I know…I know…February 3rd and still no Blanket Of The Month…but thankfully I’ve got a boatload of excuses. First, I exhibited at the High Noon show and talked blankets for three days straight until I could no longer stand the sound of my own voice. (Incidentally, my voice has often been compared to John Lennon’s, although very unfavorably). Rather than the customary socializing in the evenings with my fellow dealers, friends and customers I raced home every night to photograph blankets for Still Chasing Rainbows. I was getting less than three hours of sleep a night and that’s not good – I usually have less energy than a sloth after 8.

The day after High Noon concluded I journeyed south to attend the annual Tucson Gem Show and spent a great deal of money on items that seemed absolutely critical at the time but insane now that I’m staring at them at home. One of my purchases was a sacred lingam stone from India, apparently way less sacred to the seller than the $40 I paid for it. And isn’t it far more likely it’s from Indiana than India? Just to make sure I’m giving you enough excuses for your blanket buck, I’ve also had three shifts of house guests AND had to cover hundreds of frost-sensitive plants in my garden because it’s dipped below freezing the last two nights here in the Arizona desert. Seriously, how much more can one man do? 

You’ll be delighted to know blankets are pouring in to be photographed for the new book and I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be the greatest book ever published, although Andy Varipapa’s “Ten Tips To Better Bowling” is right up there.

Now let’s get down to business.  Please humor me and scroll down to the July 2008 Blanket of The Month and then return here and feast your eyes on its big brother – a very early Racine that’s the closest thing to a Navajo Germantown eyedazzler ever seen in a trade blanket.  I know I was late this month, but wasn’t it worth the wait?