Saturday, February 9, 2019

Fears are real!

Jasmine has some hair and an ear ring now.




One more New York Beauty block is on the design wall.





Do you ever feel like others don't understand your fears?  I do, and yet, sometimes I think other people's fears are ridiculous.  I guess that makes me no better than those that think my fears are crazy.  I used to work with a lady who was afraid of cotton balls.  People would sometimes put them in her desk drawer to get her going.  I would never do that because I respect others fears even if I think them to be silly.  I was very close to another lady who was terrified of cats.  I had never heard of that one either, but when we would go visit homes I always protected her from the vicious cats.  We served together in our church and made home visits to cheer people up.

WELL, I had to do my best to get through a couple of fears on the next 10 miles of our journey to Arizona.  These first 32 miles have been mostly in open range where cattlemen have their herds of cows out on the desert.  On our second hike there were two huge bulls right on the path that chose not to move.  I made my husband go way around, further than he wanted, to calm my fears of getting run over by a charging bull.  They stared us down the entire time.  It is just a vulnerable feeling to be out in the middle of no where without vehicles or structures or even a rock to climb on or fence to climb over for safety.  I am a pretty fast runner for my age, but remember, I had just walked several miles already.  I don't know if I could twist and spin like the rodeo cowboys do in an emergency.  My grandpa always said, "You don't have to be fast.  You just have to be faster than the other guys you are with." (ha ha).  I certainly wouldn't want my husband to get charged either.

The first 32 miles have been easily accessible from dirt roads.  We drive two vehicles, drop one at the end destination, and then drive back to our starting spot so we don't have to back track on our walk.  This has been a challenge because I have had to learn how to 4-wheel drive in snow up canyons that scared me.  I am literally terrified of slick canyon roads with steep drop offs.  I don't mind running off the road if it is flat, but those cliffs paralyze me if the road is snowy.  

I am proud to say that I survived both breath catching incidents unscathed.  I also want to add that I feel so protected with my husband there.  He is my strength!

Here are some photos of our journey for the "snow" section.  It is lucky we had to drive both vehicles to the end before circling the other back because they made tire tracks for us to walk in.





I am learning little things to help me along my path.  I have bad feet and have to walk in shoes with good arch support or use inserts.  I knew we would be in snow so I packed my snow boots in case I wanted to change out of my tennis shoes.  That was a great idea, although I didn't use them.  What I realized though was that it does no good to pack dry boots if you don't bring an extra pair of dry socks.  Luckily my feet stayed warm, but next time I will be packing dry socks.

Look how deep the snow was by my foot.






I added two more sections to our journey quilt.  The black and white color changes represent different days of walking.  We walked together (purple) for 5 miles and then hubby walked an additional mile while I brought the vehicle further.  That is why one square is half yellow and half purple.  I walked 5 miles (5 logs) and he walked one more (6th log).






Here is the entire row thus far.  We are planning our next adventure this coming weekend and hope to knock off 14 miles a day in two days on a rugged, rocky, mountain trail in snow or mud depending on the weather.  Hubby says that will be the end of walking for awhile as we will begin biking.





This is my late TO DO TUESDAY report:

Yes, I pretty much accomplished all my list last week.

I did make a list this week, but have not posted until now.  That explains why some are crossed off already.


  • 6 Jasmine sections (2 left to do)
  • 6 NYB rings (4 left to do)
  • 1 dog block
  • Journey to Arizona sections for Dec 23rd, Jan 5th, Jan 12, and Jan 20th
  • 2 Feathered Goose Corners
  • Applique' dog block bones and noses


  • Sew half of my memory quilt together
  • Prep some hand work for next week's walk (I can do it in the evenings.)


I am linking up today with:

Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

Finished or Not Friday

Moving it Forward Monday

Wednesday Wait Loss

Friday Foto Fun

Show off Saturday




6 comments:

  1. You have really been busy - both with quilts and your hiking/driving. I like your gold hst, you'll always remember what that is for. It was interesting to hear about the lady that was afraid of cotton balls. I have unexplainable fears too sometimes. Hard to decipher but very real.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm amazed by the accuracy of the Disney princess blocks... kudos to the designer because they are so realistic! I can understand your fears about bulls and falling off cliffs... these things can and do happen, although it is harder to appreciate fear of cotton balls. Sometimes it is the unexplainable fears that are the worst.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like you are really enjoying your walking and finding yourself. When we are on the motorbike and it's extremely cold or wet., I put my socks on then put them into plastic bags. Put my shoes on and my feet are kept warm and dry too. Your sewing has grown too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the walking/biking adventure you and you Guy are on. The quilt you are making from to along with it is going to be very dramatic. Happy stitching this week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah, I would not want to meet a bull out in the open either! Glad you got through.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love your memory quilt and hearing it's story. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

    ReplyDelete

Welcome all comments! We LOVE to hear that others are visiting and viewing our projects. It makes our day.