BLESSINGS:  WALLY WORLD November 21, 2012

 

Everyday is my favorite day!

 

 

 

I’ve been accused of going to Wal-Mart every day.  That’s just not true.  I only go every day that I want to.  It seems like God always blesses me at Wal-Mart.  I don’t mean to sound sacrilegious or whatever that word is.  He also blesses me at home, at church and other places.  But it just seems to me like He always blesses me at Wal-Mart.

 

Like yesterday, I wanted to clean up on the coupons from the weekend ‘Southern’.  I had 8 am blood work at my doc’s office and a $1.49 coupon for Hardees bacon/egg biscuit.  So I got stuck and got my bandaid.  Then I headed over to Hardees. (Incidentally, I held my fork way up high, tilted my head back and slowly angled some biscuit with egg/bacon and gravy into my pursed pouty lips and let gravy drip all over and practically run down my chin and not a single one of those six 70 year old plus dudes at the next table even noticed.)  So much for getting into a Hardee’s ad!  (Don’t’ laugh, remember that cute old gal, who used to say, “Where’s the beef?”)  So I cleared out, went by home, got my shopping list and coupons and headed for Wally World.

No trip to Wal-Mart is complete without at least one or more trips through fabrics, crafts, ribbons etc.  I got stuck in the aisle by patterns and stuff and an old lady was muttering about and so I asked her, (I’ve been studying Wal-Mart Associates for 20+ years) if I could help her.  She said wasn’t it nice that Marion Wal-Mart got crafts back and I agreed.  But she’s not been able to find what she’s looking for.  So, who would be better than me, the local expert, to help.  She’s looking for fabric that’s made into books.  I think I know what she means as I have one of those stuck away in the sewing room, somewhere.  (Picked it up some eons ago at a yard sale.)  So I ask some questions and she gives the answers.  She makes fabric books for an annual flea market festival for a children’s home in Pennsylvania.  She’s originally from there, but lives in Eldorado.  She sells them for $8.00 each.  She goes there every year and takes them herself.  With a few more questions, she describes in detail how she puts the (fabric) pages together and ends up with a book.  She hasn’t found the fabric aisle yet.  She wonders if they have any.  So, I tell her fabric aisle is next one over and they are slowly getting more and more stuff.  I know because I check this “everyday” (every day that I go). 

She invites me to come with her.  And she actually finds two bolts of fabric that are indeed books.  One is actually nursery rhymes and very pretty.  It’s about $5.50 a yard.  I comment that she’s not really making much money, especially with all her work, selling at $8.00 a book.  She explains that this one is more expensive because it’s a brand name (nursery rhymes).  She usually pays less, more like $3.00 or so a yard. 

 

(Example, buy a yard, cut out the pages,

line them up back to back, page to page.  Line each page

 with a thin batting.  Sew them up wrong side out.

Leave about 3 inches open.  Turn them right side out

and hand stitch the opening.  Hook them up at the binding edge. 

One fabric book, all done.  That's how she said.)

 

We had a great time talking and sharing about our projects and stuff, important stuff.  She, also, does quilting.  I notice another younger lady and her cart just past us.  “I guess we’re blocking the aisle, I’ll scoot over this way.”  Then the younger lady says, “Oh, no, not at all, I was just listening to you.”  So we got sewing class going right there in Wal-Mart.  What fun!

(Blessings in disguise!)

 

Okay that was yesterday,

This is today.

 

                       

Well, I forgot the curly-q Day Bright light bulbs for the sewing room so I went back to Wal-Mart today.  First things first, I get the light bulbs.   It’s 1 pm the day before Thanksgiving.  I’m thinking this is definitely crazy going to Wal-Mart today.  But in the scents aisle I’m looking at candles.  A very nice young woman comes along side and notices me looking up (up from my scooter) at the top shelf.  She stops and asks if I need help, if she can reach something for me.  She is so nice.  I assure her I’m OK, can stand etc.  Then she smiles and wishes me a ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ and moves on.  I’m thinking, ‘See there, and you were expecting everyone to be in a big hurry and to be rude and obnoxious.’ 

(Some blessings are lessons in disguise.) 

