Happy Easter

The heaviness of the past week is over, the chains are broken.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Oh Happy Day

 

Yesterday was a happy day.

My new shoes came.  Note to self:  don't wait so long to replace shoes.  The new ones, which are the same style and model as the old ones, except for color, have so much more cushion and support.

It was my daughter's birthday, kind of.  She was born on a Good Friday.  I don't remember her ever having an actual birthday on Good Friday, so she gets a bonus birthday.

I noticed that there is now enough sunlight, on sunny days, for my back porch solar lights to light up in the evening, at least for a while.  That string of lights is such a joy for me.

When I was cleaning in the living room I found a lost earring under an ottoman.  A found earring is a treasure.

And one thing more - the bottle of gummy multivitamins is now empty.  After my intubation it was hard to swallow the regular vitamins and I had a big bottle of gummies.  Now the bottle is empty and swallowing is easy and natural once again.

It was a good day.

Carrots

 

My neighbor came home from a small trip raving about the lemon maple carrots he had at a restaurant he visited.  So of course  I had to look up a recipe.  They are indeed worth raving about and I suggest that you too look up a recipe.  Mine was from Food Network.

I feel like there's not much to talk about today.  I've mailed Easter cards, including a pretty pop-up one for a very young friend.  As always, I wish I had one or two more cards.  

I had a recipe in mind for an orange coffee cake for the church Easter brunch, but I can't find it.

If you're wondering how long you can keep a frozen turkey in the freezer, I just looked it up - one website says two years and I'm going with that one.  Maybe next week I'll thaw it and roast it, but this weekend there will be ham.

I was happy to find Janet Evanovich's new book Dirty Thirty on the library's new books shelf.  Her Stephanie Plum series is always a little predictable but always so humorous.  It's fun to meet the same cast of characters, even the hamster who lives in a soup can.

Friday Evening

Best ever - Friday evening dinner with my college grand girl.  At Goose and Elder close to Findlay Market.  We both had fish and chips, whch fulfilled a March goal for me - to have just that on a Friday evening during Lent.

I was impressed - Nora had an app on her phone for city parking.  She is becoming confident with finding her way around the city.  

I had the grandmother fun of giving her several grocery bags of provisions and good things to eat.  Some early morning foods, like Luna Bars and yogurt and homemade egg bites.  Some fun, like chocolate chip cookies and jelly beans and chocolate.  Some good for her like pasta, cheese, whole wheat bread, and Lean Cuisines.  Some paper goods.

Nora is a busy girl and I was delighted to spend a few hours just catching up with her.

 

Christmas Bag

 

My older friend who lives in a nursing home has a Singer Featherweight and she enjoys making small quilts.  Around the end of November she pieced and quilted two of these square pieces and asked me to make a zipper bag for her to take to Bingo.  She loves the Bingo games there.

We all remember how December worked out, and those two pieces have been living in my studio, just hanging out.  Now, it's mid March, and her little bag is ready.  It has a pretty light red lining and a red zipper.  Actually an invisible zipper, pretending to be a regular zipper.   And boxed corners so it can sit upright on a table.

I guess we'll have to consider it a first Christmas 2024 project completed.

Socks

 

Are these not the jazziest socks?  They arrived in my mailbox yesterday.  Along with a pair of Nike compressions socks, a little different from the ones I've been wearing.  Thanks, Sarah.

I wish - I was falling asleep more easily.  I'm usually a good sleeper.  I suspect that I haven't adjusted to the time change yet.

It was such a treat yesterday to have lunch with some of my retreat friends.  The Greyhound Tavern was such a good choice.  It's one hundred years old, especially favored by an older crowd.  It was crowded but still quiet.

Today - I really have to work on that worship banner.  It's Friday, Sunday is almost here.

Bookcase

 

Not my art.  The art on top of the bookcase was made by a friend and I've enjoyed it for the last many years.  Make more art, Janelle!  You're amazing.

There was a visitation this morning for a long time family friend.  When my husband died - 28 years ago - she and her husband made the two-hour trip to bring my older daughter home.  One of those things you don't forget.

And her daughter - hosted the rehearsal dinner for my older daughter's wedding.  Another of those things you don't forget.

And her grandson took my very young grandchildren fishing in the lake behind his house.

One of my former co-workers from the sewing machine store came to the visitation.  An example of different paths crossing.  

The Bunny

 

Last night I got a text from my neighbor telling me to look at the black bunny in my back yard.

The bunny spent quite a long time in my yard, nibbling on a rose bush and just hanging out.  I've learned that it is a neighborhood pet, spending time in many neighbors' yards.  Apparently it has a multi-colored friend as well.

