All is Calm

After the drama that hurricane Sandy brought on Monday and Tuesday, things seem to be getting back to normal. Well, for me, at least - friends in nearby communities are still without power, and New York and Long Island really took a hit - not to mention other areas along the east coast and further inland.

We did lose power in short spurts, and the winds were fierce, so I'm pretty much amazed that there are still leaves on the trees and not too many branches down in my yard. I'm very grateful for the comments and good wishes left by my readers - I really appreciated them!

One lovely after-the-storm surprise was this little cluster of blossoms tucked under the dying leaves on my aptly named "Endless Summer Hydrangea" bush. They are truly the last blooms of summer - little miracles that appeared when I least expected them!

Last night I went to a local quilt guild's annual auction with my friend SooKhim. It was a night of  heavy downpours and two very noisy thunderstorms, but we were safely inside, bidding on bundles of every sort of fabric imaginable! My purchase was a generous bag of bright fabrics, perfect for children's charity quilts. I hope to get to these after the holidays!

Meanwhile, today is Halloween - not my favorite holiday, but I do love seeing the little kids who come to the front door for candy. They are so excited in their sweet costumes!! What I could do without is the recent trend of gory costumes, and older boys carrying rubber knives. Last year I was a bit taken aback by some of these!

I'm posting the above photo of Angus and our lighted jack-o-lantern which I took last year because I love it, and I hope you enjoy it too! 

And, finally, I'm beginning my 3rd annual participation in Leah Piken Kolidas' Art Every Day Month tomorrow, so I'll (hopefully) be posting very often through the month of November! More about that tomorrow!

Meanwhile,

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Waiting Out Sandy

Right now, it is not too bad where I live in northern Massachusetts. There has been some rain, and very forceful gusts of wind, but so far, so good. We've had several short sessions of power outages, so the electric clocks are flashing, but I won't even try to reset them until the storm is over! For a while, I sat out on my unheated porch, organizing my collection of beads, with the wind whipping the trees outside.

For a few minutes, the cats were out there with me, but the many windows with the trees blowing drove them into a frenzy, so I put them back inside the house. 

Just thought I'd write a little update while we have power. Hope everyone in Sandy's path is doing well!

Take care! Be well! 

Before the Storm

I feel like yesterday was, possibly, the last beautiful day of autumn - sunny, breezy and lovely. Today has been  overcast, rainy and windy. Tomorrow...?
Who knows what hurricane Sandy will bring!

The press and weather stations predict a very serious storm, but can only make educated guesses as to where it will hit. Everyone I know is prepared as far as we can be, and hunkered down for whatever may come.

May all who are affected by this storm be safe.

And may everyone who reads this have a wonderful week! 

Autumn

This morning I finished up this little machine stitched picture celebrating my favorite season!

This is how I feel on a beautiful, cool and breezy fall day. 

I've been practicing my machine stitching, drawing my design first with a very fine Micron marker pen and then stitching over it. I colored the figure with a combination of fine Sharpie pens and watercolor pencils. The leaves are fused fabric and the size is a little over 5"x7". 

There has been a lot of talk here in New England this week about hurricane Sandy hitting the east coast early next week. I've shopped for the recommended bottled water and batteries, will bring in our outdoor potted plants, and wait it out with the kitties.

Last night, I was chatting with my sister on the phone and commented to her about how cute Rosie and Angus looked curled up on the ottoman.

No sooner did I say it than Angus jumped up and started wrestling with Rosie!

Now he has "conquered" her!

It bothers me when they tussle - Angus is usually the aggressor. No biting or scratching, but I always worry about poor Rosie's peace of mind. However, she does manage to hold her own ground.

To all my cat loving friends - is it normal for two cats to attack each other like this? Any suggestions?

I recently bought a pheromone diffuser which seems to calm Rosie down a bit - she's very jumpy. And she does find her own little corners in the house for afternoon naps.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me about this!

Hope you have had a great week!

October's Bright Blue Weather

Ever since Autumn began this year, I have been carrying my camera with me, wanting to capture some glorious fall color. For awhile I was disappointed, catching only a glimpse here and there - a bit of yellow, a touch of orange, a sprinkling of crimson.

Then, this week, I saw what I was looking for as I drove by a lakeside cemetery on my way home. I parked, and entered into a sanctuary of color and late afternoon light. It was a very moving experience to walk beneath this canopy of ancient trees with their golden leaves shimmering above me.
I posted one of my photos on Facebook, and a friend commented that it reminded her of a poem she had learned in grammar school, "October's Bright Blue Weather" by Helen Hunt Jackson.

I love the poem and I wanted to share it with my readers. Thank you Claire!

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

And flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October’s bright blue weather.

When loud the humblebee makes haste,

Belated, thriftless vagrant,

And Golden-Rod is dying fast,

And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When Gentians roll their fringes tight

To save them for the morning,

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs

Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie

In piles like jewels shining,

And redder still on old stone walls

Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things

Their white-winged seeds are sowing,

And in the fields, still green and fair,

Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,

In idle golden freighting,

Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush

Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,

By two and two together,

And count like misers , hour by hour,

October’s bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and flowers of June,

Count all your boasts together,

Love loveth best of all the year

October’s bright blue weather.

                                                                                                    Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

Hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend!

The Blessing of Friends

Yesterday, I went on a drive to southern Massachusetts,

to a town in which I had lived as a new wife and mother of a sweet little girl,
many years ago.

This day's journey, a trip to visit two special friends -

The elegant Karen, whom some of you know from Sew and Sow Life,

And her wonderful mom, Elaine, who is celebrating a special birthday!

I brought a handmade pin, in Elaine's favorite colors,  as a birthday gift

and we went out for a delicious lunch ( Thank you, Karen! ).

On the way home, I thought about how much richer my life is

for knowing these wonderful women.

 I have such a generous, supportive and caring

circle of friends, including those who are reading this -

it's hard to imagine life without such friendships.  

I am indeed fortunate!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Window Dressing

Our town's Art Walk continues, and I stopped last night to snap some photos

of my movie star pictures in the window of Florence's Fashions.

Audrey and Marilyn look comfortable amidst the glitter and glamor of the window decorations,

don't you think?

(I love that there is a chandelier in the window!)

Thursday and Friday nights there will be receptions for some of the artists, so we'll

be party hopping in our own little town!

This is such a fun event!

Hope you're having a good week!