As I write this, I can hear the far off sound of a lawn mower and I'm thinking what a wonderful summer sound that is. Our closest neighbour, the one who shares our acreage, is fanatical about his lawn care. And it's not just what can be seen from the street that is always immaculate, but the back areas as well. He sometimes mows our front edging too and we feel badly about that like we are letting him down. However, we share the end of a cul-de- sac so very, very few people see these areas. Mainly the school bus drivers and the bin collectors, and the odd person turning around. It's so rare for someone to be there that the neighbour phoned us once to say a black SUV was parked out there and they wondered if something was up. By the time I walked out our long laneway to the road, they had gone. But it's good to have neighbours keeping an eye out and also keeping their property up too.
It has been very hot with heat wave warnings most of July so far, one night it cooled down to only 28C. It is definitely a good summer to have the A/C fixed. There have been showers though so everything in the garden is looking lush. We had another of those horrific summer storms that come on quickly late afternoon. In just a few minutes it went from sun to darkness needing to turn on the lights. There was crashing thunder and lightening and tremendously heavy rain which our old metal roof amplifies. A little scary while it was happening-they always make me nervous- but after 20 minutes or so, it was all over; the sun came out again. That one broke a record for how much rain fell in such a short span of time.
The Hydrangeas are so beautiful again this year. Our front walkway this morning...
Dinner plate sized mop heads...
Though they are out of place and some might say ugly, I deliberately keep the Bull Thistles that sprout up in my front flower beds. This year there are three of them. And the American Goldfinches are why. This is a female.
They are pretty much the last of the birds to nest and wait till the thistles are starting to go to seed. They eat the seeds and line their nests with thistle down which is very soft. And this is another female collecting the down.
The hearts at the base of the flowers are edible and I've read foragers say they taste like artichokes.
Male American Goldfinch on a Purple Globe Thistle bud which are just now starting to bloom.
The American Goldfinch is the state bird of New Jersey and what a gorgeous bird it is.
I've been cross stitching- a lot. Stitching scrolly letters is fun and easy. BTW, there is no J in this large alphabet. Many early samplers did not include a J or U as they were not in the Latin alphabet. ( My father had to learn Latin in high school and regretted our dropping it in Newfoundland as he always said it was the key to all languages...just his opinion I think.) This is a useful feature for identifying the age of some of those found samplers. The pattern doesn't point out this fact. At first I'd thought the I and J were designed to be stitched together as it is a very fancy I. Stitching one over two still and enjoying it.
But after three nights of stitching, I had to give my eyes a rest. So I switched to hand stitching propellers, the sewing of which does not put a strain on my eyes and I love how this is using up larger scraps.
Tony's hearing aids are on the blink and he has to go to the office for adjustments. I have a few negative thoughts about these hearing aid places. The price of hearing aids these days has become absolutely astronomical here in Ottawa. How are folks able to afford these necessary things!
If we'd started learning when I wrote this to him, we would be fluent now!
Oh I keep forgetting to talk about the new bread machine. It worked beautifully and had a very simple, easy start up. I decided to make Egg Bread for a little more protein for Tony. It made a dense loaf reminding me of the bread Mom used to make so unlike store bought bread. Below just the "heel" that is left. Here is the link to the Kitchenarm site. (Btw, I am not affiliated with anything I share here on my blog.)
I will be making more, of course, and this machine can also make baking powder breads which is a great feature- one I didn't know when I bought it. It can handle oranges, other fruits and veg too. Going to give that a try soon.
We have another appointment at a local hospital for himself to get a CT scan of his brain. About time, I told him, LOL. That should be interesting.
Hope these summer or winter days are going well for you. Take Care.
Well we celebrated Tony's 86th birthday in fine style. It was a hot, sunny day and the family took us to a restaurant in a nearby town. We had a feast of surf and turf, oysters, tuna tartar, shrimp and a bread choice I really liked. It was sourdough bread with whipped feta cheese and honey, a concoction I could make at home. It was all delicious.
And Beth made him a wonderful Black Forest Cake so the feasting will continue.
