Here Comes the Sun

Have you noticed that it is getting lighter earlier each morning?  I find it much easier to get up in the mornings relying on the natural flow of the day to set the pace.  As the sun is rising earlier each day, I find myself doing the same.  I have to admit I do get a few more things done, but it is more than that.  I feel better getting up when the day is just starting, when there's the anticipation that the light of the sun is minutes away, and it's a clean page for a new day.

 

6:27 am

Looking west out my family room window at Horsetooth Rock.  Just waiting for the sun to get up high enough to catch the top of the foothills

6:39 am

6:41 am

6:50 am

7:00 am

Now I'd better get my tail in gear so I can enjoy this new day.

Until Next Time- Kyle

Searching for Eagles

Monday afternoon was the perfect time for searching for bald eagles.  The snow had stopped and the sky was blue.  Ed and I started walking around the Prospect Ponds.  You can see a lot of bald eagles in Fort Collins during the winter.  We were equipped with binoculars and my camera with a telephoto lens.

See anything yet?

Maybe over here.

We waited and looked.  I know they were watching us, but we just didn't see them.  Only a red tailed hawk glided overhead.  

We'll try again.  But in the mean time it was wonderful to be outside.

SMILE!

Until Next Time-Kyle

Winter Olympic Update

The Winter Olympics have been happening for a week with lots of excitement and drama.  I have continued to experience my own Olympics.  My cross country event, jogging on the treadmill, is where I have recorded over 20 miles of endurance, the figure skating events have shown exceptional precision and I've completed 7 ocean wave pieced units, and the giant slalom and binding  is half way completed.  I'm on my way to victory.

This week Ed purchased for his home office a new printer, scanner, copier, fax machine. What a wonderful tool!  I can see all kinds of possibilities.

I scanned a few past Olympic photos that I thought you might enjoy.

 

Kyle and Jane in the first saucer sled races in 1957.

Jane is taking the position in the back and using low wind resistance techniques.

Jane completing the first snow burrowing event in 1957.

Ed ready to join the US bobsledding team

On his way to GOLD with a record time.

It's a cold and snowy day here so I guess I will go and watch a bit more of the real Winter Olympics.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Another Birthday

There's another birthday in my family. No, not mine yet.  Today is Ed's special day.  For 4 months during the year, we are the same age and then in June I forge ahead.  Just look at all those candles.

Ed was born in Derby, Connecticut and  grew up in a wonderful Italian family.  This is Ed in the first grade.  School was not his forte, but it looks like he was smiling that day.  Pretty cute in 1956.


I didn't meet Ed until my senior year at Western Michigan University and it was love at first sight.  I'm glad he decided to head off to college and especially follow his brother to Michigan.

 

After graduation, Ed came out to Colorado to attend an Outward Bound session based in Vail. After that he moved to Fort Collins and started his graduate degree in Range Science.

 

Can you believe he ended his academic career as Dean of the college where he started at CSU.  That's a wonderful accomplishment.

 Ed's favorite sport to play is handball. He just placed second in the Great Gorilla  handball tournament!

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday
Love You

Until Next Time-Kyle

Kyle's Olympics

Did you get a chance to see the opening Winter Olympic ceremony?  It's one of my favorite parts... the pageantry, the world coming together for a moment in time, the athlete's enthusiasm and the excitement for the events they have prepared for over many years, and especially the lighting of the torch.

 

I was thinking maybe over the next 16 days I should participate in my own Olympics.  I can set what ever goal or goals  I want, work on them and see what metal I'm awarded on the  podium at the end of two weeks.  Let's see.

1. I'm going to head to the basement every morning and do my jogging.  I'll pretend I'm on cross country skis.

As you can see I have a cheering section.

2. I am going to complete one section of my Ocean Wave antique quilt restoration each night that I am in front of the TV.  This is my figure skating event, precision is key.

3. I'm going to sew on the binding to my tisket a tasket basket quilt. This is my giant slalom, around 4 sides,  around 4 corners and then head for home.

