quiltersmuse.com Blog

In Godey’s Lady’s Book, November 1879, the “editorial chit-chat” column featured these words:

… (preceding text and then a quote) “Our mothers used to pride themselves on their housekeeping and fine needlework. Why should not we?”

The editor answers: “To all which we say, “Why not?” Many a husband goes to ruin because his home is slovenly, his food badly cooked, his wife out of temper because out of health. Yet all these, even the last, could be avoided, as a rule; for work, when not too great, is healthy; and “nerves” are very often but the result of idleness and imagination. Feed a man on bad food, and ten to one he takes to drinking: first, to digest the trash he has been forced to eat; and finally, because alcohol has become a habit with him. On the other hand, the wife and children, because of the same wretchedly-cooked food, have to be physicked constantly. And generally the wife ends by getting “nerves.”

“Of course, there are some households in which the opposite to all this prevails: households in which the husband is a tyrant and brute, and the wife an overworked slave. It is not of such that we speak now. Of them we may have something to say on a future occasion.”

I don’t know about you, but I found this bit of writing to be highly amusing. I do believe that columns of this kind must have been forerunners to “Dear Abby.”

Yours,

Patricia

I have just added the full text of an article about a unique, silk piece, made in Vermont in 1830. Previously this story that I wrote was published in The Quilter magazine in 2002. I hope that you find the history of the design to be enchanting.

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Gossips_a_very_old_design.htm

Patricia

Yesterday, we decided to go on a little outing for ourselves, to a site in Vermont, not far from the Connecticut River. On the drive north, through little towns, we passed some small ponds and were surprised to see snowmobiles on the ice, as well as people and dogs. The ice has melted away from the banks, in places, and in two instances, people were spotted walking on the Connecticut River. This seems like a suicidal thing to do because if the ice gave way, that water is so cold now, and the currents so fast, hypothermia and/or drowning would occur quickly.

Aside from the anxiety of watching all of that happening as we whizzed by, we took a wrong turn. After traveling for a few minutes, we realized our mistake and pulled over to the side of the road to double check the map.

When we did, I noticed a landmark sign, such as those put up in New Hampshire to mark important historical events. As luck would have it, the sign was a tribute to Merino sheep and their history as part of Vermont’s heritage.

Wool from Merino sheep, a breed that originated in Spain, is the softest, long-staple, sheep’s wool around. According to a friend who was awarded the title of “master spinner,” the wool is a dream to spin. She has spun every fiber imaginable, including hair from a Newfoundland dog from which she knit a sweater for its owner to wear when showing his prizewinning animal.

I just love it when history pops up in unexpected places. At my request, Jim took a photo of the sign. The Merino sheep was smuggled into the colonies, in total defiance of the King who wanted total monopoly on textile goods, and did not want the colonies to be self-sufficient. “We” were clever though, just like Samuel Slater who memorized all the working parts of English textile machinery and set up a mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for producing cotton thread. (We have visited that mill and the mill museum. It’s worth the trip!)

Sometimes, taking a wrong turn, whether on a road, or in life, can open up new possibilities and a new way of thinking. During my lifetime, I’ve taken a few wrong turns myself, but I will have to say that all of the wrong turns, as well as the right turns, have made me the person who I am today.

Adversity and challenges always make us stronger. They are good antidotes for a boring life. Ultimately, I am thankful for all of my life’s experiences and all of the people with whom I have interacted.

Patricia

Although the words “shop” and “save” were not strung together, in my father’s day, I know he would get a kick out of the concept. In my mind, I can picture him shaking his head and chuckling, and saying, “How can one spend money and save it at the same time?” Yet, today, the words are a great marketing gimic.

The gist of the concept is to spend now because a store’s prices are the lowest they ever will be, or they definitely are lower than Competitor X. In fact, some stores resort to price matching, or they say that they will not be undercut in their price, also a good strategy.

My father lived at a simpler time, a time when there was food rationing during the war, a time when his mother darned his socks rather than throw out two socks if one got a hole in it, a time when having enough money to put gas in Mother’s car to go on a “date” in the Model A, was a big deal. Of course, there were always built-in chaperones along, namely, my mother’s younger siblings.

Saving money, in his day, was a really important thing to do. After the stock market crash of 1929, he never quite trusted stock investments. However, his brother-in-law talked him into buying stock, just once, and he “lost his shirt,” so to speak. Forevermore, he swore off on repeating that mistake.