I planted these tiny little flowers for ground cover in a shady spot in the back garden, an area that doesn't get walked on. After a couple of seasons of little growth, they are finally making a much better show of themselves which pleases me no end.
This was a sentimental choice for me as Forget-Me-Nots were Mom's favourite flower. Also Newfoundland has a special connection to this little flower that grows wild there. It is worn on July 1 which is Memorial Day in Newfoundland, a day to formally remember the tragic losses at Gallipolli during the first world war whereby the Newfoundland regiment was virtually wiped out. Folks gather at the Cenotaph where the tomb of the unknown soldier from that war is interred. I took photos of it last year when visiting.
There are two Tombs of the Unknown Soldier memorials in Canada, one is the National Tomb in Ottawa and the other is in St. John's Newfoundland. Because we were still a dominion of Great Britain at the time of the Second World War, our soldiers signed up with British forces. That included my grandfather, Mom's father. He was a seaman and the ship he was on, the Europa, got torpedoed. He survived this and was taken to a hospital in England which then got bombed during the Blitz in 1941 and my grandfather was gone. My grandmother had first gotten a telegram saying he was injured but would be coming home so there was much jubilance in the house, then got the awful second telegram with the news of his death. My grandmother, to honour him, never remarried and got his British war pension all the rest of her life and she lived to almost 89 years. ( If she'd remarried, she would have lost it...for a number of decades, they would send a fellow out from England to check the status of these Newfoundland war widows.) So Mom grew up without a Dad and, while always very sentimental about many things, especially so about anything related to the war. Her wedding ring had a circle of engraved Forget-Me-Nots on it.
I've been trying to remember to swap out my small tabletoppers and mug mats. I have them tucked away in various drawers and it seems with me more and more, out of sight is out of mind. Here is one featuring the Disappearing Pinwheel With Arrow block, a pattern new to me.. A little wonky on the sides but not as wonky as it shows here. This was a rare thrift store find...I always look but have found real quilts only a couple of times which I hope means folks are enjoying and keeping them.
The fabric up close is so pretty. Anyone recognize it?
LeeAnna's Not Afraid of Color prompt this week was do we shop at thrift stores, flea markets, etc. Well I guess we all know by now my answer!
Becky at Patchwork Posse has a good video showing how to sew this easy block.
I'm making good progress with machine stitching more of the blue strings blocks. I need five more to complete the forty I need for a yet to be determined design.
The heat wave is continuing here. Very hot with high humidity making it feel like 40C or more at times during the day.
But, my how the garden flowers are just loving it. All the beds are looking lush and this may be why those Forget-Me-Nots bloomed so well. Here the Hydrangeas are overflowing and blocking the shed door in the back yard.
Just a glorious mess!!
Hate to cut them so I'm trying to figure out how to tie them back. Suggestions? This has never happened before.
Okay rambled on so long I've had to divide this post into two. So more to come soon. Hope I've not bored you to tears! And hope your week has gone well with more to look forward to. Take Care All!
The garden and outside in general does call to me these summer days which answers LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color question of hammock or digging when it comes to gardens. I get up close with my flowers as I do a little weeding almost every day. There are many beds here and there is usually a point each summer where they "get away from me". I'll start out with them very trimmed but mid way, the growth takes over, especially in the heat, and I will admit it all becomes unmanageable. But since it's just us looking at it, I don't really mind. I also enjoy veranda sitting many days as well. Below is a very hot Ned in the back yard. We have had heat wave warnings and high humidity both of which are hard on dogs. Those are the three dead trees on the list to be cut down this summer, before an ice storm takes them down.
Did I hear correctly that so many of you truly think I should finish the quilt top I shared in the last post? It's not that large so I think I could manage it. I'm giving it a good think. But I really need to get into the closet in the old sewing room and see if I have batting of any sort. I don't know why that sounds like such a big deal when it's just down the hall....
I'm making progress on my embroidery Floralies piece...this part involved filling in a few satin stitch areas. I love working on this.
With not enough purple to participate in another RSC month...that's two in a row, I picked up my Propeller blocks to work on. SO how did I get started with these???? Squirrel Alert!
