Words of wisdom

By Lori Roberts of Little Truths Studio.

I'm still collecting quotes, so today I thought I'd show some of my latest favorites along with sunset photos from near my house.

(The first picture is by Lori Roberts of Little Truths Studio in Oregon. Check out her blog/shop for some more beautiful art and words.)

I think the top quote is apropos to all of us who have turned to stitching to get us through the coronavirus. Same goes for this next quote. I find the simple act of running a needle in and out of fabric to create an embroidered picture is so calming.

I'm also calmed every evening at sunset when I head outside for the show. I took the shot below about a block from my house, looking east at sunset to catch the beautiful reflected light on Pusch Ridge.

That same evening I captured one rogue orange cloud amidst the grey. A beacon.

Today I'm taking "Let Yourself Rest" to heart. I slept in and enjoyed two leisurely cups of coffee instead of the usual one. I skipped the news reports in my inbox. I'm not leaving the house except for sunset (it's too hot to walk) and I'm going to just read and sew. I have some things I could worry about, but I'm choosing not to.

I feel so lucky to have this view just a few minutes' walk from my house. Beautiful Pusch Ridge in Oro Valley, AZ.

And then there's this, LOL:

 Have a colorful day

Masks for Trader Joe's and more color

Julia models a Marcia Derse fabric mask.

That's my daughter above with one of the masks I made for the Trader Joe's employees she works with in Spokane. I'm just doing my part to spread color wherever I can. Here are some of the others:

Erica chose the veggie/fruit mask.

Brett went for the beer fabric.

Evie rocks blue and white polka dots.

Grant goes for big dots.

I'm also spreading color on the roads. I got my car back from the garage yesterday and put on my new license plate! (It was a short in the oil control valve that set off the warning lights.)

And here are some sunset shots from my front courtyard last night. The sunsets are amazing, night after night.

Came across this on Facebook -- an article or maybe an ad about Tucson in a 1949 National Geographic. I can't believe I'm finally living the dream -- fires, monsoon floods, heat, mosquitoes, plague and all.

But just to show that Arizona doesn't hold exclusive rights to color, here's a picture from my sister of an artichoke in her garden in western Washington. She let it go to seed and it produced those gorgeous purple things.

Have a colorful day

Flagstaff trip short circuited

Behold, my new license plate! 

I can't believe that no one had already picked "COLOR" for their plate. I like how it reads as "ARIZONA COLOR." For the background I chose, naturally, a sunset design.

Unfortunately, I can't put it on my car yet because it's at the Toyota dealer for repairs. As I was driving to Flagstaff (200 miles away) yesterday to meet my blogger friend Judy, about five warning lights suddenly went on and I had a panic attack because I was hemmed in my semi trucks on I-10 out in the desert and because I have massive anxiety anytime I drive long distance alone. 

I called the dealer who advised me to bring it straight in, so I turned around and drove back, gripping the wheel tightly while hoping nothing would explode. Turns out there's a short in the oil control valve, which short circuited my trip. On the bright side, they gave me a free ride home and Judy and I will do our show and tell via Zoom. 

So instead of having fun in Flagstaff, I sat on my front porch last night watching another awesome Arizona sunset.

Judy and I planned to do a show and tell. Here is the quilt top I was going to show.

I also have more masks to send off to a couple of friends.

Temps here are still topping 100 degrees, but later in the week the monsoon rains are expected to "cool" things down into the 90s. I took this picture of my shadow at sunset. It looks like I'm at the gates to hell!

Have a colorful day

Anniversary, masks and sky

Sunday was the sixth anniversary of my son and daughter-in-law's wedding. They looked great from head to toes! It seems like just yesterday that we drove from Washington to Wisconsin for the outdoor wedding on a farm. Love you guys!!!

I finished some more masks for my daughter to pass out to coworkers at Trader Joe's. I had to stop at nine because I ran out of produce bag twisties, which I use for the nose piece, and it was too hot to go out to the store for more. It's been over 100 forever.

And speaking of the weather, the monsoon storms are starting to sneak in. Here is the view from my back yard shortly before the wind, lightning, thunder and rain tore through a few days ago.

 And some sunset photos from this week,

taken from my front and back yards: 

Have you heard of subparparks.com yet? Illustrator Amber Share took actual review comments about our national parks and combined them with her art for some pretty funny posters and other paraphernalia. Here's one from Arizona's Saguaro National Park. "OK if you like cactus." Well, duh! Why would you go if you didn't like cacti?

Have a colorful day

Up again

So in my last point I was at the low point on the coronacoaster, but thanks to time, phone calls and emails with friends (thanks for all of your comments) and getting back to stitching, I'm up again.

I finished the envelopes for my "Letters From Home" quilt and now I'm connecting the blocks.

I finished embroidering a third dish towel and started on a fourth.

And I started another batch of masks to send off to the Trader Joe's in Spokane. Here are some of the prints that I selected. Hmmm, maybe I need to throw in a few blue ones.

I'm also waiting for my permanent license plate to come. It's sort of weird to be driving around with a temporary plate that says "Color" but is in black and white.

Turning to the skies, a photographer here captured the comet over Tucson! I went out last night to try to see it, but it was almost 100 degrees even though it was several hours after sunset and I couldn't take the heat. The mountains in the photo are the Catalinas, where the fire has been burning for the past month. (Yes, it's still burning.)

And this cloud was over my house a few evenings ago.

I'll leave you with this quote, which I think we all know by now after half a year of having our lives turned upside down by the virus. I'll never again take a hug or coffee with friends for granted.

Have a colorful day

Lonely

I know it's the Fourth of July and I should be celebrating, but I'm feeling very down today. I've been trying to look at the bright side of sheltering alone in a new town during Covid, but the truth is I'm very lonely.  Holidays like the Fourth that I used to spend with my husband and friends just make me feel even lonelier, and because of Covid I don't feel that I can safely travel out of state to be with friends and family.

Last night an almost full moon rose above the ridge behind my house. It was magnificent. I remind myself that I am lucky to be alive and free and in the grace of such beauty.

Namaste