Commode Cozy Finished

And now for the good news! Before the roof caved in this month, I finished the rose covered commode cozy and some matching pillows for my Mom's assisted living room. I guess I should have taken a before photo of the commode, but take my word for it, this is a vast improvement during the daytime. At night it can be popped off to prepare it for nighttime visits.

I made a pillow to put on the top of the lid, so it would fill in between the rails; that way it looks like a hassock and can even be used for extra seating if needed when we're visiting her. It matches her bedspread and curtains so well, and she loves roses, so I'm so pleased that I found this fabric locally.

Wonder Woman Lives

And she is in about the same ragged condition as I am. This cartoon is one of my prize possessions from the early 80s when I had a "big lady dress up job". [That's what my college friends and I used to describe the jobs we were studying to (hopefully) get after graduation.] From time to time I dig it out and it still fits.


My friends, this old house I inhabit is wearing out. Since I last posted I had another TIA (mini-stroke) and I am now recuperating from a pretty miserable virus that affected my chest. I am so weak and shaky, have to force myself to eat a little chicken broth, toast and yoghurt, and am doing a lot of cogitating (wondering).

I realize that since the first 2 TIAs I have done almost no quilting, or even sewing. The joy seems to have simply disappeared and turned into guilt and "shoulds". I'm also not nearly as excited about photography, which was an integral part of my quilting interests. I still love gardening, but have to depend more and more on someone else to do the hard physical jobs, which I used to delight in. (Like laying a patio or digging a pond or spading a garden bed.) I still love to look at the birds, but no longer feel like hauling the feed outside the fence to the feeders.

Please do not take this as complaining or whining or asking for sympathy. I am simply trying to share what changes I am finding necessary due to challenges of the aging process. Different seasons of life require different things of us. Once in a while we need to set back and decide what is really important and then do some major pruning to allow us to use our waning energy more effectively.

There does seem to be some pain and grieving involved in this process, but it is a productive, necessary pain and grief.

One of my major weaknesses has been spreading myself too thin and ending up feeling overwhelmed. I was supposed to do "everything" myself and do it perfectly and it was not permissable to burden others by asking for help. When help is offered one smiles graciously and says, "Oh thank you, but I can do this myself, I don't want to impose on you."

Do you know what happens to someone who tries to do everything perfectly? Insanity or paralysis! (and in my case, obesity; food rather than alcohol or drugs). "There is a God. It is not me." I think I saw that in some AAA lit somewhere.

Right now my family is where my energy needs to be focused. And for the first time in my life I have to realize that it is ok, and necessary, to take care of myself so I can continue to share with my family.

Thank you, friends for letting me get some of this out of my system. I ask for your prayers and good thoughts as I go thru this new growing stage.

Added after first published: I'm still having trouble getting this darn thing to keep the spaces between my paragraphs for easier reading.

Baby It's Cold Outside

It is good weather for a new sewing project. I am working on a project that I've never seen on any of the quilt blogs; a commode cozy for my mother's room in an assisted living home. She has a green comforter and sheer green curtain/blinds and loves roses, so when I found this fabric I knew it was perfect for her. I'm having to design my own pattern, since noone else has seemed to think of it. I got it sewn together except for the hem and took it to try out, and found that it was too large, so am in the process of reducing it (easier than reducing me) and will show a photo of the finished cozy on the commode. Kiddo is a "great help".

When we came home from dinner at DeRitos, last evening at 7:30 pm, the temperature was 28 degrees with freezing mist. This morning when I looked out the kitchen window I saw that most of the compound leaves of the Green Ash Tree had fallen off during the night.

The night before we broke the low temp record of 1905 by 8 degrees. This in the "Banana Belt of Colorado"! I'm used to long, warm, blue and gold Autumn days in October. I think I need to shop for some snuggly fleece clothing.

The Other Side of Autumn

The Toad Haven Garden after our first freeze last week. Just when the flowers were looking so glorious. At least I do have mature mini pumpkins for the kids' Halloween. Our killing freeze came early this year, so it will be a looonnnngggg winter. Maybe I'll have time to make quilts again.

