Morning Glory Studio

september is only hours away ...

 

Welcome September.

As I pen this post, I am reviewing my day, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that in a matter of hours, it will be September! My favorite month of the year, the beginning of my favorite season : Autumn/Fall! As I drove north today to gather with stitchin' friends for our weekly meetup, I was cognizant of the trees beginning to change colors...hastened perhaps by the cooler than normal temps we've had the pleasure of enjoying.

This month stirs up all sorts of memories for me, and I'm sure for you, as well. And also, anticipation as this year, September is very special.  I will travel to Oregon to reunite with friends, attend a week-long quilting workshop in Sisters and then to Washington  - Seattle/Tacoma -  to visit friends who just moved to that area, late July. 

Today, I met a darling baby, born the end of June. She and her identical twin sister were 1.5 months premature. Very sadly, her sister died after open heart surgery and other complications. The mother, in her early 30s, is a very pragmatic, delightful and strong young woman. Though her and her husband's hearts are broken, their resolve to give their daughter a stable, loving home is quite evident. And they will.

Today, I saw a lovely butterfly; I wasn't quite able to get a full photo of it with its wings spread. In these tough times, the baby  and butterfly remind me that we should never give up hope or resolve; life and love persist. And that's what I think September means for me.

Welcome September.

 

PS. Do visit Carole's blog to see what others have to say as they welcome September.

unraveled wednesday | this n that ...

Yesterday, during our all day rain, the sky was peppered with birds...they were small, sparrows, I think...Today, the sky is clear and blue with puffy white clouds. Earlier this morning, I looked out the window and got a glimpse of Canadian Geese, in perfect formation, winging their way south ...tho', it looked like they were going NE...but, perhaps they were just practicing. My they are precise and fast! By the time it registered that the geese were flying overhead and I should get my phone to snap a pic, they were out of sight! Oh, maybe 20 seconds had elapsed? If that many. 

I have finished the Top This giraffe hat and started a fourth one...t'is good practice as I'm trying to establish the habit of knitting practice everyday...and the hats are so darn cute...I will be moving onto somethings a  tad more difficult, in the weeks to come. 

Summer Book Bingo will be extended for me... Today, a friend sent me a note with a news clipping about Louise Penny's newest title, released yesterday. The note said the book will be my birthday present (November)...at the rate I'm reading the novels, she will probably have written her fourteenth by the time I'm ready for the thirteenth! Something to look forward to. My friend is buying all the books - she decided she wanted to reread and add them to her personal collection...so,  I think I have a very available source. 

Time for me to watch the evening news and practice my knitting...plus complete two more loads of laundry...a late start today. Joining Kat and others again this week; do pop over...

Cheers~

Gathering assistance and hope...

 

 

4:15 pm

Norman just announced he was going out for a walk...and then he stuck his nose out the door and promptly decided well, maybe not! It has been raining all day...I thought we were experiencing the path of Harvey...but no, this is a nor'easter ...the remnants of Harvey will be making their way our way come Fri/Sat.

The rain has dissipated a bit...the cat decided her meal was long past due and that she could brave the wet grass and falling rain to eat...so Norman's now on his way out to feed her!

Anheuser-Busch is sending H2O in cans to the flood ravaged- area.  My quilting group is gathering blankets and quilts: new and/or slightly worn  to send to  shelters in El Paso, TX.  Perhaps your local Red Cross chapter and/or churches are organizing a similar drive. With 30% or more of the area under water, I'm sure there is much that is needed. To add injury to insult, I heard on the TV that many Latinos are not going to shelters for fear that they will be arrested and deported. 

There is of course no climate change...tell that to the people of  Bangladesh and Texas, for starters.

We have to persevere.

 

 

 

sometimes monday | 28 aug 2017...

 

sometimes monday begins as crisp fall morning...we awoke to a cool temp of 61 degrees F! Imagine that at the end of August!

sometimes monday, often the last monday in August, marks the startup of the new quilting year; t'was nice to see so many who had taken a summer break - myself included... 

sometimes monday results in a quilter (yep, me) finding the exact fabric - the multiple cats in the block- she wants as shown in this baby quilt...it's available from a South Korean Etsy shop. Mais oui! I shall keep looking...

sometimes monday calls for an early-to-bed-end-of-the-day for a certain someone...that would be me. I'm sleepy. Must be the cool temps. 

Cheers~

The news of the flooding in Huston, other parts of TX and the gulf coast is certainly unwelcome. One can text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross. 

1175...

 

 

taco salad for lunch - yum!

Nope, that's not the number I played in last week's 7+ million dollars power ball...nor was it the winning number. I did play - the second time ever I've purchased at lottery ticket in my life - the first time, I won $80. This time out, I lost $3. Norman jokingly suggested that we each put up a cool $100 bucks...that would enhance our  chances to win. I gave him permission to spend as much of his money as he liked. My ceiling was $3. Win some; lose some...

Today was our monthly Friendstitch gathering. Friend Theresa had gone to South Carolina to see the eclipse and they almost missed it...rain! But fortunately, Mother Nature hit the pause button just long enough for them to see the total eclipse for about 30 seconds! Our friend Barbie, who hasn't been able to join us nearly all year,  came today. T'was great to see her and catch up.

It seems that after I finished the Flower Garden quilt, I  kinda hit pause on stitching... even tho' I've been gathering and playing around with a variety of ideas , I've not been much in the mood to settle on a project...I'm hoping this ennui will dissipate as I am going to a week-long quilting workshop in less than 30 days. Need to get my mojo back. 

We had a wonderfully pleasant afternoon and Molly, Pat's Yorkie, was quite upset to see us leave. Molly doesn't like anyone to leave. T'is OK Molly, we'll be back, soon. 

