8 Marvelous Things This Week

We have a Phoebe nest on the abandoned sound box on the back of the house and a robin's nest on the front veranda. I tried to discourage the robin because, years ago, the last to nest there came to a sad end. But my banging about out there didn't work. How I wish she had chosen the light on the wall just opposite her. Last year's robin family did quite well there. 

This was a good week for me and here are some of the things that made it so. 

 #1This bird below is another first for me! I know I've never seen one before. At first glance, I thought it was some kind of swallow. But no, from my birding books, I think it is an Eastern Kingbird. While staying put only a minute, I was lucky to manage a couple of shots. A pretty looking bird.

Part of what made it a good week was getting lots done in the garden-between rain showers- and around the house too. I tidied the small garage where I park the car and cleared out more trash. For me, it always feels good to be getting rid of stuff. 

And we have a house guest. Ned's brother, Petey, is staying with us for a couple of weeks. He is getting a little slower and is not as rambunctious as he once was. He's a sweetheart of a dog who we would keep if Beth and family would let us. Here they are tired out from a little ball playing in the backyard. And that is a good thing for me too...keeps me moving. Enjoying keeping up with Petey and the added benefit of being able to help out family is #2.

The last time I sorted scraps I put aside a bag of small ones and started a new leaders/enders project on the machine. I cut 3 inch squares from a thrifted cotton sheet at night in front of the tv. (mostly remembering to use my pinking shears) and, in the sewing room, am sewing a little bit of coloured scrap to one corner. So my #3 is having a satisfying, very easy machine stitching project to do, one you don't have to think about. 

Layout to be determined later

Also satisfying stitching...the last of my EPP starry hexagons in greens- had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find these but happy to be moving this RSC project along. 

 I realize I have a theme when it comes to projects and feelings. First I get excited, then I get critical and it doesn't take long for one to turn into the other. Being critical can stymy creativity and progress that's for sure. Does that happen to you? But then, maybe months later, I'll pick up said project and get going again as if the crisis in faith never happened. Sometimes I'll even feel excited about it again. Maybe that's just me. Do you find your interest ebbs and flows?  I saw this quote over at Michele's  3 P's and a Nana post and thought it brilliant. #4 is when we find words/sayings that amuse, inspire or motivate us to keep going.

It's so nice to visit folks who just seem to keep producing beautiful quilts. Like Jeni at In Color Order. She just finished a gorgeous take on the vintage schoolhouse pattern. She used old sheets and has made a vibrant beautiful and summery quilt. I actually have one of the sheets she used! And there is always a good selection of sheets to be found at thrift stores, a win on a couple of levels. 

HERE is a link to Jeni's Quilting Category and you'll see why I like her work. I think I could stitch them too. #5 is enjoying all the online wonderful, hard working quilters and the inspiration they give us. 

Paige Alexander reproduced a page of an old hand writing practice manual in this quilt. It is hard for me to believe that cursive writing is no longer taught in school. It used to be thought an essential life skill and I enjoyed the little writing practice book we worked our way through in grade 3. I was a bit of a nervous student so this time would have been calm and relaxing for me.  Anyway. what a neat quilt! She is found on instagram  @quiltedblooms.  #6 is when we find something that stirs good memories and the internet sure is great for that.

A couple of things I'm checking out... Dish podcast on YouTube daughter told me about. They have celebrity guests each show. I watched the one with Stephen Fry and enjoyed it very much.

And English Heritage ...In this episode, Mrs. Crocombe makes Sad Cakes, the kind that would have been fed to servants. What a great name but I would call them cookies.

Besides cooking and baking, they cover a wide range of topics including Elizabeth 1's makeup routine, for instance. Finding great podcasts/channels- especially ones you can stitch to- on YouTube is #7.

And #8 is the reason I keep writing this blog. Having readers who take their time to write me and share their ideas, wisdom and kind words always brighten my day and is the best thing about having a blog.  

Be sure to drop over to Not Afraid of Color where LeeAnna and other folks are sharing their likes this week too. 

Happy Weekend All!

Glad too to link with Alycia Quilts, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Kathy's Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Creations Art Quilts.

Two Stitchy Projects Updates, Birding News, And My Purchase

A piece of my plant broke and I stuck it in this little single sprig bird vase.

I enjoyed seeing the tiny bud open and then when I took it out, a root was growing! It is now planted in soil.

Growth is amazing!

Here is the blouse I purchased at Simon's on my Mother's Day trip to Ottawa. It is roomy, light and airy. The tag says it's made of 100% cotton but definitely not the kind of cotton we quilt with as this is so light. 

Thank you for all your comments on my POST about looking for summer dresses! With how cool it's been, I've not been in a hurry to actually order anything. I enjoyed reading your responses about how you dress these days. A lot of us are choosing comfort over fashion it appears. When I think back to the decades of wearing panty hose...ugh. It's now hard for me to believe but at one of the school boards I first worked with, women wearing trousers was frowned upon, so we all wore skirts/dresses. Sounds like the dark ages, doesn't it. 

