May I Have Your Vote?

Since I crave rejection, I've entered another of my quilts in the Quilting Gallery's online quilt contest.  This is the Sunshine on My Shoulders quilt that I finished up a few months ago.  This week's theme is "Just Squares and Rectangles".  I think this quilt fits the theme pretty well, don't you?  Anyway . . . if you're feeling so inclined, I would appreciate having your vote.  Check out all the quilts in the contest right here.  There are some really great ones entered this week.

Even if you don't like my quilt, maybe you'll vote for it just because I'm a nice guy.  Zachary, who claims to be a co-worker over at I Have a Notion, has requested help with a reading homework assignment.  He's asked us to print out a picture of his friend, Flat Stanley, and take him some place interesting near by.  Then we're supposed to take a picture of Flat Stanley and email it back to Zachary's mom along with a little narrative about Flat Stanley's travels.  If you want to help Zachary out, you have until May 15th to do so.  

This morning I walked with my friend, Sue.  It was another drizzly day in Oregon, but Sue and I are always glad if the skies don't open up and dump on us.  We started the day having oatmeal at one of the local little dives, The South Store Cafe, which is housed in a clapboard building that is over 100 years old.  They have the BEST oatmeal.  I'm not sure what makes it so delicious . . . probably the fact that someone else made it. 

After that, Sue and I took Flat Stanley out for a little walk in the rural countryside in Yamhill County, where I live.  You know it's rural when there are road signs warning cars to be on the look out for slow-moving tractors.  Sue had in mind to put Flat Stanley on the tractor, but neither of us was tall enough to reach.  

Then, we took a picture of Flat Stanley admiring one of the many hazelnut orchards that grow in Oregon.  Some people refer to these as cob nuts or filberts.  Here in Oregon where they grow in abundance, we call them hazelnuts.  They are one of our largest crops.

Flat Stanley also enjoyed seeing these wild-growing Oregon Grape shrubs that grow wild all over the area.  They bloom with delicate yellow flowers in the spring and summer, and later in the year they will have dark purple berries.  While I understand that the berries can be used in cooking, they are bitter to eat off the bush.  Yuck!  In any case, the Oregon Grape is the state flower of Oregon.

Flat Stanley was getting a little soggy by the end of our journey, as were we, so we called it a day.  Things are looking up for the weekend, however.  Take a look at this forecast.

It's supposed to be 81° on Sunday.  Whoo Hoo!  There's hope for warmer days ahead!