Independence Day on the Homestead

I find it interesting that the one year when we're allowed to light mortars and Roman candles, none of us decides to really take advantage of it. I thought for sure someone would beg me to stop off at Moapa Tribal Enterprises on my way up to Cedar and load up on the big guns, but I had no requests! Are we all getting old and stodgy, or did legalization eliminate all the thrill?

I still had a great 4th of July in Cedar/St. George. I drove up Friday night and stayed at Grandma's house, then Mom and Dad met me at the temple in the morning. Actually, I met them because I was the later to arrive. Who knew the temple would be so hard to find?!? I swear they moved it south and east since the last time I was down there! I went to Tabernacle and Main, fully expecting it to be somewhere near the center block, but it was nowhere to be found. After driving around for 10 minutes in a panic, I finally got back up on the Boulevard where I had a better vantage point over the trees. Fortunately, Mom and Dad had brought some family names that needed initiatory work done, so my tardiness didn't force us to wait another hour for an endowment session to begin. I hadn't done them since my own, and it was a very special experience. If you're interested in doing more, Mom and Dad have another set ready to go.

We had lunch at Paula's with Grandma and Aunt Lois, then we went home to Cedar so Mom and I could get to work on Aunt Barbara's quilt. Have you heard this story? Apparently Barbara started this quilt in 1955. It was an applique kit that she bought when she was first married. It took her 30 years to finish the applique, and another 20+ to get it quilted. Talk about your lifetime project! Unfortunately over the years it's become horribly stained. Mom tried everything, but those rust marks have probably had decades to set. But Barbara is determined to have an actual usable blanket out of this thing before she dies, so Mom's quilting it anyway. My mission was to help her get it on the quilting frames so it could be hand quilted in an elaborate pattern which is printed on the fabric (also indelibly, based on how many times Mom washed it to try to get the rust out). The backing fabric is actually a set of sheets, but it looks like Barbara cut out pieces from the flat sheet to do the applique, so it's not quite big enough now to make the back. Instead, she ripped out the seams on the fitted sheet and inserted squares to fill in the corners. We finally got the backing tacked down and the batting spread out, but when we were trying to stretch the top taut, we noticed some severe puckering from 3 seams in the fabric plus all the applique. So between the rust stains, blue quilting lines, pieced back, and permanent wrinkles, it's a rather unfortunate-looking piece. But I can certainly understand the sentimental attachment to something you've been hauling around for half your lifetime. In fact, having it out of her possession is causing Barbara a little separation anxiety! Once we finally started working on the actual sewing, I took a picture and emailed it to her just so she could be reassured that it is in process.

My project with Dad was to put the 40 tomato plants in the shed into the garden. Actually we all worked on that, and it wasn't too horrible. I remember absolutely hating gardening, but planting is much different than harvesting. For one thing, there aren't any bugs yet. It's only when the plants have grown into bushes that you get surprised with creepy crawlies out of nowhere. Plus there was the added incentive of the literal fruits of my labor. I remember the tomatoes from last year, and I'm eager for another bountiful harvest!

Sunday we went to church (and quilted), and then Monday we went to the parade. Grandma and Aunt Lois drove up, and Robert joined us. The parade was fun, but it would have been more fun with little kids. I don't know if it's just nostalgia, but it seems like the parades when we were kids were just better! More elaborate floats, more entries, more candy, etc. But it was still good fun, and the weather was perfect for it.

On the way to lunch, Mom saw a lady with a flat tire who she recognized as the mother of someone in her ward. Dad was on his way into town to meet us, so he and I helped her change her tire. Can you believe I'd never done it before or even seen it done? It was actually kind of fun! I got a trifle grimy, but service seemed like an appropriate way to celebrate the day. Then we all ate pizza, which also seemed like an appropriate way to celebrate the day.

So all in all, I had a rather old-fashioned holiday--sewing at a quilting bee, helping on the family farm, attending the town parade, and helping someone with an ox in the mire. Hope y'all can join us down on the homestead next time!