 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
Me: Imagine you are eating a slice of the yummiest blueberry pie...
Paul: Oh I love blueberry pie
Me: Yes, but this is oh so much better than any other blueberry pie
Paul: How so?
Me: The crust is flaky and the filling is made from fresh blueberries
Paul: You know I will eat any blueberry pie
Me: I know but stay with me. Just as you close your eyes in pure bliss when all the flavors from the warm filling and the buttery crust melt in your mouth you taste a big lump of salt
Paul: Oh I love blueberry pie
Me: Yes, but this is oh so much better than any other blueberry pie
Paul: How so?
Me: The crust is flaky and the filling is made from fresh blueberries
Paul: You know I will eat any blueberry pie
Me: I know but stay with me. Just as you close your eyes in pure bliss when all the flavors from the warm filling and the buttery crust melt in your mouth you taste a big lump of salt
Paul: WHAT???
Me: That is how I feel at this time.
Paul: I see. So this is all about you.
Me: Well, mostly. My happiness is marred.
Paul: Why do you focus on the lump of salt and not on the blueberry pie?
Me: That is how I feel at this time.
Paul: I see. So this is all about you.
Me: Well, mostly. My happiness is marred.
Paul: Why do you focus on the lump of salt and not on the blueberry pie?
Me: Because it is not perfect and I want...
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
Paul: Nothing is perfect and nothing should be.
Me: I don't accept that.
Paul: Is our marriage perfect?
Me: No, but it has gotten better.
Paul: So there is room for improvement
Me: But why did you say that nothing should be perfect?
Paul: Because achieving perfection would be the end of the journey.
Me: And we must go on...
Paul: For a more perfect union, yes, absolutely.
Me: I don't accept that.
Paul: Is our marriage perfect?
Me: No, but it has gotten better.
Paul: So there is room for improvement
Me: But why did you say that nothing should be perfect?
Paul: Because achieving perfection would be the end of the journey.
Me: And we must go on...
Paul: For a more perfect union, yes, absolutely.
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
Paul: Set aside the salty lump, what do you love most about the outcome?
Me (excitedly): You mean other than the historic election of Kamala Harris? First woman!!! First woman ever in the White House!!! First woman of Indian descent!!!
Paul (with a calm smile): Yes, beyond that.
Me: Hmmm... the fact that we had the most historic of turnouts ever since 1900.
Paul: Over 145 million Americans cast their ballots
Me: That is a historic win for Democracy.
Paul: What else?
Me: The fact that Georgia turned blue is pretty phenomenal.
 |
| Display at IAD in February 2020 |
Paul: And who made that happen?
Me (almost shouting): STACEY ABRAMS and her initiative Fair Fight!!!
Paul: Which you support with your monthly donation.
Me: YES!!!
Paul: So in a way your efforts made Georgia blue.
Me (eyes wide): I did not think like that.
Paul: It happened.
Me: If ever there is an award for turning adversity and defeat into opportunity and progress Stacey Abrams will be the top contender.
Paul: If Stacey Abrams had become the Georgia Governor in 2018, she may not have launched Fair Fight and Georgia may not have turned blue.
Me: I see your point.
It was time to celebrate. Mari and I met for lunch, ice-cream and fabric shopping.
 |
| With Mari (masks were worn at all times, except eating/taking pictures) |
 |
| Salted Caramel Ice cream |
 |
| Bright & Cheerful |
 |
| Come to me, my lovely!!! |
 |
| Too yummy to pass!!! |
Once home, my discussion with Paul continued.
Paul: Did you miss the news about ballot initiatives?
Me: Oh no. I heard that all ballot initiatives related to decriminalization of drugs were passed, including decriminalization of magic mushrooms in DC.
Paul: That is huge for any person ever caught/jailed for a minor drug offense and had their entire future ruined for it.
Me: That should also ease the burden on the police forces.
Paul: Let's hope there are other police reforms with the new administration in charge.
Me: Oh I was reading the APTA newsletter...
Paul: APTA?
Me: American Public Transportation Association sent out their newsletter and it said that a record number of voters supported public transportation initiatives in Austin and San Antonio in Texas, Bay Area in California, Seattle in Washington, Missoula in Montana, and Monroe County in Michigan.
Paul: So good news on the professional front.
Me: Yes. Good news for Public Transit anywhere is welcomed by all transit professionals everywhere.
 |
| Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Brown Blocks |
Me: I heard about Sarah McBride and Taylor Small.
Paul: There are others who won their state level elections. Mauree Turner was elected to state legislature
Me: Is Mauree Turner a transgender woman?
