The "Up Side" of a West Coast Storm

We've officially reached autumn, my favorite season.  But it has come in like spring.....srain, rain and more rain!  Strangely warm temperatures, but strong winds and the sound of the rain on the skylight is constant patter, with the odd interruption when someone up there dumps a whole bucket right over the house!  Or at least that's what it seems like! 

However, remember the back yard that was all dirt in my last post?  It's since been hydro-seeded.  We watered for three days and the rains came.  We haven't had to water since and the yard is such a lush brilliant green everywhere!  How lucky is that!!  Here is a photo where you can see the green if you look past the carpenter's saw on the deck!  He was busy putting trim in the addition as I was going around catching up on my "progress" pictures. 



But we had a break in the rain and our dog needed a long walk.  Without his exercise, he turns into a bad dog.....or should I say a worse dog!  He makes the cat's life hell wanting to play with her and she's a cranky old lady so it's all bad.  Off we go to the beach.  What a delight it was to be there on this post-storm afternoon with the sun shining! 

First of all, I really do prefer the beach during or just after a storm.  It is so much more interesting and beautiful.  This walk was no exception.  As we walked down the path, there in the field were a group of Canada Geese.  They were just standing there and I stood there and watched them.  I wished I had a better camera for this picture, but I took this one with my phone, and then just stood and admired them.  Even the dog snuffling around didn't bother them.  And my error, I was so entranced just watching the geese that my picture completely cut off the mountain range in the background!


When Tuffy and I emerged from the park trails and came out onto the beach it was absolutely breathtaking.  The sky was whipped clouds with feathers on them, the water had all kinds of whitecaps, the sound was delightful......water lapping on sand, mixed bird calls, wind in the trees.....just generally a stunning day at the beach.  My favorite birds are the sandpipers.  They dart about so quickly and usually if you move they pick up and fly off in a cloud of feathers all together, travel 5 feet and settle on a new piece of sand until they feel the need to flit away again.  But this day was not calm enough for them to be darting around on sand and they were playing in the updrafts at the edge of the water.  My walking there and them squeaking and enjoying their play allowed me to be closer to them than I've ever managed, but of course no picture as they are just too fast for me to capture.  The sandbar a few feet out from the beach, actually at the mouth of the river, was literally white with seagulls just sitting on it!  Usually they are up and floating and diving in the wind too.  Here is the view from where I was walking along the trail at one point. 

Even tho I haven't had a chance to be creative in my sewing room for quite a while, I'm still able to appreciate the beauty in our corner of the world.  But I have to admit to looking forward to getting back behind my sewing machine!  

An Indoor Avalanche

We've had an incident!  I may not have mentioned this before, but perhaps I have....I admit to a pretty overwhelming book fetish.  I LOVE books.  I have a great collection of books on all the things I'm interested and they need a place to live. 

When we lived in the biggest house we've ever lived in, I purchased an IKEA unit to store them in because they had outgrown the other bookshelves I had. This is a photo and link to it as it's the best storage system for books I've found to date!  http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80208652  

Now, we've moved again, to a smaller house, and that storage unit was relegated to holding fabric in what would, for other people, be the master bedroom!  this left my collection of books with no place to live. 

There  WERE plans.  My dear husband was going to build bookshelves in the extra wide hallway, or on the biggest wall of the living room.  The problem was that I couldn't decide where I would like to have them!  So the plans waited till I made up my mind.  The books remained in boxes. 

But then when we got settled in just a bit, I wanted to refer to one of them and I couldn't find them.  By then Bob was away and I dare not try building so I solved the problem by buying three plastic storage units from Wal-Mart.  I brought them home, assembled them and proceeded to place my books on them.  It was a delightful evening sorting, finding and fondling some of my favorites all over again.  This solution worked well and I still haven't decided where I would really like to have them permanently.....well I have, but I'm not allowed to take over that room too!  So it's now a waiting game! Bob has some idea he should have one room in the house that isn't consumed with my sewing possessions! 

