Kate Warren

the condensed writer

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Excerpt

Trials and such.

1/25/2012

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When you get a call from the school on Friday because one of your kids is having trouble breathing, you know it's not going to be a great weekend.

When you get a call from your husband because he got rear-ended when he stopped for a school bus, you know it's not even going to be a good weekend.

All parties are fine.  Kid is breathing fine and has not had a recurrence.  Husband is likewise uninjured by the accident.  Can't say as much for the vehicle he was driving.  I don't really remember much of the weekend as it was spent consoling my husband and hovering over our youngest son to monitor his breathing, while planning for a birthday for the next boy up in the family.  At least the cake was good.

Someday these things may end up in one of my novels.  Right now they're just troubling. 

I've been reading Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts novels and I'm hooked, not only on the books but also on the quilting.  Quilting is something I've wanted to do in the past, something I associate with my grandmother.  I've never gotten around to it.  It seems like there isn't time or space.  The sense of creating something I can see, working with the different patterns and colors, appeals to my visual creativity in a way that writing doesn't.  The practical nature of the art is another consideration.  There's also history in quilting.

Patchwork quilts as we know them are a uniquely American creation.  Women in early America wasted nothing, and scraps of fabric were sewn together into beautiful bed coverings.  Different patterns and settings emerged over time, some named for the visual effect (Ocean Waves), some for a geographic area or trail (Road to Oklahoma).  The beauty of the work was equal to the utilitarian nature of it.  In addition to brightening the home, quilts kept Pioneer families warm through cold winter nights.  Girls started sewing nine patch squares early and would complete several quilts before marrying.  One tradition states that a girl could not marry until she had completed twelve quilt tops, a bee would be organized to quilt all twelve before the wedding.  Like an early American bridal shower, with a practical as well as a social aspect.

After my kids are asleep I'm going to get out the quilt Grandma made for my wedding.  It's in storage right now to keep the kids from damaging it.  Lovely as it is, I know Grandma would want it to be well-used rather than having it perfectly preserved but never admired or snuggled under on a cold night.  After reading about quilting and quilters so much in the last weeks, I will look at my wedding quilt with new eyes, seeing the effort in every tiny stitch, the love in the selection of a design picked especially for me.  A quilt, like firewood, can truly warm you twice.
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The Royal Wedding

4/29/2011

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I am one of the few people I know who got up at 4 AM this morning to watch Prince William marry Catherine Middleton.  I know the film will be replayed and pictures will be everywhere for weeks to come, but there is something special about the idea of watching the wedding as it happened that I couldn't resist. 

The bride was stunningly lovely, the groom looked dashing in his Irish Guards uniform, and everyone looked happy.  The music for the ceremony was also very nice.   Being musically inclined, I always notice things like that.  The readings and prayers were moving.  Classy and elegant all the way--a royal wedding at it's best.  William and Kate have shown the world how it's done.

Like many I've watched the courtship play out over the last years and looked forward to this day for quite a while.  It's my personal opinion that the groom couldn't have chosen better.  He and his wife (now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) are well-suited to one another and could not be accused of rushing into marriage.  They took time to get to know one another, and the bride has had the opportunity to learn about the kind of life she will lead as a member of the royal family before committing to such a daunting venture.  They married with their eyes opened, and they married for love.  This is how a royal marriage should be. 

I hope all of my readers will join me in wishing this lovely couple a long and joyous union.

Kate
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Love is in the air.

2/14/2011

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It's Valentine's day.  A time for chocolate (if you're not allergic), flowers (if you're not allergic) and romance (if you're lucky).  Not all of us are in relationships, and not all relationships are the stuff of novels, but it's a day we can all appreciate.  Those who are looking for love can take Valentine's as a symbolic day of hope, of the love that will come their way.  Those who are in love can be thankful for the wonderful feelings they have and the person who inspired those feelings. 

Now on to some history...

St. Valentine's Day honors a saint who, according to legend, married young Christian couples secretly, in defiance of Roman law.  The Nuremburg Chronicle (1493) is the first printed record of this story.  The story further states that Valentinus (the Latin form of the name Valentine) aided Christians who were being persecuted by the state.  He was arrested and befriended emperor Claudius II.  Unfortunately he was sentenced to death after trying to convert Claudius to Christianity.  He is considered a martyr.

In addition to love, lovers, engaged couples, and happy marriages, Valentine is also considered a patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, plague, travellers, and young people.  Bet you didn't know that.  I sure didn't.  

The source for the above is a website called Catholic.org.  The link is to St. Valentine's page if you would like to do further reading.

Kate
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