Autumn Views

 After a Dinner Out

A trot through St. Gallen with visiting son:

At the chocolate shop, these are Chestnuts and maple leaves made of chocolate: 

At the end of the day, a colorful sky

The Result

 Fall Color Page

On Sundays I try to bring a little something to church for granddaughter Mieka. She and Oma like to make things. Yesterday I took a drawing and some punched leaves. She colored during Bible study and added leaves today. 

Behold how cheerfully colorful.

This makes Oma happy. 

Blessed Sunday

 Rain and Rainbows

While we did not get our Sunday hike, we did have a last worship service with our pastor and rainbows 🌈 on our return drive (for a brother in the hospital, as I told him). 

Fall Coloring Pictures

 To Send

When I write a letter - some of us still do that old-fashioned thing - I often include a little activity for some of my people. Sometimes it is a collection of punched shapes with instructions on what to do with them. Sometimes it is a small, spontaneous coloring page. Like these recent ones for fall -

And today’s was this, with punched leaves to add for a colorful border. 

Harvest Season

 End of Garden

Most of the garden produce - what little we had this year - is eaten, in, or done. That doesn’t include pumpkins, which need more time. We are hoping the first frost holds off. We didn’t plant much this year, and the weather in the spring was not conducive to the setting of fruits on trees, so harvest was minimal. Add to that being gone at the end of summer, and some things, like beans, didn’t get all harvested. Next year we hope to do better.

But our son had a lovely grape crop and gave us a quantity, so after we ate a sizable portion, I made jelly from the rest. And shared it. 

Hello October

 October? Where? 

Every morning is total fog.

But eventually it burns off, and sometimes the sun comes out to filter through my autumn decorations. 

Enjoy your October.

Autumn in the Rain

 Wet and Drippy

The garden season is almost done. In a couple of weeks, I need to get my flower pots in the greenhouse (before I head to the States again, for a family wedding this time). Sunshine is rare, and clouds predominate. Drip, drip, drop, little September showers….

The snapdragons have been chipper in every weather.

Oma’s little Fox is still grinning, nonetheless. I have rescued many of her garden decorations, before her house is gone.

Soggy Lobelia, but also ever-bloomers.

We might not want to sit on the bench and read today. 

These neon geraniums are still blooming bravely. They are protected by the house and still get what light there is. The lavender below them bloomed nicely earlier in the year. 

A wisteria tendril drips on the unwary.

Goodbye, September. 

Take What You Get

 While You Can

Yesterday we went to church. For us, that is not a given. Normally, we meet at a home. This church is borrowed. The pastor is leaving very soon (compelled, not by choice, not our choice). And our group is small. But, we give thanks for what we occasionally get. Yesterday, the congregation of the church at which we met had a thanksgiving service (in Swiss German, of course) - before our service (in English) -  so the decorations were profusely autumnal. 

After the service, we all walk a half hour or so (or drive) to a restaurant for a fellowship dinner. The trees are just starting to hint of fall colors. The walnuts are dropping, the corn fields along the path are harvested, and Maria was giving lessons on medicinal herbs along the way.

Happy Fall

 In Total Fog

The sun is gone, the warmth is gone, the summer is gone. It’s raining. Hello Autumn. 

🍂 

But, we get to put out new decorations. Maybe soon…. next week. Busy days. Sister Ruth is here after finishing her Camino in Portugal and Spain. She wants to go again, soon. Highly recommended. 

Back Again

 And Back to Busy

We are back in Switzerland. Unpacked and some putting away. Then we had this night sky to tuck us in for some much needed sleep.

Paint Chip challenge Art Quilts

Here is another challenge prompt that the art quilters of Beyond the Block used to create a collection of art quilts that will go on exhibit later this year. These blocks are all 12" x 12".

The challenge was to use paint color cards (from the local paint selling hardware store) to inspire a story that would be interpreted in fabric using the colors on the cards. Color cards have creative names for each color such as "Lemon Rind" and "Clay Pot" or "Sunset Skies".  I found it easiest to choose phrases that seemed to go together for a story and then use the colors. I did have to search at several stores to come up with a color element that had a name that would work in my story. Getting the phrases and colors to be what I wanted was the most challenging part but it was also very fun!

Here are a few of the results in the art guild--

"Balmy Breeze"- "River's Edge"- "Fruity Sangria" (Sorry, missed the other but probably "Sand")

"Friendly Hello"- "Wild Thistle"- "Salty Dog"- "Fun Days"

"Clear Blue Sky"- "Land of Sunshine"- "Rushing Water"- "Hello Spring"

"Razzleberry"- "Crisp Lime"- "Banana Rama"- "Velvet Plum"- "Sumatra Orange"

"Fond Memory"- "Pizza Pie"-"Amber Brew"- "Mountain Lake"

This one is mine. So fun.

"Downpour"- "Swiss Coffee"- "Blueberry Pie" -"Simple Pleasures"

 

Hello Again

 New Update

This blog site got an update this month, but before that I was blocked from posting. So last month got no posts. Now, with expert help, I think I am back here, but I have to learn new formats to operate this. We will see how it goes. 

I am currently in Colorado. New twin grandsons have been safely delivered and are home with Mama and family. I spent three-plus weeks being Oma to a lively bunch. We did nearly daily “arts and crafts,” as little Leo said. He loved making things, so this Oma put together a new idea every day. Fortunately I had brought some materials and their Mama had other materials. We made our own puzzles, paper airplanes, and paintings, did drawing lessons, and puzzle pictures, made paper chains and paper campfires until we could have a real one to roast hotdogs and marshmallows after the rains, and lots of other things. Oma made a treasure hunt just before we left, because I got constant requests for one, with “60 prizes, Oma.”  But this Oma can’t count that high, so they each had five items. Anyway, we read lots of stories, played lots of games, learned Bibles songs and prayers, read Bible stories, and had adventures. 

Thank you, Pam for your posts, which I haven’t seen yet, since I was just set up with this page and want to try it, before trying to look at other things. Thank you for letting me know the site still existed, or I would have given up and never touched it again. 

I will try to get help to figure out more about this update, but for now - we still exist and can still connect, sort of. 

Hidden in Plain Sight- Art Quilts

I wanted to share with you the results of the latest challenge for the quilters in my guild. Every year a committee puts together a special challenge that has specific requirements but lots of opportunity for creativity. I really wanted to do this challenge but in the end could not meet the deadline with my busy summer of weddings.  I greatly enjoyed the "reveal" of the talents of those who did create something and I think you will too. The diversity of ideas was amazing and inspiring.

The challenge was called "Hidden in Plain Sight." Everyone was given a seven inch square of this piece of fabric and was required to use at least one inch of it somewhere in their creation. The finished art quilt wall hangings were to be 20 inches square and of any design or technique.

The finished designs were hung at the guild's August meeting without the names of their makers so that the members could vote on their favorite and also on their choice for the best use of the challenge fabric. 

 Here are close-ups of some of my favorite entries-  (Can you find the challenge fabric in each?)

Notice that this quilter replicated the print of the challenge fabric by weaving torn strips of same colored fabrics together. I thought this was incredibly thoughtful!

Notice the book titles

 

This won the popular vote as the favorite.

This won the vote for best use of the challenge fabric. Look closely, that fabric makes the "cherries" or "blossoms" in the tree. 

Which is your favorite?