Time for Five....

It is that time of the week again....time for some randomness. I am linking to Tanya's Willy Nilly Friday 5...

1.  Color like this is becoming a thing of the past around my neck of the woods.  There are trees here and there with color, but a lot of the trees are bare.  Another sign that winter is headed our way.

2.  The kids have finished moving and are within about 20 minutes of us...we got to go to Grandparents day earlier this week.  It was almost like going home...so had the feel of when I used to volunteer and do stuff when our girls were in school.  We can go down there and visit for an hour or more and still be home within the time it would have taken to drive to their house in Indianapolis.

3.  I wish this log cabin was mine!  Or at least I had one like it.  I wonder how the owners would feel if a complete stranger stopped and ask to see inside?  I personally would not like it, so I doubt if they would either.  Still, I would love to see it.

4.  Can you believe I turned 60 yrs. old earlier this week?  This came in the mail from one of my BFFs from childhood.  She made it.  Such a pleasant surprise.  She will hold a place of honor on this shelf.  (See the picture behind her...that is Roger's grandpa...he was a lightweight boxer.  They called him Little Jimmy Leonard.)

5.  They are finished...but not at their new home yet.

Oh, I have to share this:


I wonder if I had a cone if it would help me diet?

Knife

My husband recently finished this knife...it is stainless steel.  A working man's knife.  It is a rubberized type handle.  What it actually is made of is the mat that you buy for horses to stand on.

If you would like to see more knives he has made, you can look here, here, and here.

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Just so you know, this spider is still there and still growing!  I am going to miss it when it is gone!

More knives by Roger

This first one is made to be a working knife.  He bought one of those big rubber mats that are for horses to stand on a year or two ago.  I don't remember why.  Anyway, the handle is made from that material.

It went home with our nephew on Saturday.

The dollar is there to show the size of the knife/blade.  It is something most of us are familiar with.

This is his other finish...it reminds me of mine....in fact, I would not have minded keeping it either.  But I thought that might be a little selfish of me.

Those little groves in the tops of the blade is a place to place your thumb...kind of gives it a grip that won't slide off so easy.  And there is a term for the way the tip of the knife is done, and for the life of me I cannot remember what it is called.  And if you look at the first picture of this knife, there is a little place on the sharp side of the blade...a little grove if you will.  That is just for looks as far as a I know.  Some knives have it and others done.

The handle is from an antler...that slight curve feels very good in the hand.

Again, to give an idea of the size.  This one went home with my brother...the grandpa of Jackson.  Also he grew that 72 lb watermelon.

Roger's latest knife....

Roger finished this knife and sheath for my nephew a while before Christmas...but I didn't want to show it till he got to give it to him.
He used an airbrush to spray on the special finish...and then it is baked on. It is a finish used by the Navy Seal team....so it should stand up to a lot of wear. As you can see the blade is approximately 5 inches long.
Roger's name is etched in it but you can only see it at a certain angle.
The handle is wrapped with parachute cord...it does not slip out of the hand.
I think it is one of his best looking knives!
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I have been busy with other things...not sure if I am quite ready to get back to blogging, but thought I would give it a shot tonight. My oldest daughter just left today...kind of got the blues about that. Did not get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked...but that is life. I am blessed to have seen her at all.

Another finished and mailed....

This is the last knife Roger made....it has been finished quite a while...I just had not felt like taking pictures of it. It is a nice size...fits my hand well.
It is going to our daughter on the west coast.....
I sent it out today....
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I set and watched the temperatures steadily climb this evening...the last I noticed it was 99º...I went down in the basement after that and played with fabric. I made a few more crumb blocks....that is where you use up little bits of fabric left over from other projects. Some people seem to go a mile a minute while making them but mine are in such shape that it is slow going for me.

I have also been cutting 2 1/2 inch blocks from pieces that are big enough for that....I am getting quite a few of those but it will take a LOT to make anything at all. But it is still doing something creative. I have so many things in mind to do...but some of it requires actual thinking. I have yet to make the backing for Oldest Daughter's quilt top...I almost started it tonight but wanted to wait till I can stick with it long enough to make it. It sounds simple, but I do have to make sure I make it big enough.

