Gratitude Glimmers #79

Still struggling some days at finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness, a lift to my spirits. Being grateful has become a habit though, and I snap photos all month long as reminders of these glimmers. Gratitude does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I like this sign I saw on a dog walk in Kingsville earlier this month.

Broken Heart Syndrome and Grace

I do love this pattern of mine, first one that I got professionally tech-edited (thank you Yvonne) back in 2019 around this time of year. I do not love the reasons for the three times I've had to make it. This time is another tragedy, so I'm advising you of a trigger-warning in the content (death and loss) in this post.

One day and one year ago my nephew, Andrew, passed away at the all-too-young age of 32. His mom, Pat, is MacGyver's sister; she was one of our bridesmaids along with my two sisters. Andrew had a bad cold last November, but when Pat visited him to check up on him, he was having trouble breathing, and she knew something was very wrong. She called an ambulance despite his protests.

DrEAMi #77

Second last DrEAMi post of the year! Did you have any Drop Everything And Make it moments this past month? Any distractions that wouldn't let go?

Image courtesy of A Splintered Mind

I had a couple!

Rainbow Gingham Quilt

I’ve had a few finishes under wraps of late, some because of surprises, others because they’ve had to wait their turn. This is one of the wait your turn finishes.

You’ve seen this one as a flimsy, the quilt I made after my first three presentations to guilds east of Toronto in mid-October. It was a DrEAMi, a Drop Everything And Make it quilt. Last week I got it quilted and I think I’m as excited to show the back as I am to show the front!

W-EVdnesday #4 Maintenance

This is an area that will probably blow your mind when it comes to EVs, because there is virtually no maintenance. Electric motors are less complex than internal combustion engines (ICE) because they don't require multiple moving parts.

EVs do not require tuneups. EVs do not require oil changes, whereas ICE vehicles require regular tuneups and oil changes. That's right; there is no oil to change! Think of how many oil changes you do per year with your ICE vehicle, and do the math as to how much that costs. This is also an advantage that EVs have over hybrids because hybrids have two systems, the ICE system and the battery system.

A look at our 'frunk' which is where an engine for ICE vehicles would be. The pink and blue jugs are windshield washer fluid and the coolant reservoir for the battery.

The first major maintenance checkup is at 200 000 kilometres. Obviously you will still have to rotate tires and fill up windshield washer fluid and change the HEPA filter just as with an ICE vehicle. 

Oppression

This blog is mainly about quilting but it's also musing, ruminating and sometimes lamenting. Today is a lamenting day, so if you'd rather wait until a quilting post, off you go, no worries. We can only take in so much misery, and we need to take care of our own mental health so we can continue to fight for the good of humanity and our planet. This blog is mainly a record of my quilts and their stories, but it's also a record of my life, and how I see my place in our world.

Something I read last week has stuck with me,

X’s and O’s For A

How's that for a cool title! Also I hope I didn’t give you an earworm…great song by that same name, Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King (great artist btw).

This is a remake of a quilt I made in 2019 for Island Batik when I was an ambassador. I wrote out the pattern by hand (does anyone else find handwriting to be quite a chore these days?) And then typed it out as I made this one. Yes it’s going to be released in early December. Can’t wait until you see what the testers are doing and have done!

Rosebud Garland in Make Modern #55

I am thrilled to finally be able to share a design that was accepted in January of this year for Make Modern issue 55!

Our own Sweet Autumn Clematis was stunning again this year, and when one of my sweet neighbours, Mary Beth, exclaimed about it, she said hers was wonderful this year too, climbing all the way over a wooden trellis. When I was thinking of good places for a photo shoot for my project, I thought her trellis might frame the runner perfectly. And wow, did it ever!

W-EVdnesday #3 - Range

I'm so happy to hear that these posts are helpful! Thank you for your comments and observations and questions. Today I'll talk about range. Many people believe that you can't go very far in an EV. While it is true that we now stop more often when we are travelling, I do not mind this. We've found we're not as exhausted when we arrive at our destination as before when we didn't take breaks.

Stopping for Pup Cups at Starbucks is never a bad idea!

Our car has a range of 500 km. Just as with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, range is dependent on a few factors: wind, speed, what systems you're using (AC, heat) and ambient temperature. Where EVs differ from ICE vehicles is that they get less mileage on the highway and better mileage in the city. We've found with our car if we're tootling around in the city we see a 560 km range; on the highway on long hauls, it is around 430 km, depending on the above factors. Note that that's cruising at 120 kph.