But who would have guessed that these units wouldn't hold books for more than 9 months?  Two days ago I went down the hall into my sewing room and I noticed that the one shelf was leaning out from the wall.  I pushed on it and it swayed dangerously.  I thought I should find something to wedge between it and the wall to hold it in place.  There was nothing around and it was dark out, so I decided that in the morning I would go out and find a piece of 2 x 4 and wedge it into place. 

It wasn't to be.  I was in bed reading a couple of house later and heard a strange sound.  It got louder and more staccatto-like and ended with a clatter.  I got up, looked out my bedroom door into the hall and this is what I found!  It seems the plastic corners that the posts are inserted in separated and split and the books very gradually and gently slumped onto the floor and the broken unit fell on top of them!  No books were damaged at all.   Needless to say I now have the two remaining units braced against the opposite wall in hopes of stalling their demise!

The next morning I restacked the books on the floor, removed the broken plastic, and went straight to my computer and ordered another IKEA unit!  I guess I'll be sorting and purging books some time this fall, an activity I actually look forward to! 

Appreciating Retirement!

I'm smirking today.  It is my first day of retirement that I am actually appreciating being retired!  It's the first day of school, and I'm NOT THERE!  How wonderful that feels, even though, instead, I'm raking rocks!  Amazing the things that can make you happy. 

Our addition is going well, in fact drawing to a close.  I never thought I'd see the day and there were some days I never thought I'd survive!  Needless to say, any kind of textile creativity has lain by the wayside over the past six months.  Altho there's been a bit of other kinds.....design decisions, paint colors, and deck designs! 

My retirement started out with three weeks in my chair with my foot broken.  Then I flew to Edmonton because my Dad broke his hip.  I was there six weeks.  Then my Mum had a heart attack.  I was there another two weeks.  These incidents resulted in them asking to move to my house so I've been working on making my house bigger since about March.  The paperwork is overwhelming, the permits and inspections seem a bit like make-work projects, but the contractor has been fabulous and my experience with construction has been a great one.  I'd recommend Denise Mitchell Interiors in Campbell River, BC to anyone, and 2 Hills Renovations as a contractor extraordinaire! 

It was a sad day when they took their tools and
left, with the only things left to complete being done by other trades.  The foreman, Dave, was here a lot and we got to know him really well.  A wonderful thoughtful and talented man.  Very attune to the people who will be living in the addition and made several improvements for their benefit.  He will be coming back for one more day, finishing up the front door and handrails on the deck.  As he was packing his tools I said "This feels something like ending an affair!"  He grinned and said "True, but I'll be back for a quickie!"  Needless to say he's just as fast with the sarcasm as I!! 

Above is a picture of he and Bob preparing to install a new picture window in our very dark living room.  A project I came up with in the midst of everything else!  A woman's prerogative right? 

Now, on to more appreciating retirement....and raking rocks!  I'm preparing the area where a new septic field was installed to be hydro-seeded at the end of this week.  I'm hoping it's grass before the winter rains hit so that we don't have two little dogs in the mud all the time!  Here's what I'm fixing up.  It's all covered in and back-bladed, but I'm raking it to level it as much as possible and get rid of the surface rock.  The idea is that if we can turn it into grass quickly, we can fill potholes and patch next spring when it's all settled a bit.  Wish me luck! 

A Twisted Sort of Good Day

I got up this morning with a plan.  It’s my constant error to think things will work out the way I planned!  My plan was that I would:

1.     Take the dog for a walk   

2.    Go to a Dr. appointment

3.    Buy some paint

4.    Go to the farm market

5.    Go see my friend Joan

6.    Go to Costco and get that laundry sink that looks perfect! 

Not such a ridiculous idea right?  Except that when I got up, there were already 4 people working in my yard.  Two carpenters....pardon me....5 people....and three furnace people in the crawl space.  By the time I’d had my shower (always a little unnerving to shower with three men yelling at each other over their stereo right underneath you when you’re naked in the shower) and got ready to go, there were two more people in the yard....one running a backhoe. 

