Ms Myhre

Had our first flurry of "didn't last" snow yesterday.  It stuck briefly, then was followed by a night time chinook wind so warm it took the snow, along with the leaves, all away.  Everywhere I drive, the town looks so sad with all the leaves gone as well.  Won't be long, tho, when we'll see more of the snow and the snow blowers, shovels, mittens, boots, scarves, long johns and other snow gear will appear on the scene.

October was overly busy.  Dan and I went to Birch Bay for a week, met up with some old friends and then chased all over the Bellingham area with them for two and a half days.  Came home on Friday, washed clothes on Saturday and jumped on a plane Sunday to fly to Denver to see Scott and Dona.  Whew.  Still trying to catch my breath.

I'm glad I have set up a Daily Writing and have committed to a "poem a day."  I've missed so much of the workshop I will never catch up.  Will suffice to write what needs to be written and let it go at that. 

My arthritic fingers are tired.  I need to rest them for a bit.

Just finished watching a video of an exciting young "spoken word poet."  A bit different take on recitation in that it marries acting (performance) with poetry.  Her name is Sara Kay and she is polished and entertaining.  But, more than that she is encouraging.  She not only writes and performs her poetry but she teaches folks of all ages how to express themselves as well.  The poem she opened with  was "If I Have a Daughter."  Much of it entailed what she learned from her mother and also what she knows of life...so far.

Another example of my getting lost on the internet when I really need to be doing other things like dusting, vacuuming, etc.  But when I weigh the two avenues of action, getting lost in the poetry of Sara Kay is by far the better path.  Oh, well.

Had successful eye surgery yesterday.  What a difference to have my poor ol' left eye back in action again.  I lost the light in that eye so gradually I was unaware of how dark everything had grown on the left side of my body.  Well, it's back now and the doc is even saying encouraging things about setting it straight again.  Over time the eye has drifted off to the left and I look a bit wall eyed.  If he can't fix it, that will be fine.  I'm so very glad to "see the light" again.

I'm continuing to quilt and make them for all my great-nieces.  One down, two ready to go to the quilter and the fourth one is in the works.  I'll give myself another three weeks to finish and then I'll quit and get ready for the Florida contingent to arrive here in Spokane!  Hooray!

            Well, isn't that interesting.  My last entry didn't get posted and I can't even remember what I wrote.  So here goes.  Round two, random thoughts.
             John was home (Jacksonville) from Uzbekistan for two weeks at Christmas time.  Made it home on Christmas eve and was sitting on the couch waiting for Rhiannon to get up on Christmas morning.  What a treat for her three-year-old eyes.  They had a wonderful visit.  Even though he had to return to work over seas, they are counting down a much smaller number now.  He should be back the end of June.
             Christmas Day was spent at the Smith's home with all of Josh, Sara and Rona's family in attendance.  Had a lovely time.  Such a blessing to be included in such a wonderful family and to feel like family ourselves.
              This has been an exciting month for Karen and I as well.  Our book Two Little Girls Dressed in Blue has been sent off to the printer.  Just waiting to see a couple of proofs for a final editing and then we order 20 books for the first printing.  I've already sold 6 books @ $10 each and hope to sell four more.  If not, I'll make up the other $40 myself.
              Quilting with MaryEllen is coming along swimmingly and we're almost done with the top.  Note to self: never, I repeat, NEVER sew with Minki again.  Now I have to go work on my kitchen curtains.  It's cold sitting by a curtain-less window.

The entry preceding has "their" spelled as "there."  Please disregard.  :0]

The year just disappeared in a puff of smoke.  Seems like only yesterday we were readying for our 40th wedding anniversary celebration and here it is time for another celebration.  We'll be back to normal with Christmas, Dan's birthday and our anniversary all in a row. 