 

That's enough events for even the finest athlete.  I don't want to injure myself.

Until Next time- Kyle

Ebay=Valentine Hankies

In January, 2000 I found Ebay. I loved the search, finding cool stuff, and the cut throat tactic of bidding.  I didn't have much $ to spend. But I discovered there was a lot of neat stuff out there and you could find good deals.  I started by investigating the vintage hankie category.  I didn't know there were so many different types of hankies.  Now women hankies are pretty much collected and not used. Actually, thank you for Kleenex. (invented in the 1920's)

Some hankies are quite collectible.  My first purchase was a "K" monogram hankie.  I was pretty nervous making that first bid.  That's another story.

Anyway, what I did find was all the different vintage Valentine designs out there in Ebay land.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching I thought I would share a few of the fun ones I've collected. 

Don't you love them?

Small and cute

The red and white patterns are so sweet.

Some patterns are small with lots of roses, hearts and cupids.

Some added another color.

I love the scalloped edges.

Hankies may not be popular for practical use, but they are fun to collect.  Maybe they're a symbol of comfort and style all wrapped up in one small square of fabric.

Until Next Time-Kyle

February is the Color Pink

Actually, Valentine's Day is represented by a lot of different colors now.  At the store we have fabric that is red, white, pink, black, purple...  So I decided I would just use pink to represent the month of February.  I am not really much of a pink girl.  But I thought I would share a few quilts that I have that are primarily that color.

This week I have been doing quite a bit of sewing and have completed a top.  It is with the Rouenneries fabric that I have been working on. 

It's not a great photo and once it is quilted it will look so much better.  But I have to save up to have that done.  The fabrics are red, pink taupe, and greenish gray.  It is a pattern by Carrie Nelson, Miss Rosie's quilts.http://www.missrosiesquiltco.com

I think it will look great in my guest bedroom.

A couple of other quilts that are pink.

Hearts and Arrows - 2001

Can you find my deliberate mistake? 

It was fun to use lots of the double pink reproduction fabrics I had collected over the years.

The next two pink quilt tops are vintage ones.

This is a simple double nine patch.  Most of the pink color comes from the sashing which is pink and the border.  The little blocks are made from early 19th century fabrics.

I would guess that the blocks were made first and were set together at a later time.  The pink sashing doesn't look quite as old as the blocks, but old nonetheless.

  But the little 3 inch blocks are a treasure of fabrics samples from that time period.

The second vintage pink quilt top is a composed of blocks called Union Square.

I love the sawtooth border and the simplicity of a two color quilt. The quilt is probably about  100 years old.

Don't you love the mistake here  

Enjoy the month of hearts, roses, valentines and pink quilts.

Until Next Time-Kyle

A New chapter

Starting today my dear husband, Ed, begins a new career.   Yesterday was his last day at MWH where he was a vice president and environmental reclamation expert.  

 

Today he is president and CEO of REC, Redente Ecological Consultants and a stay at home husband.  Right now his office space is at the end of the dining room table.  Hopefully, CSU might have an extra office for a professor emeritus.  That would be a good thing for both of us.

Ed is always positive, works hard and is ready for new experiences.  So I know this new chapter in his professional life will bring good things his way as well.  We'll just have to work out some of the details about having two of us home during the day! It might be just the perfect time to revise that "Honey Do List".

It certainly will be nice for him to have a bit more free time.  In fact this weekend, he will be playing in the Great Gorilla Handball Tournament. 

That's my Eddie!

Until Next Time-Kyle

Time Is Flying By

I heard this story Monday on All Things Considered, a program on NPR.  I found it rather intriguing.  If you have a few minutes, listen.  It might explain that feeling of why time seems to be speeding  up now that some of us are getting older.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122322542

Until Next Time- Kyle

Holy Cow!

Holy Cow, I can't believe January is over and now it's February!

g

Guess what tomorrow is?

Until Next Time-Kyle