Back in February I'd seen Samelia's Mum hand stitch a version of a propeller block that I loved. She's finished her quilt and you can see her very colourful start HERE. I think she used Jen Kingwell's pattern.
Up till then the propeller blocks I'd seen had rounded edges like this one that Rose Prairie Grass and Farms shared ages ago.
And that led me to search in Karen's, Quilts, etc. archives to find that she had stitched a Retro Air Ship Propeller quilt...to see her pretty blocks go HERE. Just gorgeous!
Some propeller patterns involved adding more blocks inside the block like this one free here at Quilting Daily...
But I wanted/needed something simple. While combing through so many scraps looking for blues to make strings, I realized I had scrap pieces that were just large enough to make four propellers. So I made my own template with longer propellers and started a rather wonky version of a propeller quilt. Each of the small four blocks is being stitched by hand and then joined on machine. I notice that last bit is speeding these up which is a good thing. Here are some of the blocks I've made to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. I'm trying for colourful here and it's nice not to be working with all blues plus a real bonus is using up more of those pesky smallish scraps. But I've just this minute realized I may be making a version of a Windmill quilt. What do you think? Oh dear, I can't go down another rabbit's hole...
A first for us here at the Wooden House! The Phoebe pair are raising a second brood in the same nest on the back of the house. What industrious little birds! Even Tony noticed their activity and wondered why they were still around. I read they can raise up to three broods a season if the nest site has been successful for them. Below is the view from my stitching chair. Their nest is on the sound box above the furthest light. Tucked away nice and safe. And they take advantage of the bird bath which is just in front of them there on the left of this photo. I make sure the water is changed and nice and cool for them.
A mosquito was buzzing around my head in the night. I slapped at it a couple times and went back to sleep. When I looked in the mirror this morning, guess what was plastered on my forehead. Tony said well, you do have a knack for getting those guys. It's good to be good at something!
Thank you all for the very kind comments and emails; I'm very sentimental and often read them with a tear in my eye. I had a poster years ago that said "Life is a journey, not adestination" and I believe that. I've always been open to change and, like so many of you, loved travelling far to make a home in different places. In this blog space, while living here at the wooden house, sharing my ups and also some of my downs is important for me. Putting things into words helps make aspects of this leg of my journey more manageable for me and hearing from you with your "along the journey" stories too is also really helpful to me. So, to all of you, a huge thanks for listening, sharing, commenting...
I was just getting used to it being June and now it is July. I feel like I've been very busy. Tony had his drivers' license renewal which, being over 80, meant he had to go to the office and do the testing which he aced. I find it odd they don't check how your feet or any reflexes are. Shouldn't that be as important as knowing how to draw a clock face to include 10 past 10. However, I've read seniors still have the least accidents of all age groups, so maybe it's all okay.
Here is Petey pointing out my current book, Louise Erdrich's The Sentence which I'm enjoying now after an iffy start but I'm at page 37 and it's growing on me...the good writing is drawing me in.
That was one of my two very enjoyable outings last week. The library was extra busy with two groups of children, one tiny tots and the other middle school aged teenagers, there for activities. The sounds of all their voices...the older ones discussing a book and the little ones being read to by a very enthusiastic volunteer were just awesome.
I saw this book and took a picture. Cross Stitch = Calm Yes, so true and HERE is a link to Leah's book to purchase which features 40 patterns to help you de-stress.
Acceptance versus Giving In
How are you doing with the calming bit? I know I'm not the only one struggling with achieving that. But I'm doing all I can to keep the big bad thoughts at bay...these weeks are having their ups and downs, that's for sure. And we are having ongoing discussions surrounding the difference between giving in/up and acceptance. I think acceptance is positive overall and that is what Tony should strive for. But he sees any move in that direction as giving up. And who knows, if in his shoes and feeling weaker by the day, I really don't know how I'd feel. I am a solutions/plans kind of thinker so perhaps would want to keep up the search too. I just don't know. What do you think?
I'm looking forward to a sit down with our gp soon...he's a good listener and chatterer and good with Tony too. But Tony has another scheduled test before that will happen.
Meanwhile, the sewing, swimming, constant dog walks and ball playing-all things I love- are great and very positive distractions for me.
