And then we had this thunderstorm and the forest lit on fire and all of a sudden we were the number one priority fire in the nation. I haven't had to evacuate - I'm about 10-15 miles from the nearest blaze - but my friends have. That and the entire Rogue Valley, because of this inversion layer, was filled with smoke that got up to nearly 290 ppm with particulates. It was pea soup!
Early on in the fire, you can see we still have sun and sky with some smoke hovering above the Valley floor well out of range of our lungs.
So I'm stuck inside for two weeks with some amazing "refugees" or "evacuees" and we got to crafting. I made some cute quilt tops and started some other projects because when it's winter in July ya gotta get crafting! what do you do when you're house bound? does a stay-cation sound like an ideal vacation to you?
It takes patience to appreciate domestic bliss;
volatile spirits prefer unhappiness.
~ George Santayana ~
I have decided to document my experiences as I enter domestic bliss; or at least something close to it.
This summer I was able to experience the "bliss" of eight healthy puppies thanks to my frisky yellow lab named Jezebel. She lived up to her name while I was out of town for spring break and had a girls gone wild moment with the neighbors brindle pitbull. So since the puppies' birthdays on May 25th she and I have been doing our best with them.
Once my summer vacation hit I knew I'd be home mostly full time watching them and nesting around the home. Unlike years past, I also knew I needed a project.
My hopes (pre-puppies) had been to backpack all over Oregon and Northern California! With their adoption dates getting closer I know this is going to happen. In the meantime, I'd like to share with you a new found, albeit old, addiction to fabric.
My favorite square.
What is it about the stuff? I have opinions and dreams about it. While driving I try and picture how it will look as a quilt square or a pair of boy shorts. Could it serve as the front of a tank top? What if it was a pocket lining? Just a little peak would be all people needed.
And then there's the texture of it. I walk in to a store with clothing and I touch everything. Give it that two-finger and a thumb rub as I walk down the aisle around the racks or as I dig in a bin. How will this feel? How does it breathe? How did they do this?
Puppy pile. Don't let them fool you.
As the puppies move on to wonderful new homes and the ones that are holding out for a good match grow more and more independent, I am having more free time to sew and stash bust (more on this in a later blog). During the puppy play time outside in the smoky summer days of southern Oregon, I surf the usual sites for good stash buster quilts that I can make for everyone I know, and even people I don't. My hope is to make some kid size quilts for friend's newborns, yearlings, and toddlers and after that (or before and simultaneously) make some for foster kids connected with my work or to use in the classroom reading nook.
Fat Quarter Fiesta! Used 6-ish fat quarters.
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