Yep! This is my 1175th  Morning Glory Studio post! Calls for a little celebration or at least, a mention, agree? And so, in honor, I am sipping a bit o' Pinot Grigio...

Cheers~

 

 

 

 

 

hurricanes...

 

 Hurricane Harvey brings back memories of my experiences with Mother Nature's wrath: 

My first up close and personal encounter was in in 1983, on a cruise ship, headed for the Bahamas. Our second night out at sea, we were near Cape Hatteras when the sea became very rough and the ship really rocked. Standing, walking, lying down was a real feat so we went to the ship's movie theater and watched "Ghostbusters"... that helped keep our mind off the storm. Fortunately, that was the worst of the storm. (I think the storm was Hurricane Juan - sticks in my mind  - but  even tho' I did a search I'm not certain...)

Second, Hurricane Isabel, in September 2003. This storm really came inland; fortunately, we'd been given ample warning and enough time to prepare. We had plenty of water and canned goods - including a hand operated can opener - and batteries and flashlights...which was all good  - we were without electricity for four days! There was a McDonald's about two miles away that had a generator so we drove there to get  our morning coffee and an Egg McMuffin. Of course, anything that was in our freezer had to be thrown o-u-t!

Hurricane Katrina, 2005 hit very close to home. I remember watching television and being plain appalled  - I couldn't believe my eyes and of course, we all know the devastation and lives lost in her wake. This storm was very personal for my sister and me: our father came from New Orleans and we had relatives who still lived there. Fortunately, all but one was able to leave the area and therefore, escape the storm's brunt and devastation. My father's younger brother was 99  and in a nursing home that had to evacuate and relocate the residents. My uncle was very frail and the move was more than he could take and he died. Had he lived, he would've been 100 on Christmas Day of that year. His sister, who was a bit older, was also alive and she couldn't be told about her brother's death for quite a while. She died about a year later.

 

Only time will tell about Harvey's impact. I send prayers to the people in Texas and neighboring states.

 

 

birds on the fence... a friday haiku

 

 

 

Softly, quietly 

I approach, hoping that they

Do not take to flight...

Just as I started my walk this afternoon, I saw these eight sparrows seated on my neighbor's fence. I knew that I had to tiptoe very softly in the hopes that I could capture a photo before they took flight. Success!

We are enjoying an early preview of autumnal weather: cooler fall temperatures - 75-80 degrees F with the promise of more over the next 8 days . No complaints from me! 

In just seven days, it will be September 1 and the first day of the meteorological fall...and since we're marking days til: 100 days til Christmas! Just in case you're wondering...

Enjoy your weekend, whatever's on your agenda.

Cheers~

yum: good eats...

 

 

I read today that now that Amazon really does own  Whole Foods, prices will begin to drop on many items, starting Monday the 28th. That is interesting...however, this  post shares the good eats I had today ! My Thursday stitchin' gathering changed our "start" time from 1 PM  to brunch  - 11 AM and today was our first gathering. Did we ever have a yummy spread  - and what you don't see: an assortment of various juices, grapes and a delicious raspberry pie. YUM!

Several hours later, I went to the Columbia Shopping Center to start shopping for my upcoming trip to Oregon - just one month from today - and decided to have an early supper at Nordstrom's Cafe´: this wonderful salad featured summer grilled fresh peach slices with spiced walnuts, grape tomatoes, chicken, and I added  a cup of their signature tomato basil soup. YUM!

On my way home, I toyed with the idea of stopping at Baskin Robbins for a scoop of their lemon custard ice cream---that I haven't had in at least four decades - I'm not even sure it's still on the menu - but I decided not to...One day soon, tho.'

What was on your menu today?

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 23 aug 2017

 

 

On the knitting front, I finished the second Top This hat (a monkey)  and I'm better than half-way through the third (a giraffe); they are easy and good practice for lubricating my rusty knitting skills. Norman was a good sport to pose for this photo (quiet as it's kept, I'm don't think he was aware that I was taking a photo - shhh, don't tell...).

I'm not sure I'm any further along with my Book Bingo card than I was last week, tho' I hasten to add: fiction reading continues - as that has been my goal: to read more fiction ... To that end, I can say:  thanks to Audible and Louise Penny, I've upped that total to six whole titles. Last week, I started Louise Penney's The Cruelest Month, number 3 in the series which means I'm 1/4th through and Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. In  2015, the last time I was in Oregon for a week-long quilting workshop, that was the state's If Everyone Read the Same Book choice. It is an intriguing story.

Coming up - in two weeks, Sat 2 Sept, the National Book Festival in downtown DC...I'm hoping to go! Lots of good authors will be there. Read more here. And that's about all I have to share this week. Joining up with Kat and others, here.

What's in your knitting and reading queue?

Cheers~

 

 

around here...

 

(flowers seen on this morning's walk)

around here...today I am ahead of myself; I keep thinking it's Wednesday and it's only Tuesday! around here...the temperature's 92 degrees - feels like 101 degrees...

around here...yesterday - Monday - was the first day of school for DC ...

around here... fall flowers - and even azaleas - are bloomin' ...

around here...I've things to do but I'm not in the mood to do much of anything... I remember that periodically my mother would find herself in the same mood/mode that I am, currently. She'd have finished her daily crossword puzzle, 2nd cuppa coffee, read a chapter or so in whatever book in her queue, woven a pass or two on her current weaving project and then, stand at the window, just looking out. And then, abruptly,  she'd go upstairs, change clothes, grab her purse...and a book and announce she was off to the Metro and the Smithsonian Mall! Were it not so hot and late in the day, I think I might be tempted to follow suit.

Do you ever find yourself in this sort of mood? What do you do to change course?

Cheers~