Sunday, August 29, 2010

From the Desert to the Prairie

A move is in the works in the Desert Quilter household.  In eight weeks, we'll be leaving Nevada for Kansas.  (Hopefully, the moving gods will smile on us and we can get everything done!)  Actually, it's a return to Kansas.  We've lived there before.  At this point in our lives, my mom and I feel it necessary to return to where we have family.  My grandparents are happy to be returning home.

We originally moved to Nevada to escape our allergies.  As you can see the landscape is quite barren compared to most places.  In regard to allergies, the move was a mixed a success.  With the dry climate there is almost no mold here.  That was wonderful!  But all those weeds you see still produce pollen and over time I've become allergic to it, along with the trees planted around houses for shade.  The experts said that moving wouldn't solve the allergy problem, but for several years, I was in pure heaven.  That said, I've reached the place where allergy shots are again in my future, so the original reason for the move to Nevada is moot.

I know many of you are looking at the sparse desert landscape and are finding it rather ugly.  I did too at first.  However, the colors of the desert are subtle and it takes time to see their beauty.  It doesn't hurt that the surrounding mountains change colors with the sunlight and are decorated with snow in winter.

So the clean out has already begun.  Guess what I found?  Eight, yep I count eight, books on quilting, sewing, crocheting, and knitting that will not be making the trip to Kansas with us.  They're all nice books.  Some we bought hoping to learn new techniques--but found ourselves sticking to our old familiar techniques instead--and others we've enjoyed and are ready to pass along.  What that means to all of you is eight days of book giveaways!

Each day for the next eight days starting tomorrow, I'll be featuring one of the books I'm giving away.  All you have to do to win is comment.  It's that simple.

On Wednesday, September 8th, I will announce the winners.  Please be sure to provide your email address so that I can get your contact information should you be one of the winners.  Good luck everyone!  And please wish us luck too.

14 comments:

  1. good luck on your move Michelle - about where in the state of Kansas will you be moving - it certainly is different than Nevada - personally I love the desert area - I had no trouble with my allergies and neither did hubby while we were in Idaho, Wyoming, & Montana - when we got back to the Midwest - well lets say I have had the Kleenex box handy ever since.
    Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  2. That's interesting Michelle. When I lived in New Zealand and in the southern (colder states) of Aus. I had really bad asthma. When I moved to Singapore it disappeared completely. So hot and humid is great for my asthma but I don't love the humidity that much. Living here I don't get asthma as much, but the change of seasons and colder weather usually brings it back. I am finding that I am more susceptible to hay fever lately.
    Hope the move to Kansas goes smoothly, can't wait to see pics of your new views.

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  3. Where are you moving in Kansas? My great-grandparents lived in Chanute - I never met them, but she made me my first quilt....

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  4. I hope everything goes well in preparing for the move. How nice of you to share your book overflow with us!

    I like the distant mountain and sky view!

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  5. Good luck before, during and after the move. My favorite part of moving is finding someplace new to live. Big and The Baby have horrible allergies, they have opted for shots and meds. We move so often it is hard to find what is making them sick, so we stick to the shots.

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  6. Good luck on the move, Michelle! Sorry to hear about your allergies, and hope you won't suffer that much in Kansas. I hate the humidity here, compared to Norway that is a "dry" country.

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  7. I loved the desert the first time I set foot in it (the western slopes in Colorado, and then Utah). When I visited Nevada, I loved it, too. I know, to some, it looks barren, but to me it is beautiful. When we moved here (North Carolina) from Wisconsin, I told my hubby we were moving in the wrong direction. The mountains here are beautiful, green, and lush, but I left my heart out west when I visited it the first time, and a piece of me is still out there, somewhere, waiting for me to come home.

    Good luck with your move. I hope it all works out for you and your family.

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  8. Best of luck with the move! Hope all will go smooth and swiftly.
    Elzaan

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  9. Ok I had to look at a map because all I knew about Kansas was that it's somewhere in the middle. That's quite a move you're doing there Missy.

    Good Luck with that. I kind of figure home is where ever your family is. Moving is exciting though!

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  10. Good luck with the move! Having lived in the desert my whole life, I have to say that the dryness makes the allergies worse. Hope it isn't so dry in Kansas and I'm glad you're moving near to family.

    xo -E

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  11. I love what you wrote about the desert. I really think someone has to live there for a time to understand its beauty. I used to live an hour southwest of Las Vegas in Sandy Valley. I am wondering if I have met you at the Henderson Quilt Show??

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  12. I foresee that you will travel like the wind, unhindered and smoothly; in the blink of an eye 8-weeks will have passed and you'll be unpacking, looking back at an epic adventure where at first you may not have seen one.

    So let it be written, so let it be done!

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  13. Good luck with the move, Michelle. Will be thinking of you and your Mom.

    Hugs.

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Your comments brighten my day. :-)