With the weather turning decidedly toward winter, this past week was a good one for hunkering down and doing things inside. I got my fall decor put away, and all the Christmas decor is now up. I have my Santa collection displayed on the Victorian corner shelf next to the tree. The tree has been trimmed to the max, and I still have ornaments in the storage chest that won’t really fit on it – unless I hang them on the backside against the wall which doesn’t make a lot of sense. I was surprised one morning this past week when I looked out the window as dawn was breaking over the east mountain to see snow. It wasn’t a lot, not much more than a dusting of the grass, but it was lovely, pristine white in the early morning light.

A closer look at the sunrise shows the gorgeous red and yellow colors on the clouds.

But winter’s arrival means many people still displaced from their homes due to Hurricane Helene need help. I have said that I will continue to collect and distribute quilts to those in need for at least another year. This past week, my address was listed with the Florida Quilt Network newsletter, and I am hoping that more will arrive in time for me to make a delivery in mid-December. Right now, with just the three distribution outlets I am currently serving, I could deliver more than 100 quilts, and still not fully meet the need. Plus I have two more shelters that would also be very appreciative of warm coverings for their shelter beds. The greatest need is for twin size, but any size that can cover an adult or child to keep them warm overnight are useful. If you have a guild looking for an outlet, let me know. My shipping addresses for both postal mail and Fedex/UPS are on my contact page. I have six coming from Debby O and two more hopefully arriving tomorrow from Julie C. My plan is to deliver those before Christmas.

We are 10 weeks out from the storm, and considering the extent of the damage, an amazing amount of progress has been made in many areas. However, in some places, there is a long way yet to go. FEMA is still here with disaster recovery centers helping those who need it to apply for assistance. Thousands of families in western NC are still without housing, living in tents or hotels. The mobile help distribution sites set up in shopping center parking lots like World Kitchen, Operation BBQ Relief, and Tide’s Loads of Hope are still serving Swannanoa and Chimney Rock as the need continues. Most of the roads are open and cleared of debris, but about 100 bridges and smaller rural roads are washed out in the three county area around us according to the NCDOT. Interstate Hwy 26 has one lane open in each direction at the Tennessee border and will be so for months as they replace a bridge. Interstate 40 will not open until at least January, and then it will be a bottleneck with only one lane in each direction. Large sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway remain closed due to road damage. In town, there is still a huge amount of debris piled up on the sides of the roads waiting for removal.

Most of Asheville, Hendersonville, and towns around them are now open for business, but many restaurants and businesses that were flooded are still rebuilding their buildings and doing mold remediation before they can open again. Just yesterday, there were more announcements of businesses too damaged to reopen that are closing permanently. In Eastern Henderson county, Bat Cave, Gerton, and Chimney Rock are still inaccessible. Lake Lure is open, and the restaurants are hoping for tourists to come. It is accessible from the south from Hwy 74 going north on Hwy 180 or Hwy 9. Asheville’s water system is back online and the boil advisory was lifted. Power has been restored to everyone with the exception of some very remote areas around Bat Cave and Chimney Rock. The town of Chimney Rock hopes to be open again in March. The Tryon International Equestrian Center still has Chimney Rock merchants in their center until December 31. Take Hwy 74 to exit 170 Pea Ridge Road and follow the signs.

On Wednesday, our guild held its annual holiday party, such a fun kickoff to the holiday season! The Area C gals were in charge this year, and they really outdid themselves. A full buffet of yummy food prepared by the members included sweet and savory dishes to nibble on. On the tables, we found these at our places. The retreat size spray bottle has Best Press in it, tied with a ribbon. Then, the napkin had a lovely lace topped handmade napkin ring.

When we removed the ‘napkin ring’ we found it was actually a needle case! The elastic closure went around the napkin and buttoned onto the case. The napkins were all embroidered, and there was a different one at each place on the table. The little box was handmade from cardboard and wrapping paper, and contained a tape measure. Every one of the sets was color coordinated! An amazing amount of work and effort went into this.

Thursday was Virtual Retreat Holiday Edition, and we had such a good time. Quilters from five states were all online together. We chatted all day, with only a few times where everyone was head down and sewing. We had a lively discussion of books and Christmas movies, cookies and plans for the holidays. Everyone got a free pattern, and two ladies won door prizes. We’ll do another Virtual Retreat in January. I was amazingly productive, finishing the top for the Quilt of Valor. I’ll show you that in detail next week.

At one point, I looked out the window and saw at least 3 dozen robins in the front yard. This is December, not Spring! But perhaps they were headed south. There are seven of them in this photo, but hard to see as the camera really wanted to focus on the window screen.

Our MINI car club’s holiday party and Silent Auction was last night, and I’ll bring you more on that this week. It was a fun time.

Are you starting into the swing of holiday events?

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