Now That's a Jack-o-Lantern!

All season long, they've watched as their own special pumpkins grew and ripened. The little one was out at the Pumpkin Patch nearly every day checking progress.

And still, when I announced that it was the day we get to pick your pumpkins! I was taken aback by how excited they got. I mean, for pete's sake, the pumpkin patch is in view of their bedroom window. Not that extra-special if you ask me, but rather all in a harvest-day's work.

It would seem I've forgotten how to be a kid.

So sad for me... so happy for them.

My goodness, my kids have grown.

And then the little one spotted a Wooly Bear Caterpillar. And I realized that I still know how to get excited about some little things. I guess I'm not completely a lost (kid-at-heart) cause.

Glad

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

- L.M. Montgomery

It's Friday

Wishing you    as many second-chances as it takes    for you to thrive.

Never

Never enough hugs.

Never enough memories.

Never enough time together.

October Garden

The rains have returned, making multiple daily appearances, punctuated by brief sunny spells. No longer warm enough for active growth, most of our veggies are now treats for our feathered friends.

The garden is a constant flutter of wings and birdsong.

Only a few ears of corn remain, but under the soil, the abundance of root veggies is astounding. Our dirt must have been happy this year.

It felt too short this year. Seems like just a few weeks ago that we picked the first leaf of lettuce and tasted freshness.

Its always so bittersweet to harvest the last few edible offerings. Knowing that had we just a few more weeks of warm, we could have stretched our gleanings that much further.

And yet... it feels good to let go.

No more hurry and scurry to gather and put by for winter. No more wondering how much longer we have before the season ends.

The season has ended. Now we rest and eat soup.

Look Out World

Our children have been armed.

They are prepared to defend themselves.

And they are FIERCE.

And Just Like That

It was still sunny and warm when we left. Garden in full-swing, no end in sight. And just like that, over the course of one week away from home, Autumn has set in.

Saturated color like bursting fireworks against the green of our native conifers. A bit of a shock to our still-in-Summer-mode heads, but oh, so lovely.

*NEW* Shooter's Hill

This sampler’s roots go way back to the beginning of my designing days. Originally charted on graph paper and stitched a few times to be sold as a finished item, the chart lingered in my mind. One day I decided to enter it into my charting software, but along the way I became disenchanted with the original form. I then spent the next few years tweaking and changing it, but was never fully content with the outcome. Finally, this last Spring, I settled on the perfect combination of primitive and whimsical to make it just right.

The name Shooter’s Hill comes from a real location. Probably so called from the archers who frequently exercised themselves there in shooting with the bow, it is eight miles from London on the high road to Dover. The summit of Shooter's Hill is at about 423 feet, giving it the distinction of being one of the highest points in London, and therefore commanding great views of the city and Thames River.

My character and her house are entirely fictional, but in my imagination, she lives in a family home surrounded by forest and dangerous byways, but with view and birdsong unparalleled. The fences her father built suffice to keep highwaymen away, so she always feels safe in her hilltop home.

Stitch Count: 172 x 140
Model stitched on Northern Cross 35ct Natural, coffee stained prior to stitching.

Using flosses from The Gentle Art: 0420 Gold Leaf, 0430 Summer Meadow, 0440 Maple Syrup, 0560 Nutmeg, 7010 Ohio Lemon Pie, 7019 Pomegranate, 7039 Bayberry, 7049 Lambswool, 7079 Heirloom Gold, 7082 Piney Woods

Frame by Valley House Primitives.

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will be going out to my distributors and the shops on my automatic shipments list soon. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com

Arizona!

With many miles yet to go, the Adventurous Foursome departed the Happiest Place on Earth, bound for a Southern high desert retirement community.

Retirement community, you ask? Yes, indeed. To visit dear family members who love to dwell in sunshine with easy access to golfing, shopping and good salsa.

A few isolated rainstorms made the Oregonians feel right at home in the normally dry climate.

The restfulness and relaxation of the retirement life was good medicine for their tired feet. The sometimes colorful and entirely foreign landscape kept their eyes entertained.

Not that they needed much to keep themselves entertained.

The family trekked here and there, and saw vistas unlike any that could be found near their forest home. Dry, tenacious plant life, and tough, hardy creatures filled the landscape; easy to see once their eyes adjusted to the new terrain.

Even the architecture and art surrounding their new adventure were fascinating to behold.

But at the end of their exploration, the best and brightest spots were back in the home of their family. Splashing in a salty pool, cuddling on a patio chair, laughing, laughing. laughing.

After three days of unwinding in the realm of pink mountains, it was time for the pause to end.

With many squeezes and well-wishes, the homesick Foursome bid Adieu and Au Revoir to the warm air, spiny plants, elusive javelina, and two dear hearts.

Having tapped out the store of ready entertainment, as they transferred from airport to airplane to airport to airplane to airport, they relied on each other, with a little dose of Angry Birds and blog-reading to dampen the sadness of leaving such a grand adventure behind.

Nearing home at last, the sun set over their native soil, a sight to sooth and delight, a final moment to bookmark the memories they gathered.