Did you vote? When I voted today, I broke the voting machine. I struggle to improve my relationship with my machines, but never seem to be able to. Only my sewing machine and my microwave have become my close personal friends.

Dear Friends, I taught a couple of workshops in Des Moines last week. I had a lovely time. Someone asked me how I’d fill my time if I retired. I chuckled. I’ll have to live to be 110 years old to finish what’s on my list right now. And that doesn’t include what will come up between now and then.

Dear friends, Pine needles, snowdrifts, snow on the steps….. this quilt kept wanting one thing more and one thing more. I thought it would never be done. But now I think that it’s ready for a border and the frame.

I’m still working on my Canadian Post Card quilt. I’ve struggled with the pine trees and nothing seemed to work until I realized that I am not making "pine needles". I am making a "pine forest" and I took a different direction. My instincts told me to simply outline basic trees and I hated what I was doing. Then I stood back and looked at it. It’s better than I envisioned. I just had to readjust my sights.

Someone asked me, “What is your favorite thing.” and I replied, “Orange, the color orange.”

I am sitting here looking through the window into a brilliantly sunny autumn day at a world of red and golds that melt together into a cauldron of swirling orange. It is so awesomely beautiful that it fills me with pure happiness.