Just Checking In ~ After the Storm

Good evening, friends. Mo and I have weathered the big storm today and all is well.

Winds blew at 40-50 mph overnight and all day, with gusts of 79 mph. Hurricane winds and no plywood on my windows. I try to stay calm but was a bit scared, with the winds blowing off the water directly onto my big wall of windows, in their ancient wooden frames.  The chairs escaped their bungees and traveled around the deck. I took blog friend  Julierose's advice and finally brought the chairs indoors. Look at all that sand, ugh.

I quickly switched from virus mode to storm mode, the survival techniques are different. Batteries in everything, all phones and Kindles and devices fully charged. Food prepped to eat cold. Take showers, wash hair NOW while we have hot water; always light a candle in the bathroom during showers so as not to get suddenly left in the dark. [I have to give the power company credit, power has not gone out so far.] Mo was directed to his indoor potty station and praised for using it; though we did venture out briefly at noon and 6.

Mo stayed alert all day, on guard and worried. The rain cleared at sunset and though the wind was still 40 mph, it seemed like we would be okay. Another challenge conquered!

Out and about, how brave we are.

Hopeful tulip buds.

Pretty furled chartreuse sprouts of? hosta?

Moss, in bloom.

Brilliant euonymous, against dark green juniper.

Bedraggled spring flowers, yet valiantly still standing. I snuck these narcissus into a boring public space many many years ago.

Someone else added tulips in recent years.

   

The forsythia is stripped of flowers, but surprisingly the pink crabapple still had blooms.

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In the sewing room I didn't accomplish very much. I kept running to the window to assess the waves and deck damage, as if my watching could stem the storm or a flood.

Progress on Pineapple Baby.

The fabrics are a group [which I never do!], Blythe, by Wilmington Fabrics.

Boho more than beach?

I fixed the stem/ leaves of block one. Looks a lot better.

I am not adding the grey solid surrounds that will finish the blocks until I know what setting I'll use.

I'm bringing in all different greens for the stems, and I added a few with bits of turquoise in case the recipients request an aqua stop border and binding. The baby's room is palest aquamarine blue [a girl].

I also finally found a cute print for a project I've been mulling over.  It is either vintage housedress/ feed sack or repro. Blue and green little floral sprigs, I forgot to take a photo.

I got these cute cutter quilt blocks on FB Marketplace. Sort of sad to have cut up such a pretty quilt, but that was how the seller had them offered. One for me, one for a best friend.

They'll be pincushions.

Hope springs eternal in sprung. I found saved seeds, no need to shop.

I do hope your day was good and all is well, pls check in and if you comment anonymously, pls sign your first name so I know you're you!

love


lizzy

gone to the beach...

beach pics from today! a friend took them for us!

In Just Spring ~ 2020

In Just Spring: e e cummings.

Best wishes and Love to everyone as we welcome spring's holidays this week. I'm finding is hard to say Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Welcome Spring! though my heart says yes, let's try.

We have gale warnings, rain. We had hail. It is cold, here.

Mo is just as happy as not that his [solo, on deck].Easter Parade is postponed.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

 hints of spring, on the beach lane path the other day.

ee cunnings In Just Spring here

-bunnies are from folk artist Michelle Pooler/ Olde Farhouse Primitives on FB and etsy

Tonight's pantry supplies dinner is whole wheat pasta carbonara with asparagus. For Easter dinner my friend found me a pork roast, tiny red potatoes [w lemon and sour cream], and brussels sprouts. The roast will make nice leftovers, so it is not extravagant.

Busy Work

Hi everyone, on this warm[ish] sunny day. I suppose I must admit that spring is here, I love winter and this year it passed so quickly---no snow! No snow days!

I'm back to making my To Do lists that I rely on for being productive. "Some people" have told me lists are a ridiculous thing: that "if you need a list to remember what you have to do each day, you're even stupider than I thought" attitude. But I find it very helpful, especially in such difficult times, to make a list at night for the following day. I often now wake up in a panic, with no clue what day it is or what time it is even. My lists ground me.

I have begun writing in this beautiful Quilting Diary, a gift from my brother and SIL. For a year or so I thought it too pretty to use.

I considered writing a daily diary of these crisis times, but instead  have incorporated those notations into my ongoing work. More interesting!

A pasted in page for Blackbirds:

It's stored right under my monitor so I don't forget about it. I reorganized the book format to be perpetual, so I can add info each year and compare.

I'm trying to do a spring cleaning chore each day [or often]--dust high shelves, sort out my makeup bin or the junk drawer, roll up saved, now banned, plastic bags into tiny twists for doggy pickup, etc. Little things made nice again. Nothing big or pain inducing.

I cook most days, or maybe do some project baking, like oatmeal cookies.

And I make a point of spending time in my craft room doing something, anything, again, even if small. I started by sorting and re-binning my blue and neutral fabrics. I am not ever going to finish the blue and white Schoolgirl Album project---why are the fabrics set out and waiting in silent judgement? Hideous remains on my cutting table; Cheri Payne Christmas quilt fabrics got put away, I am much too sad to make it.

I made masks for friends and family. I have no elastic, using hair ties. And some days I sit mindlessly cutting 2 1/2" squares

for this future quilt:

I am not a scrap saver but for the past year or so I've been putting small pretty bits of fabric in a dish on my desk. Now is their moment.

I love love love that the name of the quilt. I have two cheddar prints or a chrome yellow to choose from, if and when I get going actually sewing. [no rush].

My version will look scrappier.

Why did I fall for this quilt, besides its classic style? I just love the folky motifs of the border, Moons and Stars and Flowers. Just love. Plus the name of course. The bad news is that it goes together in the same diagonal method as Blue Baskets which gave me such fits.

This old book, 1990s , was well worth the used book price of 4.oo/ free shipping/ Amazon used books. I'd love to make a wool version of the Fall leaves and the Basket is so sweet.The Bittersweet vines are hemp string, couched onto the design, which I love because I'd never embroider that much.

We will see another Fall, won't we? I would add acorns.

I drew up a pattern for a country look/ farmhouse Churndash, for my red Horseshoes fabric. It will go with nothing in my house, but it'll be happy. [if not soon]

And I did the pattern for the baby quilt that is prominently NEXT on my work list. The baby has arrived and her new bedroom unexpectedly will need a quilt soon, as the virus caused her family to change plans.

The green rectangle should be two differing squares, a mistake. This is why I make a graph pattern and a try out block.

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Mo of course still must be walked. We avoid everyone and keep far distances.

We walked to our beach access ramp, where his bench is. Mo was puzzled as to why we couldn't sit down for a treat and a bit of fresh air.

He has done that almost daily for his entire six years. But no.  He knows the drinking fountain [outdoor shower for washing off sand for humans] is turned off in the winter. I didn't check if it is turned on again now for spring.

 He was sad.

The shadblow is blooming. I miss seeing the marshes turning green and the billows of the pink volunteer apple trees and the foamy white white shadblow on its margins.

Hope you all are coping. Make a list, do small chores, call a friend. Be kind.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

two years ago: April