Wrist Wresting

Good morning, my friends. I suppose "wrest" is an improper use of the word, but you know me. There's no sense in passing up a good opportunity for wordplay. Life is short. But I did take the day off from quilting yesterday. My wrist was bothering me just a little, and I knew quilting would make it worse. Instead, I took my cues from Smitty. He always gives me good advice.

We had grocery shopping to do. Before heading out, I stitched the day's Tiny Heart. This one has a back stitched border, and then it was filled in with fly stitches.

While I was stitching, I noticed Mt. Rainier was under a spotlight. It's kind of unusual to see Mt. Rainier lit up like this while Mt. St. Helens, to its right, is shrouded in fog. 

When we got home from our grocery shopping, I followed Smitty's lead and took a long nap. When I woke up, I went to work on the next section of the Joyful Journey block. The green leaves are stitched in fishbone stitch, which makes them time-consuming and tedious. I like how they look, and it is the perfect stitch. Nevertheless, I force myself to start with one length of floss and stitch them until I use the entire length. Then, and only then, am I allowed to move to one of the other colors.

If there are bees present, I stitch them first. (Bees are not aggressive, but you still don't want to piss them off.)

The only other sewing-related thing I did was to sandwich this little "Christmas Lights" quilt. This was a free pattern from Anni Downs at Hatched & Patched. 'Tisn't the season, but it still deserves to be finished, don't you think?

I'll probably quilt it just lightly, using this white metallic thread to give it some sparkle. Also, I have a perfect binding for it from my binding scraps.

So I'm planning to finish this today, if I can. But first, I want to quilt another side of the Dot-to-Dot panel. I'll have to see how my wrist is feeling by this afternoon, and then decide whether to risk it. Sewing: it's tricky business. 

That's about it from this end. I have some housework to do, and I want to get in a Bow-flex workout. As I'm writing those words, I'm thinking the Bow-flex isn't going to do my wrist any good. Maybe I'll stick with the treadmill for today. Certainly, quilting should take priority over exercise, wouldn't you agree? Okay, so off I go. I won all my word games this morning, and so it's going to be a good day. 

Speaking of word games, I learned a new word today: "Burgoo." The dictionary defines it as "A spicy stew made of poultry, game, other meats, and vegetables, usually cooked outdoors." How I've gotten through life without knowing about "burgoo" is a mystery to me. Now that I know it, I can think of my word life as complete. And now you know it too. You're welcome.