Author: Quilter

I find life lessons and sometimes the humor and/or hope in everyday events.

AI Strikes Again!

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© jb katke

How do you feel about Artificial Intelligence? It has been around for sixty years, but that does not mean you have to like it. The average person did not acknowledge it much back in the day. It was too close to wishful thinking—I am sure that is how it all began. I recall the sixties television show The Jetson’s with their robot maid Rosie. Little did I realize how technology would continue to grow to where it is today.

It may have begun innocently, but as you know it progressed through the years. I was using it before I realized what exactly it was…and appreciated it at the time. When texting on my cell phone, often I began spelling a word, and before I was finished, it popped up.

This time though, AI went too far.

Recently, I was invited to interview a neighbor for our community newsletter. I agreed with a little apprehension, I had never interviewed anyone before. When I sat down with—I will call her Diane.  (I know her name and it is not Diane!) But as we visited she was very easy to talk with and open to answering questions that I thought would be relevant to the article.

I was both surprised and relieved at how well it went—this opportunity came at a good time. There was a chance I would have nothing to offer for  the newsletter this month, I had run out of ideas to write about. The down side is I submitted the manuscript without making sure all was correct. It automatically changed her name without my noticing it!

Now everyone will start calling her by the wrong name! Needless to say, AI and I are no longer friends. No matter how convenient it is. At least I have my submission ready for next month’s newsletter—‘Correction from last month.’

Scrubbed Clean/er

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© jb katke

Well almost.

We have this sandstone rock outside our door that looks its age. A quick glance tells it has seen the hard knocks of outdoor living—dirt and dust abound. Along with years of rain, snow, and sleet to ingrain itself into the porous stone— manufacturing mold.

Yuck, what is even more disgusting is we breathe that stuff in. So much for going outside to catch a breath of fresh air, right? Thank goodness it does not seep into our pores for a permanent residence.

As I scrubbed away at the mold, the appearance looked a little better. But I could not help thinking the human race has much in common with the stone. Not the mold, but how the places we gravitate to can unintentionally permeate our life.

The cheaters in the classroom, the office staff that five-finger lifts supplies for personal use at home. Some young moms we encounter at the grocery store give their little ones a fruit to eat as they shop. It keeps them occupied and quiet and we think nothing of it. But its ingested food never paid for. Not true. We shoppers, all of us, pay for it.

It’s just not right. The Good Book calls the things not right as sin. It may sound harsh, but wrong-doing can easily sink into our minds and hearts if we are not alert to it.  That is why Ezekiel,  a priest back in the Old Testament, got a word from Jesus about it that he shares with us today.

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”       Ezekiel 36:26 &27

What a relief that to know that Jesus can scrub the things we may not even recognize as sin and make us clean. Or should I say cleaner. Like my stone, it still bares marks, but is improved. Living this side of heaven, we may bare a few marks too, but our words and actions will definitely be an improvement.

Cops & Doughnuts

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© jb katke

Where do I even begin in sharing this? There is much to tell—some of which may sound unbelievable. Believe it because I never aim to deceive.

Cops and Doughnuts bakery has become a regular stop-over when visiting my brother, Bruce. He and his wife Sharon moved to the little town of Clare in Central Michigan long ago. The town takes pride of being the Gateway to the North.

At the time it was sleepy little place. But as time marched on, discount stores made Clare home, putting many of the smaller retailers out of business. It was getting depressing. When the local bakery, owned and run by family members for one hundred years decided to close their doors—it was the last straw.

The local policemen would. Not Have it. The unthinkable was about to happen if they didn’t do something. Nine brave officers, who knew nothing about making doughnuts or running a business stepped up.

Many have heard the love affair a policeman has with doughnuts. Their book, Cops & Doughnuts, told to Anne Stanton, tells the story of how this all came about, explaining the why of it. When an officer has the late night or early morning patrol, they often have a need for a little pick-me-up to see them through their shift. The only places one can count on to be open is the doughnut shop. Now you understand the connection, you’re welcome.

These officers had a very short time to crash learn the ins and outs of doughnut making and carrying on business as usual. But they did it with results business owners dream of. A smashing success. The town is sleepy no more. Police from all parts of Michigan have come to support or learn the how-tos of the bakery business. Making national news helped put them on the map, visitors come from around the nation.

Through the years it has expanded both in real estate and merchandise. The mugs and T shirts bearing clever sayings are popular. “Don’t glaze me bro!” or” D.W.I Doughnuts Were Involved.”  It has become an event for busloads of shoppers, complete with signage, “Inmate of the Month: Parking Only.”

