The Dadland Flag (and an amusing chicken tale)
Lately we've had loads of sunshine on the North Coast of California, as though the marine layer is being pulled in the opposite direction by some magical force for which I am quite grateful, lol. My husband isn't as pleased, but of course it is July and even here in Humboldt County occasionally warm temps creep along the shore, muscling that marine layer well off to sea.
Not sure from where that name emerged, but it stuck, and still sticks, and recently he would have turned eighty-two, dude! I can't honestly fathom him being that old, though he was looking pretty aged not long before he passed. His wasn't an easy life, and many of those potholes were of his own making, but he did reach seventy, which at the time I almost couldn't believe. Then of course I wish he'd lived a lot longer.
Not sure why eighty-two seems so unreasonable, maybe because he's been gone for over eleven years, Mom for eight, which also feels wholly erroneous, but time keeps passing and none of us are younger than we used to be. This little quilt, both for its size and lightweight feel, is perfect for summer, whether it's warm and sunny, warm and gray, or cool and gray. At silly o'clock in the morning, it's not at all hot, and I drape this beloved quilt over my lap, and ponder what my dad would think of my life in Humboldt, and other things too.
Quickly, a little about how it was made: the pattern is by Sherri Lynn Wood, from her book The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters. This score, Floating Squares, is why I bought the book; I first saw an example of it on Film in the Fridge, quilter Ashley Newcomb's blog. I've made several quilts and wall hangings based on this score, truly a liberating design that lifts my heart every time I consider it.
Now, onto that chicken tale.... So lately Nadia has turned broody. She's quite a puff-ball, as well as a growly girl, so this morning we put her in the run, food and water provided. Literally less than two minutes after I closed the door to the run, I heard some errant clucking, then found she had FLOWN OUT! Oh Nadia....
She's one of two hens to have flown the coop, lol, and was puffing herself out on the grass, so I gathered the food and water, hauling them over to the condo. Now, this is her first round of broodiness, and to Nadia, the condo (also known as the dog run) is more like a fun place for special hens. I placed the food and water into the condo, and she was on my heels, marching right into the space where I was going to put her!
No chasing, no cajoling, no waiting for her to return to the coop proper and nestle herself into a box. I shut the door, peering at her, pecking at the feed. During the day we checked on her, finding her all puffed out, at times clucking, or visited by her sisters, wishing they were the special hen in the fancy location, blah, blah, blah.
No idea how long it will take Nadia to get over this, nor do I expect her to traipse into the condo tomorrow, but then tomorrow I'm not going to put her in the run first! She'll go directly into the broody hen condo, and hopefully this will be a quick few days until she's her pleasant, less-puffy self again.
For now she's Puffy the hen. I think Dad would get a kick out of her. And assuming she gets to see him before I do, he'll tell her all about me as a kid, occasionally checking on chickens from eons ago. Yup, that's the long and short of it.
