What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 I'm not the only one who likes whimsy...We found this little item at the base of a very large tree on one of the public trails back in October. I thought -wish I knew who put this here...perhaps I'm missing out on a friend.

 Hello again, we are finishing off another busy week. I like to take care of maintenance things- for the car, the house and us, before winter sets in and weather and driving becomes an issue. We both were out of the house every day which seems to make the time fly by extra fast. It always feels good to have checkups behind us.

As a result of all that I didn't get in any daytime stitching, but my nights are still my stitching in front of the tv time.

A few more rows have been crocheted onto my Granny ...

 For my American friends who are thinking about their Great American Thanksgiving...having a very long neck is very useful.

 I was aiming at the beautiful pinkish autumn leaves of this tree...the capture was unintended. Can you spy it? He was standing oh so still.

Taken on the wonderful Mississippi River Trail that runs through the entire town of neighbouring Carleton Place. I had only my phone with me which is a very inexpensive one that I use only for emergencies; it surprises me by being able to take photos. I guess they can all do that these days.

 No sign of a groundhog in about a month now. Also my hummingbirds have disappeared. Yesterday, the geese flew overhead with their familiar wild honking. I never tire of watching their beautiful v's cross the sky. 

LeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's new prompt has to do with our favourite spices. Recently I was here, a rare spot for me to be.

 Today is the first day in over a week with nothing on the agenda. There have been lots of appointments lately and visiting too. So this rare day stretches before me- I can decide myself when to exercise, read, stitch, roam about with my camera, etc. and up first is getting this blog post finished.

Below, the Day Lilies and my four pots at the further end of the veranda...I'm awed by the wonderful growth. I've let the wild Mullein grow...that's the two tall plants on the right. The leaves, seeds and yellow flowers have ...

 Something in the news made me think of this painting below. 

This is Leighton's Flaming June. I used to have a magazine picture of this in an old journal back in my early days. Do you like the colour of the dress, the way the folds are painted, the shiny sun/sea (?) behind her head? I know artists would practice a lot to paint fabric folds correctly. I used to think her knee and upturned arm were not quite right length wise. Now with Wikipedia I can read that the artist struggled to get the positioning correct. I love ...

Mr. and Mrs. American Goldfinch...I hope they are discussing housing options here at the wooden house. I love to watch them.

They are being stitched faster but I'm not sure any better. I am planning a lighter colour for the next one perhaps in peaches or summery kinds of shades. 

 It's an interesting time of year here in the north as we can watch the season change.  Each day brings new growth pushing up through even ice it appears. It is always fascinating how quickly the earth turns green once started. 

In the photos are Tony ...

 Are you a jump out of bed, feet on the floor the minute your eyes open in the morning, person?  I'm not and never have been though I don't linger long. I wait a bit and these days I do a little stretching. In particular I've been stretching  my plantar fascia before putting my feet to the floor. A month ago I didn't know this existed! I almost feel like my left foot has let me down because I now have some tightening of the p f there. Not painful but an uncomfortable awareness of it ...

Do you shop at the Bulk Barn or similar such store? 

Here is my capture of a White Breasted Nuthatch, one of the many that ...

 My Jasmine Magnolia is bravely blooming a little. Photographed against a screen and that backyard bank of snow.

We did get lots of snow on Saturday.  

And Sunday, just like that, the sun shone and things began to melt. It shows that we really are moving towards spring. The snow was just right for snowman making, an elderly one that needed a stick to help him apparently. Robbie is 9 now; time is definitely moving faster for me. Just look how the snow is reflecting that gorgeous shade of blue.

My indoor garden is doing well considering how little sunlight we get in the house ...

This fellow, Our Ned, is two years old! 

He is a quiet dog, rarely barks or makes a sound. His favourite thing in the world is playing ball with Petey and Abby; a close second is taking up most of the bed at night for his long winter naps. 

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week is to talk about our dedicated sewing spaces if we have one. I have a bedroom converted to a sewing room and love the way I can close the door on the mess as it were. It is small and oddly ...

 Picture me that cloudy end of February morning gathering sticks on land that most of the year is a foot under water. A cardinal was singing its song in the background. This is usually the only time of year I can walk through there and the pickings are good. I  could see where some animal had clawed bark off quite a few of the trees. Porcupine perhaps. Ned trotted from tree to tree with me then patiently sat and waited while I filled the bag. So full I had a hard slog getting him and it back to the house ...

We did get snow on Thursday into Friday, about 7 inches or so. Here is a glimpse of Tony and Ned nearing the end of their snowy walk at the back of the house. Taken from our bedroom.