Disconnected? Maybe not!

Random thoughts from The Strawberry Patch…

We had some significant weather at the end of last week, strong thunderstorms that come crashing in at the end of some hot summer days; replacing the heat with cool, clean evening air after the storms had passed. The heat was not all they took, but our electricity one night and our phone service the next. We have only recently been equipped with a DSL line for our Internet connection; we lost that too, with the phone. The next morning the phone was reconnected. Not the Internet. I was assured by the phone service provider that we would be reconnected soon. It was a full six days before we were connected to the world again, the lightning did much damage to the box where the modem comes from out at the end of our street and replacement parts had to be ordered and installed; that all takes time.

For six days I had no e-mail, no web access, no instant messaging and no online communication of any kind with my friends and family. At first I found this frustrating. I used the phone more and talked, really talked, to my friends and children rather than IM’ing. I realized how I treasure the sounds of their voices, so precious they are to me.
I sewed in the studio uninterrupted for hours on end, no need to get up and check my in-box. I monogrammed towels for my daughter, I pieced a quilt top, I machine quilted a long-basted quilt. I found this time reflective and peaceful. I contemplated future projects and cleaned out a closet. I read some long ago laid aside magazine articles.
I visited with my neighbor while walking the dog. I accomplished many things.
I am back on-line again, and I’m grateful. It’s easy to take instant communication and connectivity for granted. It’s fast, it’s convenient; but, it’s certainly not everything.
Call someone you love on the phone, delight in the pure pleasure of hearing their voice!

Slow down and take the time to communicate, really connect with the people around you. Take time for you! You’ll be rewarded more than you can imagine.
And, don’t be surprised if your productivity rises too, a fringe benefit.

Life is good!

Seeing Red

Random thoughts from The Strawberry Patch…

We decided to plant twin Crape Myrtles, one on each side of the entrance to our driveway. Simple enough decision, right? Maybe not. “What color” asked my husband; “Red” I answered. I had seen a red one; once. A bright, clear, true red. Not pink, not coral, not fuchsia, not burgundy, not watermelon—RED. “OK”, said my husband; “red it is”. Off he went to the nursery.

He went Crape Myrtle shopping after the blooms had faded; at the appropriate time, in the fall of the year, for planting. He called me from the nursery: “Is the color called Dynamite” he asked, hopefully. “I don’t know” I replied, “Is that RED”? I could hear the volley of questions in the background as he held onto the cell phone. Finally, in resignation, he returned to the line: “they think so”. “Sounds good to me, lets go with Dynamite”! I knew, from that moment, if I hoped for the same bright, clear, true red Crape Myrtles that I could imagine flanking our driveway, I was going completely on faith. Faith is something I have in great supply... but yet, when it comes to the color red, things can get tricky...

Red, after all, is subjective. I know this for several reasons:

1.) I am a woman, as other women can surely attest who’ve ever shopped for nail polish or lipstick… there is every shade of imaginable red with wonderful, descriptive color names. We find one we love. We buy it. It’s never quite right…and yet; undaunted and ever-hopeful, we continue to shop for the perfect shade.

2.) I am a quiltmaker. Red, like every other color, is relative to what surrounds it. I teach this. Actually, I even use a tool to identify color value by looking through a red lens which removes all other color from the mix and aids in placement by shade alone. A blue red, an orange red, a dark red, a clear-bright red would all appear differently when viewed through this tool.

3.) I shop for clothes. A red blouse, or skirt, or scarf would depend on so many other factors… chiefly, what it’s being paired with. A cherry red might match where a tomato red would be completely wrong.

The Crape Myrtles took hold through the winter and are shaping up to be beautiful additions our driveway’s entry. They slowly leafed out and gradually the flower buds began to form. I have been holding my breath, figuratively, all spring and early summer. I have been ever-so-eager to observe the flowers that I have faithfully seen in my mind’s eye.

This morning the blooms emerged, bursting forth from their small round bud-clusters! God’s glorious gift and surprise; they are the most exquisite shade of MAGENTA!! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this color before, or any shade of red that I could love more than this. It’s not what I expected at all; it’s ten times better!

Was this color a happy accident, a coincidence, good fortune, or serendipity?
I call it “Dynamite,” and I couldn’t be happier.
I had faith in one thing, and yet; there was a much greater reward waiting...
there always is!


Life is good.