The "Making" Season

We've started work on Holiday Boxes (greens, berries, pinecones on sticks plus a red bow) at work, had the Saturday wreath making class (I was not there).  Now the real work of Christmas begins.  State of Maine wreaths.  Custom work.  More Holiday Boxes than we think possible.  I'll be going home with pine needles in my shoes, socks and if things go as usual--in my underwear.  How they get in there is a puzzlement to all who work with me.

I like making wreaths from scratch.  Like above.  Just a wire ring.  A pile of clipped greens (anything can be used--just go out and cut----but stay on your own property)  Berries.  Holly doesn't do well with freezing.  Winterberry.  But my favorite is artificial.  I have always been a fan of the mix of real and fake.  Fool the Eye.  I need to look up the French word.

I have the pile of summer linen camp shirts ready to move up into attic storage.  I was reminded of summer days in the garden as I folded them.  How is it possible those days are over and gone?  I am not as romantically involved with corduroy pants and thermal long sleeved tees.

Today I am actually making onion soup.  We had things going on and I never had the "kitchen time" to do the slow cooking of the onions.  Carmelization.

Reading my way through Louise Penny's Gamache Books.  Seven down and into number 8.  Number 9 is waiting on the book table.  I read until 4 am with Bury Your Dead.  There was no where to stop. I had to just stay with it until the end.  I confess I hated the first in the series- Still Life (and find that is true with other Readers).

I think I average 2 days on each book.  Reminds me of the Winter I made my way through Wallander. I read in the rolling office chair in the kitchen--trying to get the young Riley to take a nap.  It worked.  He saw me in the chair and would collapse on his bed and sleep for a few hours--between Winter cold walks.  I could roll over to the fridge for a snack or over to the electric teapot for a fresh cup of tea. He knew I wasn't going anywhere interesting (to him).  Now, just having a book open in my hands is enough to put the dog to sleep.

I am working on the felt hearts (buttonholing around the pieces and edges), still testing ideas for the Bee ornaments--perhaps needing to buy buttons for the eyes.  Perhaps even making a few more Santa coats and hats--- they would be cute on top of a gift wrapped in brown Kraft paper.  But then, so would the Bee.  2016 seems like the Year Of The Bee.

I am wanting to take a private class with a quilt artist--but would need to be taking daily progress photos.  I stopped using my digital (or any other) camera long ago.  I didn't like or find I could use the newest addition of iPhoto on the computer in order to download the pictures.  In fact I don't even know which of the icons is actually the photo button anymore.  So, I have to weigh the "want" for the class over the "do not want" of the camera and all that it entails.   I am constantly reminded that taking pictures was such a joy.  And then it wasn't.  We'll see.  You'll see.