Another Good-Bye....

Teacup Dainty DillyDally

March 15, 1993 - September 26, 2011

The DillyDally family is saddened by the loss of our sweet kitty, Teacup.  She passed away peacefully in the early morning hours on Monday.

Her devotion to her family was legendary ...

... especially to the DillyDally children.  She gave them comfort and loved them unconditionally.  When it came to the DillyDally parents, she took an affectionate but supervisory position.  ;-)

Even Mr. DillyDally was not exempt from her scrutiny.  Teacup understood the importance of dillydallying.

Unlike most of her species, she developed excellent knitting manners.  She enjoyed sitting on my lap while I was knitting.  However...  

...her true dillydally passion was quilting.  She especially loved it when I was working on a scrap quilt ... as they require me to make a bigger mess.  Here she was relaxing on a pile of 2.5 inch strips!

All quilts had to meet her approval ... yep, she was a Bonnie Hunter fan! ;-)

She was also a huge Terry Atkinson fan ... obviously! ;-)

She even attended quilt guild meetings on occasion!  

Our hearts are so heavy ... we miss her presence ... the house feels empty.  We keep expecting her to be underfoot or in the middle of what we're doing.  She held such a special place in our lives and in our hearts ... we loved her deeply ... and miss her severely.  We will treasure the many years of memories ... she lived a full and valuable life.  

Love your pets ... do dillydally with them...

Dillydally Dreams Do Come True!

Guess who is hanging out with us here in our remote corner of the planet?

Yep...Quilt Rock Star Bonnie Hunter!  Believe it or not, we were on the same flight to Cordova!  No ... I can't explain how that happened ... it felt like the heavens were in charge!  She arrived to heavy rain and high winds ... yep, it was some serious weather!  I was impressed ... it was a rough flight ... she didn't even flinch ... in fact she pieced hexagons the entire flight!  We arrived here in Cordova about 8:00 pm ... that is midnight east coast time ... she had had a very long day of traveling!

Remember what I said about the heavens being in charge?  Well, even though the weather experts said differently ... this was the view from my front deck the next morning!

We know how to feed a Quilt Rock Star ... Alaska style!  Yep ... your looking at King Crab Legs, fresh salad, halibut, fresh dinner rolls, clam chowder, kippered salmon cheesecake and for dessert we had cheesecake topped with our wild blueberries!

All that food can make a quilter thirsty...we took care of that as well!  ;-)

Here is Bonnie with the guild committee that has worked hard over the past two years to bring her here!  I am so fortunate to call these amazing women my friends!  We had a wonderful evening filled with laughter, fun and "quilt talk"!  Be sure to follow Bonnie's version of her experience here on her blog!

As we ate, chatted, and giggled our way through the evening, the heavens crowned the day by giving us this sunset!  What a wonderful way to end Bonnie's first day in our remote corner of the planet!

Do dillydally!
Do dream!
Dillydally dreams do come true!

Saying Goodbye to My Father-In-Law

My father-in-law passed away unexpectedly ten days ago.  We all feel saddened and confused by this sudden change in our lives.

Although he spent most of his life working in an office ... in downtown Chicago ... in a skyscraper ... his heart remained on the prairie of his childhood home in rural South Dakota.

He loved everything about the prairie ... the agriculture ... the animals ... the seasons ... the people ... the expansive sky ... all of it!  On the prairie, Mother Nature is in complete control ... she alone determines the pace by which people live and shapes who they become.

He loved children ... the five he fathered ... and the ten who call him Grandpa.  He treasured their individual personalities and cheered their many "antics"!  He was often the biggest kid amongst them! 

We have spent this week ... in South Dakota ... remembering ... and loving one another.  

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

 "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

DillyDally Bits & Pieces

Honestly...the only exciting thing happening in my remote corner of the planet is an early coastal storm!  Yep...we've had 60-75 mile an hour winds and over 15 inches of rain over the past 7 days!  It is a good thing that I have a job that forces me to get out of bed every morning, shower, dress and leave the house! ;-)  When these storms come ... the urge is to stay in bed all day! ;-)  Up here...we don't name our hurricanes...but that doesn't stop them from coming! ;-)

Am now able to unveil one of the 007 projects I was working on in July!  I gave it to a friend for her birthday.  It is a Bare Roots pattern from their book "Down to Earth".  I love their designs ... and replaced Love what you do with "Do dillydally".   ;-)

I was finally able to finish the candy corn border on my Crazy Jacks!  Gosh...I love these bad boys... just  enough of a challenge to keep me focused, but a ton of fun to make!  Now I'm trying to decide if I should quilt it myself or not ... will keep you posted!

Mr. DillyDally left about 10 days ago to be with family in South Dakota.  During the storm, this lone eagle was perched on the mud flats in front of the house.  He looked as lonely as I felt that day ... a kindred spirit.   ;-)

Yesterday, Mother Nature showed us a bit of mercy ... ;-) ... and all is now well in my remote corner of the planet!

Wishing you well ... do what you love ... do dillydally!