Sunday, August 18, 2013

Texas Wildflowers Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt and Mary Dell's Great State of Texas


Lady Bird Johnson's "big cause was the preservation of wildflowers and native plants.  She prevailed upon the state highway agency to seed the roadsides with wildflowers, which have flourished throughout the state but especially in central Texas where fields of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, evening primrose, and other wildflowers paint the landscape in rich colors.  To further the cause, Mrs. Johnson founded the Wildflower Center.  Read more here.
 
 
Do you know these facts about Mary Dell's great state of Texas?
 
Texas includes 267,339 square miles, or 7.4% of the nation's total area.
The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
 
Texas is larger than many nations of the world, including every country in Europe. If it were a country, it would be the 40th largest country in the world, after Chile and Zambia.
 
The state's cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million.
More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.
 
The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos on July 4, 1883.
 
More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state.
 

 
Between Heaven and Texas takes place in Texas between 1970-1984.  During those years, I was actually living in Texas!  I graduated from high school and college and got married during those years - all in Texas.  Then we moved to Colorado, and I had two sons by 1984 (one more after that). 
 
What were you doing during those years and where were you living?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Answer in the comment section below.  (If you are reading via email, you must first click on the blog title to be able to comment and read the comments of others.)

By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway of a fabulous prize pack containing Wedding Ring, Endless Chain, Lover’s Knot (first three books of the Shenandoah Album Series) and Mountain Away, all by Emilie Richards - courtesy of Harlequin!

Heads Up:  Our September book is The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs.  You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here

25 comments:

  1. I graduated from High School in 1974 and stayed at home in the small town of Lee, Illinois for a couple more years after that. I've only lived outside of Illinois for around 1 year and that was in Wisconsin. I'm born and bred midwestern girl. Even so the closest thing I got to cattle or sheep was at a petting zoo or a supermarket although my sister tried to convince my mother to let her have a cow because she fell in love with their eyes. She thought that it qualified as a pet and she promised to take it out for walks and pick up the poo from it like they do dogs when they get walked. She was 20 at the time.

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  2. During that time, I graduated from Virginia Tech, got married, moved to Tennessee from Virginia, gave birth to my son, moved to North Carolina, and gave birth to my daughter. A pretty busy time!

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  3. Pretty busy time for me too. College at VCU in Richmond, married and moved to NJ where I had 3 children and then a move to Roanoke, Virginia. Mostly busy raising children during those days along with all the volunteering that went along with that: PTA, Room Mother, pre-school volunteer for each child, even Brownie leader. Guess things haven't changed that much except that now I'm not raising children...still doing lots of volunteering for local events!

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  4. I too was living in Texas during that time. I graduated from high school, got married and had 3 boys by 1985 but I didn't move to Colorado until 1997 :-)

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  5. In 1970 I graduated high school, had my leg amputated, started and graduated college. During that time I traveled to thirty plus states and had my own business. It's amazing how much you do when you're young. Now I spend my time doing anything I want to when I want to and I still have white line fever. I road trip the USA three or four times a year.

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  6. I completed Jr. High, High School, College, taught for a year, and got married-all in MN, then moved to KS.

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  7. I was living in Carrollton, Texas, teaching elementary school and having babies!

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  8. From 1970 to 1984, I started 7th grade, my mother died, I graduated from high school, got married and had two children by 1984. They were five and one by 1984. I actually lived in Texas in 1983 and 84. Moved back to Alabama where we've been ever since. :D Thank you for the giveaway.

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  9. in 1970 i was living with my great grandparents, attending grade school while my mom finished her education. when she remarried i went to live with her. by 1984 i had graduated high school and was attending college and working. all but a couple of those years were spent in illinois.

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  10. By 1984 I was raising 3 boys14,13 and 2 years old from a second marriage.
    I was working doing home health care, and lived in New York.

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  11. I was living in Memphis, TN and graduated in 1980. Then attended college and graduated in 1984 (still in Memphis). Luckily (LOL!!) 2 years later I made it to TEXAS!!!

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  12. After reading the previous comments I see that many members of the group are quite a bit younger than I am ;-) In 1970 I had been married for three years, was teaching sixth grade, and we had moved into our first home. (We're still in it today!) Our daughter was born in 1971. Because I had experienced some issues with my pregnancy I left teaching and became a stay at home mom for the next eight years. During that time I did lots of sewing and needlework, developing an interest in quilting that I am continuing to develop in retirement. Around 1980 I started subsitute teaching at our local parish school. That led to a position teaching middle school that lasted for 13 years.