A First! We had a pair of Canada Geese choose our little pond for nest building. I didn't know what was going on as in why one of them was sitting on the bank so much.  And why the two of them were always there. I thought the one on land all the time might be injured and we discussed whether we should call the Wild Bird Centre. This is the male always nearby. I think this just might be the pair I've photographed earlier and shared with you.

And here is the female taken from a great distance. You can see why I thought she might be sick/injured.

It turns out they had built a nest and had a tiny family! A first for this property.

 Through binoculars, I was so surprised to see two active looking goslings with the mother still on the nest one morning. I kept staring hardly believing what I was looking at. Two days after that sighting, they had all disappeared. I panicked thinking the young had been subject to a predator. But then I read Canada Geese leave the nesting area within 24 to 72 hours of hatching and move to whatever water is nearest. Goslings are born pretty much able to walk and swim. There are many rivers and ponds around so they would have lots of choices. 

With them gone I was able to visit the nest. There are the remains of one egg and it looks like one egg didn't hatch. I definitely watched two active goslings; in fact, my second day, very early morning spying, they were trying to get down the bank to the water which I thought was amazingly soon after hatching. The mother plucked goose down from her breast to insulate the eggs just like I'd read about online.

I think this was a new mother to have chosen our tiny bit of wetland/pond. But it was so peaceful down there when I would visit, staying far away of course. All the birds singing, frogs croaking and deer stopping by for a drink. No one to bother them but that lone old woman creeping around. I do hope the little ones got a good start at least.

 The RSC hosted over at Super Scrappy Starry Hexagons project is going well...my goal is to stitch two a week and I've done that no problem. I have over 50 stitched so far. I'll have to find a larger container. That's a sprig off the very old English Ivy- they are so hardy you just can't kill it. 

And I'm stitching Block 2 of Liberty's Birds. This is meant to be the center block so is a little more elaborate than the others. More doodads and I'm doubting the size of the yellow flowers (?). Why do I always worry about details like this. But they are too big so will probably redo them.

I'm also having doubts about the shape of the eagle that is meant to go across the center. You have to use your imagination to see the bird. I'm going to search online to see if I can find a simpler shape that would portray it better.

But first I have to shorten a pair of Tony's summer trousers. He has lost some weight since last summer for sure. Speaking of which, we had a good meeting with the local cardiologist. Tony did fine with the stress test so nothing showed up there. Dr. Wei mentioned Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so we had a chat about that. Anyway, Tony is going to be booked for a Nuclear Heart test to further explore his extreme fatigue issue. 

I hope you are having a good weather and stitching day wherever you are!

Sharing this post with Melva Loves Scraps, The Quiltery and The Inquiring Quilter.

 

Scrappiest Quilt Ever, Shivery Spring

It's been dreary weather-wise this week. Very wet and also cold. Early mornings flirted with freezing but for one managed to hold at 0C. My winter jacket has been pressed into service again but I'm very thankful it is not snow like so many parts of Canada and the U.S. have been getting.  And the weather hasn't held back the wonderful growth surrounding the Wooden House. These tiny grape Hyacinth type flowers dotted the side yard. Their colour is gorgeous.

And these pink mallow like flowers are all over the place too.  

There are many wild violets in various shades, pinks and mauve. This little guy below has been eating them we notice. Yes, two little groundhogs showed up one day and Tony watched as one of them proceeded across the back lawn eating just the flowers. They are probably from the same litter and are quite plump.

I really enjoyed the series, The Residence. Great performances and I loved the White House, the largest replica of the actual property ever created, right down to the secret passages and doorways. Years ago I read Upstairs at the White House by J. B. West (I'm guessing that's why the head usher in the show was A.B.) and enjoyed it so much. I think I've read it twice. He was head usher through six presidencies and I loved all the details and the decision making involved always behind the scenes. I especially enjoyed reading about Christmases at the White House and menu details...I still remember how Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, would eat off tv trays some nights watching their favourite shows. E.B.'s exemplary loyalty was not to the person but to the presidency and the White House.

Of course, it goes without saying how much I loved Cordelia and her bird watching antics.

This week has been busy with several appointments and a couple of visitors here, a very infrequent but enjoyable thing. I've felt a bit distracted so I went in the sewing room and did a couple of mindless tasks like sorting strings (where did they come from?) and rearranging the furniture. What I had before was too jumbled so I removed one fold down table and it doesn't feel as claustrophobic in there now. 

When I went to Newfoundland last year, I brought back the first quilt I ever made. A very, very scrappy Crazy Quilt. It measures 84 in. x 64 in.

