working hard on the quilt these days, and it's caused a certain overload on the hobbies, as i can't keep up with the music and writing, even with 20 or 30 minutes a day quilting. the quilt is wonderful, calms nerves, is physical, good for my hands, etc., but just takes a lot of time. and when my nerves are shot there is nothing like the quilt, even the banjo. it's wonderful. pictures or coming. the new one is for baby bay. or rather, maybe her kids.

got a job, finally, after a rattling week of trying to land something, anything, better than wildcat subbing. i am now a permanent sub in a single position, that of educational aide at a junior high, where one must help those who need assistance, in keeping up with their junior high responsibilities. the actual content matter is easier at the junior high than at the high school, and the kids aren't yet as jaded as we could expect them to be in high school - therefore there is a pretty good chance of actually helping them out. i am new at such things as the logistics of it, though. they are in class, and i'm watching - how is that helping them out? i'm not sure.

so this quilt was, to some degree, sprung up by the difficulty of finding a job. i was working on the high school, but the high school was a bit disorganized, and some people didn't even know positions were available. in any case i didn't get one. so i took this other one and, in the process, made lots of progress on the quilt. lots of stress, lots of sewing on the quilt, upon my return up on the hill.

cloudcroft itself is steadily twenty degrees cooler than everything else. in a summer where it's routinely over 95 in the valley, and i've become averse to that kind of temperature, it's like all i want to do is go back home. and i love it up here. the cool air comes from all directions. there are animals all over the place. the tourists arrive on friday night and leave on sunday night. people passing through all take some breaths of mountain air and then head back down into one valley or the other, like i used to do. they are jealous of those of us who live up here though many admit they couldn't take the snow. we who live here smile when it rains or when a cloud comes and parks itself on the mountain, leaving everything foggy and making it hard on the campers. it doesn't stop us from doing anything though. we have barely enough time to go to the barbecue place, since that place requires an hour or two wait to get a good barbecue lunch.

the quilt is mostly red and black, with lots of gray, and some green, mixed in. it's coming together. pictures coming.