You haven't heard much from me lately because there's much going on here. There hasn't been sufficient time to post meaningful thoughts.
My mother is back at home, although quite a bit weaker and more unsteady on her feet. I'm praying for a comeback from this woman with a strong and lovely soul. Her dependency upon me makes me nervous.
There is now a section of sheetrock cut out of my living room wall approximately 18" across from floor to ceiling. The pinhole pipe leak from an upstairs condo unit was spurting into the insulation and against my wall. This section had to be removed and now a dehumidifier is running (along with my heat!) to thoroughly dry out the wall cavity. It will be like this for five to seven days. I do have to say that the gentleman who is doing the repair is very thorough and left not one speck of dirt behind.
I'm saying prayers for a younger friend who has a diagnosis of a disability and will be starting preventative medication. Lord, guide the good doctor.
And also for a co-worker whose close family member received a grim diagnosis this week.
Things like this remind us that what we need, and what we all want, are not the newest and the shiniest gizmos on the shelf. What matters most is life, love of family and close friends. Appreciation for Nature, art, and sciences. Time, fresh air, and rest. A spiritual relationship. An awakening of the mind.
There is a stirring within me to further develop the lifestyle I wrote about two years ago. All those small changes I had explored during Hip Mountain Mama's One Small Change challenge were so natural to me, and I want to take more steps in becoming the me that I was meant to be. The Kanelstrand Simple Living in February challenge is travelling along a parallel path, and is opening my eyes to another aspect of being. A dear friend has also been discussing this with me on a more spiritual level.
(For anyone who has not known me very long, I have added a "My Small Changes" page on this blog to see the changes I made in my lifestyle.)
I will be here, but not as often. I have committed to the monthly Friday Night Sew In and will use that to share news of what is happening in my life, along with my sewing adventures. I'm loving the Just Takes 2 mystery quilt and have a few other ideas tickling my brain. (I need new sports clothes this year ;) And, of course, I'll be stopping by to check in with my dear friends and see what you've been doing!
Next week I'll be heading north to visit family and old friends (Yes! A road trip!) In a few days I'll be sitting at a familiar kitchen table, chatting away and catching up. And maybe making a few plans.
There's much exploring to do.
Peace.
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Just Takes 2 block progress
These were assembled during the past week....
One more block to complete this installment. Next group to be posted on Wednesday!
I'm loving this :)
To see everyone's progress, hop over to Just Takes 2. Thank you to Brenda and Gay for hosting this quilt along.
Have a wonderful Monday :)
Sunday, January 29, 2012
2012, not as I had imagined
The year is still new but I'm almost looking back on 2011, wistfully.
I took my mother back to the hospital this morning. She's had a rough time since she came home. Even though she has been on antibiotics (or because of them), she has developed a nasty infection in her colon. She is constantly tired and sleeping, getting weaker and more dehydrated. The current course of antibiotics isn't making progress. I take care of her on weekends and drive there once mid-week after work and call her two or three times a day, but it's not enough. Her doctor and I agreed that she needs the care that a hospital could give her to get over this problem. So we spent the morning in the ER and finally got her settled into a room around noon.
While driving home, my neighbor called me to let me know that a pipe somewhere in the walls was leaking and that there's a good-sized puddle in the condo basement. Our property manager recently resigned and we have no direct contact for this. All we could do was leave messages with the answering service. Two hours later, no repair service has arrived.
The other problems are minor......
On the other hand, this unusually warm January weather makes me happy :)
And I've stitched 3 more blocks for Just Takes 2. I'll finish the remaining 2 tonight and be ready for the next group to be offered on February 1st! (Photos tomorrow, promise!)
I took my mother back to the hospital this morning. She's had a rough time since she came home. Even though she has been on antibiotics (or because of them), she has developed a nasty infection in her colon. She is constantly tired and sleeping, getting weaker and more dehydrated. The current course of antibiotics isn't making progress. I take care of her on weekends and drive there once mid-week after work and call her two or three times a day, but it's not enough. Her doctor and I agreed that she needs the care that a hospital could give her to get over this problem. So we spent the morning in the ER and finally got her settled into a room around noon.
