IT'S BEEN QUITE A WINTER

It's been quite a winter here, as I talked about a few days ago. How do you like the big 'cupcake' on the patio table? I love winter if I don't have to drive on icy roads. But I am ready for yellow flowers and going for a walk without boots and my hooded coat!

Working on my Baby Jane

I've been working on my Baby Jane quilt again, even cutting some solid triangles and completing my first top row triangle. Sometimes it goes well as these results show, and sometimes it just don't.

A 4-SHOVEL WINTER

Today the temperature is in the mid 50's and the strong wind is from the south melting the snow, but the piles of icebergs from the snow plows are still standing. This was a 4 shovel winter: narrow shovel, wide shovel, old fashioned scoop, and extra shovel. We had lots of snow this year but it was so cold it was the powdery light kind. We had one snow deep enough and drifted enough to contract the plow man to clear the driveway. Hubby still refuses to get a snow blower but he's getting one this fall for his birthday if he wants one or not so we don't have to use a shovel to dig a 'you know what'. 

CREATIVE SPACE

Lately I've been doing some rummaging, sorting, shifting, and moving things around. Like my thoughts, "stuff", priorities, and my spaces. Last week I discovered my beloved Ikea work table would fit in the room I call an office (it is), a study?, mini-library, and now my sewing room. This table is 36" high. No bending over to cut or press fabric. Fabulous! Here's a photo of my room in transition, or expansion, or whatever. This is where I plan to spend as many hours as possible in 2009 working on quilts, especially my Baby Jane, in my creative space.

A Timeless Past-Time Anyway

Quilting. A timeless past-time. Cloth in hand. Thread through cloth. Sounds simple. Is not.

This evening I finished block A-13 Starlight - Starbright on my Baby Jane patterned after the amazing Jane Stickle original. Google "Dear Jane quilt" if you're not familiar with it. Anyway, this completes the first row of 13 blocks, each and every block different pattern and fabric. Now only twelve more rows, a dizzying array of border triangles and corners, then assembly and finishing. Quilting. I must live to 150 to finish this baby.

Anyway, here's the baby pictue of A-13. It will be all of five inches square when trimmed and 4.5 inches square in the quilt. I love this one dearly.

UPDATES!! UPDATES!!

Time for some updates:

1. I have some sad news. The little neighborhood chihuahua I called Piggy is with us no more. One of the neighbors found him dead in our front yard a couple of weeks ago. We had been exceedingly busy, gone a lot, and hadn't seen him for a few days but thought it was because we were on a different schedule. Possibly he had a heart attack for he wasfound lying on his side on the soft grass underneath a tender blue spruce by our front driveway. He knew we loved him, but I think he loved our salami. He is missed. He was a bright spot on the neighborhood scene.

2. Well, I'm now two months with the new glasses and they have been somewhat challenging. They are perfect for working at the sewing machine with my quilting project so I guess they are ok. I'd go back and get rechecked but there's still no guarantee the next ones would be better. I guess I did "get used to them" as the technician suggested, but they sure aren't my favorite glasses! (And YES, believe that a professional person said this!) Looks like I'll be shopping not only for glasses but a new opthamologist next time.

3. The Canada vacation continues to rest well in my mind. Whenever things get hectic, I just retreat to the silence and beauty of the remote Ontario lake country and breathe deeply. Here's another photo. Enjoy!

Autumn Rising

Ah, autumn. My favorite time of year. The humidity of summer has evaporated. Even if the days are hot, the longer nights are cooling. My maple tree in front is tinged with red. However, without a frost I don't believe this is a good thing for I read only the trees not completely healthy have vivid leaves before cold weather. When we were in grade school my friends and I would gather the most brilliant red, gold, and orange leaves. Nancy's mother would melt a block of paraffin in a cut down coffee can. Regular Van Goghs, we would take our old brushes from paint-by-number kits and quickly coat the leaves with the melted wax.

Earlier this year I was worried about the absence of the bees. They never did appear. I did see a lone bee or two but never a honey bee. Then, the white butterfly bush which would be covered with monarchs had only a handful of visitors. The hummingbirds were at the feeder. Now, with it put away for some time the hummers are visiting the yellow gold nasturtiums in the pots. I still worry about the scarceness of our pollinators.

Hubby and I took a fabulous trip to Canada, to a remote island owned by a friend. It was a cherished gift and I found it totally interesting to see how I fell into a different rhythm without tv, computer, phone, lights, etc, etc, for over a week. I could actually just BE instead of always DOing.

Here's a photo of the lake. Pristine and untouched. Clear and deep. In Mother Nature's intended condition. And, no, I won't tell you where it is!