I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Last Day of January



Hi guys! Didn't January just fly by! Today is the last day of the first month, 2015. Wind chill 1*.




Yes it's cold. But today is the most perfect and glorious day. Navy blue ocean with bright white waves, hydrangea blue sky. Just beautiful. The air is intoxicating, like breathing champagne. Does cold air have extra oxygen? Seems like it does...or extra ions?




If today was a July day---all this sunshine! the beach would be teeming with people. But no, it's just me and Mo. We tried to go to the beach but the entry is still drifted over.



We peeked over the seawall and into gardens, walked about 2 miles.






koi pond


upside down icicles formed by the wind


(I have to give a lot of credit my Lands End down jacket and REI wind pants). Overhead were many flocks of geese and ducks, perhaps searching for areas that are now drifted free of snow. I had a bag of bread for the gulls, but carried it home uneaten. Sunday into Monday may be rainy and the beach will be accessible again so I can feed my friend Gully. Here he is on a much warmer day. I bet he is hungry!



It's the end of the month so it's time for our Flags of the American Revolution show and tell.
I made the rest of the sawtooth star blocks...



so I am caught up there.




Mo has a good eye for color! He brought his beloved green Gator to play on the Stars.



And the many many many stars block (George Washington's flag?) was sewed for me by my friend L.


She does such beautiful work, so fine and even.


You'll recall my friends are helping me with my applique blocks, since I had hurt my hand. The good news is, it was a lot better. Sore but not useless. The bad news is I banged it really hard last night. I almost cried. The fridge drawer was stuck, I lifted and shoved--and my hand slipped. BAM!



We were also supposed to start piecing our tops together but I was too busy with my etsy and eBay shops. Instead I finished a new pin keep make do. It's a heart made of reclaimed, recycled, hand felted wool, aged and dyed by me.



The best part is the brooch,  a Civil War era memorial/ mourning pin. The photo is the sweetest little girl with hand colored rosy cheeks, a red sash, and  pearl necklace..



I like to make up stories for my prims. Here goes:
A woman is sewing by candlelight, a young woman whose husband has been gone for many months. He is a cavalry captain in Mr Lincoln's army. Their child was born after her man left for the war, so she had an itinerant photographer make the special brooch with the baby's picture. He handtinted the image and set it in a tiny fine gold frame.Tonight she is finishing a blue wool coat for her husband. After she sews on his shiny brass eagle buttons, she will gently pin the brooch on the inside lapel. With God's grace the coat will reach her love, somewhere faraway, back east in Virginia, where he is stationed, awaiting yet another fight for freedom....Her foot rocks the cradle. "We're sending this to Papa, my sweet. We're sending our love."
Wouldn't this be a wonderful gift for someone who makes Civil War repro quilts? Or collects them? I
hope so....


So, tell me: How cold is it? And how do you cope? (Hunter and Kelley, you  can tell how warm it is.)



love

lizzy
gone to the beach






13 comments:

  1. Wind chill 1!!! That's cold! I'm glad you dig it though, it's not often I hear someone wax poetic about weather that cold. Love your description...'navy ocean, hydrangea sky, air like breathing champagne'. Cripes, I fee like I should be drinking a glass of the stuff!

    Upside down icicles, who knew, and that koi pond--hope they're ok.

    Your sawtooth star blocks look pretty and so does Mo.
    Soooo sorry about your hand, ugh. I hope you at least let a few expletives fly.

    Charming story you made up for the brooch, and the pin keep is delightful. I'm not sure I was aware you have an e-bay shop too.

    Yeah, it's warm-ish...in the 70's mostly. The sunsets have been very pale pink this week, just lovely.

    I have three feral cats over nighting in our garage tonight. They will be 'fixed' tomorrow and sent on their way Monday. I'm just providing the safe place for them tonight. An acquaintance is doing the real work of getting them trapped and transported to the mobile vet. Bless her heart.

    Are you a football fan? Should I wish the Patriots luck?

    Kel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Today is foggy and dreary. Snow tomorrow! So I enjoy a day when it s sunny and bright, even if it s a bit pollyanna-ish of me.

      The koi! The owners seem to be away....either the fish are brought inside somehow or they can hibernate, they ve been in that pond for years but before Mo I didn t stop by very often, it s a ways away.

      Wonderful about the kitties, it s such a good thing you do. I hope they stay over and do well before their surgery.

      Delete
    2. PS I only watch football if the Yankees are playing. [wink wink].

      Delete
  2. Sooo not a football fan! It's cold here, 23 degrees and WINDY WINDY WINDY enough to steal your breath, snow flurries but none on the ground. My body just wants to hibernate so I admire that you actually get out and walk! Your quilt blocks and pin-keep are beautiful and Mo bringing his color-coordinated toy over to play makes me laugh. The 'icicles' on the fence made me shiver! I think we called that kind of ice 'hoarfrost'. Looks kind of scary, huh! Like fangs!

    Stay warm and toasty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hate football, so violent. And boring....I often do nt want to go out in the cold but once I m out I really enjoy it. I have less migraines in the winter too, so that makes me like it. And no BUGS! you know how I feel about bugs...

      Yes, hoarfrost! I thought hoarfrost was the stuff on windows, when the indoor humidity freezes. But no.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost

      Delete
  3. Hi from windy, cold, snowy Illinois...eek! Your Civil War story is great and so sweet! That little girl is precious. Thanks for sharing!
    Hugs and Blessings, Strawberry Sue

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mo isn't the only one with good color sense - the green in your stars is beautiful. I love the wintery photos too. I have never seen icicles do that and I too thought hoarfrost was some sort of frost. I learn something every day on quilting blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What beautiful blocks. And Mo's color sense is amazing.

    Hoarfrost? Oh, my gosh. Those are amazing.

    It's 78F today, heading for a high of 83F.

    Every single time I go to the beach I try to imagine snow on the dunes. My brain just can't link the beach and the snow together.

    Take care and I'm sending good thoughts that you hand feels better soon. Ouch.

    Hunter

    ReplyDelete
  6. It happens to be somewhat warmish here today considering it is Feb 2! I know the farmers are hoping for more snow, esp in the mountains. I'm starting to think about spring....
    Great blocks and I love your make-do!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is a grand feeling to be so close to finishing the flag quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your blocks are looking great! The end is near :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice blocks….we are nearly to the finish line with our Flags quilt!!!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I'm allowing comments from everyone, even anonymous for awhile, to see what happens. With comments moderation. Hopefully the awful porn spammer has gone elsewhere. Or you can always email me! I love to hear from everyone.