What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

The Japanese Anemones did not put on their usual wonderful show this year. Later to bloom, they were affected by the July drought. I regret not watering more, a lesson learned for another season. They are a very hardy perennial and, hopefully, this won't affect future growth.

I got up at 6 this morning and went right out in the garden by myself which has so many rewards. (But left two pouting dogs to do so.) Instead I had my shears with me on this walkabout and did a little snipping here and there. I disturbed three turkeys who I think must have overnighted somewhere nearby. I sat by the pond and reminded my body how important it is to relax. It is hard for me to sit and do nothing...by the pond like that early morning is the closest I can come. But even then ...

It is not just the Goldfinches that tackle those spikey Bull Thistles. I've noticed two different kinds of butterflies giving them lots of attention too. Here is the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail in it's July brilliant yellow.

 

I got waylaid from chores this morning but for a great reason. The garden was ...

 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 ...

  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. 

 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.

 Well summer is upon us...it happens around this time every year :) no matter what the weather or temperatures. And what a marvel it all is. From the very early morning light to later sunsets, I am trying my best to take it all in and appreciate it. For it all moves by quickly...take the Phoebes with their nest on the sound box on the back of the house, for instance. The family...three little ones, are already raised and gone. They must have snuck out in the dead of night for me to have missed them the way ...

 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.

This was so good I had to share.

I know when the Hubs retires at the end of this month, he will take over the primary cooking duties—yay! That means more time for quilting! But I’m still it for the next 27 days, and I tried a new recipe Thursday night. It’s a lot of prep work—in fact, the prepping takes longer than the cooking. That will typically turn me off from trying the recipe, but let me tell you my thought process on this.

Over 30 years ago and before I became a federal government ...

 After several dark, damp cold morning walks, today the sun is shining and we are promised it will get to 13C. I'm mostly wearing my spring jacket these days. And I, being the tick magnet that I am, have begun spraying my waders with bug spray...it's supposed to help repel them. The trails are snow and ice free...cue the choir...hallelujah!  And the Trout Lilies are already sending up tiny green shoots down on the big trail. The frogs are croaking and the birds are singing. Which of the 43 types of striped sparrows that are ...

Spring is trumping winter-at last- as I write this. I saw our first robin on Sunday last. And the little chipmunk has emerged from the underground winter den, the one I imagine lined with my sunflower seeds. 

Just after the snowstorm this guy below appeared acting like this, a sure sign of spring. The flock of females that were with him had wandered off but he hung about showing off, just because he can, I guess. I'm curious about the mechanics of this- being able to lift all these feathers and change certain body bits to different and bright ...

 What’s for dinner? 

Good question! In my anticipation of retiring earlier than the Hubs, I promised to have dinner ready upon his arrival after a long day’s work. After 4 months, I’m keeping my promise—but it does cut down on quilting time. We were discussing his retirement plans earlier this week and he said he was ready to return to being the primary provider of meals. YAY!!!! I told him I’m happy to share the duties, but he said the magic words, “I want you to go sew…” That man knows me. I can’t ...

I recently joined a delightful new club in our Florida community called Girlfriends’ Happy Hour. The premise is simple and charming: the first 100 women to sign up bring an appetizer or dessert, their drink of choice, and spend a few … Continue reading →

The ground is starting to get that in between seasons look...grimy snowbanks and patches of old grass showing through here and there. Freezing temps overnight still and it was -14C here yesterday morning for a windy walk with Ned. They keep promising warm ups that don't happen. I gave my Geranium a deep trim-all my plants are getting a little "leggy" as they reach for the precious light. You can glimpse our snow free gravel driveway here so the sun is working it's magic even if the air is cold. Yah!

So what's new at the wooden house. Last weekend our fridge died. It came with the house and is old. I've moved things down to our freezer and the tiny drinks fridge downstairs. And this house came with a cold room intended for wine (our little joke is how ridiculous Tony's monthly box of wine would look in it) but now has come in handy to house most of the fridge stuff. Actually I'm quite settled into a routine of going downstairs with my basket for whatever I need in the kitchen. Logging more steps is ...

We had a snowfall warning yesterday which didn't materialize and now are under a rainfall and freezing rain warning. The ground is still very frozen so where will the water go is the worry. I'm hoping it won't get as icy as we have had it so often in winter. Turkeys from my sewing room window...

 From reading blogs, I'm quickly realizing I'm not the only one thinking February flew by. The weather outside my windows is back to frightful so nothing is indicating a new spring like month. Here March is an in between month anyway and can go either way, keep us snowbound or bring on rain and melting. Weather is not that important to me. I would never move somewhere just for weather though I might avoid some areas because of the kind of weather they have. I don't think I'd do well where there is high humidity a ...

 My eyes are drawn to the tops of trees these days. No leaves so I've been rewarded with a glimpse of something or other-birds, nests, etc. Lately I've twice seen a turkey way up in the branches. Especially up so high there, they look completely out of place. How do they rest that long neck I wonder. Surely it can't be comfortable. Once a week, a flock still wanders through the front yard area. And lately a small flock of Dark-Eyed Juncos has been around the feeders. They are on their southern holiday from the Arctic. What ...

The dig out from the back to back snow storms that dumped almost 18 inches of snow here was fierce. Here is Ned's path out the back...he needed encouragement to give it a go.