Ahem.

So, I officially suck as a blogger lately....sigh.  Especially since having my daughter, summers always seem to get away from me!  There are always family things to do on the weekends, and weeknights are taken up with cooking, laundry, and trying to keep our house from looking like a total disaster (and I don't always succeed at that).   I'm still working on Just Nan's "Wings," and also a small Joan Walsh Anglund letter (A) for a niece who was born in April.  I try to get in a few stitches when I can, but progress - on anything - is painfully slow.  I do have to work tomorrow night, so I'll try to remember to take some pictures and write an update then.
Oh, and Muriel has selected her next stop - Canada!  Kathy over at Kathy's Sit and Stitch will be her hostess (if you are still willing, Kathy?  Send me an email with your address!).  Muriel thought your stitching progress was far superior to mine, although she was moderately suspicious of your infrequent posting.  I assured her you were probably just busy, as I am...  I will say, if you are looking for help reviving your blog, Muriel is HAPPY to serve as taskmaster!
Finally, I can share one pic of a project I completed - although not a stitching project, it is indirectly related.  You see, our library is undergoing a massive renovation/construction project.  In fact, right now our building has been completely gutted and we are relocated to a classroom for the summer!  So as the building was emptied, many decisions had to be made about old furniture and other materials.  And here is what I brought home, now full of stitchy supplies....

Madame Muriel, Moving On

Hello friends.  Muriel here, and I am NOT HAPPY.  It would seem that my hostess has forgotten about me!  Evidently she went to a stitching retreat last weekend and did not take me.  Really!  What gall.  She drags me all around the state of Massachusetts with nary a piece of needlework in sight, and then leaves me at home while she spends a weekend stitching and shopping.  Hmph.
On that note, I believe I am ready to leave.  My things are mostly packed, I just need a destination.  So far I've sojourned in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Zealand, England, Arizona, Italy, and of course my latest stop here in upstate New York.  (You can get more details about all of my travels here.)  Leave a comment on this post as to why I should visit you, and I will choose the most appealing location!

(Erin back now) I'm taking the keyboard away from Muriel briefly so I can show you
1) my finished Rosewood Manor piece.

The Emerson quote really DOES show better than the picture shows...silly flash.  :(

And 2) my Just Nan peacocks, now finished as a no-sew cube.

Muriel: Oh yes, I DID get her to do some finishing!

Muriel gets cabin fever

Greetings, friends.  Muriel here, checking in while my hostess is laid up with her arm in a sling....silly woman.  While I've not really investigated any of the martial arts (it doesn't seem proper for a woman my age to be flashing her bloomers!), it would seem that if you are put in an uncomfortable position, it would be wise to admit defeat rather than struggle.  Hmph.  Ah well, my hostess can't do much stitching or typing, so the computer and the stitching chair are all mine for a bit!

Last weekend my hostess visited her grandmother to celebrate the dear lady's 100th birthday.  I did not attend, as Grandmother is easily confused and would probably not understand my globe-trotting ways.  But here is a lovely picture of my hostess and her family.

Because Grandmother is now in a skilled nursing facility, my hostess' uncles cleaned out her small apartment.  They brought some things to the party for family to take, and my hostess got a couple of the baby/lap quilts that Grandma had made back when she could still do such projects.  Evidently she made a bunch "to have on hand" for future great/great-great grandchildren!

I thought this one offered me great camoflauge.

I also thought it  made a lovely backdrop for
my hostess' pre-injury progress on the "Dare to Begin" sampler.

After the thaw here last week, it looks like winter is once again settling in.  While my hostess can't do too much stitching (she DID get a small Just Nan design in a hoop on her lap frame, though), she is somewhat smug about the fact that she can't shovel snow, either.

 

Don't mind me, I shall just sit here and stitch and dream of warmer climes!  Until next time...

Muriel Returns!

Greetings, all!  And a Merry Christmas and (impending) Happy New Year to you all!
My hostess has been quite remiss in posting our adventures.  Rest assured that I HAVE been having a lovely holiday here in upstate New York.  The weather has been a bit odd - can you believe it was 65 last week?!? - and I was bit disappointed at the lack of snow.  Evidently it really is the "bleak MIDwinter" around here, and not so much white Christmases.  Ah well.  My hostess' husband's family has been out to visit from the state of Iowa, and they say it is much colder out there.  I've not been to this Iowa place, and think I would prefer not to visit until at least the spring...

Much of the holiday season in this house has revolved around the Small Person.  She is rather agreeable - as Small Persons go - and I do believe she had a good time.  Under my supervision, my hostess finished this, the Small Person's annual stitched ornament:

(I suggested the broken jewelry chain she used as a hanger.  Doesn't it look authentic?)

