Appreciating Life

Unlike Twitter fanatics, I don’t fantasize about sharing my entire life with the public. I like to live my life quietly and privately….to an extent. In my free-form web searches for new quilting patterns, I found myself wishing more quilters would share their designs, finished projects and also share tips to help us improve our quilting skills.

Then I found myself enjoying the stories fellow quilters included in their blog posts. One quilter is also a nurse who shared her experiences with unnamed patients, how they inspired her to appreciate life. Another quilt shared her struggles with weight loss in an unusually uplifting way. Other quilters who support charitable activities such as Project Linus or Quilts of Valor and share pictures and stories of those who receive their donations. Such amazing people!  And many of them actually read my blog and post occasional comments which never fail to encourage me. Thank you, my friends.

So when I decided to share my quilting activities, I also wanted to give others a glimpse into my other interest – aviation. People tell me that my face glows and my eyes sparkle when I talk about being a pilot. Hopefully my enthusiasm for flying comes through when I share this part of my life. [OMG flying is so much fun!].

So what have I been up to since my last blog?

Sewing . Mocha Swirl is back from being longarmed, but not bound because I need to order a bit more fabric for the binding. I finished the last of the neutral string blocks for Blueberry Hill and now need to focus on the remaining broken dishes blocks before beginning on the string – yes, string – border.  I am struggling to resist starting a new project until I finish more quilts in progress. Maybe I can sneak in a wall hanging to satisfy that urge.

Gardening. It’s spring. I planted peas several weeks ago and they are already 5 inches tall. Last weekend I planted nearly all of my garden with green beans, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, beets, lettuce, spinach, onions, cucumbers and summer squash. The plants enjoyed three spring showers this week.

Flying. Ah yes. Freedom of the air. I got back into the air with some landing practice early April. Last weekend my hubby and I flew along with a friend to a nearby town which happens to have a great seed store near the airport. We celebrated our purchases with lunch then flew back home. That’s why I own an airplane. It’s satisfying to have the freedom to take a trip “on the fly” [pun intended]. We are planning a flying trip this summer and I hope to have plenty of stories and pictures to share.

Reading. I am not a paid reviewer, but I do subscribe to BookBub which notifies me of free or discounted books to read on my electronic devices. I have posted several reviews on Amazon, both favorable and well, warnings not to waste your time.  The funniest one I read this month was Death of a Dapper Snowman by Angela Pepper.

 

Cooking. My daughter’s boyfriend and I have perfected recipes for arroz con gandules and flan. Now for a related side note.  I have ordered many specialty spices and blends from Xxxx for many years. However, after their owner published several preachy essays fixated only on one very inaccurate viewpoint, I have decided to boycott the company. That’s my choice. I am not sharing their name because I do not want to encourage sales of their products or invite people to try to change my mind.

Motherhood. It’s my daughter’s senior year of high school, she just turned 18 and this is prom week. Emotional rollercoasters, drama and angst.  ‘Nough said.

Working. Too much work, not enough vacation. That needs to change soon.

Exercise. Not enough.  That needs to change soon, too.  [Andee, keep pushing me with your Fitbit stats!]

Family and Friends.  I try to keep up with family news with regular calls, texts and emails. I trade emails with friends. But I crave more face-to-face social interaction.  One of my goals is to cultivate more friendships and plan more outings to improve our social life. Now I have a party invitation and an open coffee invitation from a new female friend. I also met a local female pilot I would like to get to know better. And I hope YOU, dear reader, will post a greeting on my blog. I promise to post more often on other’s blogs, too.

All in all, I am fortunate in my life and health. We live in an amazing age and are fortunate to enjoy so much freedom. Let’s count our blessings and face our challenges with hope.

Sandy