Happy Halloween!

Last night, I went to a friends house for chili and mountain-style trick-or-treating. As normal, the winds were at about 50 mile an hour gusts blowing snow all over these kids. One father organized a "hayride" (a.k.a. truck-ride) to a bunch of houses that answered the call. It was quite funny to suddenly see 20 kids bundled up so much you couldn't even tell what the costumes were. I hope everyone has a safe and happy one.
Speaking of chili, I thought I'd share my green chili recipe. I grew up in Taos, NM and am addicted to green chili. There are many different recipes for this savory stuff. My version is a simple one great for smothering burritos, enchiladas, and such and can be whipped up fairly quickly.
Here's how I make it:
1) Saute a small onion in 1-2 tablespoons butter.
2) One onions are golden, stir in 1-2 Tablespoon flour (this 1-2 bit lets you make a bit more)
3) After flour is absorbed, add:
about 1 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken bullion (vegetable stock if you want a vegetarian form)
1/4 cup frozen green chili (or can)
chopped garlic
salt, black pepper, and dash cayenne
4) Let it all simmer and get good. If it gets too thick, add more water.
Use on everything you think it would be good on, you will probably be right. Green Chili Rocks!

A Beautiful Week

I spent my first week at home quilting and it was wonderful. Two quilts are done and the house is beginning to look better. In fact, today is quite busy with the normal blacksmith convention. My great husband however is busy fixing a part of our roof. It has leaked a river into what should be my walk-in closet since before we bought the place four years ago. It's a good thing it is usually dry here!
Anyway, a friend with expertise came over and they are fixing it right now. Whoohoo!!! Therefore, I am busy making them cinnamon rolls and apple pie. Later the friend gets a gift cheesecake too. I found it was his very favorite. One of the things I love to do is find out people's absolute favorite desserts and make them for them.
Short writing today as I'd like to get back to other things. Keep Quilting & Creating!

Winter Begins for Me

We have only had one snowstorm so far and even it was late. The weather has been beautiful and warm for the most part. We believe it all balances out, so this just means the third week of January is going to be colder and windier than ever. If anyone wants to whisk me away for that week, I'll gladly brave the rest of winter up here at over 9000'. Okay, winter has begun for me this week as my seasonal farm job ended. I am home now quilting full time! And cleaning too! I spent the last four days doing some Fall cleaning in the house. You should see the herd of dust yaks, gnus, and wildebeests I came up with. Wait, on second thought, it's best not to disclose such things.
I will be quilting and cooking today. Baking actually. I'm going to make bread and either apple pie or apple spice cake. There is also dinner to contend with, pizza or leftover steaks?
Sid will be busy today too. Sundays have become the Blacksmith Day. He has assembled his forge and set up in the driveway. Two friends also come by and they all have a great time making things and practicing their skills. They are planning on having me set up an Etsy.com store today in which they can sell their wares to buy more coal to keep this whole operation going. Work has been scarce for a few years for these guys. I am beyond words to express how they feel when they come over and make stuff. It's not just that we could all use a little food money. It's that they get to create something unique. The fact that they pounded it out of hot metal also seems to please them. It is quite an interesting thing that has sprung up in Mountainjoy's driveway. Many more people (male and female) would love to come over and do some smithing as well. They have all been invited and I'm sure this will become quite a regular thing. I just hope they all build a shop over the stuff before winter sets in! I'm sure that if you look for it soon, you will find Sid'sSmiths@Etsy.com. Give me a week or so though, getting these guys organized is not the easiest thing to do.

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.

October is Here

Another beautiful fall week has passed. The aspens have been in their full golden glory. When I lived in Virginia for a short time, I was continually asked to compare the beautiful surroundings to my beloved Colorado. It is a difficult comparison like apples & oranges, they are just too different and glorious in their own right. I love the Eastern mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. The oaks, maples, and hickories were my favorites. I feel this scene can be captured best by the Goblin Tapestry style of weaving my grandmother made. There is something very pristine though about glowing gold amid the evergreens against the clear blue sky though that really takes my breath away. As my husband & I discuss color often, he thinks he can get the color of aspen leaves by adding more orange. I maintain the belief that it is not just color that makes them special, it is also how the sunlight effects them. It makes them glow with an inner light. Fall is glorious!
We have had a visitor this week that we have yet to see. It's comes through in the evenings though and leaves it's evidence in our driveway. By the looks of it, it is a pretty big bear. We have finally realized (and put together) the different types of raised hair my hound dog gets for different wildlife. For the bear, it is a wide thick bristle all along his back and down the tail. He stays fairly calm now for elk, deer, or moose as he knows we like to watch them and leave alone. Bo gets pretty uppity for fox but not too mad. The scariest of his hair-dos is what we call the shark attack. This is reserved for very bad threats of any kind (usually dog) against us. The hair along his back raises in a very thin and sharp ridge like a shark fin. He is such a good dog though that when threatened, he still asks our permission to defend. If we say no (usually) he just stands there. My big, sweet Bogie-bear (snoring at my feet at the moment) jumped into my life to become my best friend. It's funny too, I was never a dog person. For nine years though, this boy has run my life. I'll have to take him hiking today so we can enjoy this wonderful fall day.
I plan to get out there and get inspired so I can use it when the winter snow drifts come.
Keep quilting and crafting!

Sid's Stars

Well, I finally got some time yesterday to do some long overdue computer work. I added Sid's tie dye page to my website and listed the first of many fabric panels on our Etsy site. I have been very selfish for many years and kept his dyes for myself. After a while though, I felt as if I was depriving the quilt world of some really cool fabrics. So, I relented and we are now offering Sid's fabrics for sale.
You can find them at www.mountainjoyquiltndye.Etsy.com.
The aspen leaves are in their full golden glory this week. In fact, some leaf looking site must have mentioned our road as being particularly nice. We think this because one day last week, both sides of the county road (which you are not supposed to park on) were full of parked cars. It was almost impassable, especially with the blind corners. Now, I 'm all for going out and enjoying beauty. I just wish everyone thought a little more about the safety of things. Beautiful leaves and amazing moose are not good enough reasons to have an accident. Please be safe when you come play in the mountains.
And by all means, everyone play as much as you can. Most of us adults lose that ability to play for the pure joy of it. Do you remember how to play? What do you do for play?

Kitties, Quilts, & Computer Scams

Fall has set in here pretty quickly. The aspens are turning and owls are flying in the evening twilight. Hummingbirds are less frequent and we have begun lighting fires. This past week has been filled with quilt work and garden work. Next week proves to be the same. I am truly enjoying this fall and look forward to the winter. (Strange for me.)
I got up at 3:30 this morning because I didn't want to listen to the playful activities taking place in the 'torture dome'. Ah, love those kitties. I started quilting and before I would normally get up, the quilt I am working on was 1/3 done. There can be some good done in the wee hours.
Okay, I have something going on with my website that I would like my readers advice on. I've had some trouble with my email but I got it so people could finally reach me at rebeccah@mountainjoyquilts.com. For a long time, no one contacted me. My brother got a message to me so I knew it was working. Well, all of a sudden, I finally got some emails the other day. I was so excited until I saw that they were in Japanese or something. The only thing I could read was the date. They are all from the future! I've received 4 all together and have sent all to the junk box. I feel terrible about sending some of my first possible business connections to the junk box, but they look so suspicious. So, I want to know my readers opinions on this. Should I feel bad? Is my email just scrambling things? Or is it a virus/scam/evil thing? The one thing my husband wants to know is who wins the horse race in 2018?