Dear Liza

Another Map Quilt?

Dear Liza,

You know I love maps, and I love quilts. So, over the years, I’ve made a few quilted maps. When you were little, I made this map of our old neighborhood in Salinas. There are a lot of people and places I love on that map!

And now, being slightly obsessed with France, I am planning a hexagonal shaped quilt. It’s an interesting idea, since the shape of that country is sort of hexagonal, and even is nicknamed “L’Hexagone” because of its six-sided outline.

A few years back I made a folding paper map of France, and it was hexagonal. I really liked it, but didn’t know what to do next. Now I’ve figured it out.

But first, I had to make a good sized hexagonal pattern from newspaper. I don’t want this quilt to be bed sized, but maybe lap-sized. It’s mostly an art project.

I got the length ratios from your Daddy David and the proper angles from Auntie Bridgett, and cut my newspaper pattern 92 cm across, about three feet.

I have chosen my color palette from a website called color palettes.net. This photograph was taken by Svitlana. They aren’t typical map colors, and I like that. Now I need to hunt for these colors in suitable fabrics so I can get started.

I will keep you posted as I go along.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Garden Update July 2024

Dear Liza,

My veggie garden grew like crazy while we were visiting you! Auntie Bridgett kept it watered and weeded and Mother Nature did the rest.

Laverne and Shirley, our dahlias, are as tall as I am and have a couple dozen blooms. The bright yellow blossoms are fat and ruffled and almost as big as our dinner plates. I cut some to decorate our table and left some others for the bees.

And speaking of bees, they have been busy pollinating my zucchinis! We picked one, cooked and ate it before I remembered to take a picture of it. But I did paint a picture of the dinner for my garden journal! The corn on the cob was from the Hollywood farmer’s market and the chicken meatballs were from Trader Joe’s.
Yummy!

And last but not least, my tomatoes are beginning to think about, maybe, someday, getting ripe soon. The Chocolate Cherry tomato plant is slowly getting red!

And that’s all the news from my plot at the Blair Community Gardrn.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Farewell Dear Mousie

Dear Liza,

*This letter is about a sad time. I have included photos from happy times.*

Our sweet cat, Mouse, died July 3rd. Grandpa Nelson and I were away visiting family, and Auntie Bridgett was home caring for her.

Mouse had been sick for a few months, and had gotten a diagnosis of Lymphoma last month. We knew she wasn’t feeling well. She was slower to get around, fussier at her food dish, and less eager for lap time.

And one day while we were gone, Auntie Bridgett knew it was time to let her go. Mouse had been sicker and not able to eat. Out of love and compassion for our dear fur friend, Auntie Bridgett called the Humane Society.

Before they arrived, she called us, and we got to see Mouse one more time. We all cried and said our last goodbyes to Mouse and sent our long-distance love and sympathy to Auntie Bridgett.

Marie was the kind lady they sent out. She met Mouse and saw how sick she was. While Auntie Bridgett held Mouse in her lap, Marie gave Mouse a sedative, and then the medicine that let her slide out of pain and into oblivion.

Marie snipped a bit of fur from Mouse’s back as a keepsake, and gently took her mortal remains away in a box. Auntie Bridgett had some very hard days for a while.

Grandpa Nelson and I got home a week later, and had our own hard time getting used to life without Mouse. No silly kitten waking us up by walking over our tummies; no paw ringing the bell to be let in or out of the balcony; no thieving kitten to hide our toast from. It is a less silly, less fun household, to be sure.

Farewell, sweet, silly Mouse. We will miss you.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Opening Night for Eris

Dear Liza,

Our new friend Tony Pepe and his new bar Eris had their opening night this past Friday. It was a very warm evening and we were looking for nice cold cocktails. We found them!

Auntie Bridgett had an Armagnac, I had a new creation called the Carmen Sutra, and Grandpa Nelson had a glass of red wine. Mine is the pretty pink one.

There was a lively crowd of happy people, including some of our neighbors, enjoying conversation, music, and Tony’s friendly staff; Cassius, Kyle, and Mitchell.

The decor of Eris really speaks to me.

Sigorney Weaver as Ripley (with her cat) keeps look out from over the bar; homages to Sir Terry Pratchett decorate what we will forever call OUR table, and Vigo from Ghostbusters II haunts the bathroom.

You gotta love a haunted bathroom!

The music was a bit loud for my taste, but I’m 68 and don’t generally care for loud music. I’m sure, as cocktail bars go, it was perfect.

As the summer wears on, I know we will be stopping by Eris for yummy wines and chilled cocktails, clever conversation and tasty snacks.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Bridgett and Gifty Kitty in the Mississippi

Dear Liza,

Now that I am back in Portland, I will address my letters to you. This past Saturday was the biggest street fair in the city, The Mississippi Street Fair. I helped Auntie Bridgett get her table set up in front of Gifty Kitty.

Gifty Kitty is a delightfully artsy, quirky shop run by Clody Cates, who is very artsy herself. She is also a powerhouse of energy!

The other tables in front of the store were run by Amelia Opie, who paints cats, and Rowen, who creates all sorts of cute characters.

Rowen really likes pink!

As the crowds started showing up, Bridgett started drawing, and several folks came by to ask about hiring her to draw their cats! She said yes, of course!

As it turned out, the heat of the day was too much for me, and Grandpa Nelson came and fetched me home. While I was grateful for the cool lay down, I was sorry to have missed seeing this: Clody in her beautiful cat costume! (Bridgett took this picture!)