The Small Person also received many gifts.  My favorite was this dollhouse - I had hoped at first that it was for me, but after seeing how the Small Person "plays" with it, I think I'm happier watching from afar.

I have also encouraged my hostess to work on the Labyrinth.

With any luck, I think she may finish this before the New Year!  (Or at the very least, before the end of January.)
And I posed with her - very full! - ort jar.

She has plied me with a seemingly endless stream of goodies...if I'm not careful, I may not fit in my travel pod for the next leg of my journey...

My hostess tells me we are to return to her parents' home for another visit this weekend.  I'm curious to experience more holiday festivities, and will report back in here in a more timely fashion!

Angry Muriel

Well.  I'm quite annoyed with my hostess right now, friends, and I think it might be time for me to move on soon.  Remember that renaissance faire she promised me?  We DID go....but thanks to a change in plans, I was left in the car all day!!!  Hmph.  (Hostess: The original plan was to put Muriel in her travel pod in my purse, and then use the wagon to tote both my purse and Wee One around for the day...Wee One quickly abandoned the wagon, it became a huge hassle to pull around , and DH took it back to the car.  With my purse.  My apologies!)  She claimed I did not fit in her little belt pouch, so I am sadly missing from pictures like this one.

Ah well.  Perhaps my next host will be more considerate.

On to other topics.  I noticed that several of  you asked for pictures of the stash my hostess brought home, and I am happy to report that I WAS able to procure these for you.  

First, a couple of pattern books from the 1980s, including the Gerda Bengtsson one she mentioned in a previous post.

A huge bellpull depicting some sort of nautical history, a magazine, and 2 packets of pattern sheets that reminded me and my hostess of the patterns on the Tante Zolder blog site.

My favorite pages from the magazine.  I can't decide...the little mushrooms that match my attire, or the lovely blue wildflowers on the left-side middle of the right page?

And finally, I took it upon myself to prod my hostess into starting the annual ornament for her daughter.  I like this - I think I match it nicely.

This is the Carriage House Samplings "Toy Shop Sign" from the 2007 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue.  My hostess is stitching it on 32-ct. linen -- she didn't have the 36-ct. used for the model, and she is substituting all the flosses as well.  She does that a lot.....

Muriel's Weekend Update

Greetings, friends.  Did you think I'd forgotten about you?  No, no...although I have been a bit of a homebody since returning from Cape Cod.  My hostess is kept quite busy with work and parenting, although we have spent several happy evenings stitching together.

This past weekend we had some adventures - on Saturday we visited the Corning Museum of Glass.  They have a lovely current exhibit all about glass beads...I very much wanted to be photographed with some of these exquisite pieces, but my hostess said this was not allowed.  Hmph.  (She also informed me that I could not have a bead or 2 for my needlework.  I told her I only wanted ONE, surely no one would begrudge me that, but she just sighed and put me back in her purse at that point.)  However, I was able to pose with some of the unique glass pumpkins at the "glass farmer's market."

We didn't spend too much time here, as the child was with us and my hostess was very pre-occupied with not allowing her to touch things.  I thought she was quite well-behaved for a 3 year old, wanting only to "pet" the colorful little gourds, but nonetheless, we traveled on.

On Sunday we went to my hostess's parent's home, so the Little One could spend some time with the family and play with her cousin.  We rode up into the woods on a 6-wheeled motorized contraption - it was VERY loud, and not an experience I'd like to repeat! - to visit a cabin her father built there.  Here is the Little One, sitting on the porch swing -

And here is the view from the top of the hill.  Quite impressive.

My hostess said it was too bad the day was a bit gray and misty, as we couldn't see the remaining fall colors.

After that rather rustic experience, my hostess felt my visit wouldn't be complete without a stop to feed the chickens.

I found them to be rather rude creatures!!  With their beady little eyes and pointy beaks, I think I'll do my best to avoid them in the future.

So, my hostess tells me that sometime before the end of the month we may be visiting a renaissance faire.  I am not sure what this entails, but I am hopeful that I might find a new dress there - I've always been a fan of embroidered brocade bodices, and this red dress is beginning to feel a bit....tired....

More news later, friends.

Muriel

Our last day on the Cape

Sunday was our last day in Massachusetts.  Due to a camera malfunction the day before, my hostess spent the morning stitching in her hotel room before heading to the mall in hopes of getting her device repaired by something called the "Geek Squad."  She was unsuccessful, and left the store quite angry!  As a result we drove to several electronics stores, in hopes of finding a new camera that suited her.  It took a good piece of our late morning/early afternoon, but she eventually prevailed.  At that time we were in Orleans, MA, and she decided to stop and see the historic Jonathan Young Windmilll (since we were there).