Speaking of ball playing...One sunny evening this week, we went to watch Robbie's baseball game. We brought our chairs to one of the five baseball diamonds the local town has; they are all named and the one we were at is called Brickdust Field. Like the hockey, boys and girls play together which is nice to see. Baseball games are long...about two hours, but they moved it right along so there was always action. I like how sports teach kids rules, not only about the game, but about their behaviour too. The spirit of fair play and especially respect for each other is paramount. I liked how the coaches called out encouraging words to each and every player no matter how they played.
Writing that just made me think of the song What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love. That was Burt Bacharach's wonderful music composed when the U.S. and the world were so divided over the Vietnam war. Amazing how the words still very much apply. "Not just for some, but for everyone."
I'm finding my own kind of calm in the sewing room and enjoying sewing what I know will be the last of the blue strings blocks. Truthfully, I find these a little boring but it's not the strings fault. And I'm pleased with how the blocks are piling up. I found a bag of men's handkerchiefs, you know the very flimsy kind, I'd bought at a thrift store and decided to try them for the backings.
I did read that it would be good to provide a sort of stabilizer for these very thin fabrics. This starch below was recommended and when searching online to buy it, I found it was available at my local Walmart. I also use this Dollar Store spray bottle to help iron out wrinkles and spray my indoor plants in wintertime. Do you starch your fabrics? I've never done it.
I was poking around in the old sewing room where I have a number of projects pinned to the wall and noticed this one. That's Tony's kangaroo there from his time in Australia, just one of his world wide work adventures.
I took it out in the light of day and thought I really should finish this one. It has scrappy strings in neutrals for the backgrounds.
And simple applique.
I wonder where that idea came from as I surely would have seen it somewhere online. If you know, please remind me.
I've rambled on too long and that happens when I don't write for a few days. Next time I'll share my bread machine review- yes, we are enjoying homemade egg bread!
This is beautiful ground cover if you need such in your garden. I find the name an unfortunate one for something so pretty...Lungwort. All the colours at once...purples, pinks and violets but tiny so easily missed. I also note they do okay in the shade here.
After missing out on the Phoebes fledging, I'd been keeping a close eye on the robin's nest on the front veranda. Sure enough I was able to watch the last of the three fledge, a great thrill for me. He was outside the nest early morning, the others already gone, and I watched as he would go to the edge, fluff his wings but then move back to the nest again.
This went on for some time with him always moving back to be near the nest which must have represented great comfort to him.
Hopefully, his speckled brown plumage will help camouflage him.
I had things to do so I finally thought I'll give it another minute. Sure enough that's the moment he just took off and flew perfectly all the way across the side meadow and disappeared into a tree. He finally did it. Good luck, little one!
My library books are automatically renewed these days so the pressure is off to read them in a certain time frame. This made me think of Mom as it was a sticking point about book borrowing from the library for her...she didn't like the pressure of having to read with a time constraint. Do any of you feel like that? But I just got my list in an email and there are two books there I've completely forgotten and questioned whether I'd checked them out. But one is the Illustrated Guide to English Paper Piecing and the other is Flower Farm Sampler. They both certainly sound like me, don't they, so I'll have to issue a house wide search warrant I guess.
People were talking about the main character in this book being unique. I did enjoy some of Eleanor's thoughts and how she expressed them. Do you think loneliness is the new cancer, as Eleanor does?
Update...after tearing the house apart, both mislaid books were found accidentally under scraps but appropriately in the sewing room which is not a place I read at all so I didn't even think to look there. I do seem to spend/waste more time looking for things these days. Which makes me wonder if this is the start of something big but not in a good way, if you know what I mean.
Isn't Shelley's Flower Farm Sampler quilt beautiful! I found it to be more starry than flowery but gorgeous nonetheless. The best price I could find for it to purchase was here at the Fat Quarter Shop -what don't they have!
I've been stitching more string blocks and also added another letter to my cross stitched alphabet. Enjoyable slow stitching on this project which is being stitched on 32 count linen. The lighting in the sewing room is downright awful. I've asked Tony to help me do something about that.
