Moments at Mountainjoy

 It has been a busy month.  The weather has been unusually wet and raining causing the rivers to flow and the flowers to grow.  The moose have been visiting on their annual tour.  The two picture here are bull moose, one we nicknamed Mickey because his growing rack looked just like Mickey Mouse ears one day.  Therefore, "Mickey the Moose" he became. 

 

We have had tragedy in the community.  Too many recent deaths, but truly saddest was the loss of young Sophia Dubose.  She was taken by the raging river in Boulder Canyon one day.  The community had a benefit for her family and the tree quilt was my contribution to the silent auction.  I found out later that friends of mine who were very dear to Sophia as well purchased this quilt. It all makes me very happy when my quilts go to great people.

Speaking of happy, I was delighted with the way the Mariner's Compass came out.  I put a lot of planning into the quilt designs and it really paid off.  If this quilt gets to grace the walls somewhere in the Supreme Court as planned, I will definitely let you all know.

I have been doing a lot of spinning lately.  It is hobby I pick up on annually, but the bug really got me this year.  It's all I want to do.  I make deals with myself - so much quilting then so much spinning.  I am also quite pleased with my new position as Fiber Director at Mountain Flower Goat Dairy.  Along with all my other day jobs, I get to turn kids on to fiber at a 3 day camp this summer!

Moose at Mountainjoy

We have had a very busy week. There was a lot of work to do and a weekend getaway planned. We ended up leaving for a loaned cabin late because there was a dog bite/rabies scare earlier in the week as well. Luckily for me, casual exposure to one bite does not require treatment! Sid, however, is still slightly worried I think. The dog that bit him should be done with quarantine soon, nothing will come of it, and this story will just go into the many chapters of our life.
So, as we were about to leave for the cabin at the lake, it was dusk coming into dark. The dog was in the car with the door open. I walked out with the bagful of groceries (steak) and heard something down in the meadow. At first, I thought it was a bear. What to do? Dog is in car with door open, I'm on porch with STEAKS in hand and door locked behind me. Sid is in inside somewhere. I try to quietly find keys to open door and put groceries in house before going to close car door on dog. Just as I reach keys, Sid opens the door and I quietly fill him in that there is a BEAR in the meadow. WE look and it is actually a big old moose. So we sighed a deep sigh of relief and went and jumped in the car.
They are back today and there are three of them. They have eaten their fill of giant prickly thistles and yellow aspen leaves. Right now, the bull is lying down to nap. One of the girls is lying down as well while the third keeps watch. It is such a wonderful sight and worth coming home early for. I hope friends coming by soon don't disturb them too much. What a special place I live in.
As for quilting, winter has begun. We got our first snow storm this weekend. I only have three days of work down at the farm left and then it is quilting time! I am so looking forward to it this year. I have lots of quilts to do but always have time for more. Don't forget folks, I can help you get quilts done for the holidays or any occasion. So, please don't hesitate to contact me if you like what I do. Thanks so much for reading and have great week.

Time Flies By

My goodness, it's been a month since last wrote? That is just unacceptable! I will strive to do better. Actually, that is what today is all about for me again. Does anybody else procastinate everything you can and then try get it all done in one day? Or is just me that "catch's up" every few months?
Now, I will attempt to share some of what has been happening at Mountainjoy. It has been a very rainy summer so far and there has been a lot of vegetation and wildlife. Pictured here is the one of the most attractive young bucks I've seen in a while. He strolled through one night and ate heartily from the patch of fire weed. Even though I was planning on harvesting a lot of flowers this year, I did not shoo this elk off. Have you seen how big they are? He didn't eat it all of it and he was so majestic looking that I didn't mind sharing. The are plenty of flowers for mead making anyway. It's become an annual tradition here to make Fire Weed Mead each August.
I've been working in the sun in Boulder and the studio up here too. I've made several quilts this summer actually. You see, I have taken more time to quilt and have been seeking new clients as well. I am pleased as punch that it seems to working so far. I finally managed to get through my website building boot camp. I still have much to learn and much to do about polishing my website, but it is up. If anyone wants to check it out, go to www.mountainjoyquilts.com. I would also welcome input from my readers as to the site's look/feel. I can now be reached via email to rebeccah@mountainjoyquilts.com.
Basically, it's another beautiful summer here in the Rockies. Busy as beavers and loving it.

Morning Moose

This moose has been wandering through our property in the early mornings eating my cute little aspen grove. It is one of the largest moose I have seen the area. It is standing behind our ax-throwing target which is 6' tall. When it was closer, you could see its legs connected to the massive body right about 6'. It was a beautifully quiet and foggy morning yesterday when we were graced with this visitor. Happy Memorial Day every one.

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.