I'll start the year off with a luncheon at The Onion with my book club.  We have made it an annual sort of thing and it's great to just gather and visit without a particular book to discuss.  And speaking of books, our book list this year is a pip.  I've particularly enjoyed The Beekeeper's Apprentice  and The School of Essential Ingredients.  Both are books I never would have picked up on my own.  The one with the wow factor, tho, would have to be Cutting for Stone.

Quilting has slacked off for a bit so I guess I can get back to the one I'm making for myself.  I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but it's coming along nicely.  Just have to warm my hands to do the embroidery work.  All blues and greens and purples.  My very favorite colors!

Enough.

So hard to believe that I haven't posted here since August 11th.  The time literally disappeared before my very eyes.  All I can remember of the time between then and now is the busy-ness!   Of course, there was all that quilting to be finished and sent of the the "long arm lady."  Rhiannon's quilt is adorable.  I haven't seen a pic of it yet, but word has it that it is appreciated and that the blankie I made for her doll has been confiscated by Rhiannon. 

I made a trip to Denver to see Scott and Dona and to admire their newly remodeled kitchen and deliver two new quilts to them.  They did an exemplary job on it and can be very proud of the way it all flows together with the dining room and kitchen.  Scott is having a ball cooking in his new digs.

Poetry workshop is back in full swing.  It's amazing how we all continue to improve our skills even though most of us have come to writing so late in life.  There are those whose only motivation is to be with other poets and then there are those who began writing in order to do a better job of helping people in trouble with their own poetic journaling.  And then there are folks like me who wouldn't write at all if they didn't have an assignment and a deadline. 

I gathered all the poets of the female persuasion for a brunch at my home on October 29th.  We feasted and visited and had a great time getting to know each other better.  We even wrote some really good group poems about autumn and Halloween.  I'll put some of them in my quarterly newsletter.  Some fun!

And now it's time to be thinking about the holidays.  We'll celebrate with friends on Thanksgiving.  Our plans for Christmas are a mystery except for dinner here with friends as well.  As for shopping, I don't do much of that anymore.  I'll have to get creative with stocking stuffers again.  That's fun and usually results in something useful.

The book my friend, Karen, and I have put together is finished and ready for the printer.  I have a computer wizard working on the cover (coloring a photo of us) and then I can email it off to Grey Dog Press.  Woohoo!
 Ten years in the making so it's about time!

Mercy, Maudie!  It's pretty bad when one has to look back at their calendar to see what one has been up to the past two weeks.  Perhaps that's a sign that I need to journal here more often.  Anyway, I seem to have accomplished a good deal since my last post and that's encouraging.

There was that flurry of activity in my studio as two quilts were cut and the sewing begun.  One is a wedding gift for Linda's dear friend, and the other a "bedspread" quilt for Rhiannon.  The wedding quilt is of Linda's own design (with a little help from a pic), constructed from batiks of deep blue and white with yellow-gold sashing.  Stunning!  And rumor has it that it is the recipient's colors.  Way cool!

Rhiannon's is a cacophony of super bright colors to compliment her newly painted walls which are hot pink, bright peach and soon to be lime green.  (Another personal design, again with help from a pic.)  The blocks are 10x10 sewn in strips and will be separated with stripes in the colors of the walls.  Nearly done, too.  Merely have to sew the block strips to the stripes and then find some backing material.  Then it is off to the quilter along with two others for Dona and Scott.

Next in line came the painting of the basement which is filled with huge furniture and mucho chotchkes.  Mary Ellen and I tackled the project as though we were making an assault on a Himalayan mountain.  With a division of labor, we were finished in a day and a half (it's a very big area) and that includes putting it back together as well.

Dan's collection of art (mostly western) virtually pops on the golden rust wall.  I'm so pleased with the way it all turned out.  The rest of the room is a soft terra cotta and shows off all the wooden furniture we own.

Thanks to Mary Ellen for a job well done.  Bless 'er.

