Thursday 14 March 2019

Sentimental About So Many Things

I am trying my best to observe and even savour the beauty of the natural world around me while walking our little patch of wild land each day. Fresh snow reveals so many critters have walked my way, stepped in my footsteps even.  Our own little ecosystem! And they seem to be faring well considering all the tracks visible in the snow. This is just one way the winter season is special.

 Here at the back of our property, Murphy is crouching, assessing fox tracks with her very clever nose; they must have been fresh as she kept looking up as if she expected to see him which made me a tad nervous.
And I have to wonder what walked here towards the pond.  It looks like something bigger but I know blowing snow can change the appearance of tracks. And it laid down in the snow or dug there.
I was worried our bird feeder was attracting squirrel predators but we haven't seen the owl or fox since.  I guess their wide territory keeps them busy.

I wonder do you like this?  I do.  It is Kingfisher Cottage by Jo Grundy and can be bought at at this spot on Etsy. I especially like her snowy landscapes; you have to be clever to paint snow well (I have tried).  They are so reasonably priced too. I am such a sentimentalist.

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We are finished the series, Justified, which we got to watch on Amazon Prime.  Loved the performances. My only complaint was I kept hearing the accent in my head and wanted to talk like I was from Harlan County, Kentucky after the tv was shut off (nerdy I know, but I can't seem to help it). Thankfully Hubby doesn't mind me...he is kind of deaf. :)
                                             Image result for justified
 The Southern US accent is a delightful accent.
They could be saying I'm going to hurt you bad and you are hearing something like come on in and have some biscuits. You know what I mean?

I'm trying to keep you informed of the current  2019 BOM's on the go.  Here is another...Dear Diary Block of the Month. This one, by Sherri Noel, features empowering words and phrases.  What a great idea.
                                   Image of Dear Diary Block of the Month Quilt
Something totally new to me I will definitely be trying-

The clever Amy Smart has been stitching Manx squares.  As well as offering tutorials to guide you through, she relates the background history of these unique blocks made without a ruler of any kind.  Women did the measurements using only their hand which is intriguing to me.  You will have to see what I'm talking about at Amy's Diary of A Quilter site  Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  This is Amy's pretty Gretel fabric line, btw.

                                            
A fantastic use of scraps and lovely slow stitching if you don't want to machine stitch. The oldest variation of the Log Cabin square has been traced to 1650 England and I know it is held dear from pioneer days by my American friends.

  I'm continuing sorting and digging through my shoe boxes and tins of scraps.  I thought I'd pull out all the longer neutral or low volume strings. Sounds like I know what I'm doing but I really don't. I have a half baked idea of something to do with them.


"Nana, where's your list?"  littler granson asked me when I came through his door.
"What list?" I ask.
"You know, the one of all the fun things we are going to do today."

So began my two day babysitting stint during March break with him earlier this week.  What a great two days it was! We even got to spend an afternoon with older grandson who is also on March break this week. I feel like everything is right in my world when time is spent with those two.
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Hope your world this week is soft, kind and warm!
Linking this post with Not Afraid of ColorBrian's Home BLogIt's A Small Town LifeThe Jesh StudioThe Needle and Thread Network Floral Passions and Busy Hands Quilts.


27 comments :

Libby in TN said...

I had a great laugh at your comments on the Southern accent. As a teen I tried to culture out the accent but the minute I went to college in Ohio it was obvious I was from the South.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, love the shot of Murphy! The Love yourself quilt block is pretty. It is wonderful to spend time with your grandchildren. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

Brian's Home Blog said...

Murphy sure seems to be having fun! Bring on the biscuits!!! Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I grew up in Wisconsin so I have a type of Wisconsin accent - having lived in Arkansas now since 1980 my accent has changed a little - people know I am not from here but they wonder where - my daughters on the other hand grew up here and were 7 & 5 when we moved here - older daughter has a southern accent and tends to call everyone "honey" or "sweetie" and younger daughter for some reason has maintained my accent and has been living in Wisconsin for 10 years and has people asking her where is she from - she doesn't sound like she is from Wisconsin but doesn't sound southern either - strange how accents go!!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Good Morning! I love seeing that picture of Murphy! He'll keep you safe. I love looking at all the little tracks that show in the snow after we've had a fresh coating. Some come right to our patio door - we had a huge something sleep there for a few nights during a particularly cold spell. I don't know if there was some heat slipping out or why that spot was chosen, but whatever it was it hasn't been back. Enjoy that time with your grandsons - it is certainly priceless. ~smile~ Roseanne

Judy S. said...

Love those snow photos! Our snow is just about gone, and I'm hoping to finally prune the roses. Interesting to read about hand measuring; I sometimes use my thumb to measure knitting if I can't locate the tape measure.

Mary in Peoria Handmade said...