Paul: THEY are non-binary.
Me: Which state?
Paul: Oklahoma.
Me (eyes as big as saucers): WHAT??? Oklahoma? WOW!!!
Paul: And you thought that all the LGBTQ folks lived in SF or NY.
Me (sheepishly): Most, I guess.
Paul: Even conservative America is changing.
Me: The clatter was so loud that it is hard to hear the fluttering of the hummingbird.
 |
| Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Black Blocks |
Paul: So what is your lump of salt in the pie?
Me (at a loss for words): Um...
Paul: That there wasn't a blue wave as the polls predicted?
Me: Kinda...
Paul: Polls aren't an exact science. But that is besides the point.
Me: What is the point?
Paul: If there was a blue wave, they would be resting on their laurels and taking things easy.
Me: And we must keep fighting the good fight because we have ways to go.
Paul: Exactly. Just like Stacey Abrams did. Use the setbacks to propel forward.
Me: So we need a lump of salt in the pie?
Paul: Proverbially, at least.
With Stacey Abrams at the grassroots and Kamala Harris (about to be) in the White House, I feel pretty awesome. Working together we have lots more to do. Oh what fun we will have in this journey together!
 |
| Ooh Chocolate |
 |
| Kaffe meets Ruby Star Society |
 |
| The Woods are Dark & Deep |
 |
| Honey & Caramel |
In November, I am working on black and brown Picket Star Blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. It is just another way to celebrate black and brown women who paved the way so that we could be here today.
 |
| Floral Dots & Little Dots |
 |
| Abstract meets Floral |
 |
| Big Floral meets Little Floral |
I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties including Angela's Linky Party.
See full list on the sidebar.
If you have any thoughts about Pie, Politics or our Path ahead, won't you let me know?
Please wear a mask to protect others and yourself. We are in this together.
Great post, as usual, Preeti! I love your Picket Star blocks and all the new fabrics. And I’m overjoyed about a blue win and the firm “No, thanks” to Donald Trump and his divisiveness (although that seems to be continuing post-election). I hope we’ll be hearing more from the brilliant Stacey Abrams, and I know Kamala Harris will accomplish much in her tenure. I truly believe we’re on the cusp of many wonderful things happening (finally) to and for women and those who love them!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome post, Preeti! I share your excitement over Kamala. What a huge step forward. Oh, and your blocks are very pretty too!
ReplyDelete:-) Love you and your thoughts
ReplyDeleteLovely blocks and new fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI share your excitement on the women in politics it is a great stride forward for our country and it is about time we have gotten a woman in the top parts of government. I wish more shared our views - Stacey Abrams has a place in politics for sure in the future I bet
ReplyDeletelove your blocks
A great post! Much food for thought as I sit, a tiny blue dot in my mostly, almost all, red state! You would think The Equality State, the one that first gave women the right to vote would be more progressive. We have much work to do here! Thank you for your encouragement!
ReplyDeleteAnd your brown and black blocks are fabulous!
I love your brown and black blocks. They will add much to the quilt and be a record of this interesting year! I have enjoyed everything folks are posting about the suffragettes.
ReplyDeleteI really love these blocks, Preeti! They look good in EVERY color combination!
ReplyDeleteFor me, the salt you speak of is how many people are ok with a leader who clearly has disdain and hatred for most of his country. But Paul is right, there is a lot of sweet and flavor of pie and I hope that increases in the coming months and years.
I'm so glad that you and Paul offered a different perspective about Stacey Abrams not winning the governorship in GA. Her destiny (for now) is to make a huge difference on a much greater stage than just GA, and I had not thought how she might not have had the same impact if she were governor. Thank you for using your blog to delight all of us with beautiful quilts and blocks and fabrics, but also to keep our awareness high and to expand our thinking.
ReplyDeleteFirst - your blocks are delightful. And second but maybe more important - I really enjoyed your pie conversation. Can't rest on our laurels, but need to continue to make things better in the future.
ReplyDeleteThose black and brown blocks for the RSC are SEW gorgeous, Preeti!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Preeti, I enjoyed your conversation with Paul. I really hope the past President moves on and the new one is allowed to do his job asap. I find it really sad one person's temper tantrum comes before the good of the country, sums him up I guess.
ReplyDeleteYour blocks are beautiful, and your new fabric yum!!
