If it is not one distraction its another

Today we had to set up the newly purchased tent to ensure that all required parts were in the package. And they were so tent is now down. We are hoping the boys will be able to spend the night in the tent in a couple of weeks when they are back for their next visit. They were out in a nasty storm a couple of years ago and the older one has declared he is not going to sleep outside. This tent is huge so hopefully he will be OK. We can keep the garage door open and he can scoot in if he feels the need.
I have taken a bit of time away from my machine and done some reading. One book I found particularly interesting was Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff. It is a true story set in two different time periods, World War II and last year. A testament to character and perseverance.
Tendonitis is still a problem for my shoulder. One of my Scrapbag friends offered to midarm some of the bigger quilts that need finishing. It still takes a long time to piece a backing. I got three done and delivered to her this week. I will be more than happy to tackle the binding when they are done.
I have an applique block to test for Quiltmaker magazine and I really dislike applique so have been putting it off. It must get done this weekend. Piecefully, Joanne

Reading instead of quilting

Well I have been reading instead of finishing up some quilts. I have 6 of them sitting in the house ready for quilting. I might have to rename the blog, Tops by Joanne. I finished The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini. This is a story of the Civil War in the US and the impact the war has on families from the Elm Creek Valley. Since I do not have a wealth of Civil War background I cannot say how accurate the information was in the story but it seemed very realistic to me. Today I finished A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley. He is a Canadian author and his lead character Flavia De Luce is a charming and precocious 11 year old. She loves chemistry and fancies herself as a bit of a sleuth. The time period for the stories (this is the third in a series) is early 50's in England. I love Flavia and am now waiting for the next book to come out. Another book I finished recently was The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton. Another Canadian author, this was his first book. The lead character in this novel is a smart, female, Chinese, forensic accountant. I have my name in for the next book in this series which is expect out in July. I am hoping to get back in the sewing groove soon. Joanne