Eventually, I end up in front of the fresh doughnuts case.  This is one spot I always avoid.  But today, oh well.  So I’m just sitting there looking at the apple fritters, thinking, well, just one!  He comes around the corner of the doughnut case and stops right in front of my scooter.  He’s a little guy with  brownish/blonde hair, jeans and tee shirt and the brightest clear blue eyes.  He has, absolutely, a face of pure innocence.  He looks over the scooter basket and sees a piece of flannel fabric I’m buying.  “Are you going to make that a blanket?” he asks. 

“Yes, I am,” I respond, “I love to make quilts.” 

So he looks over the rest of the stuff in my basket.  Not too much there as my scooter basket’s a lot smaller than a Wal-Mart scooter basket.  I guess nothing else interested him.  Most kids are more interested in my scooter and how it works, etc.  But not this one.  He wants to talk.

He leans back against the door to the doughnuts, sticks both hands in his pockets, frowns and says, “My Gramma’s got a crack in her arm.” 

I’m not sure where we’re going here, “Oh, you’re Gramma’s got a broken arm?”

“Yeah, her name is Shirley.”

“Okay, your Gramma Shirley?”

“Yeah, what’s your name?”

“My name is Doris.”

“Doris, my name is Logan,” he says and comes around to the side of my scooter, puts out his hand.  We shake hands.

“I’m glad to meet you, Doris.”

“Well, I’m glad to meet you too, Logan.”

He smiles and nods his head.

“Gee, I’m sorry to hear about your Gramma Shirley. How did she break her arm?  Did she fall?”

“She fell over a sawhorse.”

"Oh, was she out in the workshop?”

“No, she was in the garage, and she fell, and she had to lay there a long, long time.  She had to lay there until Grandpa came home.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that.  That must have been really hard for her.”

“Yes, and I wasn’t there.  (He stops talking, looks down, tilts his head.)  “And if I’d been there she wouldn’t have had to lay there so long.”

I’m getting really impressed with this little guy.  But this conversation is going on and on and the girls behind the counter over in the bakery are watching.  I’m thinking I’m going to get arrested someday for picking up kids (or little old women, or for blocking the aisles, or loitering) at Wal-Mart.  I’m thinking I should be moving on, but I really don’t want to, so…

“You’re thinking if you’d been there, you could have helped your Gramma, right?”

“Yes,” he says, that he could have helped her, that he wished he’d been there.

“Well, Logan, these things happen.  Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I know.”  (Trailing off, eyes focused at something across and beyond my left shoulder.)

Getting concerned that this precious kid could actually be off, alone, talking to a stranger, for so long and that no one has come looking for him, I venture, “Logan, does your Mom know where you are, is she looking for you?”

“No, she doesn’t know where I am.  She thinks I’m at Gramma Shirley’s right now, but I’m not.”

“I know.  You’re here at Wal-Mart.”

“Yeah, but Mom doesn’t know I’m not at Gramma Shirley’s.”

“Okay, well, is anybody else here, maybe that thinks you’re lost, or maybe that they’re looking for you?”

“That’s my Grandpa.  He’s right over there by the meat counter.”

Immensely relieved, I realize that Logan has never been out of his Grandfather’s line of vision, clearly, across my left shoulder.

“Oh, that’s good, you’re here with your Grandpa.”

     Soon, Grandpa arrives, we talk. 

              Logan’s five years old. 

                    He is one amazing little guy and a perfect gentleman. 

                            Grandpa’s proud.

                                      I am blessed!   (no disguise)

I don’t think I’ll go back to Wal-Mart until after Black Friday.

But, if I do, I am pretty sure I’ll be blessed!

Copyright - 2012 - Doris Grant Frey

Quilting By Coincidence

Quilting by Coincidence

     I moved into my new apartment at James Court and started trying to get organized now that I actually have a whole room for my quilting/sewing/crafts and another 'bonus' room for my office.  I had been working fairly steady to get everything sorted and into it's new place.  I used the 'bonus' room, off the patio, for my office/library/music/piano room.  Double sliding glass doors provide lots of light and feeling almost outside. 

     I loved MY summer evening sit outs on the patio in my old Amish built glider and my current John Grisham novel.  I had noticed my neighbor (to the west, rarely used her patio (facing  mine) except for an occasional short break outdoors.  She usually sat a while, bent forward, apparently deep in thought, then retreated inside.

     One evening I was reading outside, when she came out and sat in her patio chair.  I kept on reading.  Eventually, she made a comment and I replied, etc.  So a conversation ensued.  She teaches fifth grade at J.C.  She has a four year old, Josie, who is a pretty special kid.  She goes on to relate that at birth Josie was born with two right ureters. 

