One Deep Thought, Auction Wins, Applique Stitching

No matter how slow our hours are, it seems the days have sprouted wings. July is flying by.

I came across these words by Dryden and thought how true.

                            "Love and time with reverence use-

                                   For each year their price is more..."

Yes understood more deeply as we age I think, the value of our time that is. Maybe we have to have that fear of it running out before we get all the things done that we want to- built, stitched, sown, baked, read, etc. to really appreciate it all. That's my deep thought for today.

Yesterday we did something completely different.

 Hubby won a couple of lots in an online auction and we drove to a nearby town to pick them up. It was well managed, safety wise, and his things were in the garage waiting for us with the organizers masked and keeping their distance. He won a gardening bundle and a storage lot. I was quite interested in the gardening things and pleased with the slew of items we got ranging from seeds to rakes, shovels, tomato growing kits, etc. Some of them good quality and unused.  It seems folks have the desire to grow things but don't always get the chance or muster the energy, I suppose.

 Also yesterday, littler grandson and family and three little friends with their parents came for a swim.  I could hear the squealing and shouts all the way up here inside the house. Such happy summertime sounds made just a little bit poignant because of these strange times. 

I've been enjoying the patterns offered by designers from all over the world in the Quiltmania QAL.

Some of the blocks have been easy to make especially the ones with the larger applique pieces.

This is the Els Feteris block. Love how fun this was to stitch and how it used some scraps as well.

And the Cosabeth Parriaud block all ready to be stitched down. Hopefully, today I'll get it finished.

And here is a selection of my summer dreamy hearts on the overfill design wall in the den. Darkish in there so difficult to light properly.

Folks, I have tried needle turn applique any number of times; I just prefer the freezer paper and keep returning to that method for my applique.  

Another wild flower in bloom- Viper's Blugloss or Blueweed. I'm fascinated with how it features violet shades with the blue. And the blue is such a vibrant electric blue. 

Along the fenced in back yard, a few surprises. This is one of the dianthus, Arctic Fire, in a pretty white with deep pink that has spread well beyond the corner flower bed. Do you like dianthus? At home there was a wild version we called Pinks that cropped up annually.

They are coexisting with the equally runaway Moneywort (Creeping Jenny) trailing vines. They line the very back fence and the little yellow flowers make a surprisingly pretty display. Both these plants are hardy because they survived the three week drought we had with very little watering. 

So how are you surviving...making sure you are watering yourself, I hope, especially those of you down south in the states. But here in what on a world map is north-ish, we've had heat warnings all week and high humidity as well. Soul sapping that last is. A high of 34 C (around 94 F) for today though I think it will be higher as it is 30 degrees now at 9 am.

I'll leave you with a photo of what I think is a very young Pileated Woodpecker cooling off in the front water bucket. Snapped from my kitchen window so hard to identify.

Happy today to link with Kathy's Quilts, Viewing Nature With Eileen, The Jesh Studio, I'd Rather B Birdin', Applique, Patchwork, Quilting, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Floral Friday Foto, Clever Chameleon and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.