Temporarily Offline!

Just a quick note to say that I may be offline for a few more days- I will have surgery to my back tomorrow and I am not sure what to expect in the first few days after.
Hopefully a speedy return to full activity!

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Rather than cooking/cleaning up and dealing with the left-overs, we went to the Cimarron Cafe Thanksgiving buffet.

It was a lovely meal and best of all no work!

I chose a non-traditional dessert, a chocolate mocha pie, just the right small size !

After eating we walked around the small town of Ridgway [population approx. 1300] and wandered over to show our Aussie visitors the old Firehouse. 

The gentleman who lives there offered to show us inside the original Ridgway Jail, built in 1909. 

This building was actually in use until 1978........

I can't imagine anyone being incarcerated here, no doubt it was temporary, but it must have been a very cold place in winter!
We saw much more this afternoon but it will need to wait for another day, information overload!

Thanksgiving 2012

Our nation is in turmoil, the Middle East is a cauldron that threatens to boil over at any moment and it is Thanksgiving again.
So rather than pontificate I will post the words of others more wise, to say what needs to be said!
The first from a venerable man, an exemplary United States President regarded as the "Father of our Nation".
 The second from  The Patriot Post.

A Proclamation.

By the President of the United States of America.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

G. Washington

1789

"Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for what is right and what is true and the integrity to use our Liberty in accordance with your gracious will. We thank you Lord, for the gift of our Nation and its heritage. May we live up to the Patriot dreams of our Founding Fathers. We praise You for the Constitution and government our Founding Fathers designed. Forgive us that we have strayed so far from the ideals of religious freedom and individual responsibility they embody. We thank You for our Godly heritage and the Biblical principles on which the laws and institutions of our land were established."

From The Patriot Post

Colorado Huggy Bunch Quilters

Wednesday Khris and I went into Montrose to meet with the few HB members who came in spite of Thanksgiving prep cooking etc. At times there may be as many as 25 who gather to sew but that's more likely in the summer time.

 Khris was sewing on my old Singer Feather Weight machine using up some of my collection of selvedges.......

 and finished up with enough blocks for four potholders, two she will be taking back to Aus. with her as souvenirs of her visit to the HB.

I worked on the Christmas table runner and got it together, woohoo, just have to applique the bows and quilt and bind it, hopefully before Christmas. I am not sure why this photo is a bit blurry.........?

Before heading back up the mountain we paid a visit to the Lady Bugz Quilt Shop in Montrose where Khris made a couple of purchases...............

and I bought this for her as a reminder of her visit there!

As for me, I found these fabrics irresistible, aren't the retro kitchen appliances the cutest? And the black and white fabric has all sorts of sewing motifs, you always need black in the stash, right?!

Khristina And Glen Are Here!

They arrived Sunday afternoon and we stopped in at Colorado Boy Brewery to pick up pizzas before driving up the mountain.

Walt and Glen enjoyed a brew or two while we waited for our dinner..........and we all enjoyed the yummy pizza..........

thin  hand tossed crusts, and exotic toppings.

This one is called Rustica, can't remember the name of the one with Arugula but they were both very good! They also make a dessert pizza, two thin crusts sandwiched with Nutella!

Earlier that day we had stopped in at my friends' small farm just outside Montrose, Gale has chickens that lay the prettiest green and blue eggs.

 We caught this hen in the act of laying, she looks a little peeved or is she just embarrassed?

Here are a few more of the hens. We had these delicious free range, organic eggs scrambled for breakfast on Monday morning, the yolks are so orange and the eggs actually taste the way they should!

Aren't they beautiful?

After brekkie [Aus. for breakfast!] Monday we drove into Ouray, and stopped at Mouse's Chocolates of course.......

they make a hot apple cider with home made caramel and cream, simply divine daaahling, I brought home a jar of the caramel, it's great for Sticky Date Pudding!

We couldn't leave without  trying a few of these hand made truffles.........

                                  turkey truffles!

Here Khristina is about to tuck into a "Scrap cookie".........

    In case you are wondering what these are, the explanation is below!

Thence over the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton, the town is pretty much closed up though some places will re-open for ski season next month.

Like other old Colorado towns they have a vintage operational bank building with original fittings.............

 shades of the old days!

