Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Ten Reasons to Smile

From what I read and see on the news, it's clear that the world is going to hell in a hand basket, as my parents used to say.  But in our own smaller worlds, there are still plenty of reasons to smile. 

1.  We had a damp and chilly weekend but today the sun is out and the temperature is back up into the mid 60's, which makes everything seem more cheerful. 


2.  The foothills are snow-touched and the high peaks are snow-covered, both lovely sights.


3.  Everything is going well with the music parents group that I chair at the high school.  After a big push for beginning-of-the-school year donations at the Musical Showcase concert we are in a bit of a pause, which is quite welcome.  Mid-October starts another big push of activity, but for the moment things are blissfully calm. 



4.  On a recent trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens I fell in love with flowering Jerusalem artichokes.  Had never seen them growing in the garden and blooming, and it captivated me.  I think this is my next flower wall hanging.  Or would it be a vegetable wall hanging?   


5.  We tackled a big hike last Thursday, the popular Royal Arch trail.  It's not so long -- only 3.4 miles up and back -- but it's relentlessly steep and rocky, earning it a "difficult" rating by All Trails.  We were only going up partway to see the stone stairs that Ben had helped build in 2015, but having gotten that far and feeling pretty good we decided to just do the rest of the hike and tick it off our list.  It was a chilly and foggy day which suited us just fine though the fog did keep us from seeing the views from the top. 


6.  Seeing the steps that Ben made me smile.  You go, Ben! We can make a difference.


7.  I had a fun time going to see the Rockies play the Dodgers on Sunday.  Although it was a slow game and the Rockies lost, it was my first time at Coors Field and I loved seeing the mountains in the background.


8.  Paul has a massive case of "Senioritis" and is throwing himself into theater to make his last year of school enjoyable.  (I did the same thing my last year of high school.)  He's been collaborating with other theater kids to create a poster advertising the upcoming haunted house, in which he will play the "Jumping Clown."   Sounds too scary for me! 


9.  The weather has been perfect for indoor work like decluttering and making little home improvements.   Two duvets, two sleeping bags, one big blow up mattress, a luggage rack, several good jackets and lots of miscellaneous small objects have left the house to find new homes.  The result is that our closets are less packed and more usable, especially after Ben hung up some new racks for hanging purses and the like. 



10.  I finished up a little piece the other day and was pleased with how it turned out.  Way back in May I showed you this photo of some works in progress on my design wall.


Well, the upper right piece turned into this little guy, just 12x12" but packing a lot of color and style, in my humble opinion.  It's hanging outside my studio and I'm happy to see it there.


Linking to my friend LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color, and her "I Like Thursdays" series. 


6 comments:

  1. the hike looked hard! Good for you to soldier on and the reward of seeing that Ben helped make the trail. I liked the varied likes this week too Mary. Glad Paul got a part in the house but I do not like being scared! I'll leave that to the seniors since the world is scary enough.

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  2. The 60's? Serious? And the snow already? Love those snow capped mountains. BTW-it'll be 100 here today. I'm going nuts. Many years ago (in the 70's) I grew artichokes in my garden and was so surprised with those gorgeous purple flowers. Sorry bout your Rockies last night. Our Diamondbacks are on to play the Dodgers which is a big hill to climb. Your son's photo reminds me of the "IT" clown -Ugh! (great book, tho). I like your mini quilts! I need to make some that I can look at from time to time in my sewing area! I get side tracked making things for others. Enjoy your day! mary in Az

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  3. Hi there Mary, You have landed yourself in quite a beautiful part of your big country. Gorgeous in fact which you will enjoy so much and have the time now to do so. Lovely photos including some very interesting blocks on your design wall.

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  4. The hiking looks wonderful. I love your little quilt, too. It's a very pretty piece.

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  5. I love seeing your hikes and snow covered mountains. I miss the mountains living out here in the plains, and am counting the days till Thanksgiving when I'm back in them...

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  6. Up in Loveland, we started the day yesterday with low, gray clouds, so it was wonderful to have that move east and see the beautiful sky and bright sun again. Isn't today gorgeous?! Your hike looks quite amazing and I really like your wallhanging piece - pretty colors!

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