“So” thinks I....with all the gates open, trucks and backhoes all over the place, “the safest place for my dog is not to be left at home running unsupervised.”  So I took him with me.  We drove up towards Campbell River and the Dr. Appointment and the paint store, and I stopped on the side of the parkway at a pullout that has a delightful gravel path through the forest, with a bridge over a stream, where I can let him run loose.  We walk for about half an hour, turn around and walk back to the van. 

But, when we got close to the van, he decided he didn’t want his walk to be over so he ran past the van, right across the highway, and onto a path on the other side.  I called him and he sprinted a little further.  I yelled at him.  He went even faster.  I ran across the highway.  He spun around and wiggled his tail and acted like “Isn’t this fun Mum?”  Now I’m mad and I want to go back to the van, get in and drive away as if I’ve never met this little monster. 

Right about then a big delivery truck comes along the two lane section of the divided highway.....stops in the middle of his lane, and out gets a very tall, very BIG man with a shaved head, ZZ Top style beard, and a sleeveless undershirt with cut offs and work boots.  He squats down in the middle of the other lane like a gentle giant and coaxes my rotten dog over to him, scratches him and grabs his collar.  I’m thrilled, but embarrassed and feeling angry at my poorly behaved dog.  I get up to this man who I would guess is about his mid-30’s, and tell him how much I appreciate him catching Tuffy for me. 

But he is not to be deterred in his mission.  Right there in the middle of a two lane highway, with traffic passing us and staring (I’m now ready to crawl under the truck and hide)....he proceeds to give me a lesson in training my dog.  He says....and I quote.....”You need to pinch his ear like this, and then mount him.  You know .... in a sexual way (my comfort level is plummeting about now).....twist the ear and mount him so he knows who’s boss.”  I figure I’m not going to escape without doing what I’m told, and he is BIG, so I twisted Tuffy’s ear and squatted on him.  By now I’m wishing I had a bag over my head.  Tuffy yelps.  The big guy says “Good.  That yelp is what you want to hear.  Now put his leash on him.”  I replied that I didn’t have his leash....that was the problem!  And I picked Tuffy up under my arm rather like a sack of potatoes and thanked the guy again.  He said “Good luck with that.”,  got in his truck and drove away.  I’m left hiking along the side of the road back to my van which is sitting there with the door and the hatch open and there’s no denying I’m with this stupid dog!  I stuffed him in his dog crate, got in the van, started the engine and did a U turn onto the road to get to the Dr.’s appointment.  (and not an appointment serious enough to warrant all this embarrassment either!). 

I am now driving down the four lane highway that passes through to the center of Campbell River.  I’m angry, embarrassed and frustrated.  I’m drawn out of my reverie by flashing blue and red lights.  Yes.....he does the dreaded U turn and is after ME!  I put my signal on and pull over, wondering if I can pay my fine by giving him my purebred registered monster. 

He pulls up behind me and I wait and wait and wait.  Finally he gets out of his car, walks up behind the van staying behind my tail light (if I HAD a gun I’d have used it by now....on the dog).  The officer approaches my window and tells me that he clocked me at 95 kmh.  I tried not to be the stereotype that says “Really?  I find that hard to believe.”, and just tried to look ashamed....which I was!  He asked if I was in a hurry to get somewhere.  I replied that no, I actually was just shaken up because I’d just had to chase my dog down the highway and a delivery truck stopped and helped me catch him.  I was just distracted because I’m mad at my dog.  He very professionally points out that this is not a reason to be doing 95 in a 60 zone and looks into the van to see the dog.  I said “He’s in the crate at the back now.”  He takes my license and insurance and goes back to his car. 

I wait and wait yet again.  My cell phone rings.  I don’t know if I should answer it right now and think probably NOT is a good idea so I let it keep ringing in my purse.  My anxiety is mounting while I wait.  Now I’m mad at the dog AND worried about what this is going to cost. 

