Hyper-Busy Summer

Has everyone become as busy as me? Summer is a wonderful time of warm weather, weddings, running around and getting stuff done. I am very caught up in the winds of summer right now. Attending weddings, making wedding cakes, making quilts for work and gifts, and shows along with my regular work have taken over my life. I look forward to a breath of air but don't know if I'd know what to with it. I am now on hyper-speed trying to get it all done and still falling behind. So with that being said, I'm going to get off the computer and get back to work. I hope everyone is enjoying the glorious weather and summer flowers as much as I am.

Summer in the Highlands

I was gifted with a most peaceful morning after weeks of life excitement. When I woke this morning, it was unusually foggy. It always reminds me of the Highlands. Anyway, I sat by the wood stove and did the blind stitching on a quilt over my morning cup of coffee. I'm telling you, there is nothing sweeter than a few moments of peaceful fireside work.
I had to share this photo. It is of my cute little cupid statue - he might be the only non-functional gift my husband has ever given me. He has a great purpose though. He oversees my little 9,100' garden. Those pansies blooming at his feet have overwintered here twice. This photo was taken just a few days after the snow finally melted this year. My pansy was ready to bloom immediately. Mountainjoy is truly a special place. Summer is in full swing here with the columbines and paintbrush vying for glory. The beautiful beard's tongue is beginning to bloom and I've got a few orchids on the property.
Happy Summer and Happy Independence Day.

Small Miracles

The beautiful columbine opened this morning. This particular flower is the Colorado state flower and one of my husband's signature tie-dye designs. It's glorious blue petals speak so much of the nature of this state. A large and delicate flower head nods to and fro in howling winds and hail. It survives because of it's unique nature. It can bend under the stress without being broken. Flexibility lends it strength. My property at Mountainjoy is literally carpeted with this wondrous native survivor. The columbines remind me to be more like them in my own life. They also teach me to be thankful for small miracles. I can't even begin to count my blessings over the last few years - there have been too many. I have been blessed with an incredibly loving, understanding, and supportive web of friends and family. This group of people and my own flexible columbine strength have seen me through a number of hail storms. The words "thankful" and "grateful" just fall short. i just have to tell the world that I am just so happy to be today and it is thanks to the people who love me. Thank you for all the miracles, both big and small. They are what makes the world go round. Happy Father's Day !!

Iris & Hummingbirds

Here are some photos from Mountainjoy this past week. Our native iris, Iris missouriensis, opened up. The many feet of snow all winter did no damage to the brown seed pods still standing upright. These flowers show us that delicate beauty can grow in harsh environments. The little humming bird has been spending the last few days perched on the bike wire. It is up on our porch and out of the rain. He is such a cute little ruby red-throat, just hanging on the sheltered porch and getting a sip from the feeder on occasion.

This has been a design week for me in my quilt world. I am working on some pantographs and a quilt for a friend's wedding. Not much has gotten done honestly. I have been choosing to spend time with my friends as they are faced with making difficult health decisions. Work is exceedingly important to me and yet so is friendship. Friendship is winning this week.

The Purple Practice Piece

This weeks quilt was a lesson in re-learning what to quilt on my husband's stars/flowers. I always try to follow the lines. Well, in tie-dye, things flow and the lines are not that clear. I had to remember to do my own thing and just go for it. My quilt lines add too and enhance his designs, creating something more than either of us could do alone. My husband has always said that my quilting turns his 'pop art' into 'fine art'. I love great collaborations!

The wildflowers have begun making their appearances this past week. The long awaited nice season is finally here! I will be sharing photos of my favorites as the bloom.

Now for my preaching of the week: Be so very thankful for your health and your friends. You never know when something could go terribly wrong. I have a dear friend that was hospitalized this week. It just made me realize (once again) how precious life, friendship, and love truly is. No matter how busy we think we are, there is always time for friends. Why not reach out to some of your friends today and tell them how they enrich your life.

Chartreuse is in Mother Nature's Pallette

The aspens at my house 'leafed out' this week. Winter was so lingering, they didn't even bother to flower this year, they just went to leaf. That means that three days ago, we woke to the most incredible color of green. The particular color of chartreuse green that new aspen leaves are is only available in Mother Nature's palette. My husband has tried to attain this color when dying things and it happens to be my mom's favorite color. It just seems like it is not to be reproduces by humans. Maybe if we figure out how to truly add pure light to things we will get it. Until then, we can all enjoy this naturally bright color as it bursts forth around us.

Week in Review

This week finally brought the melting of the snow. I had a flowing river in my backyard, now it is just swampy. That area will be carpeted by columbines in a few weeks. In fact, under the snow everything was just waiting to grow and be green. Another thing this week brought was the sound of hummingbirds buzzing about. We put out the feeder for the hungry little jewels. For me, there are several signs that spring/summer might actually be here. The hummingbirds are the final say. With their arrival, I am confident that spring is officially here. How exciting!!!
In my quilt realm, I got a lot closer to finishing a quilt & pattern that I have worked on for ohhhh, maybe 5 years. I started designing a new quilt. It will be for a friend's wedding gift, a contest entry, and is the first creative/original work I've done in a while.
I've also eaten some really good food this week. I was given some fresh organic eggs by a friend. The shells were a beautiful pale green color, like already dyed Easter eggs. They were so good!!!
Also, our local store doesn't label it's meat selection very well. You have to know what to look for and , on occasion, you can get awesome steaks really cheap. We paired the steaks with pasta and salad. My mother-in-law recently brought us salad dressing from Sabatino's Restaurant in Baltimore. This dressing makes salads worth eating!