Welcome to Long Life

My little sister Pam came for a visit last weekend. She is my best friend, closest genetic match, the one who knows me better than anyone and might be my biggest fan. We have so much fun. She is a quilter extraordinaire, a gardener, a chef, puzzle solver, walking encyclopedia of song lyrics, and a southpaw. She has been taking on line drawing classes and loves to sketch birds, flowers, and scenery. She spent time in my garden capturing the Datura flowers, with their lavender tinged blossoms that smell like a dream.

the flowers reseed themselves

photographing the spiny seed pods

Here is a fun wonky improv block I sewed for Stash Bee, the online block exchange I belong to. It is Patience Corners, a traditional block that is old as the hills. I made it in beach colors, the batik looks like beach glass. I like the look so much I might have to make myself a few of these blocks.

MJ's modern  block

In other fun news, I got a wild hair and decided to have a blue streak put into my hair. I love it!

I have been feeling prematurely old and the blue streak shows that I am not your average plain Jane blue haired old lady. Why old? Because I have been to the Dr. a couple of times and have decided to have a knee arthroplasty (joint remodel) in November. In the meantime, I borrowed an exercise bike, which is great exercise, am limiting my sugar intake, and taking some prescribed anti-inflammatory medication. I am vacillating between denial, bargaining, anger , and denial. Welcome to long life.

My new favorite flavor is sun dried tomato/basil leather.

dried in my Nesco Gardenmaster dehydrator

Peeling the leather off of the plastic sheet, folding it for storage

Into a zip loc and then into the freezer 

 Mmmmm. I roasted the tomatoes and pesto sauce in the oven to cook down the liquid, then pureed it and dehydrated it. Nom nom nom. This is preparation for the dehydrating class I will teach this fall at Autumn Equinox at Maven's Haven.