End of 2024

It's been a busy December, not with decorating or shopping, but with gatherings with friends and music events. One of my requirements for celebrating is listening/watching "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on YouTube. I've even gotten to sing in it a couple of times in the past and can still quote some of the words. My sasanqua camellia put on a beautiful show of pink blossoms and then a pink carpet for me to enjoy for a couple of months. Inside, Poinsettias and a little metal sparkly tree are plenty to be festive. 

My Christmas Tree

Sasanqua camellia bush in back yard

Prayer plant

My front porch

My Texas Family--Mark and Melody and five granddaughters and their families

This crisp weather has been so pleasant for enjoying whatever is growing in the flowerbeds without the work and worry of trying to keep plants watered. I can't believe how long the Gerbera Daisy blooms have lasted. 

Gerbera Daisies

The two indoor kitties are getting plenty of lap time. The outdoor kitty is happy even though she sometimes has to share with the possum.

Rahrah on quilt batting

Elizabeth trying to camouflage herself

Lacey enjoying the sunshine

Possum finishing up Lacey's supper

October and November Events

 Some Happy October/November Events

I finally finished the Frida Kahlo puzzle after about three months. Actually, Rachel Taratoot Ciraldo helped me on the last few pieces after I had given up. These pieces were all the same shape with slight variation but still with a ball on each end. They went in in even rows, turning the pieces vertical, then horizontal, repeat.

Getting to rehearse and sing John Rutter compositions and arrangements with The Meistersingers was a special treat.

Excellent music at the USM Fall 2024 String Chamber Honors Recital at University Baptist. We host this event in Spring and Fall and I'd bet there isn't better chamber music anywhere. This quartet composed of Juan Lincango, Joao Gonzaga DaSilva, Ronnie Ortiz, and Brian Lorett won, but all four groups were winners by advancing to this night.

There was even a little quilting--a cat collage for a friend to give as a wedding gift and a collage of precious Baby Noa. I finished out November working on some quilts for our Pine Belt Quilters to give to children in December.

Taro and Mochi

Baby Noa

Adding borders

Quilting

Adding binding

Thanksgiving and Cat Birthdays

My blog has been MIA for a while, and I confess to having a hard time dealing with the unsettling national news surrounding the election. It became necessary to limit and even avoid TV and social media posts to try and find ways for a healthier way to go forward. 

I have many happy memories of past Thanksgivings with large family gatherings. It's a strange realization that I am now in the senior group that I used to think of as the old people.

November is the month I celebrate the 11th birthdays of Elizabeth and Rahrah. I fostered these sisters and decided to keep them and then added sweet boss cat Tarbaby to the family. I lost him four years ago. These girls have survived serious health issues and surgeries but are now enjoying the pampered life that all kitties deserve. They used to cuddle in this box until they outgrew it.

Rahrah, Elizabeth, Tarbaby, 4 months old

Rahrah, Elizabeth, Tarbaby, 6 months old

Rahrah at the window

Elizabeth demanding attention

Elizabeth on my lap

They are sweet companions, inspiration for my fiber art, and reminders of my comfortable life. There is much to be thankful for.

Cool September Mornings

These cool September mornings are so welcome after the summer heat. It seems my main outside activity was keeping some flowers alive, and dragging the hose around was less than enjoyable. But I did love seeing the new plantings. My favorites were the white sun patience and purple butterfly bush. Some people here had swarms (they estimated 30-40) of hummingbirds on their feeders. I only had two or three hummers, but they seemed quite faithful. 

Sun Patience

My other gardening success was finally getting a few small okra pods. The seeds germinated quickly but growth was slow, probably from too much shade. I even moved three plants to a more sunny location and watered faithfully. Finally I have been rewarded with enough pods for lunch occasionally.

My friend Jackie Watkins demonstrated making strip pictures for the September South Mississippi Art Association meeting. We had fun with this technique using fused batik strips.

The Mississippi LatinX Association sponsored an event at Nuestro Arte Gallery to honor and bring attention to Hispanic artists. Artists were invited to create an artwork inspired by a Latin artist. I chose to make an art quilt using Hector Boldo and his huge face pots as my inspiration.

At the exhibit

One of Hector's pots

Purple Flower in Pot, 12 x 24

Linda and I had the privilege of teaching another OLLI class this month, entitled Telling Stories with Quilts and Taking the Mystery Out of Quilt Blocks.

Linda explaining a quilt technique to Ann Sylvest

Cat Lady is Making Doggie Quilts

Cat Lady is making doggie quilts. What's that all about? Maybe it's because they are so cute and friendly, whereas (my) cats are mainly cute and sleepy. 

It started in February with a piece for my niece Mandy in Austin, Texas, of one of her dogs she had loved and lost, named Houla. I posted her in my blog here. Next I saw a friend's dog picture on her phone and asked her to send it to me.  Miss Bobo is a fluffy dog, with fluffy hair, so she got lots of stitching added. I wrote about her in April here. I think working on this one is when my Elizabeth went on her thread-eating adventure one night, resulting in her terrible sickness and surgery to remove the thread tangled up in her insides. Clearly my fault, and a reminder to never leave a machine threaded.

Houla, 12 x 15

Miss Bobo, 16 x 21

Marta Boldo is a more smooth-haired little girl, and was so much fun to make. She belongs to Hector and Tom Boldo and is part of a gift exchange with my talented friend Hector Boldo. We are a mutual admiration society and have had this project in mind for quite a while. He is working on a painting of me at my sewing machine. 

Marta Boldo, 16 x 24

With Hector Boldo

I was in Home Depot recently and admired a little black & white papillon and asked her owner if I could take her picture. Of course, she was proud to show off her pup, and the dog seemed used to being admired. She was the perfect subject for my demo with Betty Reid at our August Southern Fiber Artists meeting. We had kits prepared and Power Point pictures, and the 28 participants enjoyed creating this little fellow. I named her Home Depot Papillon.

At Home Depot

Home Depot Papillon, 12 x 12

One of my granddaughters' family came by on their way home from Destin. What a treat to get to see these precious boys and their mom and dad! They were charmed by Roy's boxes of arrowheads that he had found after we moved to Mississippi. 

At Firehouse Subs

They are from age almost 4 to 14

July

 It seems the most important thing happening in July was keeping my flowerbeds alive in the Mississippi heat. Some days it took watering twice a day, and dragging the hose about the yard was my major exercise. Toward the end of the month we had some rain relief. The Sun Patience are rewarding me for the watering efforts. And the butterfly bushes are attracting many butterflies. 

My two begonia plants on the front porch are favorites and take very little care (angel wing is in total shade and cane begonia gets morning sun).

I enjoyed making a few simple "stitched pictures" and a little WORD play piece for a friend's birthday.  Elizabeth made sure to give me plenty of attention when I sat in the recliner to read or watch TV. 

The opening of Southern Fiber Artists Mississippi Challenge exhibit at the William Waller Craft Center in Ridgeland was an exciting event. The exhibit will be up through September and then travel to venues across the state in 2025-2026.

Martha Ginn, Charlotte Timmons, Dianne McLendon, Myra Cook