Quilting Retreats and Cabbages

I did a podcast interview yesterday morning with a woman who runs a quilting retreat center in Florala, Alabama. We had a lovely conversation and part of me wishes I were close enough to that part of the country to spend a few days there. I told her that the husband has observed that men don’t do things like “go on retreat” for their hobbies, and she noted that women often have to physically remove themselves to a different environment in order to get away from all of the stuff that occupies their brains. I understand this. I have to take a road trip at least once every six weeks or so or I start to get twitchy.

I did the post-production editing right after we finished, and that interview will be next week’s episode.

After lunch, I made spiced red cabbage. The two largest heads of cabbage filled exactly seven quart jars:

This will be great with roast pork this winter.

I also made a couple of pumpkin pies for the husband and used up the last of what I canned in 2023. Canning pumpkin (or Georgia Candy Roaster) is on the list for later this month.

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One of my previous podcast guests, Robert Alex Jackson of H Clothing Company, is participating in a unique event called the Farm-to-Fashion Fair, to be held in Golden, Colorado later this month.

This event is being hosted by the Mountains and Plains Fibershed. The book Fibershed, by Rebecca Burgess, is all about the concept of a sustainable textile system. Fibershed is a non-profit organization with affiliate groups around the world. Montana also has a Fibershed chapter and I am hoping to get one of the board members on the podcast soon. We’ve been trying to coordinate our schedules for several months now but summer is a busy time for fiber producers.

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I will be at the Mennonite Country Auction this Saturday in Ritzville, WA. I am going to help sell bacon, ham, and sausage produced by Stampede Packing here in Kalispell. The owners belong to our church. Margaret, Elaine, and I have gone with them to the sale in the past. This one-day event raises about $100,000 for Mennonite Central Committee relief efforts around the world. Unfortunately, I am hearing that fewer and fewer people are stepping up to help organize and run the sale. (Sound familiar?) I’ve donated quilts to the sale in the past, although I don’t have any to donate this year. I do have some items to donate to the yard sale, though. (Thank you, JC!) The weather is supposed to be gorgeous and I am looking forward to the drive over.