Trying It On For Size...

It's officially fall; the leaves are turning color and falling with a fury, the big yellow school buses are slowing down traffic twice a day again and it's time for new classes. I haven't been out raking yet and I do my best to avoid running errands when school is starting or dismissing but I am enrolled in new classes, two to be exact; the new Blocks-of-the Month at our LQS. I haven't quilted up the two flimsies that I got together over the summer from last year's offerings but I'm as eager as ever to get started on the new ones! Another "school year" begins! The classes are both samplers, completely different patterns and techniques. This is block one from the first class. It went together so well that I made three! Yes, three. All the same except for the size. The pattern calls for a fifteen inch block; I wondered, though, how would it look as a ten inch block? Hmmm... I liked it. But then, if ten inch was good, how about five inches? Even better! I love it! 

I'm not sure yet how I will proceed as the year goes on, if I'll continue with multiple sizes or not, but this really was fun to try! The second Block-of-the-Month class begins tomorrow. I'm excited to begin. 

Thank you all for your kind words and sympathetic comments following Hannes' passing. It's been tough each and every day. Slowly, the lasting memories of funny moments and happy times with him are being recalled and do help to ease the hurt in our hearts, the one place where he'll always live on. We miss his physical presence, I still find myself getting up to let him out or thinking about getting his dinner ready; daily life has a new routine now, it's all taking some getting used to.  We were lucky, he was a great dog who was dearly loved, a feeling that was reciprocated for over eighteen years. 💗

Life is Good!

                                       

Hannes

This is the post that I hoped to never write; a tribute to our dear canine companion of eighteen years. Hannes crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Saturday morning; before he passed, I stroked him and reminded him of all of his friends and playmates waiting to greet him when he got to the other side. Those of you who've been longtime readers here will remember that Hannes was a frequent contributor to this blog and, possibly, the most photographed pup of all time!  Hannes was our travel buddy, he traveled to forty four states with us over the years. He was my sewing room sidekick; he'd settle in contentedly, happy just to be by my side, even through marathon sewing sessions. He was well trained, worked his way up through basic obedience levels at training classes, ultimately earning the Canine Good Citizenship certificate. His love of anything containing a squeaker was only eclipsed by his affection for us, I dare say. Our house is empty today and our hearts are broken but we're buoyed by an endless supply of happy memories, his long life and all of the love that he lavished upon all of us.

If you're interested in reading one of Hannes' posts, from earlier days on this blog you can click here.

Life is Good!

🐾

...and even better with a dog... hug yours for us today. 

The Best Diversions

We've had some diversions from our normal routines this week, the best kind, an overnight visit from these two. Since they're currently being home schooled we were able to take an active part in that and even added some enrichment activities as well! 

At break time we played a rip-roaring game of Sequence and took a field trip to a local park for some exercise, fresh air and sunshine; the weather has been absolutely wonderful this week, cooler temps with lower humidity. Sometimes a brief redirection from the customary is just what the soul needs; I feel confident saying that we all had a good time during their visit!

In other news; our little buddy, Hannes, turned 18 last month! He's grown more feeble lately and his little back legs have been slipping on our hardwood floors as he navigates. It's so sad; and scary. We ordered these "grippy" socks and they really seem to help! As you can see, they work for him to safely walk around, and turn, with no sliding or slipping whatsoever. He leaves them on just fine, and doesn't seem to mind one bit.  Honestly, I think he's grateful. We cherish every day that we have with him. 

The Potato Chip quilt has made its way to the design wall, it will need another row and finish up at 64" X 80" when it's all together. I've been shifting and rotating blocks daily as I size it up. This is a fun and fast project!

The Kousa Dogwood is beginning to put on a show with it's fall "fruit". 

The colors are simply stunning as they ripen. 

Life is Good!

 

Grinding to a Halt

You might not think this looks very appetizing, but that's okay; Hannes does. At seventeen and a half years young our resident canine companion has become VERY picky about his eating. Sometimes he's interested; but, more often than not, he takes a sniff and slowly walks away.  It's hard, if not impossible, to find something that he likes; is healthy, and easy enough for him to chew on a daily basis. This week I began grinding his food from scratch. We purchased a food grinder attachment for the stand mixer. This morning I ground together a cooked chicken breast, some dried bread cubes a few cooked carrots and some fresh spinach. He loved it, kept circling the bowl for more and, when he realized it was all gone he polished the bottom of his dish to a brilliant shine! 

