diving into the clean zone

Something happened and suddenly I was greedily grabbing my friend Ann's generous give away fabric. But wait wasn't I just trying to consolidate and clean? Ann does not wash her fabric and I do, so I'm sitting now after standing and ironing all of my new pieces that I did wash. There was a great sort, after finally deciding what project I was going to take on.

With the addition of a few of my own fabrics I have a pile of green and a pile of blue. My intention is to do a simple every other five inch square of all of those in a bed size quilt. Okay I am partial to scrappy quilts.

This stack is for a small Flying Geese quilt to go over the bed.

Francois is sitting on top of a color study for I don't know what, I just like the colors.

Meanwhile I completely wore out Aero with all of this.

new year, clean zone

 

I spent a rainy day yesterday cleaning my desk and cork board so I could work on projects. But then I found myself sitting here this morning going projects? What projects? So I printed my fox pattern and pulled out some yarn for two new hats. I was inspired by watching "The Little Prince" to make a fox. Wish me luck on this one, the instructions have been translated from Italian and are a little unclear. But two new hats will be easily executed. And I'm enjoying looking at my updated cork board, saving some old items and adding some new.

the last day of 2017: applesauce, a set table, and a sleeping cat

One of my favorite gifts of the season was bagful of Granny Smith apples from Maddy's tree. Maddy is now 28 and the tree was planted the summer she was born to commemorate her birth. The tree is very happy and productive in it's home on Sherman Street here in Alameda.
We are having a small gathering with one guest but the conversation will be lively and wine will be consumed along with a pork roast and the applesauce.
I like New Years, I'm always ready to sweep the remains of Christmas and get on with it. We spent our Friday field trip day at Point Reyes. Where Mike took photos and I gathered the dried good for the bouquet on the dining table.

Tomorrow it's welcoming 2018 with calendar shopping. Let's hope I can find my 2018 Witches calendar.

winter solstice 2017

I sit to type this at almost the exact moment the solstice is occurring. Perhaps this is one of my favorite days of the year. Those dark bicycle rides home from yoga will be getting lighter.

This photo represents two of my favorite things in this crazy world, where I feel I am fortunate to be so rich:
(1) my dishwasher, who would have thought I'd feel this way
(2) my collection of Fiestaware

We had dinner last night with friends to celebrate the season. We had hoped to salute the Dungeness crab, but alas, market price drove us to embrace Ahi tuna instead. Placed among a bed of greens and other goodies Nicoise were served. There were no complaints.

aesculus californica 2017

I've set them out on the garage roof this year as last year I watched the squirrels carry them away one by one from pots under the back porch. The squirrels had never shown any interest in them before. These were harvested from the mother tree at Devil's Gulch, the main source for most of my buckeyes. Hoping the rain will give them a good start. I used to bury them, but realized they fall to the ground and sprout so perhaps just placing in the pots may be a better method.

the fruit of November

Total crop size for 2017 from the Rettie Fuyu was three. Our beautiful persimmon lives too much in the shade to produce it's full share of harvest. But it makes up for lack of fruit by it's spring green leaf out and fall color. And Dashiell and Aero enjoy climbing in it.

 I have grown quite fond of persimmons. I think they are an acquired taste, like opera and single malt.

dia de los muertos

A small altar this year, but I did pull out some of my collection of skulls. I think this may be my favorite holiday of the year, definitely not Hallmark, no gifts needed, nor big meals.
We are back from a week in the "land of enchantment" and enchanting it was. New Mexico never fails to show it's beauty in the month of October. We visited weavers, rivers, and the Penitentes and learned how to pronounce acequias .