Quilting in the Fog!

It finally happened.

I FINALLY found the time to finish loading the Nearly Lemoyne quilt, and start the quilting process.

You know, I really did have a ball making these blocks.  

My concentration was on matching up unlikely pairs in each block.  Some of the strips had come from Jelly Rolls, and we all know that narrow strips don't always work well with sideways directional and large prints.  

So I stopped focusing on the print itself, and instead played with the colors, just finding two colors that I liked together, no matter if there were chopped up butterflies in my block or not! 

(The top left block with the teal was matched to a hard to use jelly roll strip of not-whole butterflies.)

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Parkway Views!

This is autumn on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If I drive south on highway 16, following it past Jefferson on my way to Wilkesboro, I can pull off onto the parkway, and not far down is a great little rest stop/turn out with a picnic table or two, a trail head (I need more time to actually hike that trail to see where it goes!) and gorgeous views - just like this.

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Wednesday on the Run!

I took a good long time out for some of this yesterday.

Dare I say that I needed it as much as Lola did.

She has this uncanny ability of knowing just what I'm talking about.  She listens.  She purrs.  She looks at me with the wisdom of the ages. She reads my thoughts.

She doesn't stick her nose into my business and tell me how to run things, what I should or shouldn't be doing.  She allows me to talk it through and make the best decision for myself and for my business.

And then she lets me live with the consequences.

I wish the world was more like that.

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Autumn Days of No Sewing!

Sometimes sewing opportunities are minimal - and daily life of taking care of things takes over.

I'm sure that's the same for everyone.  Projects get shifted to the back burner as available time is used to do a multitude of different things from cooking to cleaning to shopping and appointments.

That's the funny thing about this pandemic.  I've gotten so used to "social distancing" that when there are several days in a row where errands have popped up, I get cranky.  I just want to be home!

I grabbed this shot of the cabin from the front end of the yard, wanting to capture SOME of the remaining leaves before they are all on the ground.

It really has been the most amazing fall, and I am so grateful to be here to experience it in its fullness.

Can you believe that one year ago I was saying hello from Kenya?

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Monday Morning Round Here!

This morning's autumn view off the cabin porch.

I watched the sunrise through the trees, knowing that in a few weeks the leaves will be gone, distant mountain ridges will be in view, and that sun will be unobscured!  Sunrise season!

Right now they are visibly thinning, and the morning light that filters through the remaining leaves is just beautiful.

Another sunny morning is at hand!

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Frost is on the Pumpkins!

It's like flipping a switch.

We had our first frost on Friday night - this photo was taken over the cabin by drone yesterday morning.

We've passed our peak of color.  There are still beautiful leaves to see, but more and more, the trees are becoming bare.

It's time for spiced cider, for warm bowls of soup and other comfort foods.

Time to don the wool socks, the warmer boots, that extra layer of denim shirt, or sweat shirt or sweater.

It's time for cold noses and red cheeks.

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