Blue Moon phenomena on a Slow Sunday...Edited to add pictures

Oops... forgot to add picture..

 Hello ... well what do we have here?  A post 2 weeks in a row...what?  Definitely a Blue Moon occurrence..like the 2 Full Moons that just happened ... what a coincidence... the stars must have aligned too! 

Anyway  I wanted to share what I've done to kick off my 70th Birthday Extravaganza which has coincided with Sampler September on IG... here's the link..  I've started with the largest sampler on my list... Every Opening Flower by With Thy Needle & Thread.  I have LOVED this sampler from the first time I laid eyes on it, which was over a year ago,when it was the project for a retreat in Amana, Iowa.... I knew I'd have to wait a year before it was released to the public but the wait was worth it. 

Now this is on 32 ct (everything I do anymore is on 32 ct)... I painted it a pale tan with splotches of turquoise. As you can see in the picture I started in the upper left hand corner with the flower border... it was a bit fiddly when I began but I got into a rhythm ... the colors are so pretty and to me they look like little rosebuds... which got me thinking... about a couple of things... first off ,the older I get the more memories come flooding back at the drop of a hat... and sometimes lead to the drop of a tear... but let's not go there right now... back to the memory... rosebuds...  Robert Herrick...  Freshman English  class taught by Mrs. Rechtin at St. Thomas High School in Ft. Thomas, KY... 1967/68...

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
   Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
   Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
   The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
   And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
   When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
   Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
   And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
   You may forever tarry.

Now I've always thought this poem's theme was Carpe Diem, Seize the Day... and that is part of it... however in looking up the entire text I came across a analysis that I know was NOT discussed in Freshman English class... The proper title of the poem is To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time and I don't believe that is how Mrs. Rechtin titled it, as I always remember is as Gather Ye Rosebuds... anyway according to the analysis "Gathering flowers can be seen as a metaphor for sex or wooing here, for plucking the flower and enjoying it while it's still in the bloom of youth".... that was definitely NOT a discussion of my youth...LOL... good thing we didn't have the internet back then... anyway I will stick with the seize the day theme which is appropriate for my birthday extravaganza... gotta make the most of the 4 days I plan to spend with each sampler... no dillydallying... 

And another random memory... Mrs. Rechtin... she drove a beat up Renault ( why do I remember that? and I can't remember what I had for lunch? sheesh) ... she was strict and not well liked by her students... as I reflect she was a good teacher but we didn't appreciate it.  We knew where she lived and several times a year we would visit her home under the cover of darkness and TP her yard... TP,  as in toilet paper, thrown everywhere... OMG... and we were the "good" kids...I'm sure she knew who did it but she never mentioned it ... and she was the only English teacher for all 4 years I was in high school. This was small school.... my class had 48 kids... the total enrollment was about 225 ... it was over 50 years ago but sometimes it feels like it was just last week.... 

Okay, let me get back on track...here's my progress as of this morning...

I will work on this tomorrow and then move on to my second pick... I think it will be a smaller piece as I don't get a lot of stitching done on Tuesdays as watching Elliott takes up my attention.  Oh I didn't get the Teresa Kogut sampler finished...

but I will get back to it the beginning of October as I don't have much more to do on it... 

Hope you are enjoying the Labor Day weekend... we had 3 lovely days last week... highs only in the upper 70's & low 80's... I turned off the AC and opened the windows... but it was fleeting... it is HOT today... 90 degrees...  and it is forecast to stay that way for a while... and it hasn't rained in over a week... there goes my water bill... I am sooooo ready for Fall weather... and I want to really enjoy it as I've been listening to weather predictions for this Winter and it ain't good for where I am in SW Ohio... forecasts are for below average temperatures and above average precipitation... short and sweet... cold and snowy... arghhh... we haven't had a bad winter in quite some time... I know we are due for it... last year I think we only had 2 real snowfalls  that were enough to shovel the sidewalk... not looking forward to that weather at all.

So today I'll spend more quality time with Every Opening Flower... not a lot on the calendar this week... next week is busier... 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and check out on IG what everyone else is up too... but trying to limit that scrolling time as I have rosebuds to gather and stitch!

happy stitching...

carol fun