Weekend Gratitudes

Need I say more?

Replique

Like me, many of you were drawn to quilt making by the unique beauty of antique quilts. Today’s reproduction fabrics give us an opportunity to duplicate our favorites. I’ve tried copying a few old quilts but feel satisfied if I manage to capture the spirit of the original.

I admire those of you who make an earnest study of antique quilts. Your knowledge of quilt and textile history is as immeasurable as your fabric stash. Your keen eyes painstakingly replicate the antiques, block by block and fabric by fabric. The results are spectacular!

This Scrappy Star quilt is a replica of one featured in “Country Living Magazine.” My friend, Mary R. (no blog, no computer for that matter) duplicated as much of the quilt as was visible in the picture, resulting in a nice crib sized version (30” x 42”). She used the pieced top as a sample in her historical quilt talk and sold the top to me after breaking up her collection.

I hand quilted it with an all-over fan design, reminiscent of old utility quilts.

Gratitudes

~ morning coffee
~ late night talks with my son
~ bloggers like Kathie, who share their passion for traditional style quilt making. Kathie provides LOTS of links to other blogs featuring antique quilts.

Attitude Adjustment

Autumn has been awfully wet. Twenty-two days of rain in October have given me sinus headaches and, dare I mention it already, SAD (seasonal affective disorder)? My brain feels sodden! Add to that the time change, and I find myself very glum indeed. Those waning hours of sunlight have a powerful effect on many of us.

My husband has noted my increased irritability. Of course, telling me that the only peace he gets is while I’m sleeping, does little to brighten my mood! As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. An attitude adjustment is in order.

Several years ago, when Sarah Ban Breathnach's books were all the rage, I made a half hearted attempt to keep a gratitude journal. The timing was all wrong and I only lasted about a week. But the exercise has merit and I’m willing to try again.

I’ve noticed several of you fostering an attitude of gratitude on your blogs. The act of focusing on simple, everyday blessings is a healthy practice. I’ve recommended it to others who suffer from depression. Now, it’s time for a dose of my own medicine.

Today I am grateful for:
~ this sunny day
~ a long phone call from an old friend
~ William home for the weekend!

I promise not to gripe and grumble too much through the dreary months ahead. As far as blogging goes, “no news” from me is probably news you wouldn’t want to hear anyway.

Wishing you sunshine!

Trick or Treat!

My kids thought this "animation" was incredibly amateurish and silly to post. I was proud of myself for getting the bloody image to move at all! KIDS!

I've Got the Power!

After weeks of futzing* with our computer and its Internet connection, the problem has been resolved…with a new power cord! I’m almost embarrassed to admit the solution was so simple, and free at that.

I don’t mean to wax philosophically about what amounted to little more than a day to day annoyance. But it just goes to show that when something lousy happens, I tend to expect the worst. I just knew we’d need to replace the modem or router, or spend big bucks on a high tech repairman. I mean who ever thinks of a problematical power cord?

All that worry was for naught. What a waste of emotional energy. We can’t get back those hours spent fiddling with connections and computer codes. Why, it was almost as time consuming as…as… time spent on the Internet itself!

*I double checked the spelling of “futz” in the dictionary and had a good laugh at the example it gave for usage:
Definition: fritter time away: to spend time frivolously.
Usage: "spends hours futzing with that computer."

An Envelope of Autumn

Home in New Hampshire, William Glackens, c. 1919

Under Construction

I’ve been without the Internet for several weeks now and it’s been nigh impossible to diagnose the problem. A pernicious pop-up for bogus “security” software may have infected my computer, or perhaps I opened a spurious e-mail that should have been ignored and deleted. It could be the modem, the router, or the Netzero server whose signal varies from excellent to nonexistent. Our favorite computer geek claims it might be one of a thousand things gone wrong and the Geek Squad itself said it could conceivably cost as much as $300 to fix!

My computer programmer husband took a week to figure out what the problem “might” be and another week to “fix” it. “Great job, Honey!” It worked for two days, just long enough to taunt me with what I‘d been missing. Then, NOTHING! After several calls to Netzero, they are sending us a new power cord, speculating that the intermittent service is due to a loose connection. Come on, what are the chances of the solution being that simple?

THIS IS SO AGGRAVATING! I spend a lot of time on the computer… a really lot… okay, all day… most days. My MS has disabled me to the point of doing little else. The Internet not only helps me pass the time, it provides information, entertainment, and a vital connection to the “outside world.” I truly miss it when it’s on the fritz, although this recent time away from the computer has given me a chance to examine my relationship with the Internet. ADDICTION is not too strong a word and the WITHDRAWAL I’m experiencing makes my fingers twitch as I seek alternatives to fill my day.

At any rate, when I’m finally able to post this rant, it will be to tell you that my absence has been due to a technological glitch and not worsening health (although my health still stinks). I’ve missed YOU very much ~ your inspiring photos, your lovely writing, your sense of humor, your inimitable craftiness, and the unique outlook you bring to the world through your blog. I plan to visit you soon and cordially invite you to RECONNECT with me at Persnickety Quilts.