Day By Day, Stitch By Stitch

Time moves on... day by day, stitch by stitch. Life after buying the new church has taken on a more familiar rhythm again this week. I finished up the quilting on the second of two Life is Good T-shirt quilts for a church member in memory of his dear wife. This has been passed on to Quiltkeemosabe herself who will bind and label them for presentation to his daughters. The days are warming up nicely now, spring has definitely arrived in full force. We have the pollen to prove it! 

Today we took our annual pilgrimage to our favorite nursery east of here to stock up on plants and blooming annuals. It's an absolutely wonderful nursery; family owned and chock-full of perfect plants of every variety. It wouldn't be spring without a day trip there! I'll be busy potting for the next few days!

I finished up a customer order yesterday with a new (to me) pantograph. I was thrilled with the results.

And now this. My return to cross stitch; all thanks (and blame!) go the the afore-mentioned Quiltkeemosabe who is leading the march straight into this rabbit hole! Forty years ago I knew nothing about stitching on linen or stitching over two! Here I go again... with chart, floss, fabric, specialty needles and this time with all the cute little acroutements that I need not, but had to have! Have any of you quilt blog followers noticed how many are returning to cross stitch?  Count me in. There's a whole movement afoot! Rather then spending the evenings binding quilts in front of television as I used to do, I'm now stitching samplers. 

Who could have predicted this a few months ago? Certainly not me!

Life is Good!

Planting

When the days run together in endless succession and the news isn't always good, there's something inherently therapeutic about digging in the dirt! This morning I made up a bunch of my own potting mix from a blend of garden soil, peat moss and vermiculite and set my sights on getting annuals potted up for the porches and patio. I felt so good to take control of outside beautification through hard, physical labor. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and I was tired and dirty when I was finished but oh, so satisfied! I didn't even get a shower until after lunch, in time to make a quick a dash to the Post Office. 

The demand by friends and family for face masks doesn't end. Every day this week I've either shipped off or delivered masks. The newest batch will be sent in tomorrow morning's mail. I have found that everything goes quicker with the process if I cut and prepare all the ties first, then I can sit and sew assembly-line style. I'm making a HUGE dent in my batik stash.

Adapting to life in an upside down 🙃 world: The little Post Office where I live has hung a clear, vinyl shower curtain across the service counter. One can see the postal clerks behind the curtain but they're completely protected from the public on the other side. Parcels are slid beneath the edge and the receipt and tracking number are returned the same way. I still wipe everything down with my Purel wipes, even my steering wheel when I get back inside the car, before I pull away. Stay safe and healthy, my friends. Wash your hands. 🧼 

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

-Proverbs 18:10

Life is Good! 

Up next: Surprise!

Wintering Over

I've done something different this year, a new challenge; I have attempted to 'winter over' my geraniums. I read quite a few articles about the process and set to work last fall. We'll see how it goes. I stored them in the basement dry-root style, in brown paper bags and cardboard boxes. Last week I sprung them from their seasonal shrouds and was delighted to see signs of life springing from the stalks! I followed the instructions for making up a potting mix: equal parts garden soil, vermiculite and sphagnum moss. After a thorough soaking I trimmed away any remaining dead leaves and shriveled stems. I made popsicle stick identifying tags and planted them near an east facing window in the basement where they'll now receive regular waterings and reside until the frost danger has passed. They don't look like much now but I have high hopes. What was the incentive for this years' wintering-over adventure?  It was really three-fold. 1. I like to try new things and test myself on what is and isn't possible. 2.  If this works it could prove to be financially beneficial (more money for fabric!? Ha!). 3. I wanted to KEEP the red geraniums that lived on our front steps last summer! This was, by far, my highest motivation! I cannot remember the specific variety I bought and they were spectacular; I really wanted to hang onto these plants, the best we've ever had! This photo, below, captures their beauty from last summer. With any luck they will come back to shine again in all their glory for months (dare I hope, years?) to come!

Life is Good!