order pattern for aprons for your bridge party.

You could make four aprons, one for each of the four suits in a playing card deck. It's in my shop right now for an exorbitant price. Right here! We'll see if anyone will pay it.

I also acquired a huge stash of 1980s fabrics. So far I've managed to auction off one of the Rainbow Brite doll panels, a Rainbow Brite Sprites panel, and several patterns from the above stash. Amazingly the Sprites sold for 53.00 and the American Girl doll tent and backpack pattern went for 70.00. Too bad I don't have a lot more of this stuff!

Michael has been doing some acquiring of his own. He had really been going through a slump and a down period and there's nothing like a vintage Studebaker pickup to pick up your spirits.  Happily for me, it doesn't live at my house. I haven't even met it yet. But Michael is thrilled and he goes to visit it every Saturday. Here's the photo:

In other news, I'm still working on my new novel and waiting to hear about the Louisiana one. Plus, I got my first newspaper byline last week. I've started working for the Times-Leader as a correspondent.  And it's birthday season in our family and that's keeping me busy too.

I guess if idle hands are the devil's workshop, I'm pretty safe for now. I've got my hands full.