While driving home, my neighbor called me to let me know that a pipe somewhere in the walls was leaking and that there's a good-sized puddle in the condo basement. Our property manager recently resigned and we have no direct contact for this. All we could do was leave messages with the answering service. Two hours later, no repair service has arrived.
The other problems are minor......
On the other hand, this unusually warm January weather makes me happy :)
And I've stitched 3 more blocks for Just Takes 2. I'll finish the remaining 2 tonight and be ready for the next group to be offered on February 1st! (Photos tomorrow, promise!)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Orchard, a Memoir
My choice of reading material is non-fiction, historical accounts. Finding them in the first person narrative is a bonus. A memoir is a real treat. A woman's viewpoint and her actions as she lives through any given period intrigues me. So "The Orchard, a Memoir" left me with a lot to think about. For several days I tried to write a deserving review but still find my words lacking.
Betty Robertson Cramer found her mother's handwritten account of her years during the Great Depression which she later published as "The Orchard", a time period covering the first few years after her father's death. Adele Crockett Robertson took on the responsibility of the family homestead, including an orchard which had provided the principle income for the family. The onset of the Depression, however, made drastic changes in the running of the homestead. The bottom dropped out of the market price for apples.
We watch her grow as she hires labor and deals with the bank, buyers, poachers, and the largest threat of all, the weather. She never shirked a responsibility, making sure her employees were paid even when her finances were slim. From years of training under her father's instruction she knew what had to be done, from spraying the trees to running the machinery. She treated everyone fairly and earned the respect of her employees and her competitors. They admired her dedication and resourcefulness. By having her written word we see her thoughts, her worries, her finances. We follow as she copes with the relentless weather.
The Orchard is an easy read, offering a different insight into the hardships during the Depression. It reminds us to be thankful for today's luxuries while showing us how close we can be to the edge. Our economy is not safe. How quickly it can tumble and we may have to depend on the kindness of others. This book may not be a literary giant. It's more of a journal, showing the thoughts and reasoning for her actions.
The may be a few different lessons here, but one that I take from this book is "Whose dream are we saving?" If you choose to read it, (and I hope that you do) you'll understand.
This book has a permanent space on my shelf.
Betty Robertson Cramer found her mother's handwritten account of her years during the Great Depression which she later published as "The Orchard", a time period covering the first few years after her father's death. Adele Crockett Robertson took on the responsibility of the family homestead, including an orchard which had provided the principle income for the family. The onset of the Depression, however, made drastic changes in the running of the homestead. The bottom dropped out of the market price for apples.
We watch her grow as she hires labor and deals with the bank, buyers, poachers, and the largest threat of all, the weather. She never shirked a responsibility, making sure her employees were paid even when her finances were slim. From years of training under her father's instruction she knew what had to be done, from spraying the trees to running the machinery. She treated everyone fairly and earned the respect of her employees and her competitors. They admired her dedication and resourcefulness. By having her written word we see her thoughts, her worries, her finances. We follow as she copes with the relentless weather.
The Orchard is an easy read, offering a different insight into the hardships during the Depression. It reminds us to be thankful for today's luxuries while showing us how close we can be to the edge. Our economy is not safe. How quickly it can tumble and we may have to depend on the kindness of others. This book may not be a literary giant. It's more of a journal, showing the thoughts and reasoning for her actions.
The may be a few different lessons here, but one that I take from this book is "Whose dream are we saving?" If you choose to read it, (and I hope that you do) you'll understand.
This book has a permanent space on my shelf.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Go ahead, say it.....you told me so!
I opened the jar of Fire Water to see if it was ready to sample, and promptly drained and disposed of the contents. The pleasant garlicky aroma from two weeks ago was displaced by an awful mixed/rotting/pungent smell, not resembling any of the veggies inside.
