I have some news......

My heart feels so cozy and has been warmed by all of your

thoughtful comments and well wishes.

I met with a surgeon.  Here is the plan.  Two of my vertebra are out of position and pressing on my spinal card.  This is severely decreasing the circulation to the lower part of my body.  The surgery is planned for early December.  I'm trying to assimilate all of this...… oh well, I am just trying to visualize getting back to my old routine.  I am mostly hoping to be able to honor my teaching obligation.  I will not be making kits for the time being, as the most pain comes with standing.  Walking a bit is not near so bad.

"Autumn whispered to the wind, "I fall: but always rise again." -Angie Weiland-Crosby

I have done very little Fall decorating.....  Gradually bringing out  some quilts and pillows, and a few of my favorite Fall things. I love this season so much I just couldn't ignore it.

The lighting is not very good and you can't see how cut the face is on my primitive cat.

I purchased this old crock on our travels during the early summer.  It has some chips out of it, was definitely imperfect, so I purchased it for a song!

A few years ago while attending a Country Living Fair in Columbus Ohio, I found this string of gourds.

This Maple Leaf quilt was a guilt I made 20 years ago.  I had quilted it using the Bishops Fan design.  

This pillow is a design by Maggie Bononimi. I loved stitching this design with Blackberry Primitives beautiful wool, and in Maggie's easy style.

This Thanksgiving pillow is from an old Needle Love book.

This quilt has been around for many an Autumn Time.  I remember buying the fabric while at Sister's, Oregon Quilt Show many years ago.  I was part of one of Bonnie Miles excellent tours.  I also remembering I won a set of nine patch blocks on that trip which I have made into a quilt.  I've been strolling down Memory Lane.  The pillow is from the same Needle Love book.

The crow pillow is one of my designs, called Autumn Time.  And cut cat face pillow is made from an old sweater section.  I couldn't pass this up at the craft show which Rita always offers at the time of her retreat...….. the one I teach at in Lee's Summit, Mo.  You will no doubt notice the pile of books there.  I am making my way through them, and enjoying the opportunity to do so.

Julie, purchased this pumpkin constructed from a cross slice of wood  The grain is quite wonderful, but this phot does not do it justice.

This is a red - white- and blue court house steps which I am making from my scraps.  It's been enjoyable.  It will be a throw size quilt with a pieced star border.  Slowly but surely.  I feel like I need to try and accomplish something.

The half square triangles on the left side of this little topper, are the corners which I cut off from the roofs of my house quilt.  Waste not want not! :-)  The corners are some 1 1/2" strips I have in a basket just waiting to be used.  I am going to mark this for hand quilting.

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." -Albert Einstein

A long Time Coming......

Hello my dear friends.  I don't know exactly where to begin.  You all know that I fell down my stairs in June.  I had an x ray of my back at the Drs. office and was told that everything was okay.  So I had PT to prepare myself to travel and to meet my obligations.  While on this trip, I got along fairly well, and I remember I told my friends that I thought I needed a break and would take the remainder of the summer off.  I was craving some solitude, time to think and consider.  Well. that time came quite readily because the pain in my back kept increasing.  Today I heard the results of my MRI, and was told that I had a fractured lumbar vertebrae, and that I have a severe case of spinal stenosis.  So now I have some decisions to make.  I most likely will have surgery.  However, I intend to keep my upcoming teaching obligations if I possible can.  Standing is a real problem for me, so I will be having a difficult time making kits.  My husband and I are brainstorming to see how that may still be accomplished.  But for most, my health and well being is my main priority.  I have finished one quilt top by sewing just a bit daily.  Also, I'm working on a few more projects, and still have many ideas and desires for other projects.

I have been inspired by Jimmy Carter.  He just had his birthday, I'm not remembering the year for sure, but he is well into his nineties, and he is still building houses for Habitat For Humanity.  He says, "My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference."

I will leave on that note, and will be back soon, but will not be blogging every day.

Off we go......

…….. on a very anticipated visit to Ohio to visit our grandson, Wyatt.  And yes, his parents too! :-)

Thank you all, for all of your warm birthday wishes.  I spent a lovely quiet day at home, doing what I wanted to.  I'm all packed, spent time yesterday to prepare some hand sewing.  Can't leave home without that.

For the life of me I can not remember the name of the town, where this quilt shop is located.  I'm pretty sure it is in Kansas.

This antique crazy quilt was hanging on the wall, and the history about the quilt is below.

I am a fan of Kathy Schmitz and her wonderful stitchery patterns.  Plus she is such a lovely person.

To celebrate the seasons.

A memory keeper in Grandpas shirt.

Outside this little town was the Buffalo Bill Museum.

We thought these statues to be stunning!

And what is more beautiful than the American flag flying against this gorgeous blue sky.

"The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord."

- Abdul - Baha

Today I am 68........

…… and I am grateful for every year!  Getting older definitely has some inconveniences, like stiff joints etc., but it has it's benefits too.  You know longer worry about what people think.  You are becoming much more attuned to your goals and what you believe. I find myself thinking more about my legacy and the message of my life.

On another note we are leaving on Wednesday to go to Ohio to visit are son and his wife, and our dear little grandson Wyatt. We are so looking forward to this visit.

I thought I'd share pictures with you from our visit to Kansas Troubles Quilt Shop.

One other summer we tried to visit on a Monday, only to find out that they are closed on Mondays.  This year we were in luck.

Their shop is not large, but packed with all of the looks that they are famous for.

A warm and homey look and feel.

I was attracted to the wee little quilt in the background that looks like butterflies.

I managed to get a close up look.  They had some wonderful plaids on sale, and I took advantage.

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet.  We all breathe the same air.  We all cherish our children's future.  We are all mortal." - John F. Kennedy

My magic ball......

I am seeing a sports medicine Doc, and he has me rolling the Lacrosse ball on my sore areas on my lower back and hip.  I'm hoping for some magic!  It is my first acquaintance with Lacrosse.

On our trip we drove through a bit of beautiful Colorado.  The day before we had wandered through parts of New Mexico that were dry and not much to see...…..quite desolate.  

So we welcomed this beautiful contrast.

Notice the red roof down in this picturesque valley.  With our imagination, we had a quilting retreat scheduled down there!

"There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul." -Victor Hugo 

Have a great week end.  Summer is speeding by.