Viola...it is Sunday and bitter cold...

I have spent the entire day inside the house with only my furry friends for visitors. I worked in my studio upstairs and delighted myself as I sat in the sunshine watching a couple of yearling does enjoy my ivy under a deep blanket of snow. Their coats were fluffy and looked so touchable...I do realize this is impossible but with their deep brown trusting eyes they almost appear to be tame livestock. I know the deer are becoming a true problem in our area but with the development moving into their habitat the wild animals have no choice but to coexist in the suburbs and way too near our highways. I live in a wooded circle so as long as they remain in this land area they are usually safe. But with the over population we see more herds right off the main roads. I still appreciate their quiet wildness and incredible natural beauty. I will have a big garden in my next life.
The temperatures are below zero and waterlines are bursting in the older parts of the cities. Closing and delays are beginning to come in on the news broadcast and we now have 14 inches more snow this year than we had last January. The bus stops could be very dangerous for my girls tomorrow so I am praying my daughter will drop them off on her way to work. It looks like a hot chocolate week ahead of us.
I have gotten quite a bit of work done today on my quilt and my hands are actually sore from continued use in making my spiral chain stitches on my wandjini ... a mysterious Aboriginal spirit that is on my Kath Walker quilt. I am also drawing in the features on the Aboriginal woman's face and she appears to be coming into a visual life for others to come closer to see the wisdom in the lines on her face. I sorted through mother of pearl beads and embellishments for the last steps of this narrative quilt. I am anxious to see the conclusion of this process and have some professional photographs taken so I will be able to document this fiber work. I am hoping to enter the Best of Ohio 2010 for Ohio's Designer Craftsmen annual exhibit. My Kookaburra quilt will arrive home next week from a year of exhibition but as you know a juried exhibit is out of your hands once you submit your images to the juror. I do not know who is the juror this year but my only advice is to do your very best work and go with the flow. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart