Linens 'n Things

Today I got up and immediately got busy working on getting things back to normal in the living room. And, that meant handwashing the handmade linens that I use on some of my table tops. These needlework pieces were made either by my grandmother (on my mother's side) or one of her sisters. I normally soak them in a mild cleansing solution in a plastic tub. Well, the tub happens to be in the closet in the upstairs hall that is completely hidden by tall stacks of boxes...no way was I going to try to open those doors! So the bathtub became the place to soak them this year. After soaking/washing and then rinsing them several times I then rolled them in a towel to get out excess water and then ironed them face down on a terry towel till they were dry...took a while! I ironed each of them at least twice getting them almost dry. They are so lovely when you pick them up and look at the right side. My grandmother and her sister were impeccable needlewomen...I admire their work greatly and enjoy looking at their lovely things daily. These items have to be nearing a hundred years old and some are probably over one hundred (if they were in my grandmother's hope chest then they are over 100...if they were made after my grandmother and grandfather married then they are sixty-two years or older as my grandmother died when I was two). They've held up very well. I am so glad that my Aunt Lois offered them to me some years back. She wanted to get rid of them but hated to throw them away...of course this Lois couldn't say "no" to such lovely handmade items! I have many more stored away. I dusted tables that they were going to go on and then when they were ironed I placed them where they go in my scheme of things! I have also been in and out of rooms upstairs and down on the hunt for the objects that go on the tables, bookshelves, etc. I'm still not finished...but have a very good start. I had to put aside the redecorating to make soup this afternoon...this time...my favorite...J. Hatheway's Italian Sausage Soup. We had it for supper.

Woody walked four miles today. He did his daily crossword puzzle and he has played quite a few games of Scrabble with the computer. He says that he is having a problem with the computer challenging words that he has made that are legitimate words (in his Scrabble dictionaries)...and the computer wins the challenge and Woody's word gets removed and he loses his turn. He says that he doesn't remember that happening when he played the computer before. He still keeps the upper hand on the computer and beats it most every time. He has read and watched a bit of television today. And, he cleaned up the kitchen...big help! I can tell that he is feeling better as kitchen clean-up seems to be back on his list of "to-do's." I forgot to mention yesterday that after church he made a new asparagus recipe...Braised Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar...quite tasty. He is now at church for Monday night prayer meeting.