Saturday, September 23, 2017

I Just Wanna Stitch!

The weather is lovely and warm, not too hot--Autumn in Tunisia is so pleasant, my favorite season along with Spring.

Autumn means that it's time to get ready for winter, and the house needs winter-proofing. Shutters, doors, and wrought iron work all need coats of paint...lots to do outside.
However, as soon as the sun goes down, you will find me in Grandma's rocking chair, stitching until the wee hours on my aging bed/utility quilt. This quilt talks to me so much that I drape it over the rocking chair in the morning and, while I exercise and listen to the news, I enjoy the progress I made the night before. 
Yes, it sings to me--
I just wanna stitch!
  

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The Beach, 1



Warm weather and a beach culture define life in Tunisia. Mr. M. grew up on lovely, sandy beaches while I grew up in the shadow of mountains and rain forests. However, I have adapted. 

Once in a while we spend a weekend at the beach 45 minutes away. While Mr. M. wades into the sea, I hit the swimming pool and then join him under a parasol. If I can find a comfortable chair or chaise-long in the shade, I can now enjoy the beach for hours...as long as I don't have to go into saltwater.


For this excursion, I took an old friend that I have been working on occasionally for 7 years. 

It has whispered to me over the years, but, it never said anything to me clearly. I have waited patiently.











And while I stitched for hours under a glaring sun, and listened and ruminated, it finally spoke to me in a loud voice.

It is now part of my series on the passage of time that shreds the fabric of life. It gave itself a simple name: "Her Sun Set".
Now that this piece has spoken, I can see where it is going--still many more holes to stitch under a Tunisian sun...