Welcome to my post for the month of all things I like and for which I am grateful. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
Whatever our individual troubles and challenges may be,it’s important to pause every now and then to appreciate all that we have, on every level. —Shakyti Gawain
1. This first glimmer is more like a fireworks of glimmers! I was gobsmacked by this tree on a neighbouring street on my walk on Monday. This is not enhanced or photoshopped! It is this vibrant. Its sister tree is also wonderful but had lost more of its leaves.
2. I like this seasonal CBC logo for multiple reasons. I bet you can guess what they are!
3. I love this story, also on CBC, which is my homepage. I rarely click on news articles these days unless they are positive, like this one, or pertinent to Windsor, Essex, my locality. This one is so very positive!
That link will take you to the story, but there is a link to listen to the eight-minute podcast telling the story, with words from both Danielle and Brian.
I've contacted Danielle via her GoFundMe but she hasn't responded yet. I have contacted Now or Never on Instagram. I plan to give Brian the second of my two RSC quilts. The stars one is going for a national online auction to raise funds for Crohn's disease research. I was so honoured to be asked by the Windsor chapter head person.
4. I loved a recent Windsor Symphony performance I went to. They had the Windsor Bhangra Dancers perform in the second half. I LOVE Bhangra. If you aren't familiar check out this Youtube video.
I've mentioned Bhangra in a previous Gratitude post, this guy, Gurdeep, in particular. In the first half of the symphony they played all South Asian pieces, almost every one by a female composer. Wonderful music. I like hearing something a little different, widen my horizons.
5. I like Bongo, a new word game by Seth Godin on Puzzmo. I’ve mentioned Seth several times; I get his daily blog posts in my inbox. Bongo is kind of like Letter Boxed on the NYT suite of games and kind of like Scrabble. What I love is that there is not just one correct answer. Here’s where I ended up on one of the first games:
6. This summer you may recall me telling about going to Point Pelee for a presentation by Dan Riskin (Monsters Inside Me, Animal Planet) on bats. Both MacGyver and I signed up for his newsletter when it was in the trial stage. It’s now public for anyone and is it ever good! If you are a curious person, you enjoy learning about our world, and anre intrigued by science, I encourage you to sign up at this link. It’s only once a week and there’s always a fun trivia question as well with five quick science stories of the week. He is a bat expert, but he is passionate about science but do appear from time to time. This week's newsletter title is Death Whistles, a Sabre-toothed Kitten, Bugs With Bling and More. Cool!
From We are Family by Sister Sledge this line,
Just let me staple the Vicar
for
Just let me say for the record.
From I Try by Macy Gray
I blow bubbles when you’re not here
for
My world crumbles when you’re not here.
🤣🤣
9. I had the honour of being asked to be the artist of the month once again at my local library.
I like the way the lighting shows off the quilting.
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| Windfall, a quilt I made for a Paintbrush Studio blog hop, led to my very first quilt along in 2017 |
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| This Stack 'n Whack quilt is my own design based on one I saw in a quilt shop that had no pattern, just showcasing the cloud fabric, which I bought! It’s based on Bethany Reynolds’ method. I quilted it on my DSM in 2003. |
10. I like the CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) Christmas train that we went to on Monday evening in Windsor. It has gone across Canada every year since 1999, and now that CP acquired KC in 2021, there is a route that goes through part of the US. We were thrilled to see the throngs of people! From Windsor it goes under the Detroit River in a train tunnel to Detroit and then on to several US cities.
Have a gratitude-filled day everyone. I wish those readers in the US who celebrate Thanksgiving today a happy day. But for everyone try to take a moment each day to think of even just one thing for which you are grateful. It really can help to lift the spirits in these worrying times.
Now I'm off to watch a little football--GO LIONS!🩵🦁🩶
And I’m back. Phew they won. I forgot books!
I have to recommend the one I’m reading (nearly finished, just ten pages and Author’s Note to go) by Heather Marshall, Looking For Jane.
The book has three timelines, one in the 60s, one in the late 70s-80s and the present day one in 2017. All three are linked. Basically the book takes a look at motherhood over the years: those who desperately want children, those who desperately want to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy, those who want to adopt, and those who go through IVF to try to have a child. I found it especially good in these insane times when so many want to go backwards and take away women’s rights. Do you know abortion only became legal in Canada in 1988? I will remember the threats and the attempts on Dr. Morgantaler’s life before it became legal. This is my 40th book! Doubt I’ll make 50 but it’ll be close.
I also read Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife and loved it despite it being a difficult topic. Strong women featured there too. Jordan Tannahill’s The Listeners was really good too and one whose theme was incredibly close to home; the main character suddenly starts to hear a very low MHz hum and the ramifications of her trying to discover its source are quite disastrous. When we first moved back here to southern Ontario, there was a fair amount of coverage about a very low hum that some people could hear in Windsor that was causing all sorts of problems for some people from migraines to sickness. The source supposedly was found to be from Zug Island in Detroit, an industrial area and gradually has disappeared. One wonders though… This him was mentioned in Jordan’s novel. I highly recommend all three of these. I got three-quarters of the way through a fourth book and just couldn’t do it anymore as the style of writing and lack of character believability and development was perturbing.
Wow, Free fall is such a vibrant quilt. I don't remember seeing that one before. I'm spending a quiet day at home, because the hostess who invited me to join their family for dinner came down with Covid and had to cancel.
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Gorgeous trees, Sandra! I love seeing your quilts hanging in the library, too. I had to look up the CPKC railroad - had never heard of it before. It was fun seeing a video of it traveling along, all lit up. I always enjoy seeing what you've been reading, too - Looking for Jane is now on my to-be-read list!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful red leaves, we didn't get much of that here this year. Such a fun post. My husband was very intrigued by the newsletter and will probably subscribe. When he asked me where I found the link, I told him one of the blogs I follow. He asked "On a quilting blog?" My response, "Well of course. Quilters are interested in other things too." Hope you can slow down some and find more glimmers in December.
ReplyDeleteThe lighting in the library is spectacular for show casing your beautiful quilting. And wowza! That tree would have stopped me in my tracks (it did just in the post - I had to call my husband over to appreciate it, too). So much delight packed here. I hope you are well. :)
ReplyDeleteThose trees are spectacular...so many good things in glimmers...always makes me smile.
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