The Quilt

By John N. Reynolds

The name of this book is The Quilt and is number two in a series. It is a book about a young boy who ask his grandmother to make him a quilt and is told NO. He keeps asking and asking and keeps being told NO. It is my quest for this quilt that tells you my life story and of all the different occasions which I could have received a quilt. Then, one day, 52 years later, my life takes a sharp turn and at the end of that journey I get my quilt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465367433

John N. Reynolds

My name is John N. Reynolds and I reside at 70507 11th Street Covington, La. 70433. I was born on November 17, 1948, in Los Angeles, California. I have an AA in French, a BA in History, and a MBA in Business. I began writing when I turned 50 because I realized my life was “half” over and I had a lot of things to say. I started with our family secret about my mother’s life and went on about my life and my experiences.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by John N. Reynolds.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011916670

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-6742-6

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-6741-9

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-6743-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

102089

CONTENTS

Forward

Acknowledgements

Chapter One If This Is Tuesday…

Chapter Two History Of Quilts

Chapter Three Grandma, The Quilt And Me

Chapter Four The Will, Or, Me And My Big Mouth

Chapter Five Secret Exposed: My Break From The Family

Chapter Six My New Life Begins

Chapter Seven The Earth Quakes

Chapter Eight The Marriage, No I Mean The Divorce

Chapter Nine My New Life: My New Wife

Chapter Ten Those Crazy Bells

Chapter Eleven We Move

Chapter Twelve The Stroke: My Life Changes Again

Chapter Thirteen The First Trip West

Chapter Fourteen California!! Or, H… Breaks Loose

Chapter Fifteen Back In Louisiana: Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner?

Chapter Sixteen Meanwhile… Back In Louisiana

Chapter Seventeen Amtrak All The Way!

Chapter Eighteen Back To Louisiana

Chapter Nineteen Garbage Bags Turn Into Money: The House Sells

References

FORWARD

This is a book about some of my adventures in my lifetime. Little did I know that they would surround the quest for a quilt. I vividly remember entering my grandmother’s living room and admiring this beautiful quilt she was working on. How small each stitch was and how each one was placed exactly where it should go. I marvel at it till this day. Every time I go to the Washington Parish Free Fair there are two places I must go.

First, I have to go to the Home Economics display building. There are the jams and jellies, the cakes and cookies, and the QUILTS. I still stand and stare at each stitch. People have to go around me because I take lots of time looking at all the sewing that people do. It is amazing and so very beautiful.

Second, I have to go to Miles Branch. Miles Branch is a living display of pioneer homes that the Parish families have saved, preserved and brought to this location for everyone to see and enjoy how they lived back then. On the porch of the Sylvest home they have quilters quilting. The quilt they make during the Fair is raffled off on the last day. I never win. Also, at this pioneer’s home they serve a small portion of Sassafras tea. Wow, is it good.

As usual I go around Robin’s Barn to get to my story. But that is part of the adventure of being an author. You let your mind take you where it wants to go and you follow by telling the story. My life has been full and has had many adventures, lots of them funny too. Don’t worry that is another book my wife and I are writing together someday. It will be in the style of The Bickerson’s.

I hope you enjoy my quest for the quilt my grandmother built, hey, it rhymes okay? Anyway enjoy the ride for it goes to many places.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I do want to take the time here to thank everyone that is mentioned in this book. It is a true life adventure of my life and the people that were and are still in it. I loved everyone of them and still do even if they are now no longer with us. I have come to realize in life that any problems that arose were my problems, not theirs, and that I have to take responsibility for my actions and my decisions. I own all of them. Some of those problems I helped to create. In fact, it is my response to those very problems that helped make it into a problem.

Enough philosophizing. In other words I have grown up. I am sorry for the pain that I have inflicted on others and forgive those others for the pain they have inflicted on me. In the writing of this book I may have helped create other problems. I try to explain that I am the one that had the problems when I arrived in California. I was arriving into a very difficult and strenuous situation. I was not expected to arrive first of all because I had been away for so long no one knew of my intentions or for that matter how deep my love and loyalty to family means to me. You attack my family or my religion you have a fight on your hands.

I came to California suspicious of family and friends because of past history. I was worried that there was some sort of conspiracy or plot being laid out for me. I do learn to relax and trust everyone involved and I thank each of you for understanding and being patient, loving and kind to me. Thank you for helping me work things out at the very end. Aunt Jerry, Uncle Victor, and Mickey, I am sorry and I hope you forgive me for the mess I created while there. I did find out that everyone was on my side because I did come out to California and helped with my family. I had to, no question about it! It is my family. You are my family. Don’t mess with my family! I am lucky to have a good family like this one.

I hope this book helps you see the whys and wherefores of my life. I went the way I thought best to go and have not looked back ever since. I have