Mailcarriier Bearing Gifts

My PO Box was full of treasures yesterday. They came at a time when I felt the energy around me shift to such negative proportions. I dislike giving much space in my mind to the goings-on around me and try to keep busy.

A large package came from a dear friend in MN who passed on some things from her Mother's estate. The vintage holiday fabrics are quite precious and will go to good use in my work. I love that season and continue to quilt with those types of fabrics. Also in the package were a number of rulers and quilting guides that I am exploring and know will use. One of the rulers had been on my want list and I can hardly wait to play with it. It was quite the generous gift on a day that came when I needed affirmations.

The other package came from Crow Calling Woman (Rex) who made a check book cover to include with this month's Calendar block swap. She has built up a very interesting stash since starting to quilt and likes making the smaller quilted projects.

Her mug rugs are stunning, both front and back. Rex is such an artist. The bottom mug rug is made with hexies and matched perfectly to make a greater display of the colors. Amazing work always from her.

The backs show how she quilted these minis. She simply followed the lines of the hexies on the bottom and then outlined the blocks on the front with a shadow outline as well. I know she watches tutorials & reads the quilting magazines for ideas.

Her block for March is a brilliant Iris. She did machine applique for this piece.

I had been out in my gardens before the mail came & saw first flowers in various places. 

Gardening was my great love before getting into quilting. I find such joy in handling the rocks, the soil and the plants.

I harvested a lot of rocks to build a wall, set in a pond and hold various flower beds. The first few years here were spent in separating the old Iris beds and replanting them so they could bloom.

Another thing I did was to plant random groups of flowers like these Hyacinths.
They give such a burst of color and are always such a surprise (like the mail today). I forget from season to season what is there. I have several packages of bulbs that will go in as soon as weather permits.

Another plant I put in the first year here is in a bigger container, only blooms in Winter and the fragrance that comes from it is astounding. The flowers are so tiny that its hard to believe they hold so much scent.

If this day brought me anything, it brought me the joy of friendships, a sense that there is good in the world in spite of the what the news has to say, in spite of the trauma in the lives of people I know and love. There is good in the hearts of people I hold dear. There is a generosity and sharing of talents and skills. People smile and laugh and the world goes on spinning. Beauty can be seen inside and outside and is there. It is there to behold.