These officers have an enviable sense of humor and play it up to everyone’s delight. It shows policemen in a different light. They are real people (gasp!) that have a respect and a shared commitment to their community. Countless occasions have provided them to help individuals as well as its citizens. An FYI, none of the profits go to the owners, they already have a viable occupation. All funds earned go back into the bakery.

It meant a lot to me to sit briefly with Bubba—I learned they all have nicknames—giving me free reign to the pictures in the book and telling the story. As I introduced myself being Bruce Baldwins’ sister, it was necessary to clarify which Bruce Baldwin.

My brother has a Clare story too. When he and Sharon moved up from the Detroit area, they were not warmly received. City slickers. You understand. It took ten years for them to become accepted residents. But that was only half the problem. It seems they already live there, folks with the same name, well-known among the police force and town at large. Meaning not in the best light— the problem was real. Thankfully, they were able to outlive the mistaken association.

Today was a feel-good post. The book indicates they have a relationship with Jesus, proving with him, all things are possible.  

Memory Lane

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Returning to our home state is a walk down memory lane. So many places to go and people to see. More so this trip than the others. What took us back to Michigan was a fifty-five-year class reunion. It was determined that Dave and I were married the longest. Or should I say we married the youngest?

We saw people all right, ones that we mostly didn’t recognize. It was a bittersweet evening. Ribbons with photos of classmates no longer with us. One in particular I was anxious to reconnect with, not to be, she entered her eternal home. Joining us at our dinner was a classmate that knew and remembered me more than I did him. That can be a little disconcerting.

While there we made the routine trip visiting our past homes. Where Dave grew up, where I grew up, where our children grew up. I don’t miss the homes as much as I miss the trees. They are everywhere, shielding us from bright sunny days. This time, the skies were mostly overcast. Another thing I miss, cloudy skies.

©jb katke

As we gawked at the home of my grandparents, we got to speak with the new owner. The home has never looked so good. New homes have taken the place of Grandpa’s fruit trees.

The unexpected perk in visiting my brother was receiving drawings our mother did that I had never seen before. Mom was a gifted artist. She could have made a living from them had she pursued that avenue. Instead, her time was invested in my father and us kids. One time she confided that she should not have married. Housekeeping was not her forte.

She had too many interests to be concerned what our home looked like. Knitting, I am certain I have a tablecloth she crocheted, piano and her artwork. Those things fed her soul, just as seeing the trees fed mine. What feeds your soul?

There is beauty in the world if we look for it. Either in the nature Jesus created for our pleasure or the activities that bring joy.

There were more pleasures in our travel that I will share at a later time. Stay tuned.

Be Encouraged

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©jb katke

Do you feel as though the world has run amuck and a little encouragement would be refreshing?

I came across the writing that Servant Hearted Sisterhood made public. Maybe you have not seen it—so I present it to you:

“Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids/grandkids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be.

God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.

Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God. Train them up in the authority of His word. Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control. Empower them to know they can change the world.

Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world, but hopeful that they can do something about it.

Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.

He knew Daniel could handle the lion’s den.

He knew David could handle Goliath.

He knew Esther could handle Hamen.

He knew Peter could handle persecution.

He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it.

Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose you to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenge of our lifetime. Rise up to the challenge. Raise Daniels, David’s Esther’s and Peter’s.

God is not scratching his head wondering what he is going to do with this mess of a world. He has an army he is raising up to drive back the darkness and make him known all over the earth.

Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them. But they were born for such a time as this.”

Unknown Author

I cannot think of anything to add, this says it all.

Disconnectedness

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© jb katke

Today’s blog almost did not get written. All because I cleaned my writing room. One could think it doesn’t pay to clean.

Correction. Cleaning homes is a profitable endeavor unless you are cleaning your own home. Such as I do. More than the normal dust and dirt was tracked around the house. I was saving it.

Those that know me well and love me anyway, know my cleaning pattern. Wait until it gets really bad, then clean to make the effort worth the time invested. If you have the same tendency, I will share one of my better household hints. Allow clutter to accumulate on  as many flat surfaces as you can. It keeps the dust off your tables.

Later, I sat down to write—but could not. My laptop worked fine, not so the monitor. Ditto for the printer, it too, refused to cooperate. Checking all connections, I was baffled to what was the problem.

In such instances, I call out to my husband, Dave. He always comes to my rescue and is handy to have around—the man can fix anything. As he investigates, I mention the printer as well. He gave me ‘that look.’ It was just the incentive I needed to try harder.