New camera in hand, my hostess then made another impulsive decision and headed north to visit the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, MA.  I swear, this woman spends entirely too much time in the car!

The gardens were quite lovely, though.   I relaxed in a gorgeous patch of asters and hyssop...

...and under the trellis arch in the hydrangea garden.

Can you find me?

Here I am!

The museums included an display of concept cars, American folk art, and a working 1908 carousel.  My hostess rode the carousel, and had such fun doing so that she forgot to include me.  Hmph.

Selfish woman.

In the "Cities of Tomorrow" workshop, I got to sit in a terribly UN-comfortable chair made of recycled street signs.

And outside the showroom of concept cars, I found this garden gate designed like the grate from a Model-T Ford.  Ah, memories!!

My hostess spent the better part of several hours simply wandering around the gardens, commenting on how lovely it smelled and how it was a lovely place to "get lost in."  WHAT?!?!?  Did she say LOST?!?!?  Oh dear.

At least I was able to locate a domicile of sorts...although who knows what sort of creatures might have lived in here prior to my arrival.

So...hungry....

Hostess note: Muriel, stop that!!!  We are NOT lost in the woods, and there is no need for you to be eating mysterious mushrooms.  You are such a drama queen.

Ahem.  Well anyway.  We left the gardens before dinner, and went to pick up my hostess' husband from his last conference session.  Then they went to watch a sunset on the beach together - I was not invited. 

Muriel goes to the beach

Muriel here, checking in on Day 3 in Cape Cod.  Today we spent part of the morning at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum.  It was a rather small place, but interesting nonetheless.  After seeing the Mayflower II yesterday, I was thrilled to stumble upon a boat more my size!

I also added my name to their guestbook.

My hostess then decided to spend some more time shopping.  Based on the fact that it smelled like we were trapped between a pumpkin pie factory and a Tahitian whorehouse, I can only assume she went to a candle store of some kind...  I think she also went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and a bookstore, hunting in vain for the latest Christmas ornament issue from Just Cross Stitch.  (I don't know WHY, the woman certainly has enough patterns in her stash already.)

Then it was off to find a beach!  We had stopped by a lighthouse earlier, on our way back from Provincetown...

...but there was no beach access here.  This is the Highland Light, the oldest and tallest lighthouse on the Cape.  We didn't go inside, as we didn't have the time to wait for the next tour spot, but it was quite striking from the outside as well!

Soon enough we ended up in Chatham (where there is another lighthouse).  My hostess located parking right next to the beach  - although the sign said there was a 30 minute time-limit, she decide that the "9 am-5pm" meant we were fine since it was just after 5 by the time we arrived.  I relaxed in the sand...

...although this sign made me question the wisdom of anyone who would EVER swim in the ocean.

It was lovely out there, although I eventually asked my hostess to put me back in my pod to watch the rest of the sunset, because I didn't like the looks of this fellow.

Birds are not to be trusted.

First Provincetown, now Plymouth

I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking, agreeing to go on this trip with my hostess.  She certainly has more energy than I!  But I shall persevere. 

After spending our first day in Cape Cod in Provincetown, my hostess got a wild hair and decided to track down a needlework shop.  What a splendid idea, I thought - a quiet afternoon of tea and stitching is just what I need!  However, the next morning it was raining, and my hostess wasn't wild about driving far in nasty weather, so we visited the Cape Cod Community College library instead.  My hostess said this was a bit of "professional exploration" for her, as she works at a community college library herself.  She seems to be keeping most of her opinions about the facility to herself, but she and I both enjoyed this quaint winding stair between the second and third floors...

The weather had cleared when we left the library, so my hostess said we would head for Plymouth, MA.  Evidently there is a shop there called "The Sampler."  Ah, a good, solid name for a store -- no cutesy play on words!  I like it.
Sadly, it was closed.  The nice ladies in the tourist information stand couldn't tell us why.

But, having driven from Hyannis to Plymouth, my hostess was reluctant to simply leave, and said we would "make the best of the day."  The weather had changed for the better, so she decided we would walk around (rather aimlessly, I thought) and see the sights.

We started out down by the harbor, where the Mayflower II is docked.

These bollards are HUGE!  I was intrigued by the fibers in the ropes they use to tie the boats to them.

(My hostess informed that no, I cannot use these in my needlework.  Hmph.  I think she lacks creativity.)

Here I am, sitting on A Plymouth rock.  THE Plymouth rock is beneath a large granite portico, and one can only look down upon it while a park tour guide babbles on about it.  Again I say hmph.  Ah well, a rock is a rock, I say, and who can tell exactly which ones those Pilgrims might have touched?

Next, my hostess introduced me to a lovely Pilgrim lady.  She was part of a monument erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution to honor the female settlers of Plymouth.

