An AMAZING Day - a Quilt and a Cat

Today Mom and I went to one of many Christmas craft shows she found in the newspaper. This one was at the Sterrett Center at the former Ft. Benjamin Harrison on the east side of Indianapolis. After going through the show and having lunch (served by the church sponsoring the show) we were just about to leave when we noticed some small quilts that were completely handmade. It was the highlight of the show.

We chatted with the quilter, telling her how much we admired her work and headed for the door as the show was ending.

After I helped Mom with her coat, she hesitated and mentioned the quilt again. So we turned around and went back and Mom bought the exquisite little quilt for herself for $25. This is Mom with Nellie, who made this beautiful completely hand sewn quilt. Not one stitch was done by machine.

When I took Mom home, I changed her clocks....and this is where the day got even more interesting. It wasn't until later that I realized that (for some odd reason) I had moved her clocks ahead instead of back! I called my next door neighbor to see if she had picked up a cat she told me about that she was trying to find a home for. As it turns out, Sally had just picked up the homeless kitty from her parents and as at the pet store on the corner getting cat supplies! So, since I had to go back to Mom's to fix her clocks anyway, Sally and I ended up at Mom's to show Mom the kitty. Well, this cat is amazing. It immediately went straight to Mom. In minutes it was curled up right next to her.

I asked Sally if this was a cat or an angel!

She seemed to know exactly what she was needed to do.

Mom said Sally should take the kitty home and see how she gets along with Sally's dog, Peeve. At the very least Sally will have a ready and willing cat sitter on call at all times. (Sally travels quite a bit during mountain bike racing season.)

Mom followed us all the way downstairs to the front door. I've never seen her so happy.

Our old friend Charlie invited us over to the new senior community down the street that he and his wife moved to for a Halloween family buffet. Charlie showed us their apartment and gave us a tour.

We had a good time.

And had entertainment to boot.

Randy Ollis, A Quilt Show, and Ellen's article

Friday was one fun-filled day for us! We got to meet Randy Ollis, our favorite TV weatherman from WISH-TV Channel 8 in Indianapolis, who spoke at Summer Trace.

He was a great speaker and we enjoyed all of his stories. Here's Mom and I with Randy.

Here's Randy with the Activities Staff at Summer Trace: Joan, Amy (who arranged for his visit) and Kelly.

After meeting Randy Ollis, Mom and I went to a Quilt Show at Westfield Middle School put on by the Quilters Guild of Indianapolis. We got to visit with our friend, Kathy Springer, who works for Quilt Quarters. Mom was amazed at the quilting machines but sad that hand quilting is becoming rare. As we browsed the exhibit, we hunted for hand quilted pieces.

We stopped at Quilt Quarters on the way home to pick up Ellen Anne Eddy's quilt on display there. The owner, Terri, showed me the new Quilter's magazine that has Ellen's name on front cover and an article about her work inside! Great timing!




When we got back to Summer Trace and checked Mom's mail, she had a card from her granddaughter Jan, which she couldn't open fast enough!

Mom loves getting mail from friends and family.

Gram Piano

One of Mom's favorite things to do is listen to a neighbor's sister play the piano when she comes to visit. Tonight Mom and Peggy and I played cards just 'til 7:30 pm so we could go up and listen as she played many of their old favorites including hymns.

Just a few people on the 4th floor gather for this and Mom seems to enjoy the small group setting.

And, of course, there was singing! Here's a video clip:

Phil came up and filmed this clip after he and Bob and Helen and Charlie finished their euchre game. Charlie has moved to another senior community down the street, so we pick him up and take him home so he can still play cards with us on Wednesdays. Mom told Charlie they miss him at Summer Trace. We are all pretty attached to Charlie. His wife, Mary Lou, is always happy to share him with us.

An Early Birthday Gift

One of Mom's greatest passions in life is knitting and crocheting. In spite of the impaired function of her right hand due to the stroke, Mom has absolutely refused to give on this! My sister-in-law, Cyndi, who shares this passion, found a special crochet hook for Mom with a wooden ball handle from Lion Brand Yarn. So Mom got an early gift for her 85th birthday which is November 25th.

Took some video clips so Chuck and Cyndi could watch her opening their gift:

Checking it out!

Cool - yes!

She starting using it immediately.

She was VERY excited about it.

I had to talk her into taking a break to go to dinner!

Aphasia Bingo

At the October Aphasia Support meeting group the Butler University speech students provided a seasonal bingo game. The stroke survivors enjoyed a very fun evening!

Took some short videos, too:

Click the arrow to play.

Enjoy!

I didn't get video of when they were all laughing.
But here are some smiles!

Potter's Bridge Festival 2009

Our first real autumn weekend. Phil drove Mom and I out to the Potter's Bridge Festival. Mom and I have gone every year since she moved here. Then we stopped at the Hamilton County Humane Society to look at kitties just for fun. Got Mom back home to watch a little TV before dinner. We just upgraded her cable so she gets the History and Discovery Channel, etc. While we were waiting for the cable guy yesterday, I started a crochet piece for her that she wants to work on. Ironic because she used to start them for me! (Starting them is the hardest part.)