It was warm, but not too warm.  It was worth the trip to see my other mother and my friend Karen.  It was an adventure, as always to visit my cousin in Hamilton, MT.  I listened to a Hercule Poirot mystery all the way over and another on the way back.  My, oh, my, how the time flies while listening to a good story read by excellent narrators.

Spent the day at the foot of the Bridger Range.  The fields and foothills were more green than I have ever seen them.  Usually, by July, they are a dull sage color or even tan from the heat.  Zola's friend, Hazel, lives on acreage that she and her husband bought over 50 years ago.  Since her husband couldn't pound a nail or saw a board, Hazel set to work turning an old building that had once been a little country store into a home for her family.  With great strength and ingenuity, over time she has produced a three bedroom home with a window lined living room that brings the mountains into full view.  We came for brunch and stayed for dinner.  Wonderful!

Zola's nephew, Stanley, a retired economics professor, stopped in before I left for Hamilton.  Great to pull up old memories of less stressful times.   Reminded me of the ghost stories we used to tell in the family camper trailer and the trees we used to climb.  Good times.

Off to Hamilton and, of course, made the rounds of the thrift stores.  Mary Ann had saved some CD's, books and a few items of clothing for me.  Happily some of the clothes were way too big.  The books are keepers and I even bought a few more CD's for a dollar apiece. 

We ate potatoes and peas from the garden, steaks from the freezer and I even talked her into going out to eat at a place called Naps.  The burgers are so big you absolutely must split them!  Fries are made on the spot.  Went home to a small scoop of ice cream.  She's one busy girl...chopping and stacking wood, reaping the fruits of her garden, watering her trees at the cabin, having garage sales to pay her taxes.  Made me tired just looking at all she has to do.  And right now it all came on a once!!!

Glad I went.  Good to be home.

     A whirlwind, I tell you!  Linda and I completed a quilt for the St. Ann auction in September.  It just kept getting bigger and bigger and now measures somewhere around 80"x80".  Turned out so well.  The fabric was free and the quilt (if bids are high) will contribute to the parish building fund.  Since then I have organized and begun sewing on one of three quilts still in the works.  Finished two others a month ago and Dona liked them both so will have them quilted for her and Scott.
     I had to postpone my trip to Montana, which was probably a good thing.  The weather there has been violent and unusual for the area.  Hail stones the size of golf balls in Belgrade, tornadoes in Billings, wind storms in Hamilton.  I guess I must be grateful for my bum foot.  That's what kept me home for another week.  Hmmm?
     The anthology is finished and my copies have been distributed to family and friends.  Now to work on finishing "Two Little Girls Dressed in Blue."  So close to being done I can hardly stand it.
      Happy 4th of July.

On May 19th I took off for Florida and the baptism of Mistress Rhiannon Elyse Myhre.  What a whirlwind of activity.  If you are my friend on facebook (or Kelley's)  you will find lots of pictures there of friends, family and her first trip to Disneyland (after we left for home).  I had a wreath made for her head...roses and something pink, but she didn't want to wear it.  Clever Kelley hung it on the front door of the house when we came back from the church.  I put away my baptism/liturgy hat and focused on Miss Pants.  She was a trouper.  St Ann's is so much more welcoming.  Oh, well.  The god-parents are terrific and will do a great job of setting as good an example as Mom and Pop.  Back home on the 31st, paid bills and took off again June 4th for Seattle and the Cirque de Soliel production of Kooza ( koza means box/ circus in a box).  I was mesmerized!!! Dan had a really good time as well.  I would go again to another show (they have produced 20 in all).  Jumped back in the car after a three day walking tour of Seattle's downtown and headed for Canada and the WorldMark facility in Vancouver, BC.  Rain, and more rain.  We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Stanley Park and revisited their public library which is ginormous.   Tried to eat a different ethnic food each day we were there...Indian, English (bangers and mash), Mexican, and Japanese.  Topped it all off with A&W on the way home.  Glad to be back to our own comfy bed!