There's a cold traveling around the office......I'm thinking about making some garlic bread tonight ;)
There's a cold traveling around the office......I'm thinking about making some garlic bread tonight ;)
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Red and White
I've always loved antique red and white quilts, which is what influenced my color choice for the Just Takes 2 quilt along. Luckily, yesterday MyStory of HiStory left a link in her comment that led me to a story of an amazing quilt show of hundreds of red and white quilts which I, sadly, missed :(
Red and white quilts have that "homemade" charm of a simpler time when fingers, knotted from years of hard work, pieced and quilted with love all these covers that we treasure today. Years ago I was fortunate enough to have found a full red and white quilt top and some blocks in a box at a church sale. I completed the quilt top, hand quilting a moderate design, and sold it. Ditto, the quilt blocks. I made a few small wall hangings from them. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the full quilt but here is a floral star block from the box that I finished as a wall hanging.
Some years ago I was fortunate enough to have been asked to handquilt this beautiful red and white schoolhouse raffle quilt for the Vermont Quilt Festival. It was pieced with beautiful red prints. Some lucky person won this :)
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Red and white quilts have that "homemade" charm of a simpler time when fingers, knotted from years of hard work, pieced and quilted with love all these covers that we treasure today. Years ago I was fortunate enough to have found a full red and white quilt top and some blocks in a box at a church sale. I completed the quilt top, hand quilting a moderate design, and sold it. Ditto, the quilt blocks. I made a few small wall hangings from them. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the full quilt but here is a floral star block from the box that I finished as a wall hanging.
(The photo quality looks poor because it is a photo of an old photograph. My scanner is not currently hooked up.)
(Photo taken before the edge was bound.)
So my current project, the Just Takes 2 quilt along, is filling a void. When it is finished I will have my own red and white quilt ;)
Thank you, MyStory, for the link! I'm so glad to know that others have a high regard for some of my favorite of quilts. And it was nice to go back in time. I had forgotten about these!.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
FNSI - 1/20/2012 - Fun with Just Takes 2 blocks
Winter has been much milder than last year, and yesterday's weather reports had everyone anticipating the first significant snowfall to begin overnight. It was cold and clear. The perfect evening to stay snug at home and enjoy an evening of sewing.
Last weekend I joined the Just Takes 2 mystery quilt along, purchased, washed, and ironed my material, and generally, smiled all week. I cut the pieces for the first six blocks on Thursday. Rushing home from work on Friday evening, I was anxious to start sewing.
After a very quick supper I followed the instructions for each block, carefully sewing and pressing. I love that each one is different. It's not an assembly line procedure, sitting at my sewing machine and running dozens of the same pieces through the feed dog. In other words, very different from any quilt I've made in the past.
With each completed block my smile grew larger. They are all various small sizes. This is going to be an interesting quilt! I decided to complete the second installment of blocks over this weekend so that I'll be caught up with the group. So check back here on Sunday night to see if I've kept my word ;)
And be sure to head over to Crafty Vegas Mom's blog to see what everyone from Friday Night Sew In has accomplished. Seeing all those lovely stitches is a dose of inspiration!
By the way, it's been snowing since sometime after midnight :)
Have a wonderful Saturday!
.
Last weekend I joined the Just Takes 2 mystery quilt along, purchased, washed, and ironed my material, and generally, smiled all week. I cut the pieces for the first six blocks on Thursday. Rushing home from work on Friday evening, I was anxious to start sewing.
After a very quick supper I followed the instructions for each block, carefully sewing and pressing. I love that each one is different. It's not an assembly line procedure, sitting at my sewing machine and running dozens of the same pieces through the feed dog. In other words, very different from any quilt I've made in the past.
The lighting makes this pure white fabric look somewhat dingy!
I'll take photos with natural daylight next time...
And be sure to head over to Crafty Vegas Mom's blog to see what everyone from Friday Night Sew In has accomplished. Seeing all those lovely stitches is a dose of inspiration!
By the way, it's been snowing since sometime after midnight :)
Have a wonderful Saturday!
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