Sundown

I only went out for a walk

and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out, I found, was really going in.

~John Muir

Yesterday's Harvest

Yessirree... Carrots, Raspberries, a Cucumber, and even Green Beans in October.

A Picnic Quilt

I have always been a bit envious when I see someone at a park... watching fireworks... at the beach... with a patchwork quilt to sit on.

I have quilts. Handmade quilts. Lovely quilts. But none that I am ready to throw on the ground just yet. And to be honest, don't know if I ever will be ready. They all have special value and meaning to me, and I doubt they will ever be relegated to dirty uses.

But I have quite a lot of small bits of fabric that I have bought here and there for one project or another. Fabrics that I like a lot, but that I can't actually see myself wearing or decorating with. And I adore the look of a truly random patchwork quilt with no carefully planned color scheme.

So what was I waiting for? The right moment in time, I suppose.

This is what I have done so far...
Measured a worn out flannel sheet which I intend to use for backing.
Calculated how many 4x4 squares of fabric I would need to make the top.
Cut out a massive pile of squares (668 to be exact).
Began creating 9-patch blocks (12 finished so far).

I am now in the process, now that I see how the 9-patch blocks look (I'm truly digging the color combinations), I am now putting the rest of the squares in groupings of 9, just to make sure the fabric prints are distributed relatively evenly throughout.

Its a bit tedious, but a great project to have spread out on the kitchen counter to work on while dinner simmers on the stove.

I can hardly wait until all the blocks are sewn together so I can get the whole quilt laid out.

Do any of you have a picnic quilt? If so, do you have a story to go with it? Won't you share?

Camo and Butterflies

The kids watched recently, when I did a photo shoot for a family that we know.

I think they were a bit put out that my lens was pointed at other kids, and not in its usual direction, at their faces.

So, the next day, after several requests, we headed over by the old barn and a huge tree log sitting at the canyon's edge to do a special shoot just for them.

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout... TIP me over and pour me out".

The Kiss (prompted by Mama)...

The Wipe-off (totally unscripted)...

Cast Your Vote

It might be a SIX...


It might be a NINE...


But it might simply be... a cucumber that wants to cuddle with a tomato.

October

The days of late have been beautiful... all golden and warm.

But warm without the threat of HOT, which I appreciate greatly.

The leaves have begun to turn and a few have fallen,
but for the most part, the countryside feels like it is poised,
just on the edge of a decision.

Shall I?

Shall I?

Shall I turn NOW?

Part of me says "Yes! Bring the crisp, the cold, and even the wet!"

But most of me wants to hold onto these early Autumn days just a little while longer. I don't want the nights spent at the Firepit to end.

I don't want the roasting of marshmallows to be over for another year.

I would rather the stacks of beautiful firewood wait, if just for a few days longer, so that I can enjoy their graphic appeal before they are burnt up in the woodstove.

Boots

Thanks to ebay, who for some reason decided to be nice to me for once,
I now own a pair of slightly-used $160 (last season) Doc Martens.

And I only paid $40. Including shipping.

They aren't the boots of my dreams, but they will do nicely.

My first pair of non-work boots. How many seasons behind does that put me?

What I'm Working On

It has been a long time since I gave you a sneak peek, hasn't it?

Well, today I'm letting you in on a secret...
I'm working on a little piece involving two people and a serpent.

I'm also cutting fabric scraps into 4 inch squares to make a patchwork picnic quilt.

And I am nearly finished with a little something designed with my baby girl in mind.

What do you have in your workbasket? Tell me... I really want to know!

Living in a Land of Berries

If a person could live solely on berries, the months between July and October would find us healthy and happy.

I have been picking a gallon or two of raspberries every other day and yet the bushes keep producing.

Even our strawberry patch continues to supply a few gems every day or two, and now the wild blackberries are in full swing.

Aren't they pretty?

Artistry

The artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come from all over the place:

from the sky, from the earth,

from a scrap of paper,

from a passing shape,

from a spider's web.

-Pablo Picasso