Machine quilting a donation quilt while listening to the Love Actually soundtrack.
Well, hello friends. After a bit of a hiatus, I’ve wandered back over here to this space. HAPPY DECEMBER to you all! I found a quote by Carl Sagan that has inspired me to kick off a month filled with blog posts about LIGHT AND LOVE.
For small creatures such as we the vastness of the universe is bearable only through love.
So let’s start with some listening. I had pledged to make two quilts in 2022 for donation via our Vermont Modern Quilt Guild. While working on the second one, which I’ll need to turn in this coming Sunday, I took our little portable speaker down to my sewing studio and cranked up the soundtrack to Love Actually. I know this film may be a “love it or hate it” situation, but I am a sucker for an annual viewing. In any case, the soundtrack is fun and helped me stitch away an afternoon. I found it on Spotify, but there are any number of places to listen (including cd’s)! And, the quilt is finished and rolling around in the washing machine as I type. Will post pics later this month.
Sewing a new patch on my very mended jeans, while watching Sasia’s TEDx Talk.
A few months ago I joined The Mending Space, an online community, available by subscription, with Katrina Rodabaugh. It has been a game changer for me, and someday I’ll write about the richness there. But in the meantime, I’ll share a listen I found via Katrina. Do you know of Stasia Savasuk? She is a style guru, and of course I rolled my eyes when I heard this (my uniform is jeans and flannel shirts). But then I watched her TEDx talk and now I am much more open minded, and curious to learn more. (I took a fun bandana out of a drawer and wrapped it around my neck the other day and felt kinda sassy.) Her message is all about LOVE.
Knitting a cowl while listening to podcasts.
I had read of a new essay by Robin Wall Kimmerer on several of my fave online sources, so I settled in to listen to it on Saturday. I ended up listening to it again with Batman on Sunday morning, because I knew he would love it too, and because I wanted to absorb its richness again. You can find it via Emergence Magazine, here. You may have to scroll down a bit to find her essay, The Serviceberry:An Economy of Abundance. In a very special time of synchronicity, we watched a murmuration of cedar waxwings out in our meadow, just a few days before listening to the podcast. And her essay will fill you with hope and inspiration.
Paper white narcissus bulbs, getting ready to bloom in midwinter.
I must sneak in a bit of special love here. One of my very best college buddies and her husband were visiting with family north of us, and they ducked out for the better part of a day to visit us at our bit of earth. We had not seen one another in years and years. Sometimes conversations with our oldest and best buddies can restore our faith and hope in the world. Old photos, sharing memories, updates and so much warmth…better than most anything else for kicking off a joyful holiday season. Thank you, Martha and Marce, for making the trek.
Batman has been making wreaths from our balsams for friends and family. He’s getting to be a pro, (even though he does not charge for them…because we like to support the “gift economy”) :-)
I finally figured out that any of us can hop into advent season whenever we want, and in whatever way we please. In its most generous iteration, advent season makes room for anyone searching for light and love. So, I’ll be back tomorrow to share a bunch of advent loveliness with you. Until then, xoxoxoxox