Sewing up a proverbial storm

Four of many that were mailed off yesterday; they shrunk to a good size and I hope bring copious smiles to their new owners.

No rain in sight here, although a somewhat clear-ish morning has dawned. Autumn is fully upon us, afternoon sunshine at a slant, leaves falling from our black walnut tree, a few nuts on the ground too. I've spent the last couple of days mainly at my sewing machine, although yesterday afternoon demanded I take coasters outside for string cutting. I'll finish up five today, but over two dozen were mailed off to my eldest daughter yesterday; her neighbors relish the upcoming holiday and how better to use up scraps and warm many hearts in the process.

What I complete today are solely for personal use; one can never have too many coasters, lol. My daughter took one home, an EPP experiment that she adored. Those I keep will go alongside my supply of autumn placemats, then I'll stash them away after Thanksgiving when my motherlode of Christmas linens are hauled out for December. I don't decorate as previously, but once I began sewing, holiday items emerged as quickly as the coordinating fabric was purchased. I have yet to make myself a Christmas quilt, although maybe one of these days. It's not from a shortage of prints, only from a lack of time.

Time alters as seasons change, from the look of daylight to its actual length. I'm eager for Daylight Savings Time to end; I prefer bright mornings over lingering nightfalls. Cool temperatures aren't a large imposition; we're used to mild weather here in Humboldt County. More is how nature evolves, plants dying off, our garden in desperate need of attention, lol. As soon as I get these last mug rugs finished, I keep telling myself, altering reminders on my phone as each day passes without me pulling up dead tomato and pumpkin plants. Without impending rain on the horizon, time remains for me to clear the garden, and as I've firmly shelved any new writing until November, there is truly no excuse to accomplish this month what needs to be sorted. Ah writing.... Thankfully I have the last book in my current series to poke at, making me feel less idle, as if sewing nearly twenty coasters in the last couple of weeks hadn't occurred. It's not that I've been lazy or even procrastinating. I'm merely following the edicts of my heart, which don't always align to what my mind considers as vital output.

Aging intrudes; I don't have the physical, mental or emotional bandwidth of past me. Much of the time I'm okay with that, but a balky left knee hinders in a manner that past me had no idea was coming. Past me blithely assumed that aging would creep along slowly, and mostly past me was correct. Present me, however, wonders for how many more days will that knee continue to pester, and if it does, when do I seek attention for it. Bleh.... Maybe when pulling up tomato plants becomes an issue? I'm grateful for fit hands that permit a lot of sewing with needle and thread, and as long as I pull weeds with my left hand.... These are the issues past me didn't ponder. But past me didn't really think I'd be quilting, so....

Forgive these rambles; I'm in an odd bit of space right now; post-book release, post-posted Halloween coaster extravaganza, post-summer simmer. But not a bad sort of simmer, just a slightly leg-achy change of season simmer. I didn't make any jam this year, speaking of simmering, too busy prepping a book, sewing, and gardening. Oatmeal isn't the same without homemade not-too-sweet jam plopped into it, but frozen berries might be the answer. And with that, I'll end this post, full of past-me-isms, hoping for less pain in my knee and more peace for this planet. And maybe a novel coming out of all this hoo-haa'ing (but certainly more mug rugs).