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July 12, 2026
Lots of Sewing from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It ended up being kind of a slow day here. The weather never really cleared up, and so I was deterred from going for a walk. Instead, I decided to stay at home and work with the macro function of my new camera. First, I picked the day's blueberry harvest, and then I just walked around taking close-up shots of things. I have a lot of pictures to show you today.

So...remember all the flowers on the Stargazer lily? Here's a photo I took last week.


Despite all my protective fencing, the deer ...

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Lots of Sewing from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It ended up being kind of a slow day here. The weather never really cleared up, and so I was deterred from going for a walk. Instead, I decided to stay at home and work with the macro function of my new camera. First, I picked the day's blueberry harvest, and then I just walked around taking close-up shots of things. I have a lot of pictures to show you today.

So...remember all the flowers on the Stargazer lily? Here's a photo I took last week.


Despite all my protective fencing, the deer ...

read more
Here comes a Tuatara from Romany Quilting

I've spent a little time stitching around a tuatara on my New Zealand panel.  I've been lucky enough to hold one of these rather special creatures.  Those spines on the head and back are not sharp, but rather feel rubbery - yes, I had to touch and see for myself.


Stitching a tuatara

The tuatara is endemic to New Zealand and is known as a "living fossil".  They are the only surviving members of an ancient lineage (Sphenodontia) that thrived alongside dinosaurs, and are unique because they are not lizards.  Introduced predators brought in by settlers have taken their ...

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July 11, 2026
A Finish for Ruth McDowell from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a productive day in the sewing room yesterday, and the kitchen too, if you're keeping score. Of course, nothing could happen until I'd done my slow-stitching. The bottom right corner is finished, and I’ve moved my hoop to the left. Probably I still have a couple of days of work on this, but I should start thinking about getting the next one ready to go.


After that, I went on the hunt for more blueberries. There are a few more ripe ones each day. I probably have enough for baking something ...

read more
A Finish for Ruth McDowell from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a productive day in the sewing room yesterday, and the kitchen too, if you're keeping score. Of course, nothing could happen until I'd done my slow-stitching. The bottom right corner is finished, and I’ve moved my hoop to the left. Probably I still have a couple of days of work on this, but I should start thinking about getting the next one ready to go.


After that, I went on the hunt for more blueberries. There are a few more ripe ones each day. I probably have enough for baking something ...

read more
July 9, 2026
A Day for Firsts from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a busy day yesterday, but it doesn't feel as if I have much to show for it. We mopped the floor in the morning, and I mopped myself out the door so that I could hoe the garden. While I was out, I was thrilled to find enough ripe blueberries that it made sense to pick some. Up until now, they've been ripening one at a time. Now, they are ripening in clusters, giving me hope I can actually do something with them. Just look at these babies:


So, I picked the ...

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A Day for Firsts from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a busy day yesterday, but it doesn't feel as if I have much to show for it. We mopped the floor in the morning, and I mopped myself out the door so that I could hoe the garden. While I was out, I was thrilled to find enough ripe blueberries that it made sense to pick some. Up until now, they've been ripening one at a time. Now, they are ripening in clusters, giving me hope I can actually do something with them. Just look at these babies:


So, I picked the ...

read more
July 6, 2026
Picture Perfect from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was kind of a mish-mash of a day. Things seemed out of order, and not everything was accomplished. It hardly matters. My calendar is flexible. 

The only sewing I did yesterday was slow sewing. I finished the upper right corner section, and now I’ve moved my hoop down to capture the “LOVE” section.


The bird feeders were empty, and I wanted to check on the vegetable garden. My sun-dappled cat was already lounging outside when I made my way to the garden.


Since I wasn’t going to get another chance to hoe the ...

read more
Picture Perfect from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was kind of a mish-mash of a day. Things seemed out of order, and not everything was accomplished. It hardly matters. My calendar is flexible. 

The only sewing I did yesterday was slow sewing. I finished the upper right corner section, and now I’ve moved my hoop down to capture the “LOVE” section.


The bird feeders were empty, and I wanted to check on the vegetable garden. My sun-dappled cat was already lounging outside when I made my way to the garden.


Since I wasn’t going to get another chance to hoe the ...

read more
July 5, 2026
Pitty Party from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. Hopefully, nobody lost any fingers in yesterday's Fourth of July festivities. True story:  My brother once tried to put out a Roman candle by sticking it into the sand. Just one problem: He had the burning end in his hand and stuck the unlit end in the sand. Meanwhile, the thing shot a fireball right into the palm of his hand. It was a serious injury that had his hand out of commission for quite some time. So...hopefully, none of you did anything like that yesterday. 

We had a quiet day. No plans, and ...

