Yesterday my middle son died. He has struggled with alcoholism and it won. So much talent. I will most likely never get over it. And I will miss him forever. His brothers Jeff and Greg will miss him.

He loved to cook. He painted and sculpted. We talked cooking in every conversation. He lived in a shelter and was not employed. We will never be the same. I shall gather pictures for another post. His brothers will have a gathering with friends.

Happy at Home

 We are still somewhat sequestered. I am actually quite content. Lots of needlepoint and hand sewing projects. I miss some of the restaurants and our favorite people at them. But I really love my salads and the meals we cook here. 

Tone on tone sampler was a wonderful exercise in embroidery done on wool. I have done several.

Squash Squad is a favorite!

My work table before a project. I do not show when work is in progress!

My pincushion which was my first project. Also pictured my needle case in the works.

Another pincushion for a Christmas present.

And then there is the needlepoint. Learning to finish and love the self finishing projects available. Planet Earth has a wonderful selection.

This shall be a lampshade.

Just a few!

And the food!

Cheese platters, salads and Jack's perfect cornbread in a cast iron pan. Pot Holders a fun project.

And finally the quilt blocks. I love Jen Kingwell's patterns. A real change for me.

So we do our chores in the morning and settle in for some tv. Love the British series and Yellowstone. Cooking shows and documentaries complete the picture.

Staying Home

We are home and have been since the end of March. It would appear that we shall be for a bit longer. I don't really mind but I miss my family and friends and the hugs and laughter. I really thought we would take this time to purge "stuff". However, nothing has been open and consignment shops for some good things are not open and those that are would not have the buyers I would want. The bed in the guest room is covered and I have stopped trying. And of course, there are the projects... I have tried to make a dent but have actually started some new ones. The old ones seem stale to me. I wish for something new and fresh.

I have been quite taken with an Australian designer Jen Kingwell and signed up for a Block of the Month called Psyehedelia. I am piecing it all by hand. Another Jen quilt design called Glitter is probably one of my absolute favorites.

Knitting was my first love and my mother and I spent many hours knitting together. Needlepoint came along and is still a favorite. Then came quilting. Years ago I had seen a scrappy vintage quilt at antique show. $250! I thought I could make it! Thousands of dollars later for sewing machines, fabrics, notions $250 would have been a bargain. However, I have made at least 86 quilts plus smaller projects. I have a few big ones to finish and then I shall only do smaller ones.

Greek Isle by Colors of Praise. I love the colors 

 

Then along came Sue Spargo and wool embroidery. I like the hand sewing. I have set myself up in the den. I don't really watch tv - I listen. So Jack and I are recliner potatoes in the afternoon and I sew.

I have even made a few pot holders.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!

At Home

 We are still at home. I am okay with it because Covid would not be a good experience for either of us. I am so grateful that my home meets my needs with amenities and my sewing stuff. The politics of masking and vaccinations is too much for me to deal with. I no longer have the ability or the stamina for the debate. We are vaccinated and we wear masks we stay home. Social distancing is not practiced and therefore we don't socialize.

We miss the little cottage on the lake but we have wonderful memories of summers past. We miss our families and our friends but again wonderful memories. And lobster! I miss lobster more than Jack and tomatoes and corn from Sherman Farm.

Shopping online has been fun and balance issues impede my leisurely browsing. I try to order from small shops when possible and I am very impressed with their pandemic adaptions. Classes and group meetings on Zoom.

September 18 will be our 17th anniversary. The years have been good. We are lucky.

I am going to try to write this blog again with positive thougths in these tough times. I have so many pictures, recipes and ideas to share.

Be safe and well.

Tapas on Sunday

Sunday brunch has replaced the Sunday dinners of yesterday. We are now experimenting with tapas, the delightful Spanish appetizer. We both love anchovies and these are imported from Spain and served atop a fire roasted tomato. We were gifted a loaf of homemade peasant bread which is a perfect base. We also used pesto and crumbled chèvre. This Sunday I shall add another with manchego sliced very thin and bresaola.



We brushed the bread with olive oil and grilled.






Pot Holders were a fun project and a reminder of some of my first crafts.



A class at the Modern Sewist in Sarasota.


Needlepoint and Quilting make the days go faster!