Well, it has been a while since my last post. I'd like to say that it was because I was so very, very busy being creative and making amazing things, but that would be a big, fat fib. I really have not done much lately.
I did take a walk one afternoon at Osprey Overlook Park in East Weymouth. I just love the sweep of the Back River; it seems like an image from some place in the West.
Just off the path I spotted this nest. Fortunately, no one appeared to be home. I spent some time trying to ascertain what type of nest it was. I originally thought it was a wasp nest, but I found images similar to this one that indicated it was probably a hornets nest. According to one article, all but the queen die off in the fall and the nest is not reused. I wonder how many people who had walked by it in the summer were aware how close they were to the danger hidden in the low growing bush.
On Monday afternoon, a hardy bunch gathered in the MDC parking lot at Nantasket Beach in Hull for another socially distant, birthday gathering. The birthday girl Pam is on the left in the second photo. There was no rain this time, but it was a tad cold! We had cupcakes, muffins, and, of course, masks. We lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes until the clouds blocked the sun, and it became downright cold. It wasn't a long visit, but it was good to see everyone.
And speaking of a hardy bunch, this group of twenty turkeys comes by every afternoon around 3:30. They make me laugh, but I try to shoo them away reminding them that this is after all November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and perhaps it might be prudent to be in hiding somewhere. :-) They munch on the acorns from my might oak and disregard my warnings. Today they decided to meander across the street very, very slowly bringing traffic to a standstill. :-)
So, let's talk turkey . . . Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird? Did you know that turkeys had completed disappeared from New England by the 1850s? Massachusetts began transplanting wild turkeys from New York in the 1970s. I remember that there was concern that the poor birds would not survive our harsh winters, but they sure did! Want more turkey talk? I found an article you might enjoy "How the Wild Turkey Vanished, Then Returned, to New England." It's a short article, and though most of us will not be celebrating with family and friends this year, you could file the information away, God willing, for next years's sparkling conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table . :-)
Now to keep the turkey theme going . . . Here is my latest cross stitch finish, Gobble. The chart is available from the Stitching Housewives Etsy shop.
I finished it following a pillow tutorial by Lori Holt. The top and bottom were sewn together right sides together around all four sides. Then I cut a slit in the back, turned the piece right side out. It doesn't show from this angle, but I stitched brown rickrack around the seam edges and covered the slit with a piece of wool, a cute turkey button, and a 2020 charm.
I have four or five Thanksgiving charts, and I had originally planned to stitch one or more throughout the rest of the month, but nope, I'm switching to Christmas pieces at this point.
While I am writing this post, a film Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You is playing on Apple TV. It's wonderful. It deals with the music, but also the men and women of the E Street Band who have been making music together for years. Springsteen has the soul of a poet and his observations about his bandmates, the music they live to play, and the passing of time enrich this beautifully filmed piece. Whether you are a fan or not, it is a film definitely worth watching.
Last night I watched Oprah's interview with former President Barack Obama about his new book. It was an excellent, thoughtful interview. . . also on Apple TV. (I received one year free with my recent purchase of a new iPhone.)
Another recommendation . . . The Weight of a Piano, a novel by Chris Cander who is a gifted storyteller. This was a suggestion from BookBub, and I took a chance on it and added it to my Kindle. It tells the story of a special piano and the two women whose lives were linked to this instrument. It starts slowly, but if you try it, stay with it as it builds. Normally, I like reading something light at bedtime; one or two mindless chapters then off to dreamland. The Weight of a Piano kept me reading many nights well into the wee hours of the morning.
Okay, that's enough for now. Stay well my friends. Be smart and be safe. Trust that better days are coming, not as soon as we would like, but with two new vaccines on the horizon, there is hope.
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World 55 Million Cases 1.34 Million Deaths
United States 11.6 Million Cases 250,000 Deaths
Massachusetts 196,000 Cases 10,407 Deaths