It has a very long history as I began it soon after my first daughter was born.

 I didn't have a sewing machine so every thing was hand sewn. I remember cutting 10 inch squares of background fabric and spending evenings stitching these little pieces of fabric on. I bought the bags of scraps at Woolworths and used old clothes, etc. Friends gave me fabric too.

The little dog is from one of the girls' baby blankets and is the only flannel pieces in it.

 It took several years to complete with all the embroidering and is very heavy having four layers. I have a memory of it being across the bottom of the bed when I lived in Pangnirtung, Baffin Island so it must have been finished there. I noted that on this block with Pang's famous mountains. It is hand tied with yarn. 

All of the pieces have embroidery of some sort around them though I see there are a couple of  small gaps. I added many of these sunshine motifs and tree sprigs throughout so I must have been fond of those.

I must have seen this kind of patchwork quilt in a library book or magazine. Mom was not sewing quilts in those years so I don't know for sure where the idea of me doing any of this came from. I had learned embroidery basics from a library book in high school and stitched several wool embroidery projects from kits while in university residence. When I think of all this, wow, what a nerd I was!

 And I'm glad I did not bring this with me when I first moved here to Ontario as it would have been lost in my fire. 

It is a true Crazy Quilt. 

Check out the folks over at Not Afraid of Color who are talking about Memorial Day activities. Meanwhile I have lots more to chat about too. Next time!

Sharing this post with fabulous linky parties...Quilting Patchwork Applique, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Kathy's Quilts and Sew & Tell.

Sunday Seasonal and Stitchy Starry Stuff

 The birdsong alone is worth a very early morning start to the day. A switch has been turned and it's like cue the sun, the birds, and all the growing things too. Here Ned is amazed by the sprouting leaves that have appeared seemingly overnight. 

Note the fallen trees and branches; ice storms are very hard on old trees.

And it's definitely spring when Ontario's provincial flower is in bloom...the beautiful and delicate White Trillium. If I had a wish to improve it, it would be that it become hardier and last longer. 

And it is also the Ohio state wildflower. Speaking of these flowers, I'm starting to prep my State and Provincial flowers project. I need 12 inch squares according to the directions. I've been digging out some whites for that and fingers crossed, I have enough.

 Meanwhile here are EPP Starry Hexagons, the green ones together to share at the RSC So Scrappy party. I've sewn more in blues and reds because I have a lot more scraps in those colours. 

And I couldn't resist taking a photo of this corner of the hall carpet at the hotel last week. HST's are everywhere and I liked how the design used a little one to turn the corner. Neat, heh. 

 I was so happy to grab kitchen window photos of this second time visitor to the bird feeder area. How fortunate I hang around my kitchen sink so much! I think it's the same falcon I spy now and then near the pond and am never able to grab a shot. And make no wonder I've never gotten to photograph them in the air...they are the fastest of the birds and can reach up to 200 mph! It didn't hang around here either so these were quick shots with no time to adjust settings. 

Just enough so I could confirm that I was actually seeing a Peregrine Falcon.  

I was asked what did I mean by cheesy bread. And at the risk of disappointing you if you had in mind an artisan cheese bread something or other, I'm sharing it. It's basically bread...in this case I used naan bread sprinkled with grated Gouda cheese and set under the broiler to melt. Of course, it can be fancied up with chives or green onions or spices. It goes well with just about anything, in this case, beans and wieners, and Tony enjoys it. 

I have the pin on the sidebar for Featured Post where I review old posts and choose one each week to share. I'm enjoying it for myself as it is nice to go years back and see what I was sewing and cooking. I think I'm remembering well overall but so many things need that little jog. 

Hope you are having a good worry free day!

Also good to share this post with Quilting Patchwork Applique, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Alycia Quilts and Pieced Pastimes.

Photos, Great Online Fun Site, Helpful Readers, Free Stuff

 I promised a few photos of my weekend away to downtown Ottawa which according to Google maps is a 41 minute drive from here. It was exciting to be in a city but I had mixed emotions about what I saw there. A lot more folks suffering around the streets and we were warned about not walking at night in an area that had always been an interesting/wonderful place to stroll and explore. But on the upside the Chateau is still so beautiful- I love it there. This is the view from our window looking towards Parliament Hill.

 And they have a dog mascot now. A black Labrador Retriever named Stewart. He has an interesting background...he flunked out of Guide Dog School but for an awesome reason...he was too friendly. We kept checking his area but didn't get to meet him.

The tulips were everywhere and we worried about a frost warning for Saturday night but it didn't dip below 0C. 

We went to the very large Rideau shopping mall and I got to roam one of my favourite stores, Simons. I could have bought many items- I especially love their scarves and summer hats, but settled on a colourful summer blouse I'll share soon. 