The officer comes back to the window with papers in hand and says “MRS. LOVE.....”  I did my best imitation of a contrite driver and he proceeds to tell me again how fast I was driving.  He explains that this offense is punishable by having my vehicle impounded for up to 30 days (I couldn’t help thinking that Tuffy would have starved to death in the compound by then so..... TAKE IT ! ).  Then he adds that I can also go to jail for up to 8 days and the fine is minimum $300.00.  I’m sure I went white right there in front of him.  Who am I going to call to come spring me from jail?  Certainly not my kids, who would never let me hear the end of it.  Not my husband who is in his own little world on his island. 

And then he adds.....and this is when I know I am blessed....”I’m going to give you a verbal warning today, but I note that you have lived in the area for long enough to know that this is not a place to be driving at 95 so you need to keep that in mind.”  I almost fainted!  He said goodbye and drive safely and I thanked him very much and took off. 

And then I realized I was speeding again!!!!  I couldn’t believe I was so silly!  I was over 60 before I got to 5^th gear!  So the rest of my day I drove with cruise control on.....which took more concentration than was safe, but at least I wasn’t speeding!   So silly me and my stupid dog got home without further incident, and I feel like I should just stay right here and not go anywhere for a while. 

When I got back the electrician was here putting plugs and switches in the walls that are painted, and when I told him my excitement of the day he said I should go buy a lottery ticket!  The guy on the backhoe said I must have really dazzled (I loved that word) the policeman because the guy he knows that got pulled over for that got 8 days in jail, his car impounded and the fine was going to be “discussed”.  And then when Kurtis, the 23 year old kid that is the hardest worker around heard about it, he looked me right in the eye and squinted and said “It’s because you’re a girl!”  I laughed and said “No Kurtis.....I think it’s because I’m 63 and have gray hair instead of 23 with blonde hair!”  He laughed and said “You might be right.” 

Right or not, I’m just glad that I’m not in jail, don’t have a huge fine to pay, and that I must still have what it takes!  What a day! 

What kind of Quilter am I?

The following contains excerpts of an excellent newsletter from Quilt University. www.QuiltUniversity.com    A great place for on-line classes if you haven't discovered them already.  I have put the parts from their newsletter in italics, and I do have their permission to repeat their thoughts here.  I thought it was a great thought-provoking and introspective article. 

If I asked what kind of quilter you are, how would you answer?  A dear friend of mine told me I couldn’t call myself a quilter until I had at least five unfinished projects under the cutting table.  If that is true, I think I qualify to be three quilters by now!   

Can you remember when you actually finished one project before starting another?  I don’t honestly think I ever did!  The fabrics and patterns became very insistent, shoving each other and jostling to the front of the line, screaming "me next!!"  That was pretty hard to resist.  Soon my sewing room had UFO’s everywhere.

At the same time, there were new books, each one showcasing beautiful projects and new techniques.  How could I keep quilting if I didn't learn it all?  I became a technique junkie, afraid I might miss the one magic trick that would change my quilting life forever. 

Pretty soon, I began designing my own quilt patterns.  This came as much from a personality flaw as from any great urge to be a designer.  It seems I am constitutionally incapable of following directions for any length of time. 

Have you recognized yourself yet?  Let's look at some other kinds of quilters.  First, there are those who are just stopping by, trying this as they have tried decoupage or knitting.  They usually move on after a quilt or two. This was not me.....I got into quilting because four friends that I made lace with challenged me to take it up.  I said I was not good with math, not good with color, and I couldn’t afford it......I was right on the I couldn’t (or shouldn’t) afford it!

Then there are those who see themselves as part of a great tradition.  They are interested in making a quilt for each member of their family because that's what grandma did.  They often stick with traditional patterns and methods.  A subset of these quilters are the ones who are driven to recreate quilts from the past.  They often search out vintage fabrics to work with.  If old fabrics are not available, they buy reproductions.  They want their quilts to look old.  They value the historical aspect of quilting above any new explorations. This is most definitely NOT me! 

Some quilters just like to sew.  They enjoy handling the fabric and seeing the patterns.  Their real love is the process.  They like to keep their hands busy and making a quilt gives them an outlet and produces a useful product. This description is definitely a part of me!

