"Winter" = mystery quilt time

A beautiful cardinal just landed on the bird feeder by our dining room window, but it took off before I could take a photo.  We woke up to snow yesterday and more fell overnight.  With winter officially here, we filled the bird feeders and hoped the bears are heading for hibernation.   I did see a cat roaming around under the feeder yesterday, but it will probably be foiled soon as the snow gets deeper.  We love to watch the birds who seem to have lunch at the same time we do.

I didn't sew much yesterday, but I did think a lot about joining Bonnie Hunter's 2020 mystery,  Grassy Creek.  Bonnie is one of the busiest quilters on the planet and always designs a complex quilt with weekly clues beginning on Black Friday.  Some years I join in and some I don't, but it is an intense experience when I do.  She'll have participants making thousands of tiny blocks that somehow fit together amazingly.  She encourages scrappy looks and shopping one's stash which I will try to do.  

This year's mystery calls for 5 yards of gray fabric (solids and prints), which I don't have.  So of course, I ordered a bundle.   I am not planning to go with all of Bonnie's colors; instead I'll use some combination of bright/dark green, red-purple, blue (light? bright?), and pink (or maybe aqua).  Today I'll rummage around in my stash to see what I have on hand.  I do have plenty of muslin, which I'll use for the neutrals.  I need to go to A Quilter's Garden on Thursday to deliver a quilt top to Marie for long arming, so I'll see what I can find in the other colors to fill in then.  I'll have to find something to keep all the fabric in and set aside some baggies for the components, too.  All in due time.

Yesterday I baked a loaf of bread, edited a story Paul wrote, worked on a crossword puzzle, took a walk, and finished a cozy mystery et in Australia - Miss Spelled, by Morgana Best.  I'd call it a "throw away," since it is quickly forgotten.  It is the first in a series, but I probably won't be reading more.  What I am reading now is the second in a series about a young writer who has a lot on his plate - a girlfriend trying to pass the bar exam, an autistic brother, and a libel lawsuit against him.  The Shadows We Hide, by Aaron Eskens, has very human, likeable characters facing difficult situations.  The first book, The Life We Bury, was set in winter in Minnesota and very relatable to anyone who lives in a cold climate.

I keep saying I'm not going to watch the election results tonight, but even though it's tension-producing, I probably will.  I am so hoping for a return to sanity after three-plus years of nastiness.  Fingers crossed all the way.