Autumn 2020…

I should have entitled this post “the year of Covid 19”.  What a year!  I can’t believe the last time I posted in this blog (that I really do care about) was February and snow was on the ground.  The days rolled into weeks and the weeks rolled into months.  Now, it is my favorite season once again.  We’ve been so cooped up and isolated it seems to be a way of life now.  Not one any of us enjoy but, obviously, safer this way.  Someday, when our descendants are looking for photographs of us in the year 2020, we will all be wearing masks!  Imagine the questions about that.

The time wasn’t entirely wasted.  I supported new quilt shop friends on Etsy and now have a delightful supply of quilt shop quality fabrics.  My granddaughter says my sewing area looks like a fabric store!  (She saw it on FaceTime.)  I made a couple of large lap quilts for the youngest two granddaughters which they loved and ordered fabrics for all the others.  I have a few quilts in progress.  I admit I’m not as fast at everything as I once was!

I’ve also worked a good bit on family history.  I love solving mysteries!

Doug and I traveled to Montana several weeks ago for a long overdue visit with my oldest and his family.  It was wonderful to have time with all of them!  We went to a beautiful lake in the mountains and I finally saw Big Sky!  I can’t ski but it’s beautiful.  My granddaughter Sarah graduated from high school in early June (although only parents could attend), but I did have fun helping to get her ready for college!  We ordered things and wore our masks to do some in person shopping.  Thankfully, there were very few cases of Corona virus there.  I can’t believe I now have THREE granddaughters in college!  Slow down, time!

Early July was rather sad since my daughter and her family moved to Kentucky.  After 22 years with a company here in Des Moines, my sweet son-in-love had an offer for a new position too good to turn down, and so they sold the farm.  They bought a large home on 5 acres which she is hard at work on making it look like them.  She’s an artist so it will be lovely I have no doubt!  Sadly though, when the leaves are off the trees, I can see their house and it makes me sad.  Doug and I will probably move to Kentucky, Tennessee or Chicago one of these days…when the time is right.  For now, he is enjoying our 1.25 acres and all the flowers.

I’m having a significant birthday on the first day of December.  I haven’t come to terms with the fact I’m that old yet, but I’m sure I will.  I’m looking forward to Heaven one of these days but hopefully not for many years to come.  So, I’ll just be thankful and rejoice I’m alive!  Even though I am old.

It’s rather late in life but I’ve discovered I really like makeup.  I’m an untrained artist (my daughter has a fine arts degree), so it’s fun what you can do with a little (well, okay, a lot) of concealer, primer, base, etc.)  I’m probably the oldest one they have but I have signed up to be an independent distributor with SeneGence International.  I will do it the easiest way possible which means I am setting up a website with them where you can order and have it delivered to you.  Things are still in the works now.  Their skin care and makeup products are wonderful!  I’ll be sharing more about it later but if you want to check it out my SeneGence website is:  https://senesite.senegence.com/DianneAllenRieck

I hope this post finds each of you well and happy!  May the Lord bless you and keep you!