Day One Of Year Six

Five years ago I wrote my first post for this blog:

Spring arrives, a full moon appears, and Easter is celebrated - all within four days at the end of the snowiest winter many of us remember. It is a time of new beginnings and the perfect time for fresh ideas. 

Little has changed in the time since...
Yet nothing is the same....

Last month I told my massage therapist that the word "purpose" kept popping up.  I said I don't know my purpose, that I don't know what I'm doing.  She suggested that what I am doing is my purpose.

Five years ago I would not have made the observation, much less understood her response.

Last week during my massage we talked about the beliefs we have about ourselves, "our stories" in the words of Byron Katie, and who we are without our stories.  When I have a belief about my life the first question to ask: Is it true?  Depending on yes or no a series of questions follows.

I got off to a rocky start with Byron Katie.  Months ago I put her book down and haven't picked it up again.

Last week I thought I knew the answer to the first question I have about my life, but my answer leaves me with nowhere to go.

It's time to try again.

Now is a time of new beginnings and the perfect time for fresh ideas.

Not Yet

Day before yesterday we were so close to spring I could feel it ~

Splashes of green were appearing

Other than bits of snow the ground was clear

Then yesterday this happened ~

It started early in the morning

And continued throughout the day, into the night

This morning I awoke to eight inches of fresh snow everywhere ~

In my part of the world it is not spring yet ~

Flower Garden Quilt

Two years ago I lined up pieces of Martha Negley fabric I'd bought but was having a hard time cutting into. 

I wanted to make a quilt but couldn't decide how to best accommodate the different-sized designs or make the most of the variety of colors.  My solution was to first cut squares a size that used the most of each piece of fabric and then lay the squares out in a pattern.

I sewed the squares together and then set the quilt top aside.  I've always used sheets to back quilts ~ sheets are the right size, wash well, and last a long time.  Eventually I bought a pale green sheet and then I decided to hand quilt this one, a first for me.  It didn't take me long to understand why most quilters do not like to use sheets for the backing ~ it's hard to get a needle through a 100% cotton sheet.  I stayed with it though, and last week I finally finished my Flower Garden Quilt.  I am particularly proud of the back where I added an insert near the top made of fabric strips, my daughter's suggestion to lengthen the sheet.  I like the design as a reminder of the pieces of fabric I thought so long about at the beginning.

City Girl At Heart

Last week I packed my youngest son's possessions into boxes.  Ken and I rented a U-Haul on Friday, loaded the truck with furniture and my car with boxes, and drove to Boston on Saturday.  Our son was moving into his first real-world apartment, and we were excited to help him move.

The apartment, a third floor walk-up in a hundred-year-old brownstone, is in a nice neighborhood just minutes from public transportation.  The place is spacious and his roommates are great.  Our son thanked us for our help, and we thanked him for inviting us to be part of the weekend.  We kidded him about staying in shape because there are lots of steps from the street to his front door.  At the end of the day I wished I had kept count.

The weather was perfect for moving, though there was still evidence of February's blizzard along the roadside.  I did most of the driving and am proud to say that I did okay parking between the piles of snow, navigating one-way streets, and yielding to pedestrians.  I am determined to maintain my skills as a city driver, although I could use some practice parallel parking in the new car.

It was a fun weekend.  We stayed with the friends who have been hosting our son since he started working in Boston.  We enjoyed leisurely conversations at mealtimes, a chance to catch up on what everyone has been doing.  It was like sitting at our own dinner table.

I love spending time in Boston.  Every time I go I remember what a city girl I am at heart.