I noticed this birdhouse in my neighbors’ crabapple tree last fall and thought, “How beautiful a mood it sets as it sits almost hidden in the limbs and leaves.” I wasn’t carrying a camera and didn’t go back that day, or all winter long even though I didn’t forget the beautiful little home where each spring birds build a nest and raise a family.

I’ve been in a nest building mood lately especially as we have been given the go-ahead to start our part of our condo rebuild after Hurricane Ian caused a storm serge that flooded our ground floor condo. The past seven months have been frustrating as our HOA board contracted with a company to clean out the furniture, muck out, remove all building materials that had been touched by flood waters, deep clean and dry the interior to stop mold from forming and migrating to the upper units. Then our HOA board contracted with another company to replace wiring and drywall. We have found that rebuilding happens so very slowly in a disaster area and there wasn’t anything I could do to help it move except hire a plumber to replace all pipes while the studs were exposed. I am now working with our contractor making decisions about painting, kitchen cabinets, bathroom showers & vanities, etc. And I’m eagerly looking forward to going down in a month to start our move-in and to creating our “nest” in Florida for when we do winter migrations. I’m in the mood for nest building.

Even though I have groused a bit, our winter in Michigan wasn’t really spent in a foul mood. I have had the joy and privilege to make quilts for a project that a church group that I belong to in Florida. This group made the commitment to give a throw quilt to every family that moves into the new housing being built for the farm workers who live and work in Immokalee. Living conditions have been deplorable for farm workers in this community and the Fair Housing Alliance is building 124 new units for families. I have smiled all winter as I’ve been thinking of the joy and comfort my quilts will bring as people move into their new “nests.”

My goal was to sew into each quilt a mood of caring and comfort and love. As I was working on them during the cold winter months I sure enjoyed being in the giving “mood.” I will take them down in June but have some other quilt tops started so maybe I will have a couple more finished when we go down in October.

My inspiration for this post is Sophia’s Lens-Artist Challenge: Mood. Thanks Sophia.