What I learned is that I am a lousy connection checker. He located the issue on the monitor and bless my soul—I managed to get the printer up and running all by my little self.  

Welcome to my life. Another day to realize more of us suffer from disconnectedness than we realize. It comes in many forms,  the aforementioned electrical, mechanical, relationally deficit—don’t forget Jesus. Have you tuned into him lately?

You’re busy? I understand, so am I. But have discovered a revelation that I will pass on to you. If I devote time to be with Jesus in prayer or even silent moments thinking about him, my day goes much better. I’m diligent to my tasks, have more energy, and go to bed at night satisfied with what got accomplished.

If my to-do list is too long, it happens. I can still rest easy, looking forward to another day of opportunity. Give it a shot. What have you got to lose? Don’t say time because Jesus redeems time—as was stated above, with more energy.

It. Is. Finished!

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© jb katke

This man of mine is so resourceful. Dave had me in mind, planning to build a bookshelf. I don’t deserve it and had not requested it—but he knew I would love it. The cabinet appears to be built in, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling, and I could not be happier with the outcome.

The project took the bulk of his summer. Thought, planning, editing dimensions, drawing and more drawing went into it before the work began. It takes a lot of brain power and heart to devote this much time to an endeavor of this magnitude. Each morning, he was at it, taking few days off to recoup.

Bottom line, the room is so ‘me.’ For several years this space has been my quilt room. Since I have begun writing, quilting has taken a back seat. I sit in awe with so much joy. It will take some practice to call the room by its new name. Lady J’s Lair. If you are interested in knowing how the name came to be, read my blog Intermission IV.

Both of us were amazed at how many books were gathered from the nooks and crannies of the house. My fabric stash now resides with book roommates. Space even for some of Dave’s favored reading, as well as some treasures of mine. The flag on the top shelf was given to me at my father’s military funeral. The newspaper bag is not prominent but hails from our son’s days of delivering the local paper many years ago.

Intermixed with these projects Dave has made—another awesome event took place. I met Jesus. That too, puts me in awe. Jesus had a hand in creating the world we live in. It took a mere seven days without any breaks—considering the work of his hands good. It was we humankind that muddied things up. Jesus let his creation realize this world was no longer perfect. However, he had a plan. Jesus made a way for us to live with him in perfection.

Currently Jesus resides in heaven, but had a thirty-three-year stint here on planet earth. Evil men, not fans of Jesus, determined to end his existence, putting him on a cross to die. Jesus was well aware, only his plan extended to beyond the cross. He rose from the dead. That sounds unbelievable, but each spring we see plants come back to life.

Know that Jesus is capable of anything and did not stay dead.

Much thought went into this, he had you in mind. When he returned to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to give us hope and encouragement. It is there for the asking, but you have to want his help. Ask for it—even if you feel you don’t deserve it. Jesus’ love and forgiveness is greater than any wrong humans can commit. Sit quietly, in awe and enjoy all he has already done for you. It is finished. Jesus said so himself.

Intermission IV

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© jb katke

Found: Buried treasure! Keep reading, I’ll tell you.

Pertaining to my husband’s project, as so often Dave says, “All it lacks is finishing.”  Progress continues on the bookshelf. Soon you will see his handiwork. Right now, it requires my involvement too.

At the risk of downplaying Dave’s labor, my part is tough. Going throughout the house gathering books and fabric from forgotten places. What a delight to come across long forgotten memories!

Three grocery bags revealed good intentions. Each labeled with my child’s name. Inside were garments along with fabric from things I had made for them. The ongoing issue with a quilter, is the ability to see potential in discarded, outgrown clothes. The plan was to cut them up into a crazy quilt for them, some day. Ruthless, hard decisions must be made. Sorry kids. It ain’t gonna happen. They have been demoted to the ‘get rid of pile.’  

I have never denied loving books. But as I gathered them from all over the house, had no idea there so many. This new addition is going in what used to be my quilt room. My reading material will share space with sewing material. Past comments said I could open a quilt shop. Not really, but there is a lot. Correction. There was a lot, much has been given away. By all appearances more will go.

Old habits die hard. Checking the labels on the girls dresses to see what is washable from the dry clean only, I wonder. Would the granddaughters be interested in their mom’s old clothes? Probably not. But it would be a travesty to not let them see what they may reject. That same logic must be in keeping my wedding gown. One of the girls may wish to wed in it. That did not happen. Speaking of wedding gowns, I think I have my mothers too. A brocade fabric cut in a simple, timeless style.

