Kitchen progress and friendship

I have been vacant from this blog...mostly because I have been playing.  Let no one tell you that retirement isn't great!  At least I am finding it wonderful!  All of those things I dreamed about doing, not big things like taking a cruise or traveling abroad, but the little things I never had time or money for when we were trying to scrape a decent life for ourselves and our kids, I am doing!  My dreams have never been huge.  Having been raised by parents who went without so many things in order to give us the necessities in life, I began to realize at an early age what the important things were.  Money doesn't buy happiness, but you can have a few laughs with the benefit of money I guess.  I am rich because I am loved, have a warm, though modest shelter, my health and my friends and family.  My friends---I have been playing with my friends.  I have tried to keep a journal without much success and I try to make it known otherwise how much I value the people who let me share their lives.  I spent a few days the week of the 20th with my dear friend of over 40 years and we had a great time just being "us".  Before that I went to a quilt show with 3 other friends from here and then to Ft. Collins to a fresh market and antique show.  Then we had other friends stay a couple of weekends with us and we always hit the flea markets and antique shops and last night took another friend out for dinner for her birthday and next week I will be going to Jackson Hole for a quilt show with my friend again from Rawlins. In between those great times, the kitchen project is still getting nearly finished!  The garden is about in and I understand that snow could be on the way in a week or so.
The job is not complete, but the progress is evident in these two pictures.  Trim work, ceiling paint and that will just about do it!  The Mr. has been working so hard on this project and I am sure he is anxious to be done. Hard to believe that the fridge used to be where this new counter space is.

Mother Nature's wonder

 We took a drive this week to get away once more at least before the weather gets really bad.  We have had snow in the high country already!  This is between Cheyenne and Laramie in the Curt Gowdy area.  One wonders what keeps this stone of several tons balanced here as it has for many years without tumbling. Although the past couple of days have been a little chilly, the trees here had not yet begun to show the fall colors, but I imagine that soon Mother Nature will paint beautiful fall colors everywhere. 

We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on the kitchen remodel.  I haven't posted pictures as things are going at a snail's pace..but we take time to play.  The new sink is here and the laminate for the counter tops came in and all of the painting is done.  Have a light fixture to get shades for and install.  I rewired and combined two pieces to make a chandelier to hang above the table so if I wired it properly, it will be forthcoming.  Several years ago I was given a partial set of silver.  I had contemplated making wind chimes or something with these pieces until I searched for the pattern and discovered that the 7 place settings, plus sugar spoon and butter knife were pretty pricey.  (Prices to replace these individual pieces which are still available caused me to re-think that idea.)  At an antique shop recently, I spoke to the owner and she explained what she had done with similar pieces.
Since I already have silverware of my own, I decided that I would like to display this pattern.  A garage sale frame for $1.00, a piece of fabric left from the newly upholstered bar chairs, and some silk ribbon and- Voila! 
We have been very busy...the garden is mostly harvested and in the freezer...I have some cantaloupe which are volunteer from the compost are ripening - a gift from Mother Nature I guess-(hope they aren't listeria infected) and the tomatoes are still on the vines. 

"Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." ~ Albert Einstein

Fall?

 These glorious sunflowers line the southeast side of the vegetable garden and will be fodder for the birds soon. I love the colors! There were so many seedlings this year that I planted some on the south side of my home and they nearly reached the top of the garage. But in spite of the temperatures in the high 80's and low 90's, my weather predictor tells me that fall is just around the corner and then snow.  Living in Wyoming, it is just a given.  We would like to go camping just one more time, but since we are still on the kitchen project (we sprayed texture this week and what a mess that is), who knows?

Our quilt guild held a show this past weekend and with over 100 quilts, both old and new, it was a large undertaking.  Having never participated in this sort of event, I volunteered to work and it was enjoyable, although it was work.  Hanging the quilts on wooden structures, some as tall as ten feet for the larger quilts was a bit frightening. Had one gone down, it would have been a domino effect.  It was a great success.  We are busy with the harvest, beets, turnips, cabbage, zucchini and the rest and I will be happy when the garden is empty, but that will surely mean fall has arrived.

"Gardens are a collaboration between art an nature." ~ Penelope Hobhouse