Tony emerged from the dermatologist's office scraped and wounded looking. His face has taken a beating over the years- only in the doctor's office. Two basal cell carcinoma spots were dug out and several others, one on his scalp which the doctor gave the very medical label of oldman's skin spot. Tony survived his other medical procedures last week and now we wait for the reports to be sent to our family doctor. One he discovered, he'd done almost exactly one year ago with nothing wrong found. So he's been on this path a while now and still no answers.
It seems I'm doing more online grocery shopping than ever. With same day or next day delivery, it's giving an almost recluse like myself another reason not to leave the property. For all the stuff like detergent, bird seed, tp, etc., the less handling I have to do the better. And I've been buying a few items by the case like almond milk, cream of mushroom soup, tinned tomatoes, tuna and salmon. The convenience of this just can't be beat. BTW, I've bought my flour to give the bread machine a whirl...should be interesting.
I was inspired by Christine in that video I shared last time to make a very hearty meal for our supper Saturday night. It was a bean and ground beef concoction, one where you can add all kinds of things, really whatever you have on hand. I used kidney beans and a can of Heinz beans which is Tony's favourite. I added corn, peppers, etc. and chose not to use macaroni but instead made mashed potatoes for us. I have leftovers and maybe will serve it with rice this time. I won't share a photo as it really doesn't photograph well, certainly not appetizing...I tried.
I've rambled on enough for this chat. Hope all is well with you and thanks so much for stopping by.
Walking has been a challenge here lately because of the heat. I experienced something I've never felt before while down at the pond the other day. One of those breezes that wells from the ground came up and it blew hot air at my face. So hot! The poor dogs were panting so we three just hightailed it back to the house where I'm so thankful our AC is working again...only were able to use it once last summer. The thermometer told me it was 35C which I think is like 94 F or close- you have to agree with me that is hot! Kudos to those of you who live in hot climates especially ones with humidity. Tony says I'd adjust if I had to but I'm not sure as humidity especially just makes me melt..one day last week we had 100% which doesn't sound possible. My hair has been such a mess. But that's all small stuff, every single bit of what I just wrote... enough whining, it is summer with glorious sunshine and massive beautiful growth in the gardens.
Here is something I've discovered loves the heat...the Coleus. This is one of my indoor houseplants and was in sorry shape after a long winter with little or low sun. Wish I'd taken a before photo. Here it is on summer holidays out on the back veranda and loving it. The light intensity has turned the leaves gorgeous purples.
I've been doing some pinching to make it fill in as it has a tendency to become spindly. And thank you for the plant tips...I learn so much from you all, please keep them coming.
In the sewing room...
I've been busy machine stitching more blue strings blocks. As I've said, my scraps appear to be unending...silly me, I'd thought that would be why I would have to end this project. Now I'm wondering how many blocks to make. This is 20 and I think 20 more would create a good overall design. What do you think?
I'll have to do more checking around the net to see other arrangements.
And I've been matching handles to basket bottoms too and have made 15 3/4 so far for the appliqued Basket Loves project. These have been fun to hand stitch using a blanket stitch edging on the handles. Must realign that handle on the far right bottom which is unsewn. I'm now at the stage of thinking of whether or not to end the basket making part of this project. I have the appliqued border finished too for one side and have to think about the others.
Norma said not to fret about getting the handles perfect, after all this is a primitive style project, but I noticed hers were all identical and perfection, of course. Her site is Timeless Traditions Quilting if you'd like to take a look at her sweet patterns.
So here is my new small appliance. The Kitchenarm Smart Bread Maker...
I'd given up on bread machines as the last two broke and Tony couldn't fix them and they were not worth paying someone to find out what was wrong. I hate the idea of more waste in the landfill. But I
really missed the convenience of having a machine that made a perfect loaf now and then. This one popped up in my feed one day and I saw it had the most 4.8 to 5 star ratings of any other machine on the market and it's a company that makes only bread machines. I broke down and ordered it. I received an email immediately from their webpage inviting me to explore their recipe site...Kitchen Arm Breads where I noted there is a recipe for sourdough starter. Tony loves bread so much so very soon I'll let you know how it fares.