😉 

Some days we simply gotta do what we gotta do; 

and, if everyone's happy and well fed, that's just enough.🐾💗

Life is Good!

In Search of Sunshine

We took a little drive last week in an effort to escape to the sunshine and some warmer temperatures; we found both! It was a quick trip; and, believe it or not, I scarcely can, there wasn't even ONE quilt shop stop along the way. I'm not sure what that says about me, 😉 but I'm not going to analyze it. We had a marvelous time just being together, most of which was spent in the car. 

                    With views like this... ꜛ

...and eating dinners al fresco, with views like this! ꜛ

W found restaurants in the Florida Keys to be more than pup-friendly; what a delightful experience. 

After we left the Keys we traversed the lower part of the state toward the Gulf side 

via a scenic Loop Road off the Tamiami Trail (US 41) through the Everglades. 

There was no shortage of wildlife to observe along the Loop Rd.

It was peaceful, scenic and other-worldly along this unhurried route, 

it took us a little over two hours to travel the 24 mile long Loop Rd. 

After that, we moseyed our way toward home at a leisurely pace, stopping and staying here and there along the way. We found what we were searching for, abundant sunshine, and banked a bunch of happy memories to boot! But, in the wise words of Dorothy: "there's no place like home", it's great to be back. 

Life is Good!

A Day To Catch Up

I needed a catch-up day, not to be confused with a ketchup day- see yesterday's post and below; but I digress- things have been piling up around here and it was high time to get back to basic tasks that had been put off for one reason or another.  Hannes joined me in the sewing room for a good stretch of time yesterday, something that he hasn't done in months. Mr. Goodneedle was using a big woodchipper out back and I believe that the noise and the vibration of that piece of machinery drove him to seek a location far from that, where he felt safe. Years ago he always stayed with me in here, back then he would jump up and sleep on the back of the sofa while I quilted. It was wonderful to have his company again  (apparently he needed a catch up day too, one that included napping 😉) it felt like old times. 

I got "Elephant Love" quilted and off the rails. How to quilt elephants? With a heavy duty needle, their hides are very tough! 😂 Sorry, I couldn't resist. I used the "African Samba" pantograph on this one, it seemed like a perfect match. This one is for Lynneigh, because she loves elephants and I love her. 💗

While I was catching up I started watching a new series on Discovery+ entitled "The Laundry Guy". Here's a still photo from the first episode, wouldn't you just know that the first laundry challenge to come his way would be an antique quilt? The premise of the show is this: individuals with particular laundry/stain concerns take them to Patric Richardson, also known as "the laundry evangelist",  for him to tackle. He demonstrates and explains how to remove them and, then, further care for the item.  I love this show, check it out!

An update, or "catch-up" on the ketchup "shortage". Mr. G and I were out running errands last evening and we stopped for a quick bite at a drive-thru on our way back home. I noticed a sign at the pick up window that stated "ketchup available upon request", that's new. My husband asked for ketchup to which the restaurant employee manning the window asked: "you'd like a little bit of ketchup?" "Yes", Mr. G responded. She readied the order and passed the sack out to our car. When we pulled our food from the bag to eat, here is what we discovered. Again, NINE(!) packets- for an order of fries! Maybe nine is the default setting, maybe nine packets is a "little bit", OR, maybe, there really is no shortage after all! I didn't toss these packets but, rather,  put them in the "bank" when we got home, our new rainy day fund!

Life is Good! 

"Out, I Say!"

You'll enjoy this tale of my abject frustration over this latest incident. On Saturday afternoon I walked around the longarm and saw this horrible, offensive spot on the area rug in the sewing room (circled in white). Immediately thinking that Hannes had either an "accident" or had been sick to his stomach, I ran to the cupboard for rags and the Resolve carpet cleaner. I scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail. The stain was dry, odorless and just as bright (and offensive looking) on the pad underneath when I pulled the rug back. I was stymied. I searched in the cabinet under the kitchen sink for something stronger, all I could manage to find was an old, half-full, can of Woolite foaming carpet cleaner.  I re-attacked the stain with the same vigor and had absolutely no luck at all. Losing at the stain-removal game is not something that I take lightly; completely at a loss, I stood up and walked around the rug. When I passed between the end of the rug and the sun streaming in through the window, the stain disappeared! Looking up, I spied the fluorescent green straight-edge quilting tool behind me shooting a reflection onto the rug from the sun's rays (circled in red). Sigh. I'd been defeated by an illusion!

