After all These Years!

Back in 1972, my sister was in the 7th grade when she won a couple of cute stuffed piggies for selling magazines door to door.  You know, the same class competition magazine sales thingy my grandchildren are doing to raise money for THEIR class?  I keep my subscriptions to my quilting magazines current this way.

But, I digress....

Anyway, my sister won a set of two piggies: one orange and one purple.   I don't remember just how it came about, but I do know that I have been using these little pigs as pincushions for almost 40 years.

Isn't he cute!

My Sis has a college degree in Human Exceptionality, with a minor in History.  Raised here in Idaho, after college she lived in a log house in the wilds of central Idaho and taught school in a small community.

Currently, she is happy as a clam (really? how do you know if a clam is happy?)  She is happy because she moved from Idaho to Eastern Pennsylvania where she is an hour or two from Lancaster, Philadelphia, Boston, New York--really a day's drive from most of New England.

She is the one that gets a season pass to Gettysburg.

After serving in public schools for 15 years, she went back to school and redirected her career to Hospital Information Systems.  She is a great cook, barbecues shrimp and steak for Thanks Giving dinner,  subscribes to archaeological digests, and has a weird sense of humor.

Speaking of weird humor, both of us were devastated when Gary Larson quilt penning cartoons!  That Christmas I got her the 2 volume "The Complete Far Side" which contains the complete works of Larson's entire 15-year career as a cartoonist.  Funny, that Christmas she got me the same present.

She is an interesting person, I love her to pieces, but she doesn't sew.

She is still suffering from wounded pride and pricked fingers from 8th grade Home Ec. sewing class.  As beginners, they were assigned to construct an gathered empire-waisted jumper with a lined bodice.  Are you kidding???

Of course she doesn't sew.

In college she used a stapler to hem her jeans.  Perhaps she still does.

You are wondering where on earth this is all going, but it's important to know a little background to appreciate the story.

You see, even after 40 years, my Sis is still miffed at me for taking her piggies and using them as pincushions.  Every time she comes to visit me she reminds me that they are HER piggies and I stole them from her.

They have been superior because they are solid, sturdy, easy to grab, hold a million pins and are filled with sawdust type innards.

As you can see, this little piggy is in pretty bad shape.

I have done my best to mend his thread bare hide with bright bits of thread in interesting stitchery.

He only has one eye, he's lost most of his flowers, he's a little sway backed, but he is finally going home.

Right now, at this moment, somewhere between Idaho and Pennsylvania is a box of Christmas goodies.  In that box is a tenderly wrapped orange piggy with a note of sympathy.  My Sis is going to get her piggy back for Christmas.  I feel redeemed since I also sent some homemade candy.

Isn't is a great feeling when you know you have finally done the right thing?

Well, um...yeah.  Did I mention 2 piggies?

Wonder if she will miss her purple one?