Fabric of Our Lives

The aspen leaves at this time of year are simply wonderful.  I haven't had time to take photos with anything other than "retina-chrome" this year and they are starting to fade.  It is pretty much the same every year, breath-taking gold and green that can be replicated.
The pups are sacked out right now and I just finished the 26th quilt for one of my clients.  She has been keeping me pretty busy this year and I'm always looking for more quilt clients.  I truly love being a part of these stories that get past on.
When I work on quilts for other people, I learn about them throughout the process.  I am touched by their lives and stories.  I have been doing a lot of memory quilts this past year.  They all have their own unique stories to share.  I have decided that one of my next "to do" projects is to put together a page on my website that features all these wonderful quilts and the stories as I have learned them, through the fabric of lives both past and present.  I promise to get it done in the next week, I have to take some pictures of my private collection first.  The family tree is hung high up on a wall and will require some effort.
I have been feeling a bit lazy this weekend and have decided to take it easy as I have been so busy.  Therefore, this weekend I only did 1 queen size quilt and began a sweater for my husband.  Fall and winter always make me want to knit.  This year, I am going to remake his favorite sweater.  It is so much fun to pick out yarns for a new project.  So full of hope and swing as I start the first few inches.  I am still in the "joy of new project" stage.  A few more inches in and I'll be wondering why I'm not done yet.  It is not a short attention span, it is wondering why it takes so long.  Does anyone else experience this?

Blessed Be, A Puppy For Me!

Look what I've been blessed with!  I would like to introduce my new puppy Gwen.  She is a lab mix and we got her last Monday when she was only 6 weeks old.  After sleeping for about 24 hours straight, she is proving that she really is a puppy.  Chewing on everything such as us, our shoes as we walk, the big dog, the window screens, etc.  It's really adorable carrying around a tennis ball.  Pretty much everything she does is just too cute for words.  I think that is how puppies (& children) get away with so much. 
I remember talking to my dad about that when we picked up Bo.  Now, Bo is a Catahulo and was very hard to train to be a good and gentle dog.  He got into so much stuff though one time, I had to lament to my folks.  That was when dad told me about the ratio that definitely exists between how cute something is and how much trouble it can get into before a death sentence is decried.  Like all small critters, this one is cute enough to make it to adulthood.  
You might be able to see the unopened roll of batting behind me.  It shows how much work I've gotten done this week now, doesn't it?  Actually, I did a get a quilt top done and now I can spend today cleaning and puppy-proofing the house.  Gwen showed up about 2 weeks earlier than I had planned on.  It is a good thing I kept all of Bo's old puppy collars and stuff.  I do need to get anything I don't want chewed up away from the floor area and up to safety.  I guess I'll be playing "queen of alternatives" for a few months.  My constantly flowing monologue for this role is "No, don't chew on -----, chew on this" while switching toys.
By the way, my husband told me that I have not had THIS smile on my face for years.  It is good to happy!

Sunday Update

This will be just a quick update as I've sworn to myself to write each week.
First of all, my heart goes out to those whose memories and feelings are very strong today.
I wanted to include a nice photo this week but haven't found the time. Besides, everyone can see lots of photos of work soon as the Quilters Newsletter website extras is up (under workshops) and the subscriptions have been mailed. Whoohooo!!!
It has been wonderful here at Mountainjoy. The wildlife was quite active the other day. We had a momma moose and her two young come near the property. After we quieted the dog, Sid went out to get some photos. He got a photo of the mother but decided it would be smarter not to sneak up behind the babies. So, no photos of the smallest pair of moose we've seen. By the way, a while ago, I saw baby elk, they were all dark brown. I realized 2 things right then. The first was that I'd never seen baby elk before. The second was that just like deer grow out of their spots, elk grow into their big white behinds!
My friend gave me another few flats of plants to get in the ground before our imminent winter and I've agreed to work a lot at the farm this week. Quilt orders are beginning to roll in, I got to the other day out of the blue before 9 am. I am happy and busy as a bee.
Speaking of bees, there are only a few reasons I look forward to this winter. The cold will make the yellow jackets go away for a bit. They have been horrible the past few weeks. But I am truly looking forward to spending all my time quilting and cooking bread and stews again.
Of course I wrote longer than I thought. So I will bid you all a creative week. If you are feeling down because of the dates reminders, creativity is a great outlet. Use whatever you do to create something healing for yourself or someone else. This is what makes the world a better place.
Many Blessing!!!!