Two days later the rug is still damp from all of my aggressive cleaning! I've apologized to poor Hannes who was quietly napping in his little bed in the family room by the fireplace while all of this was occurring; he's always a very good boy. 

You can believe that I was quoting Shakespeare as I scrubbed away on Saturday, 

Lady McBeth's line ran over and over through my mind: "Out ------ spot; out, I say!"

Things aren't always what they seem; and, this time, that was a good thing!

Life is Good!

A Quick Escape

I'm back! Are these the largest doors that you've ever seen? They might be for me, where to do you think that these doors lead?  What's behind them? Think of animals marching two by two. Yes, Mr. Goodneedle and I made a winter escape to Kentucky and the Ark!

Built in Williamstown in 2016 to Biblical specifications the proportions of this Ark are every bit as awe-inspiring as you might think. There are three enormous decks to the ship which lead you through the "Ark Encounter", an incredibly interesting and personal experience recreating what life would have been like for Noah and his family during the flood, how they existed and how they cared for themselves and the animals.  

It was a unique and special time away. We drove from the ark to visit the Creation Museum in Petersburg, near Cincinnati; we had our first taste of winter weather and snow along the way. Those doors above also represents (to me) something more: a door to exit through, a step outside of this past year filled with quarantining, staying at home and fear. This quick escape was a step forward, in faith. There were NO crowds anywhere (keep in mind, it's January!) and all safety and health protocols were observed.

Compared to typical road trips that we take, this one was laid-back and relaxing. We didn't travel many miles each day and spent a lot of time just watching television and reading in our hotel rooms as we progressed. From the Creation Museum we headed south to Paducah and the National Quilt Museum.

This is what our afternoons and evenings looked like along the way. 

I finished binding a quilt, got reacquainted with counted cross-stich and read these two books. It was an extremely relaxing and luxurious time away, one that had been a very long time coming. But, naturally, all good things must come to an end; on Thursday it was back home and a return to our normal lives; back to laundry, cooking and cleaning. But, Dorothy was right: "there's no place like home!", that is most certainly true, it was wonderful to get away for a quick escape but it's always great to get back home again! 

Life is Good!

Up next: a post from the National Quilt Museum and a review 

of the cute quilt shops that we stopped at along our route.

New Year, New Quilter

Gregory and his Star Wars quilt top

Our two local grandchildren have had an extra week off from school this week. Gregory (and his sister) spent the day with us yesterday and helped us to un-decorate the house. There's something about packing away the trees and all the decorations that makes everything look so bare and wide-open; it's sort of a clean sweep and re-examination of spaces that, just days before, were filled with greenery and treasured mementos. I love Christmas; but I love packing it away for next year all over again, too! 

Especially when I have such great helpers!

After lunch both of the grandchildren got to work! Gregory settled to a routine of sewing four-patches until he had completed his own 48" X 48" quilt top made up entirely of inherited Star Wars scraps. He loved moving his blocks around on the design wall and finally coming up with his final layout (above, left). He's learned a LOT during the process; he's a proficient ironer now and understands the importance of a consistent seam allowance. We'll load this top onto the longarm in the coming weeks and he'll quilt it himself, following a simple pantograph. 

While her brother was sewing Lynnleigh transformed our Christmas card fronts into gift tags for next year's Christmas presents! This is a great recycling project made even more fun by involving a young and eager crafter. The card backs and photo cards are stacked and bound together with a ring for our morning devotions. Each day a new family or individual comes to the top of the pile and they're prayed for specifically by name. This is a tradition that I've blogged about before here. The dear friend who started this tradition for us has long ago now joined the Church Triumphant but lives on through her shining example. The gift tags from the card fronts has sort of evolved over time. Lynnleigh did a great job! With this New Year firmly underway I am focusing on that chosen guiding word: "mindful". Stay tuned. In the meantime, help me to welcome another new quiltmaker into the fold. 

Way to go, Gregory!

Sometimes, when the house seems to be chaotic and full of boxes,

 and there's kids running around here and there, 

it might just be time to cuddle up, all warm and cozy-like, in front of the fire with a  good friend. 

Life is Good!