Tu-Na Travels: There’s No Place Like Home

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May 15, 2016

“This is getting hot enough!” my husband, Mark, declared early last week. He was referring to the 106° temps we experienced the day before in the Phoenix area. So we loaded up the car and headed north for Dakota to our other home: the “apple house” as my grandson calls it since we have an apple orchard.

A cold front beat us there. “It’s not cold. You just think it is,” Mark said as I checked the outside temperature as we pulled into the driveway. “46° is cold,” I informed him. In my defense, I was still dressed in capris, a short sleeve shirt, and Birkenstocks.The truth of the matter is that I’ve become acclimated to the warm temps found at our “orange house”: our Arizona house affectionately labeled by that same grandson since we have an orange tree in our yard.

This spring in Arizona we witnessed a large variety of cactus flowers come to life and then fade. As we drove out of town on our way north, we happened upon this 25 foot tall Saguaro with its crown heavily ladened with buds and blooms.

Saguaro 2016

I shall miss seeing the Saguaro cactus. Since I first set eyes upon them over 20 years ago, they have intrigued me: looking like sentinels standing and patiently waiting for their marching orders.

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The Sonoran Desert (Phoenix is located in the upper part of it) is the only place on earth where these giants can be found.

What I learned today:

  1. Home is where your heart is and where you keep your stuff: this stuff still gets mighty dusty when no one is around for 6 months.
  2. Dorothy∗ was right: there is no place like home.

∗in the Wizard of Oz

 

Tu-Na Quilts: My First Quilt

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Several years ago, I wrote the following story about the first quilt I ever made as an entry in a quilting magazine contest. Sadly, no picture exists of it; after you read the story you will know why.

My heart yearns for that which I no longer have.  I was sixteen when I made my first quilt.  Yarn tied in the center of each puffy blue or white square secured a nylon stocking.  Having begged nylons through a country magazine’s correspondence column; I received love letters, a proposal of marriage, necklaces, and a bounty of nylons.  I machine and hand stitched the squares together to resemble a heavy, warm biscuit quilt. I used that quilt for many years but due to its heaviness, it needed constant repair. Finally, I made the decision for its future.

 “Your old quilt sold first at the rummage sale,” my sister exclaimed thirty years ago as she handed me a dollar.  It seemed a fortune then for what is a priceless lost treasure today.

What I learned today:

  1. Think twice before acting.
  2. Even a good story doesn’t win.

P.S. I did not reply to that marriage proposal. But am happy to report that I have been  married for 41 years to a great guy who supports and encourages my creative passions. His favorite is my cooking/baking skill; probably because it is the least expensive and produces immediate results. I do not have any cooking UFOs laying around.

Tu-Na?

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April 22, 2016

The story behind Tu-Na originated last fall when I asked my five year old grandson, “What do you call me?” “Nana” he replied. I turned to my four year old grandson, seated across the table from him and asked  “What do you call me?” “Tutu” he replied. “So,” I asked, “What should the new baby call me?” as I pointed to my newest grandson being held by his mother. After a couple of seconds, my five year old grandson’s face brightened and he exclaimed “Tu-Na.” It was priceless!

While none of the boys call me Tu-Na as they each have their own names for me, the name is cute because of how it started. I wasn’t ready to be called grandma when the oldest was born so Nana seemed like a good idea. When the second grandson came along his mother didn’t want him calling me a name that is so close to banana that most kids say nana for anyway. Since my husband and I had just returned from a trip to Hawaii and learned that Tutu is Hawaiian for grandmother, that word seemed like a good idea.

This blog will be a document of my journey as Tu-Na and will feature the things I love. Although it will mostly feature my quilting experiences, I plan to sprinkle in some of my other life passions such as traveling and cooking/baking.

Having spent years raising four sons and a daughter in the lovely state of North Dakota, I rejoined the work force only to decide to retire and concentrate on doing the things I really enjoy. Join me as I quilt, travel, and eat.