monique

Back from My Break

I took a break from writing, not because I've been so busy
but because things have been rather quiet and ordinary and
there just wasn't much to write about.

I finished the Snowbound quilt top but I can't quilt it
until I finish quilting the quilt I have in the frame now.
I have several books on CD from the library and I'll
probably listen to them and work on it next week as again,
it's scheduled to be a fairly quiet week.

I'm happy with how the Snowbound quilt came out. I didn't
plan ahead and design it before I began sewing. I just
sewed blocks until I thought I had enough and then began
piecing them together. I added some orphan blocks from
other projects--log cabin blocks and pieced houses and
angels and here and there I added narrow strips of fabric to
make everything fit. I also added blocks with the year and
another with my initials. It's very much a folk art quilt!
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There are a couple of wild rabbits I often see in the
backyard. Lately one has been showing up just at twilight
to eat the new grass under my snowball tree and I make a
point of going to look for him as the sun is setting.

I noticed daffodils blooming in someone's yard on our way
into town today. I need to go to the country house and see
if mine are blooming yet. Years ago, when the boys were
small, John and I planted literally thousands of daffodil
bulbs and every year I make bouquets of them and put them
all around the house. Usually they bloom in March, just in
time for St. David's Day, the Welsh patron saint, on March
1st but the weather has been unusually mild this year so it
wouldn't surprise me if they were early. This also reminds
me that I need to get out and plant my sweet peas soon if I
want any this year.
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On Ash Wednesday I went to the church in the afternoon for
the imposition of ashes. We are a small church so Pastor
Ruth had it open for several hours and each person has a
chance to spend a little time with her, telling her how
we're doing, if we have chosen a Lenten discipline and what
it is (mine is spending fifteen minutes every morning
thanking God for the things I have to be grateful for in my
life--a different kind of prayer than asking for
intercession), prayer and communion.
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Last Sunday we revealed who are prayer partners for 2004
were. Mine was Juanita and Doris was mine. We also chose
new prayer partners for 2005. This year my prayer partner
is Benjamin. Benjamin is eight years old and one of the
likes/interests on his list was candy. What a surprise! I
bought a valentine and a box of sweetheart candies and
signed them "Your prayer partner". On Friday afternoon I
brought them to the church and left them on the table with
the bulletins so he'll find them on Sunday morning.