Thursday, February 25, 2021

Gratitude #49

Welcome to another Gratitude post. Several of us write these posts on Thursdays and link up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color. Being grateful can totally change your mood, your day, your life. In these seemingly never-ending days of anxiety and unknown, taking time to pause and think about all the things for which I am grateful is very powerful. I've started thinking about things for which I'm grateful as soon as I open my eyes in the morning before I even get out of bed. I don't remember every single day, but it sure sets a tone for the day, a clean slate of possibilities and goodness!

1. I like YouTube playlists. I'm listening to one right now as I write this. Classical. I have several genres. I particularly like this piece, "Danzón No 2" by Arturo Márquez played by L'Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Alondra de la Parra (yeah! a woman!)
2. I often say how grateful I am for CBC, whether it's CBC Gem, (streaming service), or my local station, or CBC Music (radio) or CBC Listen (app). I like that I have found so much new-to-me music, learned of wrongfully ignored composers on CBC Music. It was either on Tom Allen's or Florence K's show, a week or so ago, where I heard the song below, 'Mesdames' by Grands Corps Malade, released a few months ago.

Oh! to have ears to hear such beautiful and such diverse pieces. I'm grateful for my ears. I'm grateful to the composers and the artists.

3. I like Libby. I am once again liking audio books. I used to listen to them on the drive to a school where I taught that was quite far. I recently finished another Louise Penny book, A Trick of the Light. Another good one, and, in researching something or other within the book, I found out that Still Life was made into a movie! How come I didn't know this? CBC Gem isn't streaming it anymore, so I'm not sure how I'll see it. However, from what I saw on YouTube, Inspector Gamache is not how he is in my head. I am currently engrossed in Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler; no clue why this book has come to me but maybe it was recommended by one of you?!

4. I still have small missing Rocco meltdowns that strike me when I'm not expecting it: three photos in three different homes of Rocco appeared in one mosaic, and I just miss him: his smell, his soft-as-velvet fur, his singing (woo! woo!), his wiggly bum... I am grateful for photos, and grateful that we do have Rufus, who is fast becoming a real love. The other day he joined me, waiting to be invited in, then laid down beside me (well, okay at first partly on me), and then was very quiet for my savasana (rest) after a sweaty yoga practice. 
He's got such a sweet face. He's taken to loving being allowed on the bed at night while I read before turning out the light. He's also learned to (usually) wait for an invitation, as well as just how to gracefully jump onto the bed instead of getting his front legs on and then clambering and finding no grip, and being stuck...it's hilarious.

5. I'm grateful for being a creative person. This creativity brings such joy and satisfaction. I've started a 30 quilt designs challenge just on my own, trying to do it in 60 days, but if it's 70 that is okay as that was always the original timeline. I started February 14 and so far I have six designs.

6. I like the RSC strings Card Trick quilt I finished on Tuesday this week. It's not exactly an RSC quilt because I didn't do any yellow, which was February's colour, and then I did black and grey. I loved the excitement of sewing the blocks and putting them on the design wall, and how it kind of took over from a leader/ender project into a main project, in other words, a DrEAMi! Well not a true one, but it did take over to a degree. I liked the brain work I had to do to make it a proper quilt size since the original in the book was a runner, and had smaller blocks. It will be for Hands2Help.

7. I really liked, and finally finished The Crown, got quite emotional at the first episode and then some subsequent scenes featuring Diana...brought it all back. I like that the series sent me once again to the Internet, researching, verifying, learning, finding out what exactly did happen, and being so surprised at how much was, in fact, true, over those years. At the time of writing this post, I have one episode left of The Queen's Gambit, another Netflix series I am thoroughly enjoying. I like comedies, finishing the second season of Jann, as hilarious as the first. I am happy that she is currently filming the third season.

