February...Ughhhhhhhh!

Daughter Kat called this evening, on the way to a meeting after work, to tell me that she missed reading my blog. I guess it has been quite a while since I posted. Brother Steve calls and asks me if I'm OK when I don't post for a while.

February has always been my unfavorite month. Too long Winter, too far to Spring! How can you get excited about anything when the world looks like this on one of the rare good days? Thank God, February is nearly gone (would be gone except that Leap Year gives us an extra day. Oh, goody!)

The past few weeks have been full of cold, grim, gray days with too much wind. I've filled these "lovely" days taking myself and Mom to doctors, dentists, oral surgeons, diverse hospital tests, etc., ad infinitum. I have always believed that I was meant to spend winter hibernating, in a luxurious fur lined cave. I would have enjoyed that more. I might need an assortment of good books and a book light to help make the days more enjoyable in that cave. Even my cat, Cho Cho, has cabin fever and blames me for the miserable weather that keeps him indoors.

But, this week we are having several sunny, warm days (although still short) and this morning while feeding the birds (I didn't fall on my hand and face this time) I discovered a few tiny green shoots coming up along the brick path in the herb garden and some tulip leaves are coming through the soil in the front prairie flower border. Even the little red headed House Finch males are singing their sweet mating songs at Toad Haven.

I finally figured out how to install the free motion foot on my Bernette and have done a bit of experimenting using it without very good results. I haven't yet gotten the hang of how to keep the machine running steadily while I move the fabric sandwich so that the stitches are even and go where I want them to. I am really wondering if this wouldn't be more effective if I was using a Bernina machine with a stitch regulator. While researching embellishing machines online I find that Bernina has a great felting attachment, also. I am seriously thinking that I need (want?) a sewing machine that can piece and free motion quilt as well as do machine embroidery and felting. This would help me overcome my quilting, embroidering handicap of worn out thumb joints. But I am also having a hard time convincing myself that I need it enough to justify the high cost, since it is really a hobby, even if an avocation. I have never been good at justifying expenditures for my own pleasure. Maybe I can convince myself that I am a professional in training. (Everyone knows that it's all right to invest money in one's profession.)