It is so hot that Bubbie has been spending his nights inside, as well as most of the day. (His normal thing to do is stay out all night and come in and sleep all day.) He had went out this morn for a bit, and when I opened the door, he ran in and just flopped down on the tile floor in the kitchen and has not been back out till just now. And I bet he does not stay out long.

Been gone a couple days...

I haven't been blogging for a couple of days simply because we went to see Lorelei and her mommy and daddy...
Sarah finally cut Lorelei's bangs but still cannot bring herself to have the rest of her hair cut....
Other than right after her bath, her hair is just always wild! Notice her little nose--it is a couple steps to get up and down off their back deck and she fell coming up those steps. Her nose looks so sore in real life, but she didn't seem to notice it.

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Roger has been working on this little knife....for our younger daughter....it was her birthday today. He was making it anyway, but decided to get busy and have it finished by then.

She was quite happy with it...

Roger held it in his hands to kind of show its size...but keep in mind his hands are not big.

Another knife finished....

Roger finished another knife....this one will be sent to a young man that is in the coast guard...up in Alaska. He is the son-in-law of a real good friend.
I really need to make an on-line album of all his knives...I have one started but I just don't like the way it works. So, I quit adding to it.
I have not sat and made a list of how many he has made, but it is quite a few. The knife has been finished a few day, but the sheath was made yesterday. He has had a cold this past week that was one of the worst he ever had. He not only didn't have any energy, he felt horrible. But tonight he seems like he might really be on the mend.
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It has been a loooonnnng week without seeing the toot. She also has a cold, but has just kept playing. I am afraid it might get worse before she gets better if Roger is anything to go by. Sarah said one morning she was singing seeeeeee maaaamaaaw, seeeeee paaaapaaaaaw over and over....and then she said today after they woke Jeremy up that she bounced around saying 'I like mamaw' and 'I like papaw" over and over...

I wasn't going to show this and it is kind of dark, not sure when it was shot--it came to me through another route...not direct from Sarah....anyway, have your sound on to hear the dragon!

She has a vivid imagination. They were at a party, and Lorelei was playing with some other kids...they went running inside, and Lorelei paused long enough to tell someone that the monsters were after them!

A small project

My husbands buddy bought this knife at a junk shop....it had no handles. He got it for $3 and brought it over to Roger to show him....and Roger offered to put the handles (the part that is white) on....and this is the result.
They are made from the bone of a cow...I forget where he got it but think one of his buddies gave it to him. We think it turned out quite well.
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I have not been tell all that is going on, now wish I had or wish I had at least been writing in my journal. Over a week ago, my husband had this big splotch of stuff come up on his leg...not sure if it came up before he scratched it or if scratching caused it. He calls it psoriasis but I am not sure what it was.

It was not getting any better, so he went to the doctor last Friday...she put him on antibiotics to help prevent infections, and gave him one medicine to take orally to help give him relief from itching as well as a creme.

I am here to tell you, it has gradually gotten worse and worse...his whole body is broken out...his feet and legs have been swelling. The big splotch is gone, but now it is raised bumps and some blisters just everywhere.

So we went back to the doctor today...she could not believe the difference....just really couldn't believe what he looked like now. Told him to stop the antibiotic immediately, gave him a shot of cortisone, lasix for water retention, plus another one....and she wanted blood to test his liver functions since he has a history of problems with it.

We had to wait to have the blood drawn, so was sent back to the waiting room...soon as we sat down he said he felt like he was going to pass out...and I was trying to tell him to bend over and put his head between his knees but he passed out before I could even get it said....

I was trying to get him to wake up and one of the staff yelled for Doc and he came, they got him in the floor and raised his legs, and he came too in just a second...and his blood pressure went to normal and his pupils started reacting normal....

I am here to tell you I have had enough excitement to last a lifetime...just not a fun way to spend the day...he is now trying to rest some since he did not sleep at all last night.

Mine!