I find these Pilgrims to be quite likeable.  Quiet, serious, practical....what is not to like?

This Native chap, on the other hand....

Evidently this is Massasoit, a sachem of the Wampanoag tribe who helped the Pilgrims find food and maintained peace between his people and the settlers during the Pequot War of 1636.  While I am led to understand that the native people of this area were a proud and noble tribe, I DO wish they wore more clothing.  I found his lack of proper pants a bit upsetting.

With more time to kill, my hostess wandered back into the town proper and poked her nose into a few shops.  She also made the hike up Burial Hill, to see some of the oldest tombstones in the country.  A bit morbid, if you ask me....

Finally, on our way back to the car, we stopped at the Pilgrim sarcophagus, a memorial to the 51 Pilgrims who died during the first winter at Plymouth.   It is at the top of Cole's Hill, overlooking the harbor and the site of the rock.

I was quite tired.

A teaser

Goodness, Cape Cod is not what I was expecting!  Evidently it is a part of the state of Massachusetts - about 7 hours from my hostess's home.  While her husband has been attending some sort of professional symposium, she and I have been free to explore.  First we headed out to Provincetown, on the far end of the Cape (also, I've learned that "Cape" is a geographic term, describing a piece of land that extends into the sea!).  My hostess got quite flustered with the town's layout and the parking situation, so she eventually parked over a mile from the downtown and we walked back in.  On our way, we came across this unexpected lovely place -

 

I'm not sure if you can read that placard, but it is essentially a tiny public garden between the homes on Commercial Street.  My hostess found this on the I Am Provincetown website:
"If you walk down Commercial Street in the east end of town you will come across a flower garden that takes up a whole building lot. There is no locked gate at its entrance, no sign warning those to keep out or claiming private property though it is not publicly owned. It is Suzanne's garden though not many people know it. An open space that all are welcome to walk through, sit in and enjoy quietly in their own time. No fee, no box requesting contributions because that's the way she enjoyed it and so it remains to this day."

After visiting the Whydah Pirate Museum (no photos allowed there...and besides, I find pirates thoroughly unlikeable!) and poking around in several little shops, we stopped briefly to rest under the shady gazebo on our way back to the car. 

 

We've journeyed as far as Plymouth, and have a few more days to adventure.  Thankfully, my hostess seems to have mastered the dreaded New England traffic roundabout!  I've seen lighthouses, sailing ships, and all manner of monuments and museums.  I'm getting tired!  I think my hostess is spending some downtime stitching while I post this....  There are also many more pictures of our travels, but she has been using her "real camera" and did not bring the cords to download to the laptop (I don't really know what that means, it is just what she told me).  More later.

Some more time with Muriel

Hello again.  I believe I have rested sufficiently and am ready for the impending road trip with my current hostess....however, as time passes I become more and more convinced that she is somewhat unhinged.  She comes home from work, plays with and cares for the Girl-Child, and then once the child is tucked into bed, she stitches.  Then she speaks of how much work there is to do around the house, mumbles about laundry and packing, wonders about reservations for boarding the dog!  And finally, last night when I thought that she might begin her packing and cleaning, she went to Target to buy little gifts for the Girl-Child to open at grandmother's house!  I do not understand this parenting/life model.  The woman really needs to learn how to set better priorities.

No matter.  As I mentioned before, I have dusted the guest room, and am now exploring a bit.  First, I met Miss Caroline, a fine lady rather like myself.  Evidently she is waiting for my hostess to stitch her apron (despite the fact that my hostess spends more time stitching more than may be prudent, she finishes an amazingly small number of projects).  Her pod is somewhat roomier than mine, but I sense that she, too, would like to see more of the world.

Our visit was somewhat brief, but truth be told, I was relieved to get away.  My seat - a paperweight that belonged to my hostess' grandmother - was rather slippery, and Caroline has a tendency to roll her eyes a lot.  I'm not sure if she is bored, untrustworthy, or just wistful.

I have gathered that my hostess is a librarian, and the shelves lining the guest room confirm this.  Her collection is rather extensive, and seems to be composed primarily of fairy tales and fantasy novels.  At first I was hesitant to read any of these....after all, I AM a mature woman of no few years who enjoys following the literary adventures of a certain Dr. Kay Scarpetta....but I discovered that some these collections of "fairy tales for adults" are quite titillating!

 

I must admit I've read through several so far.  Here you can see me with some of my favorites....

Those Irish....they really are quite wild!  And Good Omens left me exhausted from laughing so hard.

Well, that is all for now.  My hostess tells me we will be leaving soon - I guess whether she is packed or not! - so I am not sure when I will post again.  But rest assured that I shall take copious notes and photographs to share later.