It's wonderful when the grandson is so happy to see you! I love the Grundy painting. I have to admit I would be worried to walk near those foot prints in the snow! I laughed and agreed with your "southern accent" remarks. Leave it to Amy Smart to stitch that difficult block! Great post-thanks. mary

Michelle said...

I enjoyed the Justified series. I am in Kentucky and the accent is always nice to hear! Sometimes an accent is so strong I have trouble understanding that person! Thanks for linking up today.

Suzanne said...

Oh, grandchildren are the best! I like your adventures into Nature.

Out on the prairie said...

and here I was told it was a garbled mess by my grandmother when I asked why she lived south but didn't have one like her sister. On the other hand she kept you alling me

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your photos of your walks through the woods are always so lovely! What fun to see so many signs of wildlife, and sometimes the wildlife themselves. I had to laugh when you said you were trying out a Southern accent! We've been watching a lot of Australian shows recently and I've been trying to speak like they do - can never really make it sound right, though! So glad you enjoyed your days with the grandsons!

Jocelyn said...

I am from the South, and the one thing you forgot, is we always tag on "Y'all" :-)

Junieper2/JeshStG said...

Am glad it's the birds that are getting the seeds:)
Well, this is from a Canadian nana to a Dutch nana: Phew just one guilt piece is a lot of work - and so many pieces of fabric! My guess is that quilting makes one patient:) I am not, so maybe that's why I chose painting (smile). Love your post for All Seasons Jocelyn! Much appreciated, and hope to "see" you back next week!

Meditations in Motion said...

Your grandson must know his grandma likes to have fun. What a great tribute to you!

betty-NZ said...

What a variety of things going on. Such an adorable grandson, too. I watched some of Justified--here in New Zealand, we only get sporadic bits and pieces of US tv--and loved it!

PaintedThread said...

Justified! We had started that, and then stopped. We may need to pick that up again. A fun list! What a great grandma you are. :-) Those Manx squares are pretty.

Rebecca in AK said...

Murphy looks like she is having fun. Probably a good idea you have her on a leash. Love the painting. Justified, my husband’s favorite show. So very interesting about the Manx quilting. I had never heard of that before. I look forward to see what you make with your strips. Time with your grandchildren is the best!

LA Paylor said...

ha, yeah, where's that list? That's funny, and a good idea for us all to keep a list so when we feel pokey, we can choose an activity to do. Justified sounds like something I'd like. Thanks!
I do accents. After watching outlander I was amazingly Scottish. When I lived in Edmonton and took night classes for fun, I had a Scottish friend.
beige white strips are very useful for making any blocks. I might even be using mine up making two sets of RSC blocks this year.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

It would be interesting to know what left those tracks in the snow, for sure. Grandparenting is the best!! Although, after taking our 4 year old grandson to Lego Discovery Centre yesterday just about did us in! He had a blast but the parents and grandparents were exhausted!!!

Jenn Jilks said...

By the time I get to the end of a post, I forget what I was going to say!
Justified, we bought the DVDs. I really liked it.
We can't get any streaming videos, we don't have the bandwidth.
Oh, yes. Lovely pup! cheers for nearly spring

BarbaraShowell said...

I love to try to pick out accents like your family’s. I was an Air Force brat, which probably contributed to my pretty keen ear for accents. I can tell the southern states and sometimes regions in those states apart. I can usually identify where someone was raised by listening to them, sometimes only broadly internationally.

moosecraft said...

Life really is better when you slow down and take the time to savor the moment! :-)
Those paintings are cute! I even found with with a fox, owl and birds...lol!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/254101011/print-of-snowy-english-landscape-from-an?ref=related-4

Jean said...

Pretty, snowy pictures! My husband enjoyed Justified. I watched it on and off while he was watching it. Just enough to ask questions about what was happening. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend so far!

Angie said...

Jocelyn - we have many animal tracks in our area, which I love to follow - but I don't have a dog to help me!!! Love the painting by Jo Grundy - it reminds me of the Currier and Ives plates that I received from my Mom - they make me VERY sentimental! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

riitta k said...

What a lovely post. During this winter, almost every morning I have seen traces of hares... That postcard is really lovely. I used to be enthusiastic about quilting but not have the patience any more... Thank you for linking - happy Sunday!

Michele McLaughlin said...

Your posts make me feel as if I'm there with you. You really have a talent Jocelyn. You should write more! I know another thing to do! I'm looking forward to seeing your blocks of the month! Have a wonderful week!

Nancy said...

How fun that your grandson anticipated a list of fun things to do. It's wonderful that he lives close enough to spend a day or two with you.
I love accents, too, at least most of them and generally find myself mentally attempting to say the words with the accent I've most recently heard. The only accents I don't really enjoy hearing are southern one! We are very different in that way, Jocelyn!
I am curious to know how you will use those light strings you've sewn into blocks. I'm sure you'll post about them one of these days!