    A ureter is the tube that drains urine and runs from the kidney to the bladder. 

Normally, there is a right and a left ureter, one from each kidney.

 Above are the right and left kidneys.  The red vessels are arterial (bringing fresh blood from the heart)

and the blue vessels are veins, (taking blood from the kidneys back to the heart.) 

The yellowish vessels are the right and left ureters, draining urine,

produced in the kidneys to the bladder far below.

Above is a diagram of a double ureter, like Josie's.

     This conversation is definitely moving on.  I relate my first husband had a kidney removed due to a congenital vascular defect and that I've worked as a nurse for 45 years.  From me questions about Josie.  Answers from Kristen.  She was diagnosed at two weeks old, has already had three major surgeries to correct the double ureter.  I'm curious if all this happening at Children's Hospital in St. Louis, and she says, No, actually it's at Mercy.  Interesting, my first husband worked there, known then  as St. John's Mercy.  So she's telling me the pediatric surgeon who specializes in urology is the son of our local SI urologist, Dr. Palagiri.  Next, we're deep into my story about Gary and how Dr. Palagiri (Sr) 's son, Dr. Palagiri (Jr) was working as a resident at St. Louis University Hospital.  Gary's bladder tumor was so rare, he was the first case of Sr. Dr. Palagiri's whole career.  So Sr Dr. Palagiri was telling Jr. Dr. Palagiri about Gary.  He actually knew a professor of Oncology at St. Louis University who had treated a couple of patients with Gary's condition.  So, Sr. Dr. Palagiri (Sr) referred Gary to Dr. Visconti and once while we were at SLU, we actually met Jr. Dr. Palagiri.  Then she says that Jr. Dr. Palagiri has developed new surgical procedures for several pediatric urology abnormalities and a whole wing for kids is named for him at Mercy Hospital.  She says Josie has done so well and has a stent in place.  The extra ureter is gone.  She's due her final procedure in a couple of weeks to remove the stent and have normal kidney drainage.  I'm definitely impressed. 

     After a bit more, Kristen shares that she is really upset.  The first year of Josie's life was very special.  She kept every garment that Josie wore from her first day alive in the newborn nursery.  She had made a deal with a quilter (Ouch, did you hear that word ?  She's upset with a 'quilter' ? ) to take these tiny garments and turn them into a quilt.  (Mercy, Lord help me, here.)  But she cut them up in pieces and generally messed them up and couldn't figure out how to fix a quilt and called Kristen to come back and get them. 

      The disappointment was clear in her eyes and her expression.  I ventured that I wasn't quite sure how she could possibly have messed them up beyond use.  She expressed again her disappointment and just couldn't decide what to do, but had kept them all. 

       Now I hold my breath and dive in.  I tell her that I have done some quilting, no promises, but I maybe could take a look at what she had................. This young woman, who by now had come across the grass and was seated in my swing, shot straight up in the air, "I'll be back in a minute," she flung over her shoulder and disappeared in her back door.

       She soon reappeared carrying a plastic bag full of tiny garments.  "Maybe we should go into the office here to look at them?"  So now we're inside.  If she likes, I tell her, I can show her on my computer, some pics of my work.  She liked this idea and hunkered down for a look.  When we got to Dakota's quilt, actually appliqued and pieced and created from coloring book pages, she jumped up again and took off.  I waited, and she appeared again.  This time she has a very precious four year old Josie on her hip.  We get introduced.  We look at quilt pictures and Josie is intriqued with Dakota and his quilt pictures, especially the one where he's just sitting in the middle of it.

     I think we both know at this point that it's a done deal.  We go through all the garments.  Josie enjoys this herself.  Every one is tagged with a yellow sticky as to the occasion, first day in the nursery onesie, outfit she wore home from hospital, first Christmas, first Easter, first Father's Day etc and on through a whole year including Halloween. 

Oh yeah!  It's a done deal!

     I have a new quilt project.  I have the quilting room all organized and RTG (ready to go !!).  Kristen and Josie have moved but we have phone numbers.  I'm gonna try to get it done by Christmas. 

Wow, what a coincidence!

This blog's not done yet. 

                                                                         Stay tuned. 

                                                                                                                          There's more to come.

JOSIE'S GONNA GET A NEW QUILT !

Copyright  2012  Doris Grant Frey