Roger has been busy again...he has had this knife cut out for a while now...not sure if he had did any of the forge work with it or not. But he finished it for me the other day, and I just today took pictures.
I just cannot take photos that do them justice....I don't have lighting, other than the flash on my camera. But even if I did, I do not understand using it...so you are left with these photos.
It sure fits my hand....feels just right. I don't know if I will ever have the nerve to take it and use it...some of his buddies have used theirs. But I have been know to lose things, so this may never leave the house. It is very close to being like Jeremy's--it is what I requested. I did have him make my sheath a bit different though.

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Here, it has turned cold again....3-6" is in the forecast. I don't even know if I hope they are wrong or right. We had a very warm for January day yesterday and almost all the previous snow is gone. But it left one big ugly world behind. Everything just looks dirty and dingy. So maybe to be covering it with white would be a big improvement.

I have things I need to do and cannot seem to quit thinking about other things. I need to focus on more positive things but having trouble with it right now. I have cut a few strips of fabric to start another quilt top. Seems like every time I go down and actually get in the mood and start, something happens to call me away from the task. Then it is hard to get motivated to go back.
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I also splurged on myself and bought The Awakening Land. It was a mini series on TV that aired in 1978 which is when we lived in Tennessee. Since watching the mini series, I have read the books by Conrad Richter that it was based on numerous times. (The Trees, The Fields, The Town, or they were all combined into one volume called The Awakening Land.) Anyway, one of the first things I did when we got Internet access was start searching for it on VHS/DVD, every so often, I would scour the Internet....just hoping to come across it. You just cannot imagine my surprise to do a search a few weeks ago and have it actually pop up.

Anyway, that is all from this corner of the world for now...

The man has been busy....

Between frequent trips to Indianapolis Roger has been busy. This is latest creation....he made it for Lorelei's dad.
This knife really has a nice feel to it....the wood for the handles is African Padauk. It is an an excellent hardwood with straight grain...it hard,heavy and resists decay.

Roger has been busy

Click on any of these....they should enlarge.
Roger is trying to make all his buddies a knife...I cannot count how many he has made so far...probably this makes a dozen in the past two or three years.
I really, really like the feel of this one and I love the handle...it is micarta, an industrial laminate. When you look close at the handle you can see the weave of the fabric, but it is so silky smooth to the touch.
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My niece is coming down for a couple days so I may not get much blogging done. We plan to go to a little quilt show over in Arthur, Illinois tomorrow if nothing happens. Other than that we don't have any big plans. Just to sit and visit a little bit.

Does this look familiar to anyone out there???

This is one of the first knives my husband ever made...way back in 1978-79.
It belongs to someone else, but needed a face lift. It has only taken him a couple years to get to it. I wonder if it will take two more years to get it back to its home.

It is time....

It is long overdue that I acknowledge these awards, well, at least the first one. The others are relatively new. I have debated and debated on how to do this...back in July while we were gone for a little get away, my friend Carletta at Round the Bend gave me this Super Commenter award...I cannot remember what all was happening, but I kept putting off acknowledging it till I was embarrassed about it. But it has always been there in the back of my mind...I visit Carletta's blog almost every day of the week...seriously, there have only been a handful of days that I haven't visited. I felt and still feel honored that she gave me this award...and Carletta, I am sorry I was so long in acknowledging it.
And just recently I started visiting the Tuscaloosa Daily Photo Blog and she gave me the award below and I have not did anything about it...I really do appreciate it, but not sure if I am going to pass it on.
And then there is Ms. Hays at Bluff Area Daily Photo...I found her through Sky Watch Friday. And I have visited her every day since. And will continue to do so. Again, I am not sure if I am going to take the time to pass it on. Mainly because I am so indecisive about who I would give them to.
But I do want you to know that I feel very honored to have received them and I wanted to publicly acknowledge them.

Change of subject....
I showed you a couple knives and sheaths that Roger had made.
Well, he had these three knives finished then also, but did not have the sheaths made to go with them.
He finished the sheaths 3 or 4 days ago, and they are done at their new homes. Due to things happening these are the best shots I got.
They have also been given to their new owners.
I think I am safe in saying that everyone is happy with them.
Roger worked on them all at the same time and I think he decided he would rather work on knives one at a time.

edited to add: The dollar bill is pictured with the knives for you to have something to go by to imagine their size.