Saturday, July 3, 2021

My treat today was a trip to the fabric store but I thought before I got my treat I should do a bit of work to earn it. So I loaded up the recycling for the depot. I was lucky that there was no line up when I went in (they only allow one person in each of the two aisles) but they were lined up out the parking lot when I finished. I timed my trip so I could go directly from the depot to the quilt shop, which opens at ten.

As I pulled into the parking lot I had a bad feeling because all was dark and the open sign wasn’t on. I could see a sign on the door saying they had closed early on Friday but there was nothing to indicate a change in hours for today. As I was about to give up Barb (from Texada) was pulling into the lot, honking her horn and waving. The ferry from Texada was late so she was a touch late in opening.

There was no one else in the shop so we had a good chat while I shopped. I had no trouble at all finding the fabric I wanted for my second mystery, although I swapped my idea of a gold to the raspberry colour. Three shades of teal (although I wish the dark wasn’t quite as dark), two shades of grey for the background and the raspberry for some contrast.

Before I left this morning I cleaned up some scraps; when I got home I did a bit more reorganizing. I have separate containers now for my leaders and enders – one for triangles (how did I get so many?) and one for my inch-and-a-half squares (for my postage stamp quilt). I took my Alias Grace blocks off the design door because the breeze going through kept knocking them off. I sorted two That Fairy Tale Quilt project bins into one larger bin so I had somewhere to store this new fabric.

I finished my last July card this afternoon. I have time to tackle something else but I don’t really feel like it. I’ll get my laundry off the line and then maybe do some reading.

Friday, July 2, 2021

I finally got to do some sewing today. I hadn’t sewn a stitch since before we left for Texada and I haven’t done anything since we got back. I took lots of sewing with me to the studio but it was too hot to have the iron on and adding in any way to the heat.

I had some catch up to do on my cards but I’m back in control now; thank goodness as yesterday I got the reminder for my August cards. I have one card ready to stitch the binding down on (tonight’s project), one card sandwiched and ready for quilting (tomorrow), and one card wrapped and ready for the mail in a few days time.

I don’t always wrap my cards but lately I’ve been doing that because I never know with the postal service how early the cards might arrive. I did the same today with the card I was getting ready to send. I had it wrapped and ready for the outside wrapping before realizing I hadn’t taken a photo. So the wrapping paper came off, I took the photo, and then had to start re-wrapping.

At our Guild party I won a gift certificate to our quilt shop and I’ve got quite a list of purchases I need (yes, need) to make. I got the fabric requirements for the second mystery quilt I’ll be working on this summer and I’m starting it with all new fabrics. I have three quilts waiting to be sandwiched and quilted; I need backing for one and I’ll need more basting spray. My gift won’t come anywhere near covering the cost but I’m looking forward to a shopping trip tomorrow.

I heard from the Hall’s accountant late this afternoon and I’m going to have some follow-up work to do. Most of it is based on issues when I made the switch from one accounting package to another. A problem for another day.

Thursday, July 1, 2021

From a friend (David Latimer) on Facebook: “Not just a day. We need a year of mourning. Cancel the Canada day celebrations nation wide. All of the resources earmarked for parades and fireworks and silly little plastic Canada flags should go to residential school investigations, reconciliation actions, clean drinking water for indigenous communities and the numerous other injustices this country constantly ignores.”

I don’t do a big celebration of Canada Day most years but this year I am acknowledging the day despite saying I wouldn’t. With the discovery of all the graves at various residential schools and the reluctance of the churches involved to release their records I just didn’t see much to celebrate.

But listening to some of the Chiefs and Elders I have heard them say that they are not asking anyone to cancel celebrations but to spend a bit of the day remembering their plight. They have said that no one living today made the laws that have so severely affected their lives; it is more important to focus on what needs to be done now.

I also heard an Elder say that right now their community doesn’t need anything; they need time to mourn, even though these atrocities have been common knowledge within their circles for many years.

So today, rather than wearing red, I’m wearing pink because I know that there are many, many good things about Canada. Also, it is hard to reconcile not celebrating the day when so many people, including many from First Nations, gave their lives for this country.

I’ve spent some time reading the findings of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation report; a very lengthy tome that it will take weeks to get through. It annoys me that only eight of their 94 Calls to Action have been implemented. At this rate, it is estimated that it will take until 2074 for all of the calls to be implemented. I’m also bothered that I can’t think of anything I can do, personally, to make Canada a better place for them.

And don’t even get me started on the drinking water situation for First Nations communities. I am trying to find a charity to donate to that is helping to solve the problem but so far I’ve only come up with one and you never know whether or not money is being spent in the way that you hope it is.

Happy Canada Day!

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

It was a little cooler today and there has been a breeze all day. I was up early and had most of my computer work done by 7:30. By 9:30 we had cooked a batch of beets, a batch of turnips and Pat had made a scrambled egg breakfast with garlic scapes, chard and green onions. All of that bounty was from our weekly produce delivery. To be honest we are still working our way through two weeks worth of scapes and the beets and turnips were from two deliveries. It is almost time to go downstairs and wait for this week’s goodies.

I had a few errands to run and made a trip to the bottle depot. I so love their return-it express; all I had to do was park, drop my bag off (already labeled), and leave. I was in and out before the person parked beside me had sorted out even one container of returns.

Since it was a bit cooler I started cutting out a mystery quilt. The organizer is a friend of Deloise’s; I did her mystery last summer and thought I’d try it again this year. I’m hopeful I have enough variety in my fabrics. I dug into my yellows and golds and so far have managed to get more than half of the pieces cut mostly from scrap pieces. Pat has an online event tonight and, if my back feels up to it, I may try to get a bit more cutting done. It would be lovely to be on track for at least the first week!