Thursday, August 27, 2009

Slice of Lime-Leaving the Nest and Feathering a New One

As I mentioned, the finishing of the quilt came down to the wire. I finished clipping the raw edges the morning we had to take Diana to school. Then I had to take it to the laundromat to wash and dry. It took a loooong time to dry. What was I to do while sitting there waiting. Oh, I can take a Slice of Lime picture!* Tada!



Also as previously noted, I had just enough time to throw the quilt on the line and take a few pictures before it was time to load up Jezebel the truck and head out looking like the Clampetts so we could deposit Ellie Mae Diana at one of them there fancy colleges. At this juncture I'd like you to take note of the expression of misery on Calypso's face. The child is not happy about her sister being away. Isaac, on the other hand, sang the following ditty to the tune of "Ding dong, the Witch is Dead."
Ding dong she's finally gone,
I can't wait.
It's gonna be great!
Ding dong the belligerent one
is gone.



Since I was somewhat rushed upon returning from the laundromat I forgot my good camera. Dangit! The rest of the pictures are with my camera phone which doesn't do so well in certain situations. While Calypso was sinking into depression, I was heartened to note all the dorm staff bedecked in brand new tie dye shirts.


Exhibit A on the rotten results the camera phone gets in low light. We got Diana all settled in (note the quilt on the bed). For her sake I was glad to see the walls were a basic white, not the putrid institution green when I was a lowly freshman at this very same school a long, long time ago. It was also clear to see that while we thought Diana had taken everything but the kitchen sink she was far more restrained than what we saw being hauled into a number of other cubicles. Oh, and they now have cable TV hookups in each room! You gotta be kidding me! We weren't allowed a TV in our rooms at all! There was one TV in the lounge, no cable, and you'd better hope you liked whatever everyone else liked to watch. Cable TV in the room...is THAT what the room and board fee goes for? Sheesh.


It was kind of sweet to see what sorts of "comfort" items Diana packed to take with her. There was a little pillow she made in Home Ec., a couple of stuffed animals, and most touching to me....Silky. Silky is the blanket I designed and cross stitched for her when she was a baby. Once upon a time it had a satin binding she liked to fold into a point and hold in her pudgy little hand to flick while she sucked her thumb. Silky's binding has been worn to a fray. So here sits Silky atop the newest comfort item, the quilt now dubbed "Fuzzy."


Everything was in order so we had one last hug. Good luck, kiddo. We love you.


*No Limes entered washers or dryers during the process of cleaning the quilt or preparing this post.

24 comments:

G-Man said...

You done good Trini...

G-Man is very proud of you...:-)

Jazz said...

Going to college... gotta love it.

Bijoux said...

LOL on the cable TV. College Daughter still fumes that she can't get MTV or E! in her dorm room, even though they have cable.

Best wishes to your daughter on her freshman year! Looking forward to hearing more!

Mona said...

Hey! we are proud of you! That quilt is a work of Art!

You guys look beautiful in the last picture!

Suldog said...

As I've mentioned here before, she's lovely. So are you, you good Mom!

Lulda Casadaga said...

A new chapter begins for both of you...good luck to you both! :)
Love the quilt!

Desmond Jones said...

Now I'm forming a mental image of you, Diana and Calypso sitting in rocking chairs tied to the top of the heap-o'-stuff in the truck bed. . . (Which, if I'm not mistaken, the Beverly Hillbillies borrowed from the Grapes of Wrath. . .)

(and now I've got that stupid Veggie Tales song in my brain - "We are the Grapes of Wrath, we never take a bath. . .")

(OK, enough with the parenthetical comments, eh?)

God speed yer eldest. . . It's a new adventure for all of you; whole new vistas are opening up (yeef; does that ever sound like a cliche. . .)

Miss her, and pray for her, and do your best to comfort Calypso in her loss. . . (but hey, c'mon Isaac - 'Ding dong, the belligerent one is gone' ?? At least wait 'til she's out of earshot. . .)

Exciting times, fersure. . .

crazy4coens said...

Wow! Another rite of passage observed!

I love the quit! I have never thought of using different size squares in a raggedy quilt. Well done!

Here's to one less child in the nest.

for a different kind of girl said...

We couldn't even have a phone in our room, so every phone call we'd get, someone at the front desk would page us after finding one of about 10 open phones in the dorm to transfer our call to. So often I'd have to go up four flights of stairs, down three halls and then hope my caller hadn't given up and hung up! It seems all so ancient now compared to college life today!

Hope she has a great year and that smile stays on her face often!

S said...

Oh god, I just want LR to go to college at Sonoma State so she can live at home! :P

I guess that's why you have more than one kid, so that when the first one leaves, you don't notice....

I have heard no mention of tears...?

~Dragonfly~* said...

Taking them to college is the easy part... leaving them there as they look lost and afraid and get smaller by the moment in your rear view mirror is the beginning of the tough part. For the next month or so, okay... year... all you'll have to do is think her name and your eyes will fill with tears.

I've moved three in, graduated two and just last week as I moved the middle child into Vet School, I drove home with tears in my eyes for at least the first 15 minutes of the trip.

It's tough to not miss their friendship and their laughter....

But, you've done good... and when she is feeling lost or lonely or a little bit scared... she can wrap herself in your portable hug now lovingly known as Fuzzy.

EmBee said...

But did you cry? Because if it were me, I bet I'd be crying not just tears of longing for the empty section in the nest but tears of immense joy too.

Desmond Jones said...

That first photo, from the laundromat, had me thinking, for just a second, that you were taking a ride in the dryer. . .

Lapis Ruber said...

It's an awesome moment I remember well.

My wife made three quilts, one for each of our daughters and every stitch was embued with love. They lasted them all through their college years and are still in use today.

Good luck and best wishes to you both.

Cosima said...

The quilt looks wonderful. Happy studies to Diana. The two of you look lovely in the last picture.

Craver Vii said...

Best wishes to Diana on this new adventure. Yes, it sounds cliche, but I think it fits. :-)

Are Diana and Calypso close? May they be true friends for the rest of their lives.

Ananda girl said...

Lovely story... gives me hope that I can remain sane when my Squeaky goes to college next year. I'm glad you shared it.

Commander Zaius said...

My brain is really lost in space because when I saw the first picture I instantly thought about the guy who posted a naked picture of himself on eBay by taking a picture of a stainless steel tea kettle with himself visible in the reflection.

As for kids going off to college I must admit that after this recently passed summer with my son's friends staying over almost constantly I don't feel so bad about my son going off for school.

Lolly said...

Ah, what a momentous occasion! I had been wondering if you were going to finish that quilt. Great job!

Jocelyn said...

She is so beautiful. And you seem to be handling this potentially-hugely-emotional transition with great aplomb. Wow.

Hilary said...

Aww talk about warm fuzzies. .you did your job right, Mamma Lime.

Malicious Intent said...

OMG, now I am crying! Will you please adopt me...just look past the age thing...I am up for adoption and you seem to have an opening or sorts.

Good job! Great quilt too. :)
Wow, college. And here I am tonight having a nervous break down over my little one starting middle school tomorrow. lol....silly me!

The Teacup Cottage said...

Yeah! Let the new adventures begin! The quilt looks great. I have to get finishing some projects I have for my soon-to-arrive little one. Glad to see the proof that projects do get finished!

Cheesy said...

Now the REALLY fun stories start for you mommers! Enjoy what you can... cherish what you have to miss.