8. I like the Christmas presents that Brianne and Dayna gave me this past Christmas. I am enjoying them still! Brianne sent me six bottles of various wines from Pelee Island Winery and Dayna sent me a 3-month stash-enhancer subscription of Moda Fabric. January was The Blues by Janet Clare, and February was Be Mine by Stacy Iest Hsu, reds and pinks. That led to a DrEAMi which I mentioned here. It might just be finished for the Saturday DrEAMi! linky where we show off the squirrels we've been chasing.

I hope Spring is starting to stir in your area if you are in the northern hemisphere; it certainly is in mine. For the past two days I’ve had a window in my sewing room slightly open, enjoying hearing the birds starting to sing. I do so enjoy visiting via Instagram the southern hemisphere, seeing and hearing sounds of summer... said sounds that actually tricked my brain for a second and brought the smell of summer to my nostrils!

11 comments:

  1. I love reading your gratitude posts they are always full of so many wonderful likes. That card trick quilt is beautiful! I liked the Crown.

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  2. We all have many things to be grateful for. I love the card trick quilt - and the "trick" you used for the quarter square center pieces that are not always string blocks.

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  3. Always enjoy reading your grateful posts, Sandra. Love your DrEAMi quilt and how you kind of tumbled into it. I know you miss Rocco, but so glad you have Rufus - he's a cutie. I think we watched Still Life on Acorn. They cast the characters totally different from what I see in my head, so that was a bit weird. The book is better, I think.

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  4. I like your Dreami quilt! How you created movement with the border was very clever. I’m reading “All the Devils Are Here” by LP, so only necessary work is happening. Otherwise I’m reading! Like Wendy said, the casting is bad for Still Life. I don’t recommend it just because I had to work to erase those people who were inching out my richer imagined characters. Of course I was warned not to watch it and did anyway. Ha!

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  5. I use Libby, too, for audiobooks - had not thought to listen to the Gamache books, but they are favorites of mine to read, so I'd probably enjoy re-listening! I forget how much you can find on YouTube - so much content there. Rufus looks like a sweetie. So glad he's learning! Your card trick quilt design is really neat!

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  6. Your quilt is fabulous, it has lots of movement in it. Love being "Grateful"! Take Care!

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  7. that is one sweet face... as the pups age they settle into more sweetness and fit in... he's gonna be a great companion, is one already. Rocco is a special one you'll see again... is not was, because spirit lives on. If Rufus is practicing yoga he'll chill out well. Haven't heard of Jann... have to go look as I could use some comedy. Love the crown too, learned so much.

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  8. Despite the pandemic and the upheaval it has created in our daily lives, most of us do have much to be grateful for. I'm following the Real Happiness meditation challenge with Sharon Salzberg this month and it's been very interesting to try to concentrate on small things to bring calm to your life. I think that's been one of the few benefits of the isolation brought on by the pandemic in that many have realized how frenetic their lives had been, and that it may be time to alter some habits. Let's see how that all pans out when people are free to go about their business again. Yesterday was a wonderful day with mostly sunshine and a high temp of 57F. Still sunny today but the temp is 20 degrees colder. Oh well, there's light at the end of that tunnel, too.
    Pat

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  9. Lovely gratitude post Sandra & the photo of Rufus is gorgeous & you're the second blogpost I've read today about missing pets & I too still miss a few of mine a lot. The RSC strings Card Trick is striking & it's got me thinking about all my leftover binding strips. Maybe you can challenge me to use them in some wacky way? Not quite as warm here today, but I could send you some bird song & squawking at times.(giggle). Rained overnight & very dull so far, but it is the last days of summer. You may like & laugh at my blogpost later today for the Word Photo Hunt I do with a friend. The word today is "delicious". Take care, stay safe & huggles.

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  10. Absolutely love the Mesdames video, I had not see this one before, and the rest, well, just fills the heart...beautiful!

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  11. Music, books and stitching all make for a very happy life, great things to be grateful for. Love your Card Trick quilt, very bright and happy.

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