I know y'all are busy with HSTs, etc., but wanted to post this reminder for those interested in participating
in the Potholder Swap.
There is one week until the deadline of May 1 to send me an e-mail at

mailto:tqs.potholderswap@gmail.com

to let me know that you're in. I will then reply with a swap partner & that's when the fun begins!

Katiezquiltz wrote:
Katie, check here for some directions about uploading photos on the forum! It's easy and we love pictures!! [url]forum/forum-questions-and-suggestions/4275-tips-for-using-the-tqs-forum[/url]

Yippie skippie!!! I just walked into my home with my prize package. I have to do some bank work first and then the big reward and a photo - if I can figure out how to do that. Thank you Debbie, Clara and all the sorters.
Peace and light, Katie - Ashland, OR

Well not to turn our Sott forum into a "funniest pet stories"....but I have one too. We put in a doggie door for our cats and there were numerous events. Neighbors cat inside in the middle of the night and my cats howling at him. Made my hair stand on end. Chipmunk the cats brought in, live of course. Took some time to shoo him out. A couple of live mice. But the best was the day our little girl kitty proudly brought in a large Blue Jay and let it go. Suffice it to say I had a lively half hour before I captured it and got it out. Doggie doors for cats.....Not a good idea!
Love the squirrel stories.

Yeah! My HST's arrived today. I was hoping for yesterday but they didn't come. Today I was sitting in the living room and heard my husband enter the house and come up the stairs. Before I saw them I heard the "noise" of my envelope and said "They're here!" I'm looking forward to seeing the variety. THANK YOU, THANK YOU to ALL who worked on this exchange. It is the first exchange I've ever participated in.

WendyCPA wrote:
Dear Wendy;

That’s funny-The old Popsi-squirrel thing, eh? Goldens, ya gotta love em!!

Barbara
Bluffton, SC

Barbara - your story is price less! Dogs and squirrels are a winning combination for stories. Our goldens greeted my soon to be in-laws at the front door (on their first ever visit to my home) with a frozen squirrel - spread eagle with the tail sticking straight out. Our boy dog was overjoyed to have discovered Squirrel Popsicle in the yard and just had to share the news with his people. What a trip - my DH (then fiancée) had to chase him around the yard to get it away from him. It sure broke the ice with the new in-laws!
Happy Easter to all our sister and brother quilters!
Wendy

Loved the squirrel story! We had a baby squirrel in our garage years ago that my kids raised in a cage by the fireplace. Sometimes it would get out and chew on the picture frames on the shelves above it. There was also a pet raccoon once. It ended up in a cage outside and eventually learned how to open the door and disappeared one day. You probably don't want to hear about the snake. Anyway I'm not an animal lover - pictures and stuffed ones are okay and babies and those that keep their distance, so I had my share of adventures with them.

Kathy tell your mother I have 2 of hers, the name Marion caught my eye as it is my first name also and spelled the same way.

I have a story especially appropriate for this week. My eldest was 9 years old and both boys had taken off for the hills behind us on a very warm day. I was stirring candy as instructed for 5 minutes to make something special for Easter baskets when I heard a noise at the kitchen screen door. To my shock there he stood with one hand on a tail and one hand on a head. The snake was about 3 1/2 feet long. I let him in warning don't let go and ran for a book to identify it. Then I got the dog cage and managed to get the snake inside. It was a king snake and eventually ended up at his school for 2 years. Yes, I did finish the candy (fondant) and all was well except for the shock!

romira wrote:
Roseanne, I haven't seen a post on those extras that some of us did for those ladies who had tragedy in their lives. It could be that because we all labeled them in baggies for each of the three ladies, that they weren't counted, only sent on our behalf. Clara or Debbie would know about that. I'm sure we'll hear from them when they receive them. It should be such a surprise!