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Pitty Party from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. Hopefully, nobody lost any fingers in yesterday's Fourth of July festivities. True story:  My brother once tried to put out a Roman candle by sticking it into the sand. Just one problem: He had the burning end in his hand and stuck the unlit end in the sand. Meanwhile, the thing shot a fireball right into the palm of his hand. It was a serious injury that had his hand out of commission for quite some time. So...hopefully, none of you did anything like that yesterday. 

We had a quiet day. No plans, and ...

read more
July 4, 2026
Cherry Pickers from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And so it begins. The cherries are ready to become pie filling or else cherries in simple syrup. We'll start with pie filling today. Here's how we harvest cherries at the Three Cats Ranch. 


My job was to sit in the tractor seat and raise the bucket up and down. It can also be tipped up and down, giving Mike a level and flat surface on which to stand. It’s safer than using a ladder by a long shot.


After I while I hopped off the tractor and picked whatever I could reach ...

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Cherry Pickers from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And so it begins. The cherries are ready to become pie filling or else cherries in simple syrup. We'll start with pie filling today. Here's how we harvest cherries at the Three Cats Ranch. 


My job was to sit in the tractor seat and raise the bucket up and down. It can also be tipped up and down, giving Mike a level and flat surface on which to stand. It’s safer than using a ladder by a long shot.


After I while I hopped off the tractor and picked whatever I could reach ...

read more
July 3, 2026
America’s 250th Birthday from From My Carolina Home

America’s 250th Independence Day is tomorrow so let’s get ready to celebrate. We’ll need some patriotic decor, and some great food to last through the holiday weekend. I started the decorating outside, by placing flags in the flower baskets.

Shop your house for red, white and blue to make a festive table. For this table, I used red chargers with white stoneware dinner plates topped with red salad plates. Crystal water glasses and everyday flatware make up the settings. The centerpiece is my melamine flag theme platter with silk flowers and dollar store star sprays.

The napkins ...

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July 2, 2026
Heartbreak Cake from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a mixed bag of a day. Some things went as expected, and others...not so much. It was time to fill the bird feeders. In summer, that seems to be my most important job. While I was out, I marveled at the flowers on the purple hydrangea.


When I've been outside the past couple of days, I've noted with alarm a few cherry pits lying on the ground. After seeing a crow fly off with one a few days ago, I suspect crows are the culprits. It doesn't matter, though. I ...

read more
Heartbreak Cake from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a mixed bag of a day. Some things went as expected, and others...not so much. It was time to fill the bird feeders. In summer, that seems to be my most important job. While I was out, I marveled at the flowers on the purple hydrangea.


When I've been outside the past couple of days, I've noted with alarm a few cherry pits lying on the ground. After seeing a crow fly off with one a few days ago, I suspect crows are the culprits. It doesn't matter, though. I ...

read more
July 1, 2026
Overcoming Inertia from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. My day was a little mixed up yesterday. There was a pedicure scheduled around lunch time, and so the hours I could work with came both before and after. The garden got a good hoeing, and there was some time after that to work on my quilting. I quilted two more blocks on Ruth's Legacy, and then finished the third after I got home.


It’s going pretty well, and I’m happy with that filler motif I’m using. Here’s a little peek at the back.


Now, I’ve turned the quilt upside-down ...

read more
Overcoming Inertia from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. My day was a little mixed up yesterday. There was a pedicure scheduled around lunch time, and so the hours I could work with came both before and after. The garden got a good hoeing, and there was some time after that to work on my quilting. I quilted two more blocks on Ruth's Legacy, and then finished the third after I got home.


It’s going pretty well, and I’m happy with that filler motif I’m using. Here’s a little peek at the back.


Now, I’ve turned the quilt upside-down ...

read more
June 30, 2026
A Little Sewing from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a rather unproductive day yesterday. A lot of my morning was spent sitting on the couch. My treadmill and Bow-flex workouts have been completely abandoned over the past month. I tried unsuccessfully to talk myself into a Bow-flex workout yesterday morning. Even when I speak sternly to myself, it’s hard to overcome my level of stubbornness. After more than 50 years of cat ownership, it’s completely understandable that I would adopt their attitudes in my daily life. 

Instead, the bird feeders needed filling, and I wanted to check on the vegetable garden ...

read more
A Little Sewing from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was a rather unproductive day yesterday. A lot of my morning was spent sitting on the couch. My treadmill and Bow-flex workouts have been completely abandoned over the past month. I tried unsuccessfully to talk myself into a Bow-flex workout yesterday morning. Even when I speak sternly to myself, it’s hard to overcome my level of stubbornness. After more than 50 years of cat ownership, it’s completely understandable that I would adopt their attitudes in my daily life. 

Instead, the bird feeders needed filling, and I wanted to check on the vegetable garden ...

read more
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  • Page 1 of 147 ( 2929 posts )