A Summer's Labor, Summed Up

On this day, the official end of Summer, here's a reflection on what our summer has brought. On this blog I have chronicled some of our travels, to Kansas and North Carolina. There will be more to be shared in coming months, especially about family history research. But for us the essence of summer here at home is defined in part by the view from our front porch. One afternoon the sunlight sparkled on the oak leaves in just such a way that reminded me of the huge oxygen factories that trees are. We owe our breath to them!

We still try to garden, although our main crops in our sun-starved back yard are limited these days to a few tomato plants, and the ever-expanding raspberry patch. This was not a good tomato year in St. Louis. This is the full sum of our crop so far, sitting on the kitchen window sill. Two Jet Stars and a cherry tomato. There were a couple of others, but between heavy rain and scorching heat, they rotted on the vine. The vines are still living, and with cooler nights have started setting fruit again. They might ripen before frost, or they might not. These tomatoes were, by the way, delicious. We would have loved more just like them.

Back in the spring, some 20 women in my quilting guild started a scrap quilt club that meets on the 4th Saturday. I've posted a couple of completed quilts from that group before. This block is my first completed one for a large quilt called Cathedral Stars that is a club project. It is supposed to be finished by the end of October. Right.The goal of the club is to use up the scraps and leftovers in our stash. So far, so good. I haven't had to buy anything new except some Christmas border fabric so far.



My quilt guild also has a monthly block challenge. We all receive the same pattern, with general instructions about type of fabric to use, etc. Then at the meeting the completed ones are displayed and one person is drawn from a hat to receive the whole bunch to make into a quilt. This is my block for August. I'm working on the September one, now. A year ago, I promised myself that I would do all 12 blocks...and it looks like I'm going to make it. The reward will be a quarter yard of new fabric...something I really need!

Another promise I made at the beginning of 2010 was to finish the family reunion quilt top. I did that in June, and in late July the Spanish Lake quilters put it on the frame and started quilting. I get to join them on Tuesdays, and I really enjoy hand quilting, especially on this project. Here are Christine, Judy and Fran at work last week in Judy's bright and cheery bonus room. At this point, I think there is the equivalent of 20 blocks done, 44 to go. Or something like that.

On this Labor Day, we shared a leisurely dinner with our dear friends the Dixons, with conversation going well into the evening, and raspberry sundaes enjoyed by all. After they left, Norm and I repaired to our front porch to enjoy a cool breeze and listen to the tree frogs and crickets singing in the dark. For once, no mosquitoes were biting. If we had screens on the porch, it would be perfect for sleeping. The evening chorus still says summer, but the cool nip in the air says....fall is coming.

So what about fall. What's on the schedule? Well, water exercise resumes on Tuesday. Norm and I are both trying to learn Tai Chi 24 long form, also on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. After a month of sabbatical from meetings, our church is making up for lost time. The knitting group will start up in October. I've got several projects to finish for the church bazaar, which will be on Nov. 13 this year. Norm and I plan to go to Kansas for his college class 50th reunion in October, and we also have a church regional assembly coming up that month, too. There's a manuscript I want to read. A couple of them, actually. I think I might just blink and wake up tomorrow and find out it is already Thanksgiving, or even Christmas. We really are living that cliche about not knowing how we ever found time to work!