A Contemplative Life

I am finding that by skipping around chapters, meaningful revisions are taking place. I've done this in the past, though not recently enough to recall for which novel. Yet, it's working, and God willing I remember to do it again for The Hawk Book 1. God willing is a phrase I've employed A LOT lately, not merely in conjunction with the electoral process here in America. God willing permeates to as many facets of my life as I recall to hitch it onto, because God willing is how I roll. God willing I will remember to edit books out of order from now on, but no promises, although Future Me winks, smiles, then goes back to her sewing. (Meanwhile Past Me glances up from her spot at the computer, peers around anxiously, then returns to writing. I think she's nearing an important plot point in The Hawk , but honestly, she could be penning a Christmas letter for all I know.) Currently I'm in a quiet moment of what will be a busy day; prepping the house for visitors who might...

  Trees on our property that won't bow to the wishes of the stars. Photo by my husband. The Big Dipper and the rest of the stars near it will have moved further westward in the sky. That was the first thing I considered when I peered out the living room window this morning, noting how far westward that constellation has veered. Just a couple of months ago, it was much further eastward, yet I can still see it, twinkling over the treeline as though it told the Redwoods to get out of the way. Deep breath taken; that's not the only thing to consider, but maybe it's better to start this post with musings about natural phenomena than, well.... Politics isn't even the way to describe the state of America's electoral process. And honestly, I won't delve deeply into what might occur, in that actually in a week all that will definitely happen is advertising won't feature this or that candidate or proposition. In one week, that will have ended. What comes next is.... N...

Last night I worked on a Red Sky at Night block. Small pieces are a little futzy, as well as making sure the perimeter shapes are correctly basted so I don't find myself removing stitches when pressing it flat. One of the differences with this kind of EPP, that will be incorporated into a machine-pieced quilt, is seam allowances can't remain tucked around papers, or shapes once papers are removed. Plenty to consider as many minutes turn into accumulated hand-sewing. I was pondering other things last night, amid the Golden State Warriors/LA Lakers game that caught my husband's attention. We're grateful for the near-return of basketball, as another lengthy season winds down; the election will have occurred in three weeks, and I am SO READY for that, although I don't anticipate a winner announced immediately. I miss the British manner of elections, where the Prime Minister simply calls for one, and within weeks it's DONE. This summer kind of felt that way when Kam...