jo burgess hannon

fit for today, fit for life

Have you tucked your dreams away?

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Corduroy bellbottoms made by my mom, 1972 (Matching gold vest next to my flowered coat)
Corduroy bellbottoms made by my mom, 1972

 

When I was young my mom made most all of my clothes. If not, they usually came from the Goodwill. From about age 7, I begged her to teach me how to sew. I really wanted to learn how to run that sewing machine. She was so good at it, yet she always said she wasn’t; that it was her mom that was the real seamstress.

 

Grandma's patterns
Grandma’s patterns

 

Brothers Bill, Tim, Keith, my Mom. Shirts made by her mom.
Brothers Bill, Tim, Keith, my Mom. Shirts made by her mom.

 

So, yep, I can sew. Nope, I don’t make any of my own clothes. I used to, before fabric became more expensive than ready-made. Now I only dust off my sewing machine (a high school graduation gift) to hem a pair of pants or make a quick alteration. The last large sewing project was making a slipcover for a chair. Before that, I made matching clothes for my daughter and her dolls.

 

Halloween 2000
Halloween 2000

 

I’ve always loved the hand sewing part of finishing a project. For a while I wanted to be a quilter. I was inspired by some amazing quilts made by my Aunt Marni. I bought a few basic supplies like a cutting wheel and quilting square, but never did make a quilt. Now, years later, as I am donating those items, I realize I was fantasizing about being an awesome quilt maker. I really never wanted to go to all the work required to make that quilt happen, I just wanted the beautiful quilt.

So how about you? Do have a fantasy of who you want to be; yet reality is you haven’t put in the work? Are you ok with letting it go?

No quilt guilt for me.

Is it all perspective?

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December is Seattle’s rainiest month. Half the time, the city receives 5 to 8 inches of precipitation for the month.

daffodils blooming in February, in the rain.
daffodils blooming in February, in the rain.

 

Yes, the Daffs look a little soggy.  It’s raining here.  I meant to snap a photo yesterday when it was dry.  I heard a news clip saying something about lots of rain and records being broke.  I tried to look it up this morning because I just wasn’t feeling the crush of a low, hanging gray sky like I have in the past.  Spoiler alert, if rain depresses you, don’t look up Seattle averages.  For 2015 we were 7 inches about the average and most of those extra inches of rain accumulated in December.

Here’s the thing; I have lived here my whole life.  I feel like I have seen more Seattle blue sky in the last 12 months than I ever have in any 1 year period.  I think it is true, but when I look at the weather stats, I question myself.  Maybe it is just the way the rain has fallen.  Somedays I am running into the Y, hood up, trying to quickly escape the pelting drops.  That same afternoon, I drive along in glorious sunshine, with blue skies mixed in with the fluffy white clouds, trying to remember the morning rain as my wipers squeak across the dry windshield. Has the weather pattern changed where we get more rain all at once, instead of that never ending drizzle that seems to go on for days?

I’m not sure. And then I look out my window and see the daffodils blooming.  They make me smile. Maybe in the past I have been so grumpy about the rain I never really appreciated the patches of blue sky we do get. I am trying to adopt a motto of one of my Y friends, ‘don’t squander a sunny day’.  However, most days my to-do list is long and I don’t have a whole day to take off and be outside.  So instead I am trying to appreciate a sunny moment, feel the sun on my face, the bright in my eyes. And, try not to notice my windows are dirty.

Do you have any hosting secrets?

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And wow, Gaga's rendition of the National Athem took my breath away. Photo by MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock (5583307d) Lady Gaga Denver Broncos v Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl 50, American Football, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, America - 07 Feb 2016 Laday Gaga sings the National Anthem
And wow, Gaga’s rendition of the National Athem took my breath away. (Photo by MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock (5583307d))

 

Super Bowl this year just didn’t hold the same interest for me. With the Seahawks out of the running our gathering became more about the party than the bowl game. As usual I served a half time meal and let everyone know we were having pulled pork sliders, coleslaw and salad. We got a little help from Costco with the pork. I could have gotten out R2D2, our smoker and smoked our own, but why?

Well, here’s the why. I bought the thing, the smoker, after attending a fabulous smoked meats party where the host had 3 smokers going with ribs, chicken and sausage. Bob made it look so easy and even told me where and which one to buy. That next weekend Honey and I headed to our local butcher and bought ribs and sausage, the good stuff. We spent the afternoon with it all piled in the smoker, even threw in a hunk of cheese, and let it smoke away. Well the cheese melted; of course it did, and caught on fire. Apparently you’re supposed to use cheesecloth. The sausage was so burned it just had a black outside casing and nothing left in the middle. Mr. Smoker said too hot for too long. Oops. The ribs were a disaster too. It’s kind starting to the sound like the fish stew isn’t it? (Read about that kitchen fail here.) Only there was nothing to salvage.

That’s why getting a little help from our local warehouse store sounded way easier than trying another round with R2D2. And, I am all about the simple when it comes to being a hostess. I can make coleslaw and Honey happily agreed to mix up a couple of vinegar based sauces. My girlfriend offered to bring the green salad. For anyone that asked, I told, ‘bring something to share.‘ I probably should have started an email chain so everyone could chime in with what they were bringing.

We ended up with 8 bags of tortilla chips for 15 people. Good thing honey likes chips and salsa because we have leftovers. The veggie tray we assembled mostly went untouched. And that pork, it smelled so good warming up on the stove as everyone arrived. A few asked if I cooked it ahead of time in a slow cooker. (What’s with that anyway? We always call them crockpots.) I confessed immediately I was strictly the warmer, not the pit master: me and my favorite Le Cresuet pot. And, it made great fried rice the next day. I will share the recipe in another post.

Here’s the lesson. Make it simple and they will come. Or, maybe you will just be willing to host.

Sometimes, enough is enough

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ladder single

What if the high water mark is just that, the high? And the rest is more about the marks left over time. The ocean isn’t any less significant because it only once reached over the sea wall. Your actions are not any less significant when you did your best when tired, sick or just plain sick and tired. Or maybe you were feeling weary, worn out, bored, indifferent or sad and lonely. Being on our best behavior means something different every time we step out.

Because sometimes just good enough is really just that; good enough. I know I mentioned this in the last post. However, it is worth repeating. Small actions over time can add up to something significant. It may not be the top of our game, but we can move forward with what we have to offer today.

Here’s what Winston Churchill had to say on the matter.  Oops, I might be dating myself.  Some of you might not even know of Churchill.  He was the Prime Minister of the UK in the 40’s and again in the 50’s. He said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

He also said, “never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up.”

 

 

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