Happy 4th!

Wishing everyone a happy 4th of July.  I arrived in this country from the Netherlands in 1952 on July 5th, so it is an important day for me.  We usually don't do a lot different today than any other day and, in fact, we're having leftovers for dinner.   In 2017, we did go to Paul's sister Pat and her husband Jay's house for a BBQ but they stayed in Florida this summer, so it's just us this year.  I remember Pat decorated a sheet cake with berries to look like an American flag.

When I was a teenager, we lived in Rockville, Maryland, where our family always went to the 4th of July sing-along and fireworks.  Mom loved the old songs because they were all new to her.   Bicycle Built for Two was one of her favorites.  The fireworks were always spectacular.  That was when Rockville was a small town where most people knew each other.  We all sat in the bleachers at the high school, and the fireworks were shot off on the football field.  Traffic going home was awful and, while we could have walked, it was nighttime at the end so we endured.

The last couple of days I have been hand quilting parts of the hankie quilt that are a bit too fragile to quilt by machine.  I hope to put the two sections together and work on the borders soon.   I've also been working on a small quilt to enter into the Gypsy Moth Quilt Shop's summer contest.  Will try to take a photo today.   No one I've spoken to likes the fabric we needed to use, but I don't think my piece turned out that badly.

I've reached the top part of the baby hat I've been knitting so will do the decreases and finish.  Maybe today although it's been too hot/humid to do a lot of knitting the last few days.  I may simply sit and read as I did yesterday.  My e-book, Remarkably Bright Creatures, is due at the library Saturday and I'm about half-way finished.  It started slowly, but I'm beginning to see why it's been such a favorite of so many.  Give it a try if you like a fresh story with unusual characters.