The Thimble

Nothing fancy but holds precious memories for me.
It takes my breath away when I slip it on. ♡♥♡♥♡

As small as my thimble is I have kept it safe for about 60 years.  For the first 15 years of my life the thimble was tucked safely in my mom's sewing basket.  After supper Della (I love her name) would sit in her big over stuffed chair and reach for her basket of clothes to be mended or socks to be darned.  Mom also sewed beautiful dresses and coats for me during my early years and there was the thimble for the fine hand sewn work.  The thimble slipped on her finger and stayed there fitting just right.  My dad's work clothes were the main mending chore and by far the most difficult to do. He worked on the farm and oil leases on Horse Run Rd, he always wore  gray/green pants and shirts in the winter and khaki tan in the summer months.  Mom always starched and ironed them.  Some of you may remember the stiff wire frames for pants.  Mom would use those and hang them on the line, winter or summer clothes were hung out to dry.    The material was heavy so mending was always difficult to get a needle through the layers.  The little thimble made mending so much easier (seriously.....easier?)  and saved quite a few pokes in the end of a finger.

I have tried to wear the thimble when I am quilting but it never feels comfortable.  I think it was made for one very special lady's finger.  ♡♥♡♥♡  Can you imagine mending clothes or darning socks in today's world.  I still sew a button on or fix a seam but to sew patches on holes....no.  Darning socks is also a no.  Thinking of it almost makes me feel guilty and wasteful.  Almost

The pleasure I get remembering Della setting in her chair, legs crossed and humming a song fills my heart with such love.

I am trying something new this tomato season, freezing peeled whole tomatoes.  Of course I googled that and all reviews are a go for me.  With the last week of very hot temperatures I am looking for an alternative to canning.  Freezing them will give the temperature and humidity time to drop.  On the crisp fall days I can haul the tomatoes from the freezer to make canned spaghetti sauce and chipotle sauce.  That way the extra heat from the kitchen will be a pleasure.   I use to love hot days but know just give me cool sunny days with a warm sweatshirt or sweater.  We are talking of our fall woods walks already.  mmmm the woods smell so fresh and have a smell of what I call Hickory Nuts.

This has been quite a year for weather, garden, ticks and fleas.  The weather for winter and spring was on the downside but if that is what caused the absent of NO fleas or ticks this summer I'll take another year of it.  Our dogs have been free of fleas and ticks.  Even me the #1 tick magnet has been free of them!  Incredible how much one nasty little bug can make life miserable.  Once we are back in the woods that will be the real test.

What's for supper on a hot day?  All in the crock pot, meatloaf and fresh garden potatoes.  I will saute a few little zucchinis and patty pan squash.  Patty pans are our new favorite summer squash (took the place of yellow).

Patty Pan summer squash.

The Glads are in full bloom.

The easy fix and clean up supper!