My Life as a Piecemaker

Finally, a spare moment to sit down and write something!

I've been thinking about ranch wives or farm wives again, and in the last weeks, I've had plenty of opportunity to visit with some of my rural sisters at various cattlemen's social events. We've shared our frustrations and adventures and many of the myths that abound about us country ladies.

One of the first questions I'm often asked when someone finds out I live on a 30 000 acre ranch, is do I have a big garden. No, I don't, I say. A little garden, then? No, not even that, I answer.

With just two of us, there's really no need to plant 200 hills of potatoes or eight rows of beans. Yes, I'd love to have a pantry full of jewel-like jars of jam, fruit, relish, and tomatoes. I've known that feeling of satisfaction, of planting, watering, harvesting, then filling the shelves with the work of my hands and God's abundance, so that my family would have bellies filled with home-grown food in the snowy and blustery days to come.

Home Canning - Delicious Jewels. A joy to behold. 

As far as gardening goes, I do have a few containers of flowers that don't demand more than a little water, and they bloom their hearts out for me.

But beyond that, sorry, no gigantic vegetable garden. (And that being said, there ARE plenty of farm women who DO plant acres of peas and tomatoes. They have my wholehearted admiration.)

What do I do in my spare time and when I have a fragment of extra energy, when I'm not working in the barn or mowing or keeping The Cowboy happy? (And keeping him happy means baking a lot of cookies and pies, and just being happy myself.)

I read. I write. I quilt.

So, a little showing off...

A baby quilt for my sweet great-niece.

Table Runner - from fabric given to me by my sister, at least 10 years ago. I finally put something together.

My first queen size quilt, made with bits and pieces of purple and turquoise, nothing planned, but no two ponies alike.

This is called "flower pounding," or as dear Cousin Olav in Norway called it, "bonkeblomst."
I made each square with flowers and leaves from different families' gardens in Norway
and Sweden in 2002. I finally had time to put it together.
(Yet, still missing the words in the bottom square.)
This was one of my "souvenirs" from that trip. Better than ashtrays and spoons, I think.

Butterflies and Hearts quilt for Granddaughter T.

Rail Fence baby quilt for Granddaughter M.

Well, that's enough, I think. I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my quilts. And forgive me for not growing a huge garden.

Our lives are like quilts – bits and pieces, joy and sorrow,  

stitched with love.