No time to die

Even though this may look a little like a voodoo doll or something similar and I did put "die" in my title, I read a quote that pretty much sums up how I feel.  "God put me on this earth to sew and finish things, I am so far behind that I will never die."  I expect to have a good many more birthdays and speaking of which....Happy Birthday to my little brother on the 14th.

I have been dying to make this garden angel!  I love primitive things and had acquired 4 of these architectural pieces and was going to make a birdhouse.  However, I saw a garden angel similar to this a while back and could not get it out of my head.  I also had saved some pieces from an old chair and while scrounging in my boxes of "funky junk"....her head appeared!  Wings from trim scraps finished her except for her halo.  (have to dig some more)

Scraps of wood, metal, and fabric of course, don't always get tossed.  They may have a chance at a second life (and not die) in my world. (there is no time)  So along that line, I am privileged to have been asked to teach a paper-piecing class tomorrow at our 2nd annual quilt retreat in Encampment.  I love paper piecing, but it is not for everyone.  One quilter says it is like ballroom dancing.  You have to move backward, in high heels while watching your feet in a mirror.  In other words, you are sewing in reverse, (something uncomfortable), and stopping to look and see if it is right.  But actually, it gives such precise points and angles, that once mastered, the outcome is reward and it gives scraps of fabric another life.

"Quilting gives me someplace to go when I have to stay where I am."

County fair

 First of all, Coalette is not a fair animal, although many 4-H kids do show cats.  Here she is perched on an 1 1/2" quilt padded rocker back.  Cat owners know that cats find the most unlikely places to hang out.  We find her upstairs in the bar sink, in the closet on a shelf of sweats and numerous other places.

 Our county is mostly ranching country and our fair reflects this.  When we first started going to the fair here, 40 some years ago, it was a place to find lots of needlework, crafts, gardening and foodstuff.
As our society has evolved, it is mostly 4H and ranching displays and believe me, these kids are talented and dedicated. I gathered eggs when I was a child with my sister.  I hated this task as I always got pecked until we teamed up to chase the hens off the nest first.  But I digress.  These are a couple of the chickens at the fair.  Aren't they pretty? (I get my eggs from a gal out here who even delivers them to me).

As we strolled through the barns, we watched the beef cattle being bathed and groomed and all of the hard work these kids do to prepare for this week-long event will pay off for the rest of their lives.  I did not photo the welding projects or the woodworking, but the amazing projects reflect the work ethic they are taught and what 4H does for our youth...the leaders of tomorrow.  There will be many Carbon County projects going to State Fair and more blue ribbons and best of show.

"Not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize." ~ Caxton

Art for the soul

We are still struggling to get these pictures from the iPad to the laptop and in the process the pictures are not always as we would like.  All 5 of us painted a birdhouse and one of the gals was responsible for the pattern.  This is not the first time we have had a painted project, as we always paint.  It is in our blood I guess and is my favorite project always.  This lady from Cheyenne has painted a mural on her wall and also on just about anything that doesn't move.  We all worked at painting a life size antelope several years ago along with quite a few other artists which were then auctioned for a fund raiser.

My two children had a wonderful art instructor and as a result went on to further their education in that area and although they are not always able to use this talent in their careers, my daughter has advanced hers as a result of her creativity and my son's talents are apparent in his home.  I have been just recently hearing about nursing homes and other facilities where the residents, some with various forms of dementia, are given coloring books and crayons.  One of my buddies spends time with the elderly and she tells me that these residents are really enjoying this activity.  Obviously, it is stimulating.  So to you two children.....just buy me lots of crayons, paints and coloring books and paper when you decide to institute me.  I will be fine!

"The mind grows by what it feeds on." ~ Josiah Gilbert Holland

week of crafting

 I am so struggling with the operation changes of these new devices.  I took photos with my iPad of our week of crafting and cannot figure out how to put them on my blog from that device so here are 3 of the totems that I made.  So sorry that I don't have the girls' things as they are gone.  We made pinecone angels, 3 totems each, painted birdhouses and some wooden initials (our last name initial).

 We ate lots of wonderful food, probably gained a ton and thoroughly enjoyed our week together. I will get a couple of the birdhouses posted, but will continue to work on the other pictures.

So next year we have decided to make miniature gardens and are already planning for that project.  I did get to take one afternoon and was able to show them the Encampment museum and they bought tickets on the quilt that the Senior center quilted.

