The Last Garden

This evening I spent some time reminiscing over old photographs on my computer. How I wish I'd taken more of Felix! This is one I treasure as it was taken when he was gardening.

He always wore his Aussie bush hat to protect himself from the heat and the sun. It still smells like him and I  love it. These are his rows of new tomato plants.

Miss Emma Lynne was still romping around him as he gardened  and I miss her, too.

May you find each other in heaven, Miss Emma, and my Felix!

Hug your loved ones while you still can.

Happy quilting.

Beating the Blues

Saturday my statement from the Social Security office came in and was very worrisome to me because it was so confusing. There was nothing I could do about it as it was the weekend. So to beat the blues and worry, I took myself up to Center Harbor to the Keepsake Quilting retail store's sidewalk sale!

The weather was perfectly lovely and there were few shoppers due to its being late in the day, close to the closing of the sale.

Fabrics were priced at $10 per pound and a pound of fabric is about 3 yards. I bought this bag of three pounds and was delighted! I did not even think about my Social Security worries, just shopped.

Here are the pieces that I bought.

Then on Tuesday, I enjoyed breakfast with my quilty friends at the Senior Center. We had Eggs Benedict with peach slices and cottage cheese with pineapple. It  was so good!

I brought in a whole raft of miscellaneous fat quarters for everybody to claim for their own and was so pleased that the group grabbed them up!

There were no squabbles, just sharing fabrics.

There were tops to show and tell.

And applique going on, too.

I still miss Felix very, very much. It's like a hole in my heart. I must continue to only take one day at a time because if I think about years ahead without his cheerful smile I would surely give up. Rest in peace, Felix.

Happy quilting!

The Dream

Last night was special. I fell asleep on my futon with the TV going and I had a dream. In the dream, I was on the futon and Felix came and knelt beside the futon and reached over to hug and kiss me and to tell me how much he loved me. In the dream, he was wearing his ocean blue shirt and smiling at me. It was all very vivid. I awoke feeling very close to him and basking in his undying love for me. I felt at peace. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that he has appeared to me in my dreams.

On a quilty note, here are some pictures of what's been going on over at the Senior Center in Alton, NH.

Mary has been making some fabric covered toilet tissue pumpkins. They are so cute!

She also made this adorable whimsy fish for some young child to cuddle!

There was some label attaching on finished small quilts for charity work.

I still find it hard to concentrate to sew much of anything but I'll keep you posted when I do.

Happy quilting!

The High Costs Of Dying

The bill came in today for Felix's final trip to the local emergency room. I thanked God for our Medicare coverage because it was for over $4000. Fortunately, my share of that was less than $300 so I called the hospital's billing department as Felix had always taught me to do.

By paying the bill in full on a credit card, I was eligible for a 20% discount. That was a savings of almost $60 that I cannot afford to squander. I tremble to think of what the bill will be for from the town's ambulance because I do not think that Medicare covers any of that. My Dad used to tell me, "Victoria, don't scream before you're hit, " so we'll see.

The cremation costs were higher than I had expected also. It was $1300 for a bare bones, no pun intended, cremation of his body. If he had weighed over 350 pounds, they were going to charge me an extra $600, so I was glad that he weighed 325 pounds at his death. My loving sister and brother-in-law stepped in and paid for Felix's cremation. I am so blessed!

I still have not heard from the Social Security office to learn what to expect for an income  check in the future. I know that it will be adjusted by the minimum amount of my teacher's pension.

We do not dwell on the death of a loved one when they are alive, but rather, spend our days in a pleasant oblivion. It is hard to feel financially punished when  you are already grieving your loss. The costs of the death of a spouse are staggering, both emotionally and financially.

This picture is of Felix at the local nursery and feed store, Clark's Feed and Grain. It was on a Sunday in May a few years ago when he was picking out his 6 varieties of tomato plants and some squashes and seeds for his beloved vegetable garden. He was so happy to be sitting on the ground digging in the dirt!

We always had zucchini and yellow summer squash to share with friends and neighbors. I don't care for gardening but I'd often go down to his garden to admire his work when he was ready to show it to me. How I miss him! I treasure every memory of our long and rich life together.


Take more pictures of your loved ones!

Happy quilting

Friday Quilters

Yesterday was the Friday Quilters at the Golden Gese Quilt Shop in Concord and I went in and had a fun day.

Maureen was still working on her Red White and Blue blocks and the stacks of them are growing!

