Thinking on things that make me happy...

I read this post earlier. It got me started thinking of all the things that make life pleasant. Of how it isn't the things money buys, although it can help. But honestly, there are things that have no price. I even think I did a post similiar to this last year...but it really does a body good to dwell on the pleasant things in life. So I am doing it anyway. And since family and friends are on everyone's list, I will assume that you know they would be at the top of my list. How could you not with all the times I post Lorelei....

Even though I have had time to think this through, I haven't. So here is my list off the top of my head...I'm attempting to do a list of ten.

1. I love the way evening light hits things...there is a glow about it that can not be reproduced. It makes even the most boring subject beautiful.

2. I love the feeling I get when I finish a quilt. (How boring is that?) I can't help it...it is such a feeling of accomplishment..

3. I love the big puffy clouds that are dark with a silver lining...it takes me back to younger days. One of my very best friends in life and I always loved them and we always quoted the lines,

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.....

So any time I see that type of clouds it immediately transports me back in time.

4. I love finding new music that I love. And it is even better if a song mentions Tennessee.

5. There is nothing finer in life than to be able to sit outside in the swing and have a cup of coffee, and have breakfast out there. Or to just sit outside with Lorelei.

6. Finding ginseng. I just like to see it growing. I hunted it as a kid, to sell, to help buy school clothes. So any time I am in woods, I look for it. But I very seldom dig any...I just like to see it grow. At one time I had some growing in my yard...actually in a corner by the porch. A dog dug it up, and no I didn't get mad at her. She was a collie that had been abused...not mine, but she stayed with me here if I was home.

7. Seeing cats curled asleep ...there is just something so pleasing about that.

8. I love have a cake or brownies, still warm from the oven....with butter!

9. Wrens make me happy. Just their big happy song from such a little body. Who can resist them?

10. Finding a new author is always a joy. Or a new book by one of my favorite authors!

11. I cannot leave out smells...the smell of wood smoke, the smell of new mown hay, how it smells so fresh and new after a rain...and there are more...but need to finish...

I am sure once I publish this I will think of half a dozen things I wish I had thought of. But it is late, so I am going to click 'publish' and be done with it.
edited to add:
BTW, Betsy just gave me a new name...and Fishing Guy followed suit...but that is okay. I like Ruth just as well as I do Rose. haha

She's a year old today!!!!!

First a little video of how Lorelei's day starts:

Today was the Lorelei's 1st birthday...her birthday party will be Saturday....but we could not miss seeing her today. BTW, she is happy in the photo above....
We got more snow last night, probably about 4 inches. And we got more as the day wore on. If you enlarge this, you can see the snow that was falling as we went to see her. We just stayed a little while and headed home.
Roger took these two of her and her mommy right before we left--I just love the one above.
When we headed home, this is what it looked like driving home.

Progress in two areas...

After a bit more fiddling with my machine this morn, I actually started quilting in the afternoon. I am a bit disappointed in myself because I am just meandering, and not actually trying anything new. I have no one to blame but myself...I should have had a warm up quilt to start on. It takes a bit to get used to handling all that material under that arm of the sewing machine.

I am trying to become proficient at free-motion quilting. For those that don't know what that is let me explain. Normally, the feed dogs are up and the pressure foot has pressure, when you put the fabric under the pressure foot and put the pressure foot down, the material is pressed against the feed dogs. When sewing, the feed dogs pull the fabric through at a precise rate.

In free-motion quilting, FMQ, the feed dogs are dropped or in some cases where machines don't have that capability, they are covered up. And the pressure of the pressure foot is reduced, and for some machines/some people the stitch length is set to zero, and a hoping foot or darning foot such as the one shown above is put on the machine to take the place of the regular pressure foot.
There are stitch regulators/speed controls that can be bought. The stitch regulator will keep your stitch length consistent no matter what what speed is sewn. The speed control is just that...keeps the speed of the needle the same consistent speed and then all left to the operator is just keep his on speed consistent.

I don't have either of these...so it is all left to me. I have to try to keep my speed and my motions in sync to keep a consistent stitch length. I have not mastered that yet....but so long as they are not toenail catchers, I am happy. When the quilt is washed, they more than likely will not show up.

If you enlarge the photo of the quilt above, it appears that I have used a dark bobbin thread but I haven't. I had to use a large jeans needle and it leaves holes in some of the cheaper fabric; again I think once it is washed they will close and not be noticeable.
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Someone ask me if I had any recent photos of Mama Squirrel, so I got the camera out this weekend and tried to snap a photo or two. She was slightly jumpy and this was the best I could do. When I turned around to go in the house, there was Puss Puss, so no wonder she was slightly agitated.

But to the progress in that area, at least I hope it is progress. For a little while now, I sometimes try to pet her....not with just my finger as she gets food out of my hand. I try to rub her back...she always moves back about 18 inches or a couple feet....she never runs completely away. Well, this weekend, I waited till she had a nut and was eating it and I just placed my hand on her back and left it a few seconds...then I start to pet her. I got a couple little strokes in and she hopped down to a different level, but was right back up. Maybe one of these days she will realize how good it feels to have her back scratched!