Sunday evening, sitting by the fire.
It was supposed to be a cloudy day, but it turned out to be quite nice.
It’s about 8:00 and I just noticed the peepers loud and clear. I often don’t notice them because the ringing in my ears is usually at that same frequency and the peepers get canceled out. This is the first evening I have heard them. I heard the quacking of the tree frogs a few days ago. As I type this the tree frogs have joined into the serenade. The quacking sound they make is not as melodious as the peepers and also sounds a little out of tune, much like the tuba player that used to sit behind me in band. I just heard what will probably be the last of the mourning doves for the evening. The darkness is settling in. A lot of wildlife out tonight, an owl just called out but no answer. Last night I could hear a couple talking long distance. Don’t ask me what they were talking about, I don’t talk owl.
Sewing was been pretty much on hold a couple nights. Daughter Erin stayed over a couple different nights which meant that the sewing studio was out of bounds. Two whole nights, it was hard but I seem to have survived.
The last few times I was in the studio I was trying to do some cleaning up. What this means is to press and cut to size the scraps that have accumulated for the last several months. To do that means that I need to find my bins for 1-1/2” and 2” squares.
I picked up the 2” squares bin and discovered it to be a total mess. The bin contained a lot of 2” half square triangles, some quarter square and even a few combination units. V-block and corner beam units are plentiful as well. All scraps most with no color plan in mind. Just units that I made at some point and trimmed. So I started cleaning up the 2” bin first. Pressing as needed and sorting out the treasures as I located them. Wondering all the time what the devil am I going to do with them. So I started pairing squares headed to be 4-patch units, probably to be trimmed to 2-1/2” finished 4-patch blocks. All the half square, quarter square, v-blocks etc. I just mentioned have been trimmed to be 1-1/2” finished units. This means that 9-patch units would finish at 4-1/2”. Good size, it means 4 of them make a nice 9” finished block. This is an easy size to design around. So I am just making random blocks in 4 different finished sizes, 4”, 4-1/2” and 5”.
Thinking they are destined to be 8”, 9” and 10” blocks of something. Maybe a row quilt is in my future. That would be different and use up different sized blocks. I like that idea. For now I’ll just continue cleaning up and making blocks.
I also need to design the baby quilt I mentioned last time and get it pieced so Carol can get it quilted and bound. The baby probably will receive the quilt not the parents, meaning it likely won’t arrive before the baby arrives. Oh well, isn’t now when the phrase “It’s the thought that counts” comes into play. Hopefully by the end of the week I’ll have a plan and can get it designed and well on the way to being put together.
The weather has provided me with several opportunities to burn the branches and debris I have been collecting. I fill the barrels during the day and burn them empty in the evening as I listen to my book, little else has been needed for firewood. Probably will be that way for much of the summer with the amount of trees and branches on the ground. It gives me something to do other than sewing.
As I sit by the fire tonight and write this I can’t help but think back a little on my life. I don’t remember where I heard or read it but it made sense to me then. “Only the days are long.” As I have gotten older it makes more and more sense. Weeks, months and even years fly by. Only the days seem long. When you read this I will be 70 years old. I am now older than my Mother ever got to be. A sobering thought. I never expected to live to be 70. Growing up in the 60’s we figured anything over 30 was old until suddenly I found myself over 30. Then 40, then 50, you get my point. They all went by in a flash, only the days seemed long. All the rest just flew by. I was so busy in the “now” every day, that though the days seemed long I remember little of the “then”, much of it is just a blur. I suppose that is not uncommon, especially at my new advanced age.
I’ve heard that you’re only as old as you feel, I hope this just ain’t so, because most days I feel every bit of 70 and then some. I hurt in just about all of the places where during one of those long days I did something stupid. These days I receive daily reminders that I did stupid quite well as I aged to where I am today.
So enjoy your week, and until one of us talks to you again, stay safe, stay dry, have fun, I’m going to try.
No comments:
Post a Comment