She also brought in a loaf of her delicious home made bread for me, yum! I brought in a stick of butter and we all had some. It was so fresh and tasty! Thank you, Maureen!

Maureen also brought me two ears of sweet corn right from the farm where they grow it. I ate both last night and it was so good!

Do you know how to cook sweet corn in the microwave? First pull back all the corn shucks but do NOT remove them. Then carefully clean away all the silk from the exposed ear of corn. Next pull back the shucks into their original position, covering the ear completely. Microwave on high power for 2:30 minutes and give the ear a minute of standing time. Pull back the shucks again and put on the butter, salt and pepper and eat it!
This method spares you from needing to heat up the kitchen with a big pot of boiling water in the heat of summer. But you can only do one ear at a time so put the next one in as soon as you take out the first one. Enjoy!

Maureen's daughter is planning a trip to Paris, so Maureen has been busy making the most adorable luggage tags. Good job!

She did these all on her embroidery machine and they are all so creative!

As for me, I cut out and pinned a pair of matching Hot Dog Pillowcases. These are the fabrics and the complete instructions are on a tutorial on my blog on the right hand column.

Today is the 17th of August, making it one whole month since Felix died so suddenly of a cardiac arrest. I still can't believe it and I miss him so much! I talk to his picture every day. Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement as I take each day with my baby steps.

My Beloved Felix

Hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them. Treasure each moment.

Happy quilting to all!

A Good Day

My Hero!

 

 

Today was a very good day starting out with my getting the mail from the end of the driveway. It had my statement from the Teacher's Retirement Board, finally! I raised the flag up to full staff which had been lowered to honor the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Had a quick bite to eat and printed out a dollar off coupon for a haircut at Walmart's salon.

Went to the Social Security office by 11am and the place was deserted so I was waited on right away! Wow, how often does that happen? I let them make copies of the Retirement Board's letter and also the official copy of my marriage certificate and I was done. He said that I should receive a letter from them in about 2 weeks stating what my exact benefit will be in the future, but that I will receive my own SS check but not Felix's for August. Whew!

Then I got a nice haircut and a wash at the salon and went on to Market Basket on Fort Eddy Road. I shopped for a couple of dozen eggs, and a few other odds and ends. The biggie was to use the raincheck that we'd gotten from them the day that Felix died. It was for 8 packages of Wholly Guacamole! Yummy! I used the wonderful gift card that the Friday Quilters had sent to me and was thrilled to only pay them $2.75 for all my stuff! Thank you to all the quilters!!!

Got home and found a message on my answering machine from my car insurance agent who's a peach of a gal. She went over all the details of the declaration sheet that had also arrived in the mail. I've opted for an enhanced towing package that was only $2 more a year.

Got home before my Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream melted, too! Oatmeal raisin cookies, my favorites, were on the weekly special so I got two.

So I'm getting along pretty well doing the needful.

Moving Forward

Friday I did go in to the Golden Gese Quilt shop in Concord to see all my loyal quilty friends and to hug them in person. Although I did not feel up to sewing myself, I was inspired by all that they were doing. Here are some pictures of their projects. Maureen was  making these beautiful blocks.

Tammy was quilting a gorgeous fall log cabin table runner. Look at those tiny strips!

When I left the Gese Shop, I bought gasoline at Sam's Club and was delighted with their price of $2.45 per gallon and filled the tank. Then I headed up to Laconia to my regular follow up appointment with my oncologist for the breast cancer. I had a great check up and he doesn't need to see me for another 6 months. He was very sympathetic about Felix's sudden passing, too.

Felix always used to go with me to all my appointments so I missed him. This is a picture of Felix with me at the Concord Hospital as we rang the big bell to celebrate the end of my breast cancer radiation treatments.

Then on Sunday, I took a big road trip to South Freeport, Maine, to meet up with Grace from Stashbusters and her Mom. Grace used to live in Maine and we always met to enjoy the Rochester, NH quilt shows together. She has since moved to Maryland, so I do not see her until she comes by Amtrak to Maine to visit  her Mom, Carolyn. We had a lovely lunch of Lobster rolls at Harraseeket's Lunch and Lobster. This is Carolyn and then a picture of Grace and me.

This is the flag at half mast when I lowered it to honor Felix's passing at Park Hill Farm.

He was always there for me, telling that I was pretty and how much he loved me. I have so many wonderful memories of his reaching over with his hand to squeeze mine and to say  "I love you!"

Each day is a new challenge and adventure to go on without him. I miss him so much. Rest in Peace, my honey!