When things are not as they seem...

When John's mother Alta bought a new sewing machine, she started with simple embroidery and, by nature, progressed beyond what the average seamstress would take on. Her first project was a large piece of white cotton (20" X 32") turned and hemmed with embroidered triangles in various colors. She made eight or ten for me for a Christmas present.

I enjoyed those table napkins so much. Especially men would comment on how much they appreciated the full-size napkins that actually covered the lap and stayed put. Her handiwork was so handy as a bib for babies and grown ups eating crab or artichokes dipped in butter or bar-b-que ribs. Obviously, they were saved for guests. And after each use, they were washed and ironed and put away for the next special occasion.

When my napkins were several years old, we went to California to visit our families. When helping Alta clean up after a meal, she handed me a cloth that looked all the world like my wonderful napkins. The only difference was that she did not iron hers. I was so surprised that she wanted me to use it as a drying rag. As it turns out, that was her intent all along. We had a good laugh together about my mistaking them as napkins.

I still have one "napkin" which I use as a dish cloth, but I caught myself this morning moving it to the bottom of the stack. After all, it is still my most special one.

In response to REAL readers

OKAY..OKAY. All right already! I need to prove to David that he is not adopted and let anyone interested know what I have been reading. Please keep in mind that I am awaiting cataract surgery and have been looking at the printed world through a magnifying glass. But I do read...just not as voraciously as some folks I know.


I have started Dorothy Gilman's Thale's Folly. A little novel I
picked up at the Friend's of the lIbrary sale recently

I reread Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. A gift from Geoffrey that I recently regifted to a special family.

In the most recent edition of Book Women publication, my friend Carol Copeland wrote an article called "Three Woman." The article tells how we met each other through Jessie Mather.

Quicken Personal Finances 2007 Manual...I don't want to talk about it.

Taste of Home Slow Cooker Classics...proving, once again, "If you don't have the ingredients, stay out of the kitchen." This was a "must have" Valentine's gift from my wonderful hubby.

Bible studies that are presently ongoing are "Through the Gospels in Real Time," "Proverbs," "Jude", and a lady's study guide that gave me whiplash turning back and forth from Old Testament to New. I am also reviewing my Freshman "Basic Bible Study Guide" seeking a good study. Any suggestions?

Talking Drums by Patty Slack is a magnificent novel, yet to be discovered. I was looking for flaws (some call that editing) so my reading was somewhat skewed. As you can imagine, there were precious few errors.

I am privileged to be typing Jeanne Stinson's Memoirs. Jeanne is a dear 80-something friend who lived in Africa during her early years and in (much) later years, resided in a boat house on the Columbia River.

As you can tell, my reading is not as eclectic as some in my family. If it is not obvious to acquaintances by now, I am a dabbler in everything