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  13. I was growing up and going to school in Georgia. My husband though was living in Texas during that time. Thankfully, he moved back to Georgia so I could meet him.

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  14. 1984 found me teaching at Center Grove Middle School, IN. I was teaching language arts to 6th graders. I had two sons and my hubby taught business at high school. I did only garment sewing then and not much. I spent most of my evenings grading papers. CGMS became CGMSCentral in 2003, the year I retired from teaching; I taught computer software then to seventh graders.

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  15. 1970 - 1984, I graduated High School, went to DVC for 3 years, worked a few different jobs until mid '70's, married, became a step-mom, had one son, then DH and I bought a liquor store with his DB/SIL, had the second son in 1980---continued working the liquor store and by 1984 had a DGD. Before marrying I did a little quilting, still have a GFG-paper pieced quilt that isn't done as of this date.

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    1. Forgot to say I was in Calif. at this time. Have since moved to Nevada

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  16. i graduated in 1972, then from college in 1976. I served in the Army as a nurse and was stationed in Georgia, Korea, and Kansas. I worked in Arizona for 3 years.Then moved to Aurora, CO and was at a medical center there until 1985. I returned to Arizona, met my husband and we had our first daughter in 1988.

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  17. I graduated from high school in 1974 and went to university of Alberta for fours year to complete my Bachelor of Education degree (1978) I have been living in Edmonton since those days. I got married in 1980 and we bought our house in 1981. It was a very exciting time of life. We travelled some and enjoyed our time as a couple before having our son in 1987.
    Regards from Alberta,
    Canada,
    Anna

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  18. Great disappearing 9 patch by the way. I am also making a disappearing 9 patch but the design is made more random by my big palette of color... it is always interesting to me to see the difference with different fabric choices. I do love yellow and blue together.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Regards from Alberta,
    Anna

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  19. During 1970-80 I was still at school. I then went to work and studied part time to obtain my degree. In 1984 I got married and bought my first property. I still lived in the same town (still do), I often wonder what it must to be to move to a completely new place and have to make new friends. The first thing thatvinwould do would be to source a quilting group to join.

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  20. In 1963 I was married in Cleveland Ohio and that night set out driving across the country to Long Beach California, camping each night along the way. We boarded a freighter for Yokohama, Japan and sailed through a typhoon. I am now living in the same address as our second rental in Tokyo, just down the block from where my in-laws lived. Five of my kids are living in the States and one in Japan so I have to travel when I can afford to.to see them all. Another day, and I will get to meet my newest grandson!

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  21. I am a native Texan, but my Dad was transferred to SW KS when I was 5. I grew up there, then went to Emporia, KS to go to college. I worked and raised my kids, and continued to work in Emporia until I was transferred to IN. I am retired and discovered quilting in retirement.

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  22. I'm the only one of my siblings not born in Texas! I was born in California. Mostly, I grew up in West Texas, though, Odessa and El Paso, and my mother is buried in Odessa. When I was little, maybe 4, we lived in Pecos and there was a horrendous hail storm. I remember hiding under the kitchen table with Mama, and a hailstone, about the size of a baseball or a little smaller, came through the roof of our trailer and hit that table! In Odessa, we rarely got rain or snow, but there were lightning storms a lot - magnificent. Mama and I sat on the front steps and watched them. I still love Texas, even though my husband died there, in Livingston. It wasn't the fault of Texas or Texans. Sometimes I wish I had stayed after that, but it was too hard to be there. 1970-1984, I lived in Arizona, California, New Jersey (got my teaching degree), Arizona, again, Nevada and back to Arizona. I had my second son in 1977 in Tucson. They were good years! dezertsuz at gmail

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  23. Susan, I also graduated in 1970 from the same school district you graduated from in 1970. I then attended University of Texas in Austin & got married. We moved to Denton, TX for graduate school & had 1st daughter in 1973. Moved to Midland, TX. I had my 2nd daughter in 1976 & moved back to Richardson, TX in 1977. Moved to Waco, TX in 1981 & Corpus Christi, TX in 1993. Moved back to Richardson, TX in 1999 & live a short distance from the high school I graduated from back in 1970. So I have come full circle since 1970 & those years were a busy whirlwind that has yet to settle down. I continue to dream of living in Colorado which stole my heart years ago. That is the reason I enjoy your Colorado pictures soooo much!!!

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  24. I was born in Texas in 1963. I've lived in several different places in Texas over the years. In 1970, I was in Irving. By 1976, we'd moved to San Angelo, where I graduated in 1981. I got married in 1987, and didn't leave Texas :( until 1995. We WILL get back there one of these days to live.

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