Eventful day

Photographer: Manfred WernerGNU Free Documentation License

After Judy’s funeral and burial yesterday, several family members were heading for home on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. They were on the bridge at 5:30 pm when a crossbar and rods came loose. The incident was on the westbound deck, just east of the new S-curve.

Sylvia reported to me that Catherine, Rick and Susie did get caught in the tie-up but they were far enough on the bridge that they didn't have to turn around. They told her it took about half an hour longer than their normal trip.

News reports said, “An occupant of a Ryder Truck sustained a minor injury due to shattered glass from the fallen debris. No other injuries were reported.”

(There were 300 people at Judy's funeral.)

I want to move to Portland

Terry Grant posted some gorgeous fall pictures on her blog today. She called it “Annual autumn color.” Here is one picture:

Go visit her blog and enjoy the colors. I am going to savor them. Here is what we have here:

Our leaves just turn brown and fall down. So dull.
I love it here on the island the rest of the year, but Fall is not pretty.

Judy, Judy, Judy

We met riding the bus to high school in 1955. Judy was a loving, faithful friend and stuck with me all these years. My parents thought Judy was the best person I ever met. We were always at her house up the hill or my house further down Loma Vista. She backed me up and bucked me up when I did stupid things. I only remember her getting really mad at me one time, and I deserved it.
In 1964, I married her cousin Robert and became part of her wonderful family. My parents were right; she was the best person ever. She died this morning at 3:25.

Rooftop swimming pool

I was really worried this week because our gutters kept on dripping water for days after Tuesday’s torrential storm (October 13). We learned yesterday that we had a rooftop swimming pool. Well, wading pool, I guess, since it was “only” 4 inches deep.

A pool was an amenity we really didn’t want. Our friendly neighborhood roofing contractor, Bob Stone, came to our rescue and cleaned out our plugged up drainage system yesterday. The water squirting out after the openings were cleared was quite spectacular.

It was our own darned fault. We should have had the gutters cleared before the storm. Thank goodness we have a very sturdy and strong roof. Bob put a new roof on the house in February, 2008. It did not leak a drop with all that standing water in it for almost a week.

Our house has a flat roof behind a parapet and so if the drains are blocked it can fill up like a plugged bathtub.

Note to self: Keep the drains cleaned out at all times, not just the rainy season.

Put a sock in it

Continuing with my shoe series, I decided to do a 4-inch paper pieced sandal block. But it is too darn cold to wear sandals now. I’ve been known to wear socks with sandals in the winter. I swear the sandal-sock combination keeps my feet warmer than wearing boots.

My favorite textile teacher, Lydia Van Gelder, was well known for wearing wild hand-knitted socks with sandals. I guess I am emulating her.

If you want to make a 4-inch paper pieced sandal block, click on the graphic below for two foundations to print out for your personal use. You can put a bare foot in your sandal and save it for next spring.

When the power goes out

"The strongest October storm in 47 years is sweeping across the Bay Area today, forcing evacuations from Antioch to Santa Cruz, wreaking havoc on commuters and causing power outages to thousands," reported the San Jose Mercury News.

Let's get to work

There are nurses in our family.

The first one I know about was my grandmother Mabel Tracy. She graduated from nursing school in 1903. Robert’s aunt, Peg, was a nurse in the early 1960s and worked in Herrick’s emergency room in Berkeley. Peg went on to become a flying nurse in Alaska. Peg met Patsy at Herrick and we all adopted Patsy as an honorary cousin way back then. Peg’s daughter Lucy followed her mother’s footsteps and became a registered nurse, too. Catherine is our second cousin and she graduated from nursing school a few years ago.

I’m paying tribute to all the amazing nurses I know by doing a Nurse Shoe block-of-the-day.

If you would like to make a 4-inch paper pieced working shoe to honor some hardworking friend, click on the small graphic below. You will find foundations to print out for your own personal use.

Another person I see regularly is Wayne the UPS driver. He wears shorts all year round with beige socks, and he brings fabric and other goodies to my house. He is on his feet all day. So, here’s a 4-inch block for Wayne and other busy people.

Wayne’s shoe block is just the reverse of the nurse shoe. Click on the graphic below and it will take you to foundations to print out for a right-facing work shoe.

Every girl needs...

… red cowgirl boots.

I had the hat, the holster, the gun, the vest, and the fringed skirt. I was sure I had boots, too. But looking at the old photo below, I guess I was wrong. I remember my boots. They must have come along later.

I remember the day they had to cut one boot off my foot. I was at Jody Gompertz' house swinging on a huge swing that went out over a precipice. For some inexplicable reason I let go and fell into the canyon. Jody’s father was a doctor and when they carried me up to the house he had to cut the boot down one side to get it off my swollen foot.

If you need boots, you can make some 4-inch paper pieced ones. Click on the small graphic below and you will find foundations for making some. You can print out the foundations for your own personal use.

These boots are so much easier to make than the high heel shoes (and they are more comfortable). I posted this free pattern, called Baby Boots, on my patterns site back in 2000.

Goodie two shoes

I’m saying “goodie” because these two high heel shoe blocks are finished. They were not easy to do.

The gold shoe is the same 4-inch basic high heel shoe pattern, but I left out the leg and foot areas.

The lizard shoe was inspired because I have some lizard print fabric. I saw a picture of Michelle Obama wearing Jimmy Choo heels during her visit to the UK in April of this year. The actual Choo shoes are not real lizard skin, but are embossed patent leather. I reversed the high heel foundations pattern and left off the strap for a different look.

I improved the foundation pattern a little bit from the one I posted on September 29, 2009. So, if you wish to make some high heel shoes, click on the small graphic below and you will find the foundations to print out for your personal use.

I’m going to do an easy shoe for next time. High heels are tiring on the feet and in the sewing machine.