It’s a colourful world

So much for my plan to post more often. I guess it happens when it happens! Same with my sewing. I’d planned to spend Sunday night and Tuesday morning sewing, sewing, sewing! but instead I spent it fixing my sewing machine. I still don’t know what was wrong with it, but I spent about four hours trying to fix it. I thought I was going to have to take it in for repairs because the bobbin would either seize up or just refuse to engage with the needle. And I was so pleased with myself because just last week I’d taken the hook race out and cleaned it all. So I took the hook race out again, cleaned and put it back in. No deal. Changed the needle. Changed the bobbin. Rethreaded the needle – several times. Read the manual again. Rethreaded the bobbin – several times. Changed the needle plate. Changed the tension.

I don’t know if it was the source of the problem or just a coincidence, but as I was running the machine without the needle plate cover or bobbin, I noticed a bit of thread next to the hook race. I pulled out a lengthy piece, then noticed some more little bits and pieces. None of them really jammed it there, but I cleaned them out and started the machine again and it worked like its old beautiful self again. I can’t say for sure what the problem was, but we’re both happy again.

I was at another Pow Wow at the beginning of the month. It was smaller than the one at Hat Creek Ranch that I posted, but the costumes were just as fabulous. And Lytton is such a pretty little place, snuggled between the Coast mountain range at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser rivers. Every labour day they have a wonderful three-day festival they call River Fest and the Pow Wow is the highlight of the last day.

The costumes are very colourful, but there is an overall theme that follows the teachings of the Medicine Wheel. The Wheel has some variations among the different nations, but generally the colours are Yellow (Spring, East, Air, children, physical); Red (Summer, South, Earth, youth, mental), Black or Blue (Fall, West, Water, adult, emotion), and White (Winter, North, Fire, elders, spirit).

The shapes they use, for the most part, resemble natural elements - circles like rocks, sun, moon, animals, birds and flowers, and geometric designs used in weaving. Very similar to those fundamental designs used in all cultures, and I love seeing recognizable quilt motifs like stars and flying geese.

  And these gorgeous butterflies! I’ve never seen regalia adorned with butterflies before, but I saw at least two ladies wearing butterflies at this Pow Wow. And in such bright colours. I just love her shawl!

I didn’t have a garden this year. Actually, I haven’t had one in many years, but every year I hope that I’ll have time to put one in. Hasn’t happened yet. Maybe next year. I do manage to keep a weed patch that once upon a time was an herb garden. It’s been overgrown for several years. I’ve been working on the front yard for the past three years. It’s slow going, but I’m almost done, I think. The brick retaining wall is done and the upper section is levelled off and waiting for some ground cover. On one half I’ve planted a couple of small mugo pines and hope to put a little water fountain between them one of these days (years?) I planted a tray full of vegetable seedlings and another of herbs this Spring, expecting to have a place to plant them all. I finally let the vegetables all die. I managed to plant some of the basil and thyme seedlings before they all succumbed to neglect as well, and the only place I had to plant them was in the front yard, along with a pair of lavender bushes that I rescued from the backyard where they had escaped my garden and reseeded themselves in the grass. They’re all growing quite well, but as the nights get cooler I’m looking at them and thinking that I’d better harvest the basil before the first frost takes them out. 

A greenhouse would be really great, and a couple of cold frames as well. Next year.

Until next time,