Sometimes I Feel Like the Fox From "The Fox and the Grapes."

When I was a child, the farm I grew up  on from when I was about 4 until I was 12 had an old cherry tree.  I loved climbing it, but more importantly, I loved the pies my mom made from it. It was a red, sour cherry,of unknown type...as the farm was established in the 1870s and we lived there in the 1960s and 1970s.

One horrible spring, a tornado came through and although it missed the house and barns, and the sheep we raised, it  claimed the cherry.

I've always loved cherries of all types, sneaking spoonfuls of frozen bing cherries from the 25 pound tins stored in our freezer. When we moved to Troy, I planted a dwarf Northstar cherry as red sour cherries are hard to come by.  In theory, the tree will only grow to 10 feet tall,but I think it will be taller.

With the numbness in my feet from the  chemotherapy, I cannot go on ladders as I would fall. So, I picked what I  could.  I asked my husband to help.....but he doesn't like  cherries....he  says they are too gushy and reminds him of cough syrup...of  course he says the same thing about blueberries as well.

I picked and finally he took pity on me and came out with the ladder and helped, but with him almost 6 feet tall and being on a 4 foot ladder, he still couldn't reach the top.  I had to teach him about avoiding bird pecked and wormy cherries (I don't spray).  At least we got enough for a couple more pies, but in reality, they will probably be turned into cherry crisp or cherry sauce for me and my daughter....who inherited this love.  One pie was made and shared with our friend Bob who came out from Connecticut last week to help with my garden.   Bob grew up in Michigan's cherry country....and like me, considers sour  cherry pie to be the tops.  Birds will get the rest now, and I will start spraying a fungicide to alleviate the cherry leaf drop which plagues me here as the springs can be damp and conducive to it.  Of course this is also the first year in three is has born cherries as late frosts got the blossoms the last two years.

And  I hear, sour cherries are good cancer fighters.

If you don't know the Aesop's fable about the fox and the grapes..it's here.  Not the version I was looking for ( a folk song my brother used to sing in the late 1960s in his local group "The Brotherhood.").

Benefits of being a Member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)

Not too long ago I wrote about being at the Quilt National (QN) Opening.  I was there because of an opportunity made available through Studio Art Quilt Associates.    As I can't say or explain it better, here is the information directly from their website:

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications.

Founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, SAQA now boasts over 2,900 members: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors.

SAQA defines an art quilt as "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure."

SAQA's goals include: 

• Publish a newsletter and e.Bulletin addressing the professional needs of the working quilt artist.
• Publicize information about the art quilt through a web site, Professional Artist Member portfolios, and referrals to teachers and speakers for workshops and symposia.
• Educate through a series of conferences and lectures.
• Create a network of collectors, dealers and artists.
• Produce quality exhibitions, with documentary catalogues and critical reviews.
• Encourage critical writing, research and publication of articles about art quilts in the art press, popular press and scholarly journals.

I have been a member for four years....and I have to say, I really enjoy it.  The symposium offered in conjunction with Quilt National was just wonderful. For $20, SAQA member participants were able to attend the opening, attend a continental breakfast on Saturday morning after the opening where all of the artists whose work was in the show were able to speak about their work, listen to a presentation from the jurors how they chose the pieces and exactly what the process was, and a panel discussion from several of the artists whose work was chosen and in closing, a presentation of incoming President, Kris Sazaki talking about where SAQA is today and the plans for tho next several years.

In addition, for an extra fee, we could join in a pizza party with the QN artists.  

I can't say enough about how much fun I had. I was able to meet a lot of people with whom I had "met" on he internet and emailed back and forth with, but never gotten to meet face to face.  I also was able to see SAQA friends I had met at the Philadelphia conference last year, regional SAQA shows and Ohio regional "parlor meetings." 

Parlor meetings are meeting held by groups in a particular area.  At the very least, they are pot lucks with a show and tell element.  Or, it can be more structured...for instance at the parlor meeting I hosted  we talked about artist statements and bios, as well as points in choosing a long-arm or other set ups (such as a frame with movable tracks, the George, HQ-16, etc.) .  Not all areas have Parlor meetings (and they vary in what they are called) as they are up to the membership in an area to take the bull by the horns and plan them.  I have attended parlor meetings in homes, churches, libraries and the one that I hosted was in my husband's workplace.   No matter where they are held, I've enjoyed them and welcomed the opportunity to meet and talk with kindred souls.

Other extremely useful programs include webinars on various topic which are saved so even if you can't be there at the time the program originally runs, you can pick it up later   The Visioning Project is another useful program which helps you achieve your goals in a  years time . 

SAQA is open to all levels of interest, professional to those just getting started .  Quite  few members are collectors and we have several appraisers as well.  Go on over to the SAQA website and join...just tell them Lisa Quintana sent you. ;_)