Summertime

I know that I am blessed in that the school where I work has a lovely thing called "Summer Hours."  As long as we get everything done, we can work shorter hours.  It's a gift of time.

Some summers are so fractionalized by trips away, long-term house guests, and the usual summer events, that Labor Day comes and I don't feel I've had the benefit of refreshment that Summer Hours should bring.  This summer is different.  We have no long-term house guests, we have scaled back our July 4th celebration, and are taking just one six-day trip and one three-day weekend away.

I have lovely plans for my summer.  First, I've begun walking in the mornings which is abetting my weight loss efforts (now at -28.8 pounds with a goal of -30 by July 4th).  I don't hate it!  I try for three mornings each week and sometimes I awaken early on unscheduled days and walk anyway.  Last week it was three days.  It's a wonderful time of solitude, reflection, planning, and noticing.  I see other walkers with ear buds plugged in, listening to music, but I prefer to listen to the birds.  It's a good thing.

A goal for this summer is to try out some new quilting techniques.  In a moment of lunacy, I subscribed to the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle Journey #2.  When the first package came, I saw that it involved freezer paper applique, and promptly set it aside.  Now there are three little packages, perhaps four.  This week I began the project in the upper left-hand corner of the photograph, "Remember Me," the one that involves the freezer paper.  As of now, the little blocks are pieced and the freezer paper is ironed onto half of them.  I'd said I wanted to learn how to do this, so here goes.  I also want to try paper piecing, something else I've put off.  And there's the cow quilt to put together -- A spectacular Dutch cow came yesterday from Annemieke and will be featured in the next blog post (when I find where I put my camera).

And then there is Summer Reading; I've reserved a few titles at the library and picked up a couple of things at the bookstore.

Summertime.  And the livin' is easy.  Thanks be to God!

Comments

Quiltdivajulie said…
We had summer hours when I worked at the college - it was heavenly. I wish attorneys "got it" the way the educators do!

Enjoy those precious hours.
Janet O. said…
I also walk 3 or 4 mornings a week and prefer the birds to the earbuds. Sometimes I work on memorizing something I want to have always available to me. I read once that memorization is more effective when combined with exercise. It has worked for me.
Good to challenge yourself--good luck with the applique! Not my strong suit!
Congratulations on the weight loss. The walking is bound to have benefits way beyond the trimming down, especially since you keep your ears and eyes open to your surroundings. I can't imagine walking with my ears plugged to the sounds of the world around me.

Your new project looks like a real challenge. Good luck. Paper piecing isn't so bad once you get the hang of it but applique is beyond my patience level.
antique quilter said…
sounds like a fun summer! I too have been walking in the am and I like to hear the sounds around me as well as am loving seeing the gardens in bloom...
congrasts on the weight loss I hope I am as successful by the end of the summer.
Micki said…
I think you are going to have so much fun with these and learn so much!
Micki
Mrs. Goodneedle said…
I love this easy livin' post...

I have summer plans too; to meet up with a blogger from near Philly! :)
Salem Stitcher said…
Don't put that cow quilt together yet! You've got one more coming...face to face in a couple weeks!!
QuiltingFitzy said…
You might want to try dailymile.com, it's a site to keep track of your mileage. I've walked 71+ miles since May 1, an amazing feat for a very-recent couch potato!

Great job on your weight loss! I'm only down 17 but I don't really care about that #. We're eating mostly vegetarian these days, it's the "healthy" part that I'm working on.

Keep on truckin'!!!