Hey, if you all are reading names on the HST's, just wanted you to know that my Mom made 24 HST's. They are labeled "Marion" from Simi Valley, CA. She turned 90 a few weeks ago and just learned to quilt about 6 years ago. She and I went through "our" returned triangles the day they arrived, calling out where they came from. She's so happy to think that there will be quilts all over the world with her HST's in them (as am I for mine ).
Barbara, love your squirrel story. You are a natural born story teller. The only thing that comes close in my life is the alligator lizard in my kitchen a few years ago, that the cat brought in.
Kathy

Okay Clare & fellow SoTTT here goes;

--Warning only read this if you are suffering from insomnia it is long-

I really didn’t want to bore you all to death! I was cooking in my little kitchen, barefoot and for some unk reason backed up felt fur under my foot. Thinking I had just stepped on one of my dog’s tails, as I have four of them, I quickly jumped; as they are so small I didn’t want to hurt one of them. We have a Mom, Dad, (i.e. brother/sister if you get my drift) & their two sons. Momma was only four months old & 3 lbs when she got pregnant. Whew, the vet gave us (bleep) for that one. She said, “You realize this is equivalent to a 13 year old girl getting pregnant?” I said she was too little to get fixed & I didn’t want to get my male fixed but that changed very quickly! Our Vet was so upset, I asked her if she wanted us to get counseling?? Anyway, just wanted to let you know how we ended up with four dogs, accident-poster children for spay & neuter your pets!!

Back to the story, so, being barefoot I could distinctly feel fur under my foot but when a yelp didn’t follow even I knew something was amiss. I had a wooden spoon in my hand & knew I was going to have to face whatever it was so I slowly turned around & my four dogs were all perfectly lined up sitting as if I was going to give them a treat; all focused on my face & at attention. So there was no way I stepped on any of their tails; I glanced to the right of them and there was a full grown squirrel laid out on its back; feet in the air, eyes shut, tail completely stretched straight out & I think I did what anyone would have done. I screamed, dropped the wooden spoon, started jumping up & down in the air, running around from room to room, totally panicking!! The dogs looked at me as if they totally didn’t understand at all because I am so calm about everything else all the time. I mean the whole family calls me up whenever they have emergencies on when to go to the hospital, if they should call an ambulance; I am not kidding! Really I am the best one to handle emergencies; I helped raise my nephew who is a physician, the whole family calls me Dr Barrett & even a lot of friends, you wouldn’t believe the amount of training & experience I have had but I won’t go there. It just caught me off guard & DH was not home & to boot we have a rabies problem in the South & squirrels carry rabies down here. Anyway, after about oh, five minutes (hah hah) later when I finally got too tired to carry on anymore, I finally got some gloves & picked the squirrel up tail first placing it gentle into a plastic bag, tied it up & then promptly threw; I mean threw the bag out the front door.

Never gave it another thought, it was out of the house, whew!! Well the next morning I went out that same door & out of the corner of my eye (having been trained in art of observation) I went hey, wait a minute, that bag has moved, so I walked over to the bag & looked closely to find a small hole had been chewed, I mean you could see the little chew marks. I guess the squirrel had woke up, with a lump on its head no doubt & found itself in a plastic bag at which time he/she tried to get out & determined he/she had to chew its way out which he/she did & escaped. I thought oh my gosh; was that squirrel playing possum in my house or did my dogs corner it and it ran into the house & knock itself out & they brought it in for dinner? I was late feeding them that night but geeze- I mean really!! So that’s the dog story, but I have many more!

Hey Clare, I just got a book back that was autographed by Professor Zipes, who translated Mother Earth & Her Children. I had written him & told him a true family story (we’re part German) & told him why (which is true) the book meant so much to me & asked him if I sent him the book he translated (that I had which was already autographed by the Quilt maker/illustrator-who had been on HHI for a Jinny Beyer conference I had attended) would he autograph it & send it back to me & he did!! Is that cool or what? He also wrote I was quite a storyteller which I was floored as I found out later he is considered having translated the best copy of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales into English. Wish I had a copy of that book!! He has translated over 50 Children’s book in his career.

I better stop now or I never will, my only solution is to come to Houston, Tx & meet you guys, maybe next year! You all have a great time, hear?


Bluffton, SC

Shirley35 wrote:
I also have my mother-in-law's and my sister-in-law's mother as well. Haven't looked at the video yet. Wound is too new. But I will. Love the program. I am working on 9 quilts to donate.
Clara

Quilton wrote:
How wonderful to have your mother's name on the Alzheimers quilt, what a special memory.

I got seven of your babies. Thanks!
Shirley35 Iowa