Today is the day that is recorded in history as 9/11. On this day in 2001, I returned home in the morning to discover that the first tower of the Trade Center in New York City had been hit by an airplane only I did not yet know it was the first tower. As I watched the television speechlessly and I can only assume my mouth wide open, I saw the second strike in real time. I stood there transfixed by the horror not knowing worse would happen. At that moment, I had no idea the towers would fall several hours later. I had no idea how many people would be killed, some leaving no trace of their last earthly hours and minutes.

At my home, that day was perfect. The sky was a beautiful cloudless blue. Today there is a little haze. The temperature may have been the same as it is today but it was not as humid as it is today. It was a perfect day and such a dramatic contrast to the perfect horror of the day.

On 11 September 2002, we were in England, Wells to be precise. Above are pictures of Wells Cathedral. The interior picture shows the US flag in tribute to US military forces during WW II. On the lapel of my blazer, I wore a bow tied of red, white, and blue ribbons. I had attached a little crystal tear drop which hung from the knot. Before we left home I made my little bow as a memorial. Since returning home, it has remained in a dish on my dresser. Every time I see it, I say a prayer for the survivors. Later on our journey, we saw a 9/11 memorial in Germany.

Last year on 11 September we were traveling from San Luis Obispo, California to San Diego. Other than the first anniversary of the date, I have not had as strong a reaction as this year.

Laundry was the primary focus of the day with a little personal time while the washer was washing and the drier was drying. During one of those times, though, I spot cleaned the mats in the kitchen. When I took the mats outside to dry, there was a little chickadee eating hollyhock seeds. Chickadees are very cute but some of their calls are a little harsh and seem extremely loud for such a small bird.

On another trip into the backyard, I startled a little chipmunk that was sitting on the ramp that leads to the garden shed. I did not see it at first because my view was blocked by the petunias and pepper plants but it knew that I was there. Just like the chipmunk that I saw run into someone's closed garage yesterday, this one darted up the ramp and quickly flew under the shed door.

Yesterday I finished this little project bag and pocket duo. The blue dish is the depression glass that I found Saturday.

School is in session every where in Minnesota now. I am not certain that our neighborhood is any quieter I know that some neighborhoods are. The sky is quite cloudy and rain is in the forecast. We have had a lot of sunshine lately so it is time for a little rain.

We must have a high chipmunk population. As we drove home this morning, I noticed that a chipmunk ran into the garage of someone who lives down the street from us. The door was closed but there was a little gap at the bottom. The chipmunk obviously was aware of this as it raced to the door and squeezed right under. This summer we have a high rabbit population. That could mean trouble for our gardens and plants during the winter.

Today is Labor Day; it is a national holiday and is as late as it can be this year. I will explain for those who are not in the US. Labor Day floats; it is always the first Monday in September. Last year it was as early as possible, 1 Sep. Since this was not a leap year, it is as late as it can be.

Thanksgiving is another floating holiday. It is always the fourth Thursday in November and unlike other national holidays, must be declared by the President. Even though it must be officially declared, the probability of its not being declared is zilch.

Labor Day usually signifies the end of the summer. I hardly need Labor Day for that. When I walk in the morning, it is hard to avoid noticing that the sun is coming up later. There is now not even the glimmer of the pending sunrise when I get to the health club. In fact, by the time we got back home this morning, the sun was not even fully up. Because there was no sign of the sun when I got to the health club, the birds were not yet singing. It will be really silent after the first heavy frost.

Yes, isn't that little perfume bottle amazing? I have it in the living room where I can see it as I stitch. I can actually see the cut glass designs in it. Scroll back down to look at the little detail.

It is a gorgeous late summer day. We are all being a little lazy. I will be doing a little stitching.

I want to show you an exchange gift that I received. It is a design by Tony Minieri. The first picture shows a detail of the perfume bottle. The metallic and shiny threads give a nice representation of cut glass.

This morning I took a picture of a co-ord- inating project bag, pocket, and flower pot pin cushion all of which I made. I showed a picture of the pin cushion a little while ago. This picture is a little dark because I took it in the mid-morning sunlight. The sun can be a little more tricky then than at noon or early afternoon. I made the set as a consolation gift for someone in a gift exchange. It looked like her giftor had forgotten about the exchange. On my target date to send the consolation gift, I found out that her gift was on its way. Now I have a little bonus to use as a gift some time in the future when I might need one.

We are home alone on a Saturday. One of our sons is out with friends painting the inside of a friend's townhouse. Our other son is working. We dropped him off at work and then went on to see an estate sale. It was not very much but I found a nice royal blue depression glass bowl and Roger found a couple books.

On the way home we stopped at the downtown St. Paul farmers' market. I got three poblano peppers. I need to roast and peel them so I can stuff them for dinner.

Hi, did you think I had forgotten about you and my blog? I hope not. I am here; it is just that I really needed a break. I have been working on a difficult stitching project which has been frustrating me. I think that, at last, I am getting everything under control.

I am posting some of the pictures I took this morning in the park behind our home. The ground fog made everything look magical this morning. I wish that I had had a chance to experiment with the spider web a little more. I was trying to "clean up" the picture a little and ended up destroying the spider web. I wanted to move in for a couple really close up views. This will just have to do until I can find another spider web some day. The view to the left looks like an elegant bib necklace made of dew drop beads. If you click on the picture, you can see an enlargement showing these fairy beads.

We did go to the Minnesota State Fair on Wednes- day and had a wonderful and exhausting time. I have pictures that I need to upload to my SmugMug account to make it easier for you to see them. That takes time which I do not have in abundance right now.