Meanwhile, back at home, that same glorious day I'm admiring tulips, Tony attended the poutine festival at the local Beckwith park with Robbie and Brad. In case you don't know, poutine is a French dish where regular fries are coated in gravy and cheese curds. It doesn't sound like it, but it is delicious.

Now back to real life and the mundane stuff...We have our new fridge and I like the see through drawers and how the freezer section has shelves, not one huge drawer things get lost in like the old one.

And I've begun the garden clean up including scrubbing the bird bath. No sooner did that and a chickadee took a bath which was gratifying and almost like it was thinking "it's about time!". But there's lots more outdoor work to be done.

✅I found this awesome free online jigsaw puzzle site...Jigidi, where you do not have to give any personal info. It offers many, many categories...my favourite is vintage art and you control the number of pieces too. There are many options available that I haven't explored...like turning them into greeting cards or creating your own puzzles. And it also has a huge number of puzzles featuring quilts too like this pretty one.

And in stitching I got out the EPP square in a square blocks I'd begun for a past RSC and have been adding another border. I used mostly darker scraps for these and they fit Taryn's present Scrappy Meets Thrift Challenge too. Check out the Repro Quilt Lover's SAL if you like using up scraps. I don't have a lot in green as it turns out but these few fit. 

Readers Questions/Comments

Elaine kindly wrote me to say she thinks the tower in my cross stitched England Quakers project is the Ackworth School tower. 

It does look like it!

 And what seconds that thought is the fact that this was founded as a Quaker school and still upholds Quaker values today. 

Someone wrote to ask about where I got the free diamond template shape I'm using for the Starry Hexagons. I checked back in my messages and can't find that message anymore to reply personally. I'm so sorry about that. Here is the link I use to find free diamond patterns for those scrappy EPP stars.  Alice Caroline BOM Shapes

And thank you all for the continuing messages regarding Tony's health. We love that you share your stories about fatigue - it's always good to know you're not alone and it's a learning experience to know what worked for others. We have explored his iron and protein levels and he is taking vitamin B12. And the cardiologist has scheduled him for a stress test and another CT scan in attempting to further his understanding as to why he is so weak. The investigation is kind of ongoing, I guess.

LeeAnna's, Not Afraid of Color, question this week is have we ever ridden a motorcycle. I did once and absolutely loved it. But it is odd that Tony has always ridden motorcycles and I've never ridden with him, come to think of it. Maybe it's because I would need the equipment or something.

I hope you all have a wonderful end of week and something fun in your weekend too. 

So grateful for linky parties like The Inquiring Quilter, Creations Art Quilts, Kathy's Quilts and Alycia Quilts.

Liberty's Birds, Teeny Stitches, Spring Signs, and A Getaway

 A few photos of a reluctant spring here..

The largest turtle I've seen at our little pond.

Then I realized he wasn't alone. There must be others about too.

I've pulled a few fabrics to work on Block 2 of Liberty's Birds. 

This is perhaps my favorite block. Do you think that is the glorious eagle?  And one of my favourite motifs, a wreath is on this Block 2 which is called Justice's Wreath. 

To do with cross stitching, I did a test using one strand of thread over two as suggested by readers.  I like the look and it provides enough coverage but, my, using one strand of embroidery thread is so fine and tiny.

 I can flip this piece of fabric and begin again...it's quite long. I always go bigger with the size because I have a fear of running out of fabric. Can you make out my new teeny tiny stitches here?

Taken outside in early morning dappled light.

My Big News!

I went on a little Mother's Day getaway...two nights in a hotel downtown Ottawa, Chateau Laurier. I'd dug out my old suitcase and even older spring coat, which, considering the rather cool temperatures, I needed. I had to put them out on the back deck to air out...goodness knows what our basement would smell like to others!

That coat which is more grey/beige than the photo is showing, is so old- at least 12 years. Though the sales lady at the time told me it was classic, I wonder if it is still so. But then women over 40 are supposed to be invisible, so it wouldn't  matter what I've got on. I wouldn't have given this a thought but the downtowns of cities are where the really cool people are. You know the ones who dress in black. The last time I was in downtown Toronto I couldn't get over the number of young people dressed in fancy sports like gear. I noticed that's where the thin people are too. Anyway, such it was. 

Two things I took with me for down time in the room...

This book, the Booker Prize winning The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright. I think I got to read three pages.

And for stitching- something with few bits and bobs to keep track of...the Floralies embroidery project. Never got to take this out of the suitcase but comforting to know it was there.😊

In my absence, Tony was well looked after by SIL Brad and Robbie, so no worries there. And he is quite trustworthy in regard to not endangering himself by trying to do something heroic like climb on the roof or even a ladder, for that matter. 

I will share some photos of my little getaway next time. Thank you for all the comments on the dresses I shared in the last post.  And a Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers and grandmothers too. 

Sharing this post with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework and Kathy's Quilts.