And then it was three

years of missing him.  

I do miss him quite a lot.  Not feeling very profound about it all.  

Just missing him.

Lobster, Butter, Big Grin

still counting

I guess it's all about scale.  What was counted in days is now, by the attrition of time, counted in years.

I wrote about the count First Here  &  Then Here.

But yesterday wasn't 730.  It just became 2.

We've had 2 Christmases.
2 Father's Days.
2 birthdays.
2 Easters
2 Lobster Fests.  
I can't say I've handled all those 2s very well. 



Harder to rally for the holidays without Dad here to focus our energies.  
I haven't gone to Red Lobster again because, well, why would I?  
Not even one trip to the produce stand for fresh berries & golden cherry tomatoes.

After mom passed away, I carried her spirit bundle for one year.  I felt her so present during that time.  I didn't feel a need to carry a bundle for dad.  Mom was lost.  Dad was so solidly present and ready to go.  He didn't need my support while he found his way.

I didn't really think about me needing his support.

In most ways, I'm so like my mom.  Verbal, witty, crafty, plagued by depression & anxiety, way over involved at the church...

But I'm so aware right now of my dad's influence.  Singing.  Nature.  Noticing rocks.  Loving wood.  An odd connection (ok - obsession) with knives & blades.  Quiet, fierce devotion to family.  We both like rare meat, stinky cheese, & black licorice (not served together though).

I like to think I got strength from both of them.

Got.  I wish it was "still get".   But I really don't feel them close.  I used to, with mom.  Not with dad.  There is just an ache.  An emptiness.  They just keep not being here.

In a month, mom's number will be at 10. oops.  11.

Numbers are usually comforting to me.  These just seem random & meaningless.  

2 & 10.  11

Infinity & zero.

sash

About Time

An hour stuck in traffic v an hour in World of Warcraft.

The hour of sleep from 10pm to 11pm v the hour from 5am to 6am.

We have gears & atomic vibrations to pinpoint the duration of those 60 minutes.  They are exactly the same length of time.

One day (tomorrow for example) v the past 35,328 days.

That's 96 years, 8 months, 19 days that my dad has been on this earth.  And tomorrow is one more that he will probably still be here.

Ticking by.  The hours we spend & waste.  The days we try to notice & use wisely, but may regret & second guess.

The vast past.

The future.

And yes, it is "about time" that I post again.  Two months.  Oy.  I have done things.  Sewing things. Reading things. Hitting things with sticks.  Singing, crying, laughing.  Wrestling the puppy & hiding in my room.

This day, I will do what I can.  I will work, share love, & try not to spatter crazy on anyone.

I will savor each moment - except the ones that I don't - & I will strive to not wig out about it either way.

xo

sash

Official Type Linky Thing

How's THAT for a technical title?


If it worked, then this is my first project in  A Lovely Year Of Finishes.


I've already blogged (in mysterious black & white) about this quilt.  Sadly, it was another wrapped UFO.  KT had to squint & imagine her completed quilt.  I am determined that it will be finished while it's still chilly enough for quilts, so it's the perfect project for my January finish.

Serenade Herringbone for KT

The piecing - once I reworked the traditional friendship block so that my mathematically compulsive brain wouldn't explode - went together smoothly.  Pressing & squaring after ever strip kept it even & I'm pleased with the way the colors look in the panels.  If I'd just added another border I could have stuck the landing & at least had the thing sandwiched for Christmas.

But then I was doodling in church - as I often do - & starting drawing wiggly, organic, vine like things around the edge of a herringbone scribble.  Hmmm.  That would look cool.  I wonder if I could do that??

Well - yes.  I can do it.  Not quickly, however.  Piecing the first side there took a long time.

One Improv Pieced Curvy Organic Border

Serious trial and error.  The others will be smoother, but on Christmas Eve I decided to attach ONE border instead of sewing more.  Slapped a bow on it about 11:30 - just before Santa arrived.

So my goal for this project in January is:

• Finish piecing the curvy border thingy
• Attach the borders
• Sandwich (backing of grey/green textured minky:
• Quilt (using my Pfaff Ambition & grey Presencia thread)
• Bind (Black?  Brown?)
• Label (Maybe the quilt-diva's embroidery machine will be back in service by then?)

Slam dunk, right?

- sash

As Seen On YouTube

I'm having a great time with this Herringbone/Friendship Braid project.  The fabric is beautiful, the pattern is all mathy, and the results are just as I imagined (phew)!

It does, however, require pressing and trimming after each piece is attached.  No chain anything on this one.  I was pretty tired and Sparki the wonder dog was camped out between my chair and the ironing board.  I could have overcome my inertia but add in geriatric dog inertia and I knew that up & down and up & down wasn't happening.

I've never had a large, cleared, surface to do pressing and cutting and sewing all from one spot, but I thought it was worth a try.  I felt so efficient!  My little portable pressing pad (with a towel under for condensation), a small cutting mat and ruler, & I was good to go!  Being tall was a big help, and working on a long, narrow piece made the cutting possible.  Check it out!  A work station worthy of Jenny or the Gourmet Quilter !!

Rendered in Black & White because it IS the week before Christmas!

I also discovered one more important tool to have on hand.  A decoy project - in case someone shows up or walks in unexpectedly.  This photo is also in black & white.  Any WIP that's within reach right now is also headed for a December delivery.

Hastily deployed decoy quilt

Even with a visit from my sweetie to install hooks, a wall heater (yay), & some artwork, I got a lot of sewing done & Sparki had a nice, long nap by my side.  See how rested she looks?

The sweetest dog on the planet & such a pretty girl!

- sash