A Contemplative Life

Hearts along the edge sewn last night, including different colours of the same print, lol. Some people have trouble with the word blessed . It conjures a false sense of living, it conjures the hypocrisy of America's current government, it conjures anguish for pain suffered at the hands of those espousing religious sentiment or judgement. I understand it's a difficult word for some people in this moment of history. However, I'd be remiss not to use it for how it applies to my manner of living in Christ's expansive and inclusive love. If that offends, I apologize, but I also ask you to hear me out. And if you can't or don't wish to hear me out, I sincerely wish you a peaceful day. Okay, so I was going to make sausage/carrot chili this afternoon, but my goodness last night's Warm Hearted Quilt stitching did a real number on my relatively feeling good right shoulder. Sigh. I recently had a biopsy on a very small red spot on my arm, and the wound care requires Va...

Today's teal progress on the quilt. This Peace Round the World quilt has been going on for over a year. The last few rounds have mostly been sewn left-handed simply due to my wonky right shoulder. However, with one last side of swans, etc, left to go, I'm writing a little something related to how much I love making this quilt, because sometimes beloved projects don't get enough airtime. They're favored, but not savored aloud. They're pined over, yet not yapped about. They're stitched left-handed when one is right-handed because super slow stitching beats no stitching whatsoever. The reason for this quilt is I saw it on Jodi Godfrey's blog , not that she made it, but Lisa Sliva did. And I fell in love with it and had to fashion my own. This started sometime late last spring maybe? And I was pretty go go go with it until late last year when any EPP sewing went out the window after my right shoulder said No mas . But I've taught two of my three left-hande...

The sunset at Samoa Beach from a few days ago.... Yesterday morning I sat down to write. Which meant first I read over the previous chapter, which took about fifteen or twenty minutes. Maybe fifteen. I had written perhaps two paragraphs, then my computer and monitor died. For seconds I inwardly shrieked. Going to my feet, I turned on the light, which worked. Which was even more frightening; what the heck was wrong? I called for my husband, who is a superhero; he noticed I had inadvertently with my shoe unplugged the power strip my computer and monition are both plugged into. DUDE! The computer turned on fine, my document saved, though not completely. A few sentences from that day's writing were all to remain before the document self-saved everything. For another few seconds I was.... Not terrified, merely slightly downcast. Yet I was also greatly appreciative that everything in the previous chapter I had altered was SAFE. No idea what I had changed, but those changes weren't af...

My first Kawandi quilt, which perhaps I've posted previously, but it was the easiest shot to include. Finished last year, and I hope to make another one someday. The writing, sewing, getting up at way too early of the morning, lol. Pondering more prayer time. Though I wish all the sorrows of the world didn't require intercessions. Mulling over what I might write about, in regard to Suze, Richard, etc. Yet grateful I'm in this writing mood or mode or jag or whatever it is that compels me to type a lot of melodramatic hoo haa. Thinking about how the summer solstice is now nearly a month past, and while I can discern light behind the southern treeline, it's still pretty dark outside, though the marine layer is part of that, not allowing as much light as would otherwise emerge. Grateful for a warm laptop on my lap since I didn't put on extra pajama pants, lol. Not that it's cold, but it's the North Coast and it's not sweltering. For which I'm also thankf...

I'm pretty fluid here lately, not sure why other than I'm making up for posts not written when visitors graced our home. I didn't write fiction yesterday, and this morning didn't feel it would occur. Then the marine layer arrived, but not in its usual takeover kind of way. It was mottled, unable to fully grasp the North Coast with both hands. Instead it possessed a shaky grip that occasionally gave way to the beauty in the photo above. That view inspired me to write what sits below, enough of a scene to usher in perhaps the rest of a chapter. I'm posting this before I continue the writing, but after having read through it, adjusting the minor points, erasing the biggest errors. Because sometimes the marine layer relents. And sometimes the writing squeaks through. Enjoy and have a beautiful day! Chapter 6   Clouds intruded on the morning Richard and Gilly left for South San Francisco. Gilly was behind the wheel, Suze noticed, watching them from the front room windo...