We have all known each other for years, over 45 for some of us and try to get together several times a year and joke about our "Golden plus" years...would that be "Rust"? Does that come after silver and gold?  Anyway we will have many good memories when we are rusting away in a nursing home perhaps.  I had a cousin and 2 of her roommates long before they passed and after retirement, spend time with us years ago and we used to call them the "Golden Girls".  We now find ourselves in that era.  Hopefully, we will be doing these silly things for years to come.  So with remnants of glue gun spider webs and silicone and gold spray paint on my manicured nails, stay tuned for more silly stuff.

"Friendship is the golden thread that ties us together." ~ Anonymous

More to come

This week I will be having 4 of my favorite people here for a craft and slumber party and of course there will be food and chocolate.  We will be taking lots of photos too. My garage is filled with boxes of glassware and birdhouses and plates for breaking.  This is about the 6th year for our retreat and I am looking forward to it again. Plan to check in soon for updates as today the fun begins!

Catching up

 A few weeks ago I posted this suitcase with the quilt square I painted on the front.  Finally I have finished to my satisfaction the interior.  The Mr. helped me adhere the inside front with contact cement and I completed the folding organizer which folds flat for transport.  The suitcase allows room for my travel iron, starch, fabric, books, cutting surface, rulers of all sorts and the organizer holds everything else.

It also sits on my table with easy access to everything and unfinished quilt squares can be sandwiched flat between the folded organizer for transport also.  Voila'.

Enough of that!  On to other things!  The flower gardens are beautiful now, but the veggies?  Not so much.  Those critters ate so much of the small plants, that recovery was not possible!  The Mr. and I spent a few days staining the railing and seats of my Juliet balcony outside my sewing room and we have a flatbed trailer of stuff ready to haul off to the dump. There is a lot of work to do always it seems and our ol' bodies just don't work the way they used to do.  We do have our camper ready to haul to the camping spot and we are so fortunate to still be able to do that.  Blessed as we are to be able to enjoy the beauty and solitude of our nearby forest, it is always work too.  One of my quilter buddies is leaving to go east to live with her children.  She lost her husband this fall and must now relocate.  I am having the group here to "say goodbye" on Monday morning, so will spend some time on Sunday getting ready for a brunch.  I love to bake and although I don't do it much any more for a group this large, I am making a coffee cake, a danish and some scones.  We will also have fruit, juices and coffee.  I hate to see her leave, but the Mr. and I have also come to realize that we will not be able to stay here forever and I do miss spending holidays with my children.  I was so grateful to my granddaughter, Lexi for the time she spent with me, helping me to navigate my iPad and I we so enjoyed being exposed to her personality.  Her Grandpa is still relating the experience  (with her navigational skill  on the freeway) when we went to lunch.  She is still taking classes this summer and will be 22 this fall, but what a fun gal!

So on my calendar yet which is becoming too full of activities, are a myriad of activities.  After the quilt brunch and the camping trip and the birthday celebration first on Saturday for our 80 year old
friend, Keith, is a week long craft retreat the last week of the month with 4 of my friends.  We have several projects which will include lots of food too!  More about that.  The first weekend of August is a garage sale for the entire town of Encampment and that week a luncheon in Centennial for my school district friends and acquaintances.  All three of these are annual events that have kept us all in touch.  It is what small communities do here in Wyo.  Then the 2nd weekend of August is a quilt retreat in Encampment and I will be teaching a class for this 2 day event.  This is our 2nd retreat and the first was such a success.  After that.....I am sure something will be filling the calendar.  As long as there is chocolate....life is good.

back to Wy

 So we had a great visit with the "baby boy" who is now 47 years old and our wonderful daughter-in law and our granddaughter.  Thank goodness for this younger kid and technology.  I had gotten an iPad and was really getting frustrated with my inability to understand the terms being prompted in order to get everything up and going and my poor daughter was trying to help me via phone....I was in tears.  So the young kid got me on track.  There are so many things we are expected to know and no manuals with any device today.  But also thanks to these devices, I did not miss a phone call from and old classmate.  We are all old, but I grew up with about 7 or 8 classmates, all from first grade to graduation.  Our graduating class was only a few more...about 10 or so.  We went to the same church for the most part, went to the skating rink, went to slumber parties (well not the boys), went to birthday parties, the movies etc.   All like a family and our parents all knew each other.  I got the call while traveling and he had contacted each of the others by phone just to share new and to stay in touch.  Thanks Dan!!!

Below, are 2 pix of the iPad pouch I made for packing this device of which I have now become fond. The fabric is the Wyoming fabric and our state now is celebrating our 125th anniversary this year, in fact today.

 Now to my back yard.  For years, I have been keeping a photo of a inukshuk.  Look it up!
Anyway, I also love rocks so finally I have been able to build mine in my back yard.
Does it resemble some of the structures that sheepherders build as they watch their flocks even today?More about this next time....gotta go.