No, Dad had a different sort of vision about money management. He had studied this subject. His ancestry was Irish. Need I say more? The Irish have always struggled financially, been subjugated to foreign rule, been involved in religious disputes, and also, God love them, have always eaten a lot of potatoes (out of necessity.) With the potato famine, many Irishmen came to America, only to be met with signs that said, “Irish Need Not Apply.”

Dad began looking into the idea of credit unions, and during his lifetime, founded seventeen of them throughout the state of New Hampshire. The most successful one is the one that he personally managed and where he was treasurer for close to thirty years. That organization is now called Granite State Credit Union, an ever expanding operation, with branch offices all over the state.

The idea between Credit Unions is to share the use of money. The Credit Union itself is not intended to be profit-making. Rather, the entire entity is owned by members. My father was ahead of his time, and although he, personally, did not become as wealthy as a banker would have in doing essentially the same thing, he had peace of mind and that is something that cannot be bought or sold.

I am proud of my Dad. I only wish that he had lived longer than sixty-three years. He passed away close to thirty-three years ago. Yet, his fruits of his work live on, a multi-million dollar organization that is still service-oriented, and that he started with just a fifteen dollar deposit and a lot of faith.

At the present time, America’s Credit Union Museum in Manchester, NH has a special exhibit set up to honor my father, John E. Grace.

I still wish that he were here to tell me what he thinks of this concept of “shop and save.” If I were living in the nineteenth century, perhaps I would have to find some other interested parties and hold a seance…

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/granite_state_credit_union_founder.htm

Patricia Cummings

If you have gone to a restaurant recently, you will have seen the temptations that lurk there. The high fat content in many foods, such as French fries, and rich, deep fried desserts, etc. has health professionals worried, and with good reason. Doctors are concerned about “plaque,” the kind that can build up along arterial walls and eventually lead to heart attacks.

If you have had a physical exam recently, with blood work, you will have heard about HDL and LDL, the “good” and “bad” cholesterols. The goal is to keep the “bad” ones at bay, and also to keep blood pressure in an optimal range. For adults, a healthy blood pressure is 120/60.

On a PBS program yesterday, I learned that some people have high cholesterol due to uncontrollable genetic factors. I also heard the scary fact that more women than ever are developing heart disease and dying from it. Being overweight and/or being diabetic contribute to this growing problem.
Scientists have discovered a way to look inside arteries now, to find out what is going on. This is pretty amazing, since heart arteries are no larger than the lead of a pencil, if I understood correctly. White blood cells race to the arterial walls when plaque becomes attached and the result is inflammation that can lead to a dangerous situation.

Heart disease is something we hear about so often, we are almost immune to the words. That is becoming problematic. Many people who have a heart attack die suddenly. They do not get a second chance.

I was in and out of the room when the program aired, therefore, I don’t know if the condition called long Q T was mentioned. This is a genetically predisposed state. It is an irregularity of heart rhythm can be seen readily, on an EKG. Long Q T is linked to “Sudden Death Syndrome.”

Both of my brothers died from this condition, and my sister also collapsed from it, but was in a medical establishment at the time. With CPR done immediately, she lived to tell the tale.

The simple explanation is that Long Q T is like an electrical shortage. The brain simply stops telling the heart to beat. This comes on suddenly, and if there is no medical intervention, the person dies within six to seven minutes, not even time enough to get to a hospital. I have been tested, and was told that I, too, have long Q T. My mother had angina and arrythmia and died of a sudden heart attack, but had lived to be 92, so that is encouraging.

Sometimes, Beta Blockers are prescribed as a preventative measure. In my case, due to other medications already in place, they are not appropriate. A defibrillator can be installed, but generally one of those units, that electrically re-charges the heart, is not added unless a person has had a heart stoppage.

So, I am on my own, just trying to live each day to its fullest measure, and knowing that this medical issue is hanging over my head, like a dagger on a thread poised over a bed.

Why am I sharing this with you? I just want to make you aware that some heart disease can be prevented. If you smoke, give it up! Smoking can lead not only to cancer, but to congestive heart failure, a situation in which one slowly suffocates to death.

Walk whenever possible. Eat at home whenever possible, and cook healthy, nutritious foods like soups. Eat more vegetables and fruits, and less meat and sweets. Attempt to reach a reasonable weight.

Please don’t become a statistic. The time has come for us all to take charge of our lives. We owe it to ourselves, and also to those who love us and would like to see us around a bit longer. Of course, there are those genetic issues. All we can do is to stay as healthy as we can, and that includes adopting a cheerful outlook. Being calm, and being able to laugh, if only at ourselves, goes a long way toward maintaining health.

Long life!

Patricia