I guess I will harvest the stalks and make a corn shock to go with the pumpkins for an Autumn decoration.

Autumn Splendor

Native Flora and Fauna on the Riverwalk. Someones attempt at humor, or a lost child's toy displayed for discovery?

Autumn splendor in a Riverwalk glade.

Autumn Elm in front of Canon City Library, across the street from the Art Center.

Chrysanthemums in sunshine and shadow.

Garden in front of the Fremont Center for the Arts in Canon City.

After a cold, gray morning the sun came out and turned the world into Autumn splendor. After I had my back treatment, and enjoyed the Studio Art Quilts Associates (SAQA) "Points of View" show at the Fremont Center for the Arts, I was able to take numerous photos in town and along the Arkansas Riverwalk.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take photos of the art quilts, but I did get the DVD so I can look at them over and over. I fell in love with a rough edge appliqued California Oak tree, but didn't feel like I could justify buying it for the the $2500 purchase price. [It was definitely worth it, but I didn't have enough quarters.] This was a very high quality show for our area, with art quilters from around the world displayed. The annual Royal Gorge Quilt Guild show will take place the second half of October. I will be able to get photos there.

What's Blooming?

For reasons beyond my control, I forgot about Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th (see last post). When I realized this omission, I went out and took some garden photos. [That's ChoCho visiting the veggie garden with Zinnias and mini Pumpkins in front, Patty Pan Squash, Zuchinni, Eggplants, Peppers, and Tomatoes behind him] The perennials are pretty well shredded and battered from the hail storm, but the annuals in the new vegetable garden bed are doing well; they were too small to be ruined by the hail and have recuperated well. The Pumpkins and squash leaves were beaten into the soil, but sent up new leaves, blossoms and fruit. Does anyone want some Zuchinni; we have tons from just one hill of plants. I've made one big batch of zuchinni bread and plan to make and freeze more bread as well as casseroles, from my Granny's recipe, for winter holiday meals. There are still ripening tomatoes on the vines that look awful but kept on producing. I don't grow huge amounts of vegetables for canning and freezing; just enough to keep us in fresh produce and some to give away.

Overall photo of the new garden bed, with annual flowers, herbs, mini pumpkins, and corn. Although shredded, the corn was young enough to continue growing, set tassels and now the kernels are beginning to develop on the ears. This bed wasn't built until late in spring so I knew the corn was a gamble, but since I had never grown any I wanted to try and see what would develop. This year's crop will probably be for the raccoons, squirrels, and birds rather than people.

I love these sky blue Borage blossoms and grow them for that reason rather than to use as food seasoning. What does one flavor with Borage? I guess I need to taste it and see what it would enhance.

Closeups of the Borage, Zinnias, Cosmos, and Marigolds in the new veggie garden bed.

These Bells of Ireland were seeded in front of the Sugar Snap Peas that didn't survive the hail. I have a thing for green flowers, I also have green Zinnias.

Zinnias and Violas (Johnny Jump Ups) in the Dooryard Patio Garden. The California Poppies are mostly through blooming now, and the Lavender, Gaillardias, and Ornamental Oregano plants were beaten down by the hail.

To see what was blooming around the world on the 15th check out May Dreams Gardens. In October, I'll try not to get distracted and post on the 15th. As far as I know, we have no other great grandchildren expected to take my attention from garden blogging.

What's New?

A new great grandchild.

Olivia

daughter of Brooke and Donnie

sister of Miles

Olivia and her loving family live in Denver. Dad is a musician from New Orleans, now making music in Denver. Mom has been going to college and taking care of the family.

I have only seen her online. Will probably get to hold her when we visit Denver at the beginning of October.

I am so wondrously blessed!

Not so blessed that Blogger cooperates with me, however. I am not allowed to arrange the photos the way I want to this evening. What you sees is what you gets.