While there, we sisters took a day to visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary, which is near Keenesburg, some miles north of Denver. Most of the animals there include lions and tigers and bears (take the tune from Dorothy, oh my). Most of these animals have been rescued from rogue wild animals shows, traveling troops of entertainers, backyard cages, basement caverns and the like.
At the sanctuary they are first housed separately from other animals until they become more acclimated to their new digs, and then placed into groups like those in the wild. The sanctuary is hundreds of acres in size, and the human viewing is from an elevated pathway (such as the L line in Chicago). The day we were there was a lovely fall day, so most of the animals were taking their leisure in the warm sunshine. One lion was bragging about himself, and several bears were out and about on their personal bearly business.
There is a movement afoot to prevent the sanctuary to... well essentially to not be a sanctuary. I know of no other place in America that does the work these folks do. If such do exist, they work very quietly, as does this one. For more information, visit HomelessBear.org or email information@wildlife-sanctuary.org.
—aft—
Last weekend, I was invited to join members of the Delicate Stitchers, Moab’s very talented quilting group, at a retreat at Pack Creek Ranch. I took along my current knitting project, which must be done, blocked and sent off to the recipient for Christmas. I’ll say no more about that since the recipient may read this newspaper.
These ladies make the most beautiful quilts imaginable. At this retreat, some were working on personal projects and others were working on what turned out to be surprise results in the quilt tops. Quilters, I find, have their own language, such as fat quarters, and I can’t remember any of the other terms at the moment,
My notion of quilters had always been in the memory of Sam’s mother, my grandmother and various aunts who took old clothing and remade the usable bits into quilt tops. I had scoffed at this new generation. It seemed silly to me to buy new fabric, then cut it all up into little pieces and sew it all back together again. But quilting today has little in common with my old notion, In fact, my notion is hopelessly outdated.
I stand in awe of what these modern quilters do. In fact, by and large, they don’t quilt by hand anymore. There are new quilting machines for that boring work.
In my possession is a partially-made quilt top that Sam’s mother did probably 40 years ago. I recognize parts of it as from clothing she wore. She must have been among the last of the old-guard quilters, This piece is made from the now obsolete double-knits of the 1970s, From my old stash of fabric I have saved a piece that will make the quilt back, and one of these days soon, I’ll pull this project out and get it finished. But first, the Christmas sewing.