We all have our demons...

So when my older brother was little, he loved hippos.

I don't know where it came from, maybe he had a book about a hippopotamus or saw one on TV, I don't know.

But he loooooved him some hippo.

Hippos, hippos, hippos, all about the hippos.

He would tell anyone who would listen,

"ME LOVE HIPPOPOTAMUS!"

So the circus came to town, and low and behold, they had ACTUAL HIPPOS there!

I can only imagine his excitement.

So plans were made, and tickets were bought, and he was going to see an actual, honest-to-God, live and in person hippo.

Eeeee! Can you feel the excitement?!

So the day finally arrives, and off they go.

There's clowns, and there's lions, and there's... I don't know, dancing poodles or something. I wasn't there. I'm MUCH younger. HA!

But the only thing my brother cared about was the hippo.

When it finally made it's appearance, my father took him down to the front to see the beast up close and personal.

I'm sure my brother wanted to wet himself from the thrill!

So down they go, and there they were, right in front of it...

And it opened it's huge maw and showed it's gigantic teeth.

My brother looked into that cavernous mouth and loudly proclaimed:

"ME NO LIKE HIPPOPOTAMUS."

Why do I bring this up, you ask?

Because I find myself saying very often these days:

"ME NO LIKE HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES."

This is what my work space looks like these days.

Other people's are neat and organized, mine have taken over the whole sewing cave. I have no idea how many of what I still have to make. I know I made way too many of the center strips, both red and white. I have triangles EVERYWHERE, squares EVERYWHERE, all sorts of the different components, in all stages of construction.

And every time I think, "Well, THAT was a lot of sewing! I must have made a HUGE dent!" I put them up and it doesn't look any different.

I am in AWE of the people who have finished!

Well done, ladies! Well done indeed!

I know why I took on this challenge. I thought it would be good for me to do something really structured. To have a project that I have to follow through on, instead of making five blocks and then getting bored and stuffing it away.

But come on!

I'm seeing half square triangles in my sleep!

And if you visit me in the cave, you can hear my muttered refrain:

"Me no like half square triangles."

And by the way, my brother?

Yeah, we still torture him about his hippo experience.

Cards, toys, "Me no like hippopotamus" whenever someone finds out they don't like something.

I think I'll email him this picture...