Right or wrong, we the people seem to feel the need to hold onto things—only for one of our descendants pitch. Such is the cycle of life. With one exception that was mentioned in a previous blog. The letter ‘L.’ It came from my father-in-law’s varsity sweater. I had petitioned you to help me come up with a new name for the room.

I had a couple of good suggestions, but decided on one I had made up myself, with a humorous history. Several years back, Dave had traced my family roots through Ancestry. He came across an ancestor from Great Britian, that was quite prosperous. Among the many hats he wore, he was a banker and shipbuilder.

My logical query was where did his money go, and why was I not informed of his ‘summer castle?’ Unanswered questions remain, but I jokingly told Dave he may call me Lady J. Hence the name of my remodeled room, Lady J’s Lair.

Intermission III

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© jb katke

“Break time.” Those words are spoken of often at my house. Sometimes my man and I work hard, other times we hardly work. Even so, the break times are necessary. Especially if we are in stressful moments.

What are the concerns going through your mind today? There is always something to worry about. The big ones are beyond control. This being our election year here in the US—some are concerned about who will take the oval office, others concerned who will not.

Have you ever considered that concerns can be a positive in life?

Recently, I have been reading a great book, Daniel—found in the Old Testament of the Good Book. When my address is changed to my eternal one, I really look forward to meeting this guy.

 The story of his life picks up at where you and I might see his situation as more than stressful—try a crisis. It has all the makings of being unbelievable—but only truth is found between the covers of the Good Book.

Daniel lived in Jerusalem that was taken over by another nation. It happened often back then, but often does not make a situation any less worrisome. He and others were taken captive and hauled off to the victorious Babylon.

My guess is Daniel was either a youth or in the prime of his life. Only because, what profit would he be as an old man? It did not take long before his wisdom became apparent. He had the ability to interpret dreams. Wouldn’t you love to understand your dreams?

Here is the kicker though. Daniel’s ability did not come from his smarts—it was someone he was in constant communication with. Jesus. Cue the saying, ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know.’ I am not going to elaborate on the dreams. It would be better for you to read it for yourself.

The point I wish to make is that having a relationship with Jesus does not guarantee a worry-free life. What the friendship does do is keep the concerns on a back burner. They do not consume you—instead they provide an opportunity to talk to him. Only Jesus can give the peace of mind that everything is under control. His, not yours.

Faith strengthens trust, that builds greater faith that strengthens more. . .well, you get it.  These building blocks lead to a wonderful place.

Intermission II

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© jb katke

Stay tuned for the upcoming news on a home improvement project. In the meantime, Grandma Andrews words come back to haunt me. “A housewife never gets bored—she always has something to do.”

Ain’t that the truth! At the moment I have to get started on this blog that has been circling in my head.

But I was ironing and needed an intermission to give myself a sugar boost. As I munched on a snack, I realized preparing lunch should be happening, not snacking. After lunch, the dishes and kitchen got cleaned up. Returning to the ironing, I came across the laundry that needed attention.

It was such a small load I delved into my quilt stash to see if I can add some unwashed fabric. There is a potential project worming around in my mind, only I can’t color match anything to my load of laundry. I can hear my daughter Cindy saying, “Mom, it’s okay to mix colors.” Whatever.

Only a load sitting in the washer had to be shifted over to the dryer. It pleases me to tell you the ironing did get done.

All this to say, this photo of a tree featured today reminded me of how life throws interruptions in our path. Direction changes as the wind blows.  I gotta do this, but wait, first I have to do this other thing. Oh, but that can’t get done until this gets done! Who would have guessed trees depicting life going in countless directions. Take note though—they all point up to their creator.

Rolling out of bed each morning, no one knows how the day will unfold. It isn’t until our head hits the pillow at night that it all comes tumbling down in your mind. Goodbye sleep. I have read other people’s similar experiences that included letting the dog outside, only to open the door again to let the dog back in. The dog season of my life has come and gone. But interruptions are the status quo.

I am not alone and neither are you. It may be be a knock on the door, the phone ringing, or a young voice paging you for the umpteenth time. Motherhood is a calling you know.

Jesus knows and understands the stage of life you are in. Circumstances change, you will find yourself moving from one stage to another. Take a deep breath. I too, must look up to our creator, because all is well— life goes on.

Through the years I have hit upon something that makes a huge difference. Each morning, I make the effort to read some of the Bible and pray about my day. It takes time and discipline, but I have learned something kinda crazy, but true. Days are better—my time is spent with productivity and energy. What I am telling you is supernatural stuff. But it works!