Newly-Published Book Perfect for Fireside

Wild Hen Turkeys are never "in season" in New Hampshire

Happy Thanksgiving! We have been celebrating all week with specialty foods of the season like egg nog, cut-up-veggies and various dips. While the rest of the crowd is on the road to somewhere tomorrow, we will be in our cozy abode cooking a turkey and watching the snow flakes come down. Looks like our area will get at least 8-12 inches of snow, if not more.

When we go into hibernation mode, that is the time to find a good book to read. My pick of the week is Quilters Questions: A Book of Curious Queries by Kyra E. Hicks (Black Threads Press, 2014). The back says that the book "is perfect for quilters of any age or skill level. Paced with delightful, humorous, and thought-provoking questions, this engaging read will provide hours of fun and conversation. Explore topics ranging from quilter identity, creative inspiration, collaboration, legacy and more!"

There are 322 questions and some blank pages for the reader to write in their own questions. This book is a lot of fun! Admittedly, I have only had time to look through about 1/3 of the book but one of the great features is that the reader can come back to the book at anytime without a sense of interruption. The size of the book would make it a great stocking-stuffer for the holidays. If I have not convinced you to purchase a copy yourself, perhaps you can drop a hint to a friend or family member who is seeking gift ideas for you -- the quilter of the family!

We are feeling blessed by friends and family this year. From our home to yours, best wishes to you that you enjoy the holidays.

Pat & Jim

New Exhibit and Other Things

These days, the quilts of Gerald Roy are getting around. At the moment, one can view his doll bed/quilt collection at the Warner (NH) Historical Society from Nov. 1 to Dec. 7, each Friday and Saturday, 10-4 p.m. and each Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

At the moment I am thrilled to have discovered a local musician with a lot of talent. He writes and performs his original music scores. His name is Craig Werth and his name came to my attention via the Deerfield (NH) Forum that was advertising an upcoming coffeehouse event where he will perform. After listening to a couple of his songs online, I was hooked and ordered two of his CD-ROMs. I am always looking for good music to play while I am hand quilting that enormous white wholecloth quilt I have been working on. When I am done, it will have thousands of stitches!

Jim is harvesting what remains in the garden. The carrots he will store in sand along with the Jerusalem Artichokes and beets, too. On this chilly night, he has prepared Leek and Potato Soup. The potatoes are "Fingerling" potatoes which are tiny and very tasty.

I am feeling joyful as I write this blog and so blessed with the happiness that this time of year seems to bring, a kind of closeted feeling of "batting down the hatches" and enjoying the simple things of life. I can structure my time any way I wish, a blessing of not having to go "out" to work. Since losing my free-lance work with The Quilter because the magazine declared bankruptcy, I have taken time off from writing. I am, however, reading, the latest book a gift of a dear friend, is called The Telling Room. I love the author's style of writing. He is very descriptive and the book drew me in from the first page.

I count my blessings via friends I have made and creative activities in which I engage every day. I hope you are enjoying the autumn as much as we are. Frequent trips to the nearby orchard help to fill our days with happiness. There is nothing like a freshly-picked McIntosh apple.

My writings may be sporadic but I am still here and will post when something exceptional is worth drawing your attention. Stay tuned. Be happy!

Patricia Cummings