I enjoyed this video below and not just because the featured cook, Christine, is a fellow Newfoundlander which was fun. It isabout money saving hacks regarding food and included recession proof recipes to make the kind of meals our grandparents and, for me, my mother, would have made. Simple ingredients all and so healthy too. And it reminded me I need to make Oatcakes.
Married to a Nova Scotian for 34 years in my first marriage, these were almost always in the house. I remember being able to bake them even on Baffin Island because they don't require eggs. I'm sharing Kelly Neil's recipe and, little tip, she says you'll need an empty Spam can, of all things, to cut the perfectly rounded corners. That bit was new to me.
Our kitchen sink blocked up again and made a mess. But on the upside, we got to clean out the pipes like they'd never been cleaned before so maybe that will prevent this almost usual thing from happening any time soon. And an additional up side, I got to use a tip I saw on YouTube that old black tea is good for cleaning wooden floors. I made a large pot of it and used it on the floors after the spills were all cleaned up. It made the floor look very clean with a nice matte kind of finish. It's definitely so much cheaper than bought cleaners...I used 4 well steeped teabags and you would think this would be better for the environment too.
This has been a very busy appointment filled week for us with still two more to go, one with the dermatologist this afternoon to check on Tony's skin cancers, then back to the imagery clinic tomorrow for part two of his chemical nuclear stress test. Tony has a good tolerance for all this and it never affects his mood, which is a blessing.
I hope you are staying cool or warm wherever you are in this big world of ours!
Halfway through the year now and past the halfway point of June. I wonder where are all those hours we were promised for retirement...when time on your hands would hang heavy- an expression first recorded in 1760, btw.-I was curious enough to look up that expression. But no, though my days begin early there is still not enough hours to get everything done. I struggle not to have the feeling I'm getting behind. Behind what exactly is a bit of a mystery. But there is always something that needs doing and mostly, I'm thankful to be keeping busy. In fact, this busyness seems to have improved my overall sense of well being and removed some of the mindless fretting I'm prone to do from time to time.
Part of my well being is the enjoyment I'm getting from my present day sewing projects. It's wonderful when you can sustain the interest and enjoyment still months into a project.
I think this one below, the EPP Starry Hexagons, would definitely qualify as a comfort project according to Emma's, The Vintage Sewing Box, definition. And HERE is a link to her Free Pattern page where she shares very sweet projects like needle books and pouches.
Scrappy Starry Madness
Though still in their cardboards, I thought I'd throw them on the wall to take stock of how it's coming along halfway through the year. I like how the yellows are standing out. Sadly I just have three using orange, this month's RSC colour at So Scrappy. I have around ten more stars completed, most of them blues which shows what my colour preference was during my fabric collecting days.
And I've laid more stitches on G. Leger, 1898. Alphabets are very popular motifs in the cross stitching world, especially for samplers and are so enjoyable to stitch. HERE is a link to the pattern at 123Stitch if you want to read more about it. I ordered the DMC conversion threads to use.
Petey is still with us and perhaps we'll get to keep him now for the summer holidays. That would be awesome. He is so lovable, attentive and a much better guard dog than our equally lovable but verrry laid back Ned. Here are the lads as Tony calls them down in the meadow where he mowed a path for us...to help with the tick situation. We do two walks a day down there and a couple of ball playing rounds in the back yard too. Here they are enjoying all the fresh smells from overnight.
Not sure how much ball playing we will do today. We have a heat wave warning...a possible high of 36C and humidex of 45 or higher! My phone went off in the night with, of all things, a tornado warning. Funny how I don't think of tornadoes happening at night or getting weather warnings on the phone either for that matter. Anyway, I've checked and nothing happened around here thankfully.
Next time I'll share a new small appliance...it's been quite a while since I bought one and I'm excited to try this one out.
Thank you for all the comments on my last post...they put a smile on my face and I want you to know I note and take all your suggestions to heart. Hope this week, the last in June, will be awesome for you all.
But after three nights of stitching, I had to give my eyes a rest. So I switched to hand stitching propellers, the sewing of which does not put a strain on my eyes and I love how this is using up larger scraps. 
