Chapter 6 while quietly quilting

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Another pretty Cornflower block; might be the last one until the hand-quilting is done, lol.

I sat with my novel yesterday morning, reading through chapters four and five. But the necessary motivation to start chapter six was elusive, and after a few moments I saved, then closed the document. Despite so much wanting to write, I didn't have the energy or impetus. And I'm smart enough to not push it.

Instead I basted the Halloween quilt, which was necessary, also soothing, in I wasn't required to think much. The weekend was full of conversation and joy, and when guests leave, I'm deflated. And tired. And the washer repair person was due to arrive, so writing really wasn't gonna happen, no matter how much I wished otherwise.

Usually I'm good at being aware that what is supposed to occur bests what I want to happen. Or I'm adept at adapting on the fly, lol. Yesterday I was out of sorts, but grateful that basting was mindless. I prepped my sewing machine, then it was lunchtime. The repair person arrived, fixed the washer, then I threw in a load. Then I sat at my sewing machine and began to quilt a large blanket.

I suffer from tinnitus, and while I use earplugs and noise cancelling headphones to blunt the sound, the afternoon's activities seemed hard on my ears. They rang as soon as I removed my gear to put more clothes into the washer, and I began to wonder for how much longer can I machine quilt anything; coasters and placemats don't require as much effort as a quilt, but perhaps I may increase the amount of hand-quilting on those items, although attaching the binding will always involve my machine.

Last night I began hand-quilting, which I do enjoy, but it was different this time, as though admitting my hearing issue is demanding a permanent shift in my beloved hobby. I like hand-stitching, don't misconstrue, but hand-quilting takes much more time, and so many more stitches to produce the super-crinkly look that machine quilting provides. I never mastered free-motion quilting and now I'm glad, because giving that up would be painful. But ringing ears hurt too, just like sitting at my computer and not feeling able to write. Thankfully that passed; chapter six emerged today with few pauses. I need to be grateful for what I can do, and not lament what is slowly slipping from my wheelhouse.

Fascinating times, I'll say. Most fascinating....

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