Surely they were once pets.  They have escaped the coyotes and must have learned to look both ways before they cross the street. 

I guess a nice thing to do would be to toss out a few mini carrots.

And thinking of carrots, many years ago my across-the-street neighbor had a string of carrot lights that she would put out at Easter.  I've looked for some since, but none of the carrot lights now look just right.

Hope

The hope of marigolds in different colors.

The basil is slow to sprout, but it's starting to happen.  And the ground cherries - should start appearing in 7 - 14 days.  

My plan for today is to plant more marigold seeds so they aren't all ready at the same time.

I know the peat pellets are small, so I'll be transplanting to little paper cups with potting soil.  By that time the weather should be warm enough to put the little plants on the back porch, covering them at night if necessary.

It Happened

 

For the first time in a very long time, I've made something.  The sewing machine and I are friends once again.

The pattern is Be Mine Heart Zipper Pouch.  Fabric is Buttercup and Slate by Corey Yoder for Moda.  The other side has more yellow.  This bag uses a mini charm pack and a matching fat quarter.

Quick lesson:  Mini charm packs are 2 1/2" squares, 42 in all, that have all the fabrics in a collection.  Some are duplicated.  A fat quarter is 18" x 22" - a quarter of a yard cut differently than usual.  Moda is a fabric company with really nice fabrics, you won't go wrong with Moda.

Totally different, I've started a comforter top to be knotted.  Some of the fabrics were donated to Mennonite Central Committee, some are from my stash.  Because I'm making it, it will be bright.

Laying out the design means a lot of sitting on the floor, and a lot of getting up off the floor.  A reminder that I have a long way to go.

I'm also reminding myself, though, that I'm not the only almost-80-year-old struggling with getting off the floor.

Thirty Minutes

 

Thirty minute walk today in my hilly urban neighborhood  My ears were cold when I got back, it was a breezy 49 degrees.  If you enlarge the picture you can see the Cincinnati skyline in the background.

When I got home my oxygen level was 94.  After a minute, 96.

I'm pleased about this.  Two months ago at the doctor's office I couldn't complete the six minute walk test.  When my son-in-law dropped me off in front of the building I had to sit in a lobby chair when I waited for him.

Day to day, there sometimes seems like little improvement.  Sometimes it's nice to see a bigger picture.

RBG

 

These were among those offered at the post office today when I picked up stamps.

I remember where I was when I got the news that RBG had died. Do others? I was sitting on the high school bleachers in early evening, waiting for a marching band presentation when my phone chimed. And I knew that life would look different after that evening. If I'm remembering right, it was a chilly evening, with rain starting. The band presentation was moved inside.

I sat in back with my mask, not comfortable being in a crowded auditorium but really wanting to see my drum major grand daughter conduct. It was early Covid days. My grand daughter stood on a folding chair to conduct.

I have no desire to incorporate politics in my blog, so I'll just say that my grand daughter is in college now. She is considering marching band in the fall. Perhaps trying out a different instrument.

Little Zipper Bag

The front of a little zipper bag - because I have to start some where.  10 1/2" x 8 1/2".

After that will come piecing the top of a comforter for the church group to knot.  In a perfect world, two tops.  We'll see.  I have squares cut out for one of them - from before - probably in November.  From donated fabric.

And then, hypothetically, a worship Easter banner for church.  

Easter is early this year - March 31, as I've mentioned before.  And for those who keep track of those things, Reds Opening Day is March 28.

I so enjoy listening to a baseball game while sewing.  Two of my favorite things, and the time just passes so pleasantly.

Snare Drum

 

Aaron and me at Mason High School at Music for All.  His Symphonic Band was one of the first performances of the day.  It wasn't a competition, but they did get evaluated.  I missed his other concerts this year, and I did want to hear the snare drum and other percussion instruments he played.  (The snare drum was awesome.)

And no, I'm not short.  I'm not as tall as I once was, but I'm not short.  It's just that Aaron is - tall.

Button Eyes

The unembellished fish got their button eyes, and the wall hanging is finished.  Once it's delivered to its new owner I can show you the finished quilt.

I'm sitting over here just breathing.  Feeling joy that this delayed quilt is finished.  Feeling a little sad because I've lived with it so long and now it will be leaving.  Feeling more than a little sad that it wasn't the promised Christmas gift.  Feeling validated that little goals make a project come together.  And feeling amazed, too, that when I started there was none of this, just an idea in my head of what could happen.

It was truly a "build the bridge as you walk on it" project.  Cutting up that first swim suit was so, so scary.  Figuring out how to incorporate the slithery glittery Lycra into quilt form took longer than I thought it should.  I didn't know if using free motion for the applique would work.

But here we are, and this afternoon I'm just breathing.