Paul is very wise. (Don't tell him I said that.) That was a lovely day, but gosh do I need a haircut! And maybe some color! Perhaps I can borrow some of your lovely fabric to cover up? Hope you have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you for putting this all together. I too was hoping for a huge blue wave but I understand and we have work to do. We in Indiana sure has work to do. When I see what Stacie Abrams has done, I'm so encouraged. Things will get better! Love your conversations with Paul and love your blocks.
ReplyDeleteThe election was truly a disappointment from the standpoint that it turned out not to be a landslide and the blue wave didn't occur. Not sure I can understand why almost half the voters want four more years of this chaos. I won't be able to relax until January 20th. But, enough of that. Your latest Picket Star blocks are as exquisite as the earlier one. And you found some great new fabrics to make more amazing quilts.
ReplyDeletePat
You want to know what I think about PIE, POLITICS, and the PATH AHEAD, do you? Well, firstly, it's all well and good as a metaphor, but NO I will not be adding a lump of salt to my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Pie need not represent the world as it is, striving for perfection. Quarter inch patchwork seams are my metaphor for working towards a better world. My piecing will never be 100% perfect 100% of the time, but it gets better and better the more quilts I make, and the mistakes of the past cannot survive my determination (or my seam ripper). Pie must be aspirational, to remind us of what we long for... And I long for a molasses pumpkin pie with a pecan crust, sans salt lumps. Politics? I feel like I'm watching a soap opera at this point, like The Young and the Restless, except it's The Old, the Orange, and the Totally Out-of-Touch With Reality... Which brings me to The Path Ahead and my thoughts about that: You gotta just keep trucking down our Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy, leaning on your friends like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and me -- the Lioness seeking her courage. We can only get to the Emerald City by looking out for one another, and once we do, we'll discover that what we learned on our journey together is worth far more than anything the Wizard could give us. Click your heels, Preeti -- there's no place like a home with dusty bathroom scales, dirty pots in the sink, and delicious curry smells wafting out of the kitchen! :-).
ReplyDeleteAs always, you say everything so well, Preeti! Your conversations with Paul, interspersed with beautiful quilt blocks, always make me think. I knew from the moment Kamala began to speak the other night that she will be a woman we can all look up to!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Preeti! And a good example of why I keep reading blogs by a few special quilters. Thank you for your perspective and sharing Paul's optimism. And lovely Picket Fence blocks.
ReplyDeleteI love reading your thoughts on what's going on in the country. I'm disappointed too about some things, chiefly that we are still so strongly divided. This is especially hard when some members of my own family are on the other side. It helps me to remember how much both sides have in common, in spite of everything. We have to just keep on keeping on.
ReplyDeleteYour post is very affirming after our morning chat! I’m glad I’m just reading it now. I hope lots of people realize there are so many things that can be done to help propel democracy forward, both small and large. We’ve got a lot of healing to do! Your blocks are coming along very nicely. I look forward to seeing them all together!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great conversation and good overview of the great successes of this election. So many extraordinary wins in 2020. Hooray!
ReplyDeleteHi, my dear friend Preeti! Just the kind of discussion I love to be involved in. No yelling but rather thoughtful facts (not alternate facts) shared. Wisconsin has had an LBGT woman in the state Senate since 1999 and now she's a US Senator. There is definitely hope with more work to be done. That's all we can do is chip away, support what we believe in and keep the faith. Oh, and build our all-accepting neighborhood. Love everything about this post, Preeti. One week from today we're going to have a giveaway for some International Sister blocks in your honor. ~smile~ Roseanne
ReplyDeleteI always love your posts, especially your conversations with your husband. This one made me cry sweet tears :) HUGS
ReplyDeleteLovely post Preeti. Also, such a fun pic of you and Mari. Two cute quilters hanging out together!
ReplyDeleteI agree, and share your excitement about Kamala and her future position. That's a great victory for women, and democraty. Well, on this subject, I just hope that what is supposed to be will come smoothly. Biden is the man you need, and the one we need too, for better world decisions and negociations.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your blocks, as usual ;)
Your blocks are so gorgeous! And your conversations with your hubby are so enlightening—and heartening ❤️🇨🇦🌈🙏✨💕. As a singleton hanging out mostly by myself, I miss these types of conversations I used to have spontaneously with colleagues before I retired. Thank you for filling that void, Preeti. And here’s hoping the blue majority wins in next week’s run-off election in Georgia for the last two senate seats. Stacey Abrams & her team must pull out all the stops!! It could be the difference between finally being able to get things done with Kamala’s tie-breaking vote, and everything stagnating in the senate for four more years. Praying!!! ~Diana K.
ReplyDelete