 

Here is the original jail, now a thrift store.

 This is the steam engine that runs between Silverton and Durango, we rode it down and back a few years ago in a terrific snow storm, that was fun!

The Civil War Quilt at 9,000ft.

We arrived up at the Colorado house last evening after the 9 hour drive from Phoenix and a stop at Colorado Boy Brewery for beer and a delicious pizza.
After unpacking the groceries I actually sat in front of the TV watching "Cold Case"and checking email, I can't remember when I last sat and watched TV, LOL.
It's quite balmy up here today, around mid 40's F, so we will likely take a wander around after lunch, maybe visit our neighbors in that next cabin along the ridge.

Trying to get some pics of the CW quilt that I took off the longarm machine around midnight Thursday.

It is ready to bind but there are lots of thread tails that need to be "buried" yet. This is the view looking to the south with Corbett's Peak and Whitehouse mountains, 12-13,000+ ft high. It looks a little hazy but you can see there's some new snow up there.

Shows the back of the quilt and the feather quilting.

A little snow on the ground around the house but it isn't sticking long, too early yet in the season.

With the sun behind me this photo turned out better, view to the south.

Close up of the quilting detail.
This quilt is to go on the couch downstairs in Phoenix, it's the perfect color scheme!

Small Steps

Yesterday I was quite stir crazy and bored to distraction so I got out of bed long enough to get the kit for the cute table runner below, plus my smallest rotary cutter, ruler and cutting board! Along with the mandatory scissors and pins that any sewing project demands.

Then I slid back into bed and set up the tools on a tray in front of me and cut out the pieces for the runner. My hope is to get it sewn together and quilted before my back surgery 28th. so I can have it done for Christmas. It's quite a large runner, 15"x57" so it won't be lost on our almost nine foot long granite island. With such a large expanse it's necessary to use larger decorative items or it looks rather cluttered and silly!
This morning my young friend Samantha came over and we worked on getting her started quilting her first quilt on her little old Singer machine-well, not sure just how old but old enough not to be made in China! And it really is a nice quiet, smooth working machine, I am impressed with how well it sews and how many adjustments are possible even for the presser foot which is very helpful when sewing on two layers of fabric with batting in between!
I think BJ found it for her at a yard sale for maybe $15, it was a bargain, comes with all the attachments and in good working order. I forgot to take pics, but next time she's over I will, for my first day out of bed at all I was lucky to remember anything!

After she left I went back to lay down for a couple of hours, then managed to sit at the machine long enough to finish the binding on this vintage hand applique quilt, yeah, such a sense of accomplishment, it seems rather small in comparison with my usual productivity!
And the green binding matches the vintage green in the blocks, another yeah!

Wordless Wednesday- iPad Game Time

http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com

Here I Go Again.........

Stuck in neutral! Half sewn binding on this vintage applique quilt.

Mid week my back began to deteriorate [again] and here I am lying in bed unable to sew/quilt or even walk or sit without unbearable pain. Arrrggghhh, it's getting old, this is the third time in about 8 weeks and I had hoped to avoid another episode before surgery, which will be three weeks from Wednesday.

As you can see by the abandoned projects above, nothing is happening here, boy am I bored too on top of the misery, tried knitting but that's a bit awkward.

 The CW quilt has spineless feather borders both in the outer and the inner [hourglass] border, then meandering feathers, spineless again, in the body of the quilt.

The backing for the CW quilt wasn't quite long enough so I added all the left-over hourglass blocks down the center to enlarge it!

Finally got around to organize DH to hang my Stash NYB  quilt in the stairwell, it was quite a production/challenge to place an extra long ladder with its legs at different levels [a little scary] and then to get the quilt hung on the hooks and pretty even at that!

This quilt is not right for a bed and really lends itself to a decorative purpose, fortunately we have stairs, the perfect place for it. It had been folded up for sometime since last I sent it off to a show but the folds are flattening out nicely and I am pleased to have it off the stack of "homeless" quilts!
Well, just wanted to let you know why I am not blogging, but I hope that with a few days rest I will be able to function again.
If you are a praying person I would appreciate your intercession for speedy relief!

And it's election day in the USA.

God bless all of you and God bless the United States of America!