Kale2create’s Weblog

It’s neat to think that I am following a family tradition. I can’t say that there has been many generations of my family who have quilted, but I know all my aunts on my mom’s side love quilting and sewing so there’s something there for sure. Furthermore, I think I’m the only niece who sews!

My aunts say I’ve been bitten by the quilting bug. The women at the quilting store say so too. It’s the best bug bite I’ve ever had! Here’s pictures of my latest bug bite!

Surprisingly and not so surprisingly, my brother was honorably discharged from boot camp and the Navy yesterday.  They have him diagnosed as depressed and he’s too much of a liability because he has a heart condition (that is still not clear or understood completely).  So he’s coming home.  It’s an event that is filled with a mix of emotions.  On the one hand, I’m so grateful that he’s not being sent to Afghanistan or Iraq.  On the other hand, he really could have gained skills in the Navy.

More than that, it’s hard to see someone you love fall down so many times.  He didn’t even last a full week of boot camp which means he got the “tear down” portion of the training without the benefit of the “building up” portion that comes at the end.  It makes me sick to think of how he’s feeling right now.  How do you help someone who falls down so often and seems to have a hard time learning from his mistakes?  Not only does it make him feel stuck, it makes all of those who love him feel helpless.

I just finished my brother’s quilt that is designed per his request as John Deere and Star Trek. This was a very challenging quilt! Not because of the pattern (which was quite easy) but because I had to find some continuity between the two loves of his; John Deere and Star Trek. But I did it and I must say I think it looks great! He’s excited to have it to keep warm while away on which ever base he’s stationed on and what have you. I’m glad to be able to give him something warm and made with love for those nights when he’s sad or lonely (though he’d never admit to such emotions).

Kale holds a few meanings. As a life long vegetarian I have had my share of Kale. Also, Ka- and -le are the initials of my husband and I. We’re both creative, artistic, vegetarians so the name stuck. Our poor kids are going to be saddled with the name “baby kale” in utero.

It’s only been 5 months and 12 days since my mom died (not that I’m counting) and my brother left for the Navy boot camp yesterday. Sometimes, the grief is sort of overwhelming. But most of the time I am excited for my brother to embark on this adventure. He’s never left home (is 20 years old now) and I think this adventure will be quite a learning experience for him. The hope is that he will learn life lessons there that we (as a family) could never have taught him (you just can’t learn some things from family, no matter how often they try to tell you or show you). I’m scared that he will become less of who he is but perhaps that’s a sacrifice of growing up and hopefully it will be a good experience for him over all. I guess I’m just a little protective and hate the idea of him failing or being hurt.

The learning curve for both our family and him are steep the past few months, but as the Dalai Lama says, “The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in ones life. Through a difficult period you can learn; you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problems.” He’s so wise! And what my mom would have said at times like these, “This too shall pass.” Both words of wisdom that I hold onto when I am feeling overwhelmed.

This past weekend our dog Moki was staying with his “grandparents” and decided to go on an adventure through their 100 acres without telling anyone. We had never experienced problems with him wandering off before and he’s an old dog so not ambitious or fast. But with his age, he’s become more stubborn. Needless to say, he went missing at 9am and though we searched for him up and down hills, through sticker bushes and stinging needle, he was not responding. Finally, at 6pm, we gave up and decided to have some dinner and a stiff drink! Low and behold, who should saunter up just at dinner time? Moki!!!! I couldn’t decide if I was happy to see him or as mad as I have ever felt! I now feel I have a better grasp on what it might be like to be a parent… the joys and pains and frustrations and all. We’re so glad to have him back but we are making sure he realizes his sore muscles (from being gone for 9 hours) are simply a product of not listening very well and wandering farther than he should have. Sigh…

I’ve just finished a hand-quilted heart piece (my first ever hand quilting practice piece) and am starting on my first sampler quilt with a flannel backing and wool batting. It’s a bit challenging because of the thickness of the materials I’ve chosen but it’s been a lot of fun. I love the calming affect it has on my head, especially after hours of swimming through statistics!

I had a mid-term today, which determines 75% of my grade, and I didn’t do great but I did good enough to pass the class (and now I have to take session 2). But the nice thing was that I was able to use the hand quilting as a way to keep from getting too anxious before the test (not that it probably made any difference since I still did pretty poorly). But it’s done now and I’m back to studying math and health until part II of Statistics begins.

In the mean time, I hope to get back to quilting… such a juggling act!