For some, their favorite part is the quilting.  They lavish endless hours on marking and quilting, taking up to a year creating tiny little stitches.  They are creating heirlooms to be kept and treasured. NOT! 

Then there are the explorers.  They want to learn it all, do it all and then change it all.  They use a bit of this and a dab of that, mix it with their own ideas of what a quilt should be and add new depth and richness to an old tradition.  They often become teachers because quilting has taken over their lives.  They need to support their habit, but they also feel driven to bring others into the fold.  I'm not sure if this is an urge to share or a variation on misery loves company, but nothing makes a teacher happier than watching a new student share her addiction. Now we’re beginning to describe my quilting life! 

Finally, there are those who make art quilts.  Sometimes they are explorers who have moved in this direction.  For others, they were artists in another medium and have moved to fabric from painting or drawing.  Some even come from dimensional art like sculpture and they experiment with ways to make fabric dimensional.

So, who am I?  Like many, a combination of most of the above!  This summer we’ve been working on an addition to our house which is for my parents to live in, which you’ll know if you’ve read my earlier posts.  This week the electrician found a wire that was live in the crawl space, but not connected to anything.  In order to fix that, he needed to get at a plug in the back wall of my sewing room, behind my fabric storage unit.  He asked if I could move all that out of there while they had lunch so that he could access it!  I said a bad word!  But I did it!  And in these photos you can see the results of my obsessions.....it takes great organizational skills to keep all this stuff where you can find it when you need it......and I don’t have them!  Here's a little video to show you just how it looked!

However, the happy outcome of this rather frustrating day was that everything got tidied up and reorganized and I actually got some sewing done this week, as opposed to painting, staining, digging, sweeping and all the other construction related interruptions! 

Following my Dreams......

I've been absent from my blog.  I apologize to anyone who is following it.  Retirement is so busy!  I don't know when I found time to work!  But, I'm not really retired.....I've just changed how I'll be spending my days! 


I found a quote taped to the counter in the used book store I frequent and I loved it for it totally describes my life since retirement.....and as I think back, perhaps my life in general: 
I'm sick of following my dreams.  I'm just going to ask them where they are going and hook up with them later.  (Mitch Hedberg)   This quote sums up my life so perfectly I think it should be my mantra! 


My Mum and Dad had a terrible winter....Dad broke his hip and Mum had a heart attack.  I stayed with them for quite a while in February and March, as I explained in previous posts.  However, Dad has asked if they can come and live with us as they are finding the winters where they are to be more and more difficult.  He phrased it like this:  "You are going to build a studio at your new place aren't you?"  He was teetering on the edge of his hospital bed at the time.  I replied "Yes, but not for a couple of years because we have to save."  He then said "If we help you out with that, could we live in it until we kick off?"  I said yes, my husband said yes, and that's why I've been absent!  Needless to say, it has somewhat changed my retirement plans!

DESTRUCTION FIRST!  Removing this part of the deck gave me a one inch hole in my shin from a rusty nail..... Luckily, my granddaughter is more coordinated!

We've been building an addition on the house which will be home to Mum and Dad as long as they live and then my studio when they "kick off" as Dad so eloquently put it.  I've been busy shopping for finishes, cleaning up the construction site, painting tar on the foundation......just generally helping out in any way I can.  Phew!  These people start so early in the morning! 

However, I've been blessed in the designer and contractor that I found.  Denise Mitchell Interiors came up when I 'googled' "renovating a Pan Abode".  Here is what I saw:  http://www.denisemitchellinteriors.com/photo_gallery.php?gallery_id=27  I could not believe my luck when I read about that project and then saw that she is located in Campbell River, about half an hour from my home!  I called her and the rest is history.  Denise and her team got us through the process of designing the addition, getting the permits and all the stuff that would have had me screaming in frustration before anything got started.  I'd have offended the inspector badly enough to not pass any future inspections before we got to the starting point!  I can't say enough enthusiastically good things about my dealings with them. 

