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