Ain’t life fun?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Completed Travel Journal

Dear Liza,

Now that I’m back home in Portland, I can sit down and do the finishing touches on my Danish travel journal.

I had fun drawing, painting, and inking scenes from our trip. I know photographs are more accurate, but I like being able to give my own take on things.

There are lots of flowers, of course. Denmark in summer is glorious with wild flowers!

There are maps, too, like this one of our three day road trip around the Southern Archipelago.

And this one, of the ferry service in and out of Svenborg, copied from a board by the ferry landing. There are also drawings of the wonderful play area by the Egeskov Castle. I love my bouncing stick people!

The sewing project for Liza that was on my mind and in my hands found its way into the journal.

And you can tell I am getting braver with my drawing when I make an attempt at Liza. I certainly don’t want to botch the picture. But a photo from Elbaek Skov inspired me.

I can’t yet do justice to the beauty of the place or the girl, but I can stretch my limits and get better.

And that closes the book, so to speak, on my Denmark travel journal. Where will I go next? Stay tuned!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Bag for Liza

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

While traveling in Denmark, I had a hand-sewing project to keep me occupied when my tourist muscles were tired. I started sewing on it at the Portland airport.

Being stuck in waiting areas is less frustrating if I have something useful to DO. So this made me very happy, stitching bits together and feeling the fabric grow under my fingers.

As I worked, I realized the fabric was getting thick, almost feeling like canvas. Was this going to work? Or was I accidentally making a brick?

Once I was in Denmark and finishing up, Liza helped me find fabric for the lining and drawstring loops, in the form of a kitchen towel from Bilka, the buy-everything store. I managed to get everything sewn together and lined. Usually, I would do this part on the machine. But hand-stitched was the way to go.

The loose weave of the towel was challenging, and felt very bulky. My confidence was slipping.

But once I got it stitched and all together (even with the weird narrow opening), it was, indeed, a functional bag.

It has two different colors of drawstrings, one made of an orange shoelace and the other a stitched length of seam binding.

It is odd and quirky and Liza knows that, like her, there is nothing like it in the world.

I am glad that I got it done and was able to leave it in Denmark where it was intended to be.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Last Adventure in Denmark

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Our stay in Denmark is coming to an end, but there are still adventures to be had.

Liza’s favorite walk, for example, is along a particular stretch of the Horsens fjord called Elbaek Skov. It has an unusual sort of forest that could only exist in the protected environment of a fjord.

The huge trees that grow at the very edge of the water lean way out, looking for open sunlight. And since the waves in the fjord are almost nonexistent, the trees are not damaged or eroded, but just keep leaning and growing.

Like so any of the beautiful places in Denmark, this area amazingly accessible. A small parking lot leads to a gravelled path, which runs parallel to the shore. Without the sound of crashing waves you would expect, the feeling of peace and tranquility seeps slowly into your bones and when you are done walking, you feel better than you did when you went in.

We walked until we were halfway tired (as my Dad would say), then headed back home for lunch and more chat.

I know I have to go home soon, but I am sure going to miss these lovely people and this pretty country.

Love,

Grandma Judy

To Aarhus

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

Except for Copenhagen, cities in Denmark are pretty small compared to those in the United Sates. Aarhus, just north of Horsens, (the little heart on this map) has a population of 295,000 and is the second biggest city in the country. But since it is also on the other side of the country from the capital, Aarhus also functions as a sort of regional federal office.

We saw this clearly at Dokk1, a combination civic building and library on the old harbor in Aarhus.

It has dozens of offices where folks go for citizenship, immigration, and other business with the government, which saves folks a several-hour long trip across to Copenhagen. And, since this sort of procedure can take a long time, there was a delightful cafe with lunches, fruit, drinks, and sweet treats.

Out on the wide, sunny terraces, creative play areas kept young ones from getting restless and provided me with one of my favorite soundtracks: the laughter of happy children.

The Library was not a silence-shrouded collection of books, but a lively, light-filled collection that shares space with Lego trays, art supply bins, and broad areas for playing “Book Ping Pong” and “Book Dominos”. All this works because of the Danish sensibility of group responsibility and looking out for others.

Nothing was being broken just to break it. No one was yelling just to be loud. This place belongs to everyone, so no one wants to spoil it. It was civilized and delightful.

We walked and looked until we were worn out, and then headed home.

Tomorrow is another day with more adventures!

Love,

Grandma Judy

H. C. Andersen’s Story

Dear Jasper and Kestrel,

After we said goodbye to the Vikings, we crossed the Storebaeltbro (Great Belt Bridge) and headed into Odense, on the island of Fyn. This is the birthplace of one of the world’s great storytellers, Hans Christian Andersen.

The museum is housed in a very modern building, with a flower-covered roof and high tech displays explaining Mr. Andersen’s life and works.

The displays, one good-sized room for each story, are interactive and very fun. Liza got involved and all of them! My favorite was the story of a very choosy princess, (I couldn’t find the name!), which got Liza’s competitive impulses going. She kept going back to try and win approval of the very unpleasant princess.

The exhibits were designed by 25 different artists, so each one has a distinct feel.

The interactive nature of the exhibits even got Auntie Olga dancing!

I was pleased to see that Auntie Bridgett’s favorite story, The Ugly Duckling, was also Mr. Andersen’s favorite. He said, “It is my story. It is the story of many of us, who are born into a world which will not have us.”

It was a spectacular, exhausting visit!

Love,

Grandma Judy