Wintry Country Life and Runner

 Last weekend we had a marvellous potluck night at our nearby community centre. Twenty came and hubby and I enjoyed meeting new people. I made a walnut cake and cheese grits! The brave New Brunswickers dive right in to those grits !!

Right after this, a woman in the area was hosting her annual moonlight snowshoe to nearby waterfalls followed by her famous seafood chowder. The icy crust on the snow was more conducive to boots with spikes so that is what we wore.

Hubby took this photo. A group is standing on the area of river that was frozen. New this year was the fireworks. A gorgeous memorable time! Back at her log cabin we ate the best seafood chowder I’ve ever had from a school cafeteria sized pot on her old cookstove. Some of us were guessing at the cost of all the lobster, scallops, etc etc. 

Recently, I dug out my hooked runner project. The size is daunting and I find it hard to transport so I hadn’t worked on it in a while. It’s 21” by 7 feet.

I cobbled together three pieces of linen for this. Yes the overlap is hard to hook but there’s not much of it thank goodness!

I’m planning to organize a hook-in and swap meet at our community centre. I’d supply lunch and book a vendor and then let people sell their hooking supplies after lunch. There is no real venue for making money on your own stuff. I think it would be fun. Anyone out there been to one? If so I’d appreciate any suggestions!

Daughter Kate moved her precious self to NYC. Now both our kids live there. They’ve deserted Canada. Boo hoo!!! But she got a good archival job with a company that also has offices in Europe. When you travel abroad with young kids they may well become world adventurers in the future- which is bittersweet.

Our son is thrilled to have her in NYC though! 

I put my name in the substitute teaching list for the school down my road. In Canada they call this “supply teaching.”

I had my first “gig” last week but was not given lesson plans. Happily, the class was small, it was a half day and the kids were great. 

I love working with my seniors and the young. 

The snow is starting up, gently falling on the Nashwaak River just feet from our cottage. Reggie cat is hunkered down on my lap. Seven inches is supposed to come between today and tomorrow.

We’ve had an opportunity to buy this place and are working on it. 

❤❤

Hooking and Community

 I usually hook some ornaments as Christmas gifts but these were just completed and delivered/out for delivery. 

The top one is a cardinal- given to a client who feeds birds from her deck. The corgi is for my hubby’s cousin. I’ve been sending her a hooked bird ornament for years now but decided to make a likeness of her dog, Jesse. 

And above is a Cmas red woolly wreath I made (late) for another friend. 

Now, Christmas 2023 gift giving is officially over ! 

New for me: I have my name on a sub teacher list but have yet to be called. And I’m spending more time with the Taymouth Community Centre planning committee. This is a genuine, old fashioned country centre that hosts farmers market, an informal lending library, free potlucks and music.

 Community. My word for 2024. I used to complain that I didn’t have one; now that we’re out of town and I’ve had time to reflect— and chill out—I’m trying to be the community I want. For me this means: waving to all who pass, carrying a bag to pick up garbage on walks, and joining the locals’ gatherings. My parents lost community over covid and are struggling still. 

Is community easy? Not always. But it’s where life happens. It’s good for our mental health, even essential. 

I sooooo hope you have Community and if you don’t, I pray this is the year to find it or make it ♥️

Merry Christmas to ALL

Merry Christmas 

 After being stuck in Washington, DC for 25 hours during the wind storm, I managed to make it back to New Brunswick.

Dad is slow but on the mend from his open heart. My son from NYC flew in and my daughter and her boyfriend from Montreal came in last night. We are all snug as a bug in our 650 sq ft cottage—- it can be done.

This season’s family crises and topsy turvy planning have meant I have needed to throw myself on Christ; this has meant laying aside all my expectations and ideas of a perfect holiday. Sometimes several times an hour. 

I leave you with a photo of our daughter gazing at gifts beneath the tree, our Reggie cat beside the tree and , our son in a a surprise market meetup with a high school friend. Merry Christmas; whatever it looks like!

Update and Snow

Our little house in the snow

Dad had two bypasses and they were declared successful . But he hasn’t been able to get up and moving yet. Still, I’m heading there when we estimate he’ll be released.

I am discovering more about my grown siblings’ personalities through this. They each have their weaknesses (of course!), and their strengths have been a real help in this situation. I know our family is very blessed that way. 

Rug hooking party tonight! We did have several bow out already with Covid and flus. I’m ready for yummy food and laughter 

Beauty and Challenges

I draw strength from my time in nature. Today I gathered red dogwood branches to share with some friends. Around here, folks pair them with birch and pine to decorate for Christmas. The sky is heavy with coming snows.

To connect to our new community, I’ve been volunteering at the Saturday markets, making breakfast sandwiches to sell to vendors and shoppers. The season will end December 9th. I discovered that the women who make sandwiches also decorate the hall for Christmas, keep the restrooms supplied with tp and paper towels and troubleshoot heating and cooling issues😂. This is all fine and good with me though. 

I’m looking forward to our rug hooking group’s annual Christmas potluck— this Wednesday. We will have a gift exchange game and some draws; it’s always a fun time! Last week our group  finished our wool trees. Here is our lovely forest.

Tomorrow my dad will have open heart surgery. He went in for a heart cath and they found too much blockage. My busy working siblings (who all live within 3 hours of my parents) have scrambled to rearrange their lives. I’m planning to go once he gets home. I live in another country😞. Poor mom is befuddled and exhausted. 

Life often interrupts our (holiday) plans- but reminds us what’s important ♥️

Late Autumn handicrafts

Spooky tale recommend: if you like gothic stories be sure to read Mexican Gothic. 

Here is my 10.5” x 22” turkey runner. I’ll finish my design with a dark brown plaid wool peeking out. Question: there is more space between the front end of Ms Turkey and the bittersweet. Should I add a falling leaf or acorn to balance?

And our rug group is making wooly trees but I experimented with wooly wreaths first . Here is the progress I’ve made: 

It’s several cream shades on a 10” grapevine. My co-chair and I decided against these because it takes lots more wool and wire and this size wreath is not cheap or easy to find here. I got this one at a thrift store and removed the tattered scarecrow and shredded leaves. 

 I am happy with my Apple SE 3rd edition. I finally got a new phone. My last was a 7SE from 2017. The sales assistant looked at me like I had two heads. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 In Canada it’s Thanksgiving weekend! We expect friends tomorrow (if electricity holds due to tropical storm) so I have flowers in a favourite vase. Hubby and I love Dunbar Falls, a mere 1/2 mile from our home on the river. The leaves were coming along just fine yesterday, as you can see♥️

It's been since July thay I last posted and I thank   Peggy H. for reaching out and reminding me! Scotland was beyond fantastic and a huge personal reminder that I can be alone and strong. I credit Christ’s presence. My most precious day was a 25 mile lochs bike ride I peddled. Still processing it all.

Other experiences: my parents came for six days and the septic failed the last two, a bear joined me on a walk and then took off back into the woods, I attended a hook-in at an old train station, our son spent a long weekend here, and I put on 10 pounds since starting  hormone replacement therapy (grrrrrr). 

I continue to clean and document mats at Kings Landing but have cut back to every other week as gas prices are higher and we are now 45 minutes away and it’s voluntary.

I’ve been in a more reflective space; perhaps this is why I’d not posted. Besides aging parents and aunts and uncles, cancer seems to be touching too many in my sphere. 

I’ll leave you with what I have been working on: the turkey will be a very primitive runner I am creating as I go. The cross stitch is a freebie by Lori at NotforgottenFarm.