This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

And we continue with our American stories.

And our next story comes to us from a listener, Paul Bauer, a regular contributor out of the

Great White North Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here's Paul with a story he's entitled, I admit it, I sew

quilts. I think most of us have seen them, beautifully colored squares of fabric sewn together by hand

into various patterns, transforming into a magnificent homemade quilt.

My grandmother made one for me, old pajamas that she had cut up and sewed into a lovely quilt.

My church has

a quilting club, and each year their ferned ladies put on their hard work on display

and sell them at our church festival. Making these fine works of arts seems like the perfect

hobby for older women with lots of time on their hands. While it is fair to refer to me as old,

a woman would be a stretch.

I'm a 6'5-6 inch, 250-pound, 59-year-old man.

It is not uncommon for a complete stranger to ask me in passing whether I ever played football or basketball.

No, I would tell them I was a hockey and baseball player back in the day.

But not once has a single person ever come up to me, big fella, and asked if I sold quilts.

But it's time for me to admit it. I'm no longer going to keep it a secret.

I do, in fact, sew quilts. Yep, a handful of years ago I made my very first one, and surprisingly, I became hooked.

But I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Sewing quilts was the last thing I ever imagined I would be interested in doing.

I'm always on the go. I'm horrible at sitting still.

...