And then when it came time to build, she put me in touch with a contractor:  2 Hills Renovations:  http://www.2hillsrenovation.com/  Highly recommended for anyone looking to do any construction or renovations!  This is the view from the front driveway.  I LOVE that piece of driftwood leaning against the house!


Now a combination of teams like this is when you realize that God is looking after you.....they are so good at what they do, so caring about what they are doing, and so thoughtful about who they are building this for that I am amazed each day.  While I expected and had heard that building and renovating can be an experience that invokes stress and arguments..... to date I must say that I look forward to each new step in the process.  Dave Hunt is so incredibly thoughtful about us as the customer and my parents as the incoming residents that I am amazed each day at his knowledge.  Heis such a patient foreman and explains whatever I ask about, Steve  Hills is the contractor.  The two of them have worked together so often that they tease and hassle each other and make each day fun, whether it's hot and sunny or pouring rain!  They often make me laugh at their antics, but they make the entire project a pleasure.

Here is where we are today....a view from the back yard.  I think this week brings roofing.....altho I'm not sure.  I'm just glad that today blessed us with some sunshine after three days of torrential downpours.....at least I think that's what it was...... yellow, warm, bright....no water falling from the sky...that's sunshine right?

And with that little bit of sunshine today....my creative muse is back....look for great things happening!   Hopefully some finished projects! 

Liquitex Playtime on a Rainy Day

Rain.  More Rain.  We've had enough Rain!  But there's a pleasant side effect.  Even here on the coast where we are supposed to be used to rain, we get tired of it....and then we stay inside and do something else that pleases us.  My house is clean, the floors are washed, I baked, and then decided I'd do something in my studio. 

I perused the situation in there.....had a look at a number of different projects on the go.  Several quilts ready to be quilted, but I didn't feel like getting the table cleared and set up for quilting.  One project on the design wall, which is arguing with me so I didn't want to tackle that one.  Some dolls I could finish.  Some mending to do.  Some hand stitching to do.  And amongst all these started projects I couldn't find anything I wanted to do so I started something new!  Well....it's better than retail therapy isn't it? 

So I decided on a journal page.  8 1/2 x 11 for size.  I've had an idea percolating at the back of my mind after seeing all the eclectic funky houses in my Mum & Dad's neighborhood (see my post of March 2, 2011).  I thought why not do a small version of it and see how it works.  Well....it wasn't long before I was buried in scraps and having scads of fun with my machine. 

I had a piece of fabric that I scrunched up, dampened and painted with Liquitex Inks.  The experiment was to see how much differently/the same it worked like fabric paint.  Here are some photos of the results.  It seems it worked very much like fabric paint in this method. 

This piece seemed like a good choice for the background as I wanted to portray bright sunny skies but with lots of snow and ice on the ground.  I used it so that the darker green areas got covered and the white/pink/light blue areas showed.  It has a little bit of Liquitex pearlescent medium in parts, and I hoped that would be the sparkle off the snow. 

Next to the houses.  I used only scraps and most of them in the shape they were already, just trimming here and there.  These were glued down on the background with a bit of UHU glue stick (I'm not a fan of fusing).  From there I proceeded to stitch the pieces down with satin stitch.  It wasn't long before I was trying out the variety of stitches my little machine offers as embellishment.  Here are the results so far.  I should iron things before I photograph them!


I have another piece of fabric done while I was playing around with the Liquitex Inks.  This one was a "mono print".  The inks, thickened a bit with the opalescent medium, were painted onto a big ceramic tile.  When I was pleased with the arrangement of the colors, I put a dry piece of pfd cotton on it and rolled it with a little brayer.  It was left sitting there for about 5 minutes and then lifted.  Here is what came of that experiment: 

I plan to cut this piece and use the brownish red piece on the bottom to add a "sidewalk" to the bottom of my little "cityscape", and then will quilt the little journal page.  When that's done,  I will do a bit of hand embellishing with beads and buttons and whatever else I can find.    All in all, great fun on a rainy day!