What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Oh dear, over half way through April already! Time, slow down! 

After days of rain, yesterday was a glorious sunny day and I spent time down by the pond watching the ducks float about. As usual they alarm very easily so this was taken from far away. I wonder if they could be the same ones we see there every year. I identified (with help from some of you) American Black Ducks for the first time visiting us last year. 

They're Baaaack !

Turkey Vultures

We counted 25 of them today!

They enjoy roosting on the fence posts

at sunrise and taking a solar bath.

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LuAnn Kessi

You know you're living in the country when a heading in the local forum reads..." Do Not Approach: Bobcat Sighted". It was noted to look healthy and was not aggressive. One time people did not have to to be told to stay away from such a wild animal. Once Tony showed me a clip of a man and woman being chased by a buffalo...they thought they could pet it or some such nonsense. But perhaps it is not new. Just that with our impressive social networks we are hearing about it. I read the phrase "common sense is ...

I've not shown a lovely cake from Beth in a while...here is the latest. Dark chocolate for Tony and Marshmallow icing for me.

I've been working steadily on my EPP Tiny 9 ...

Chester made a couple of appearances over the past couple of weeks. He doesn’t always stay around to get his picture taken, but this day he must have been really hungry as he was on the veranda trying to beg a treat.

I’m delighted when he stops by, and wish he’d come more often.

In the meadow, a couple of dozen robins came by and stayed a couple of days. We saw them many times, and then they moved on.

The photos had to be taken with the long lens on the camera from inside the house ...

It was a record breaking 10C here on Thursday and the temps have remained above zero, unheard of mid February weather, for a couple of days. The foggy air felt almost balmy and the squirrels and birds seemed to be going mad out there. The melting had uncovered lots of tidbits for them. But back to regular winter days now. 

This is another of Robert Bateman's birds in winter...Varied Thrush. Just lovely colours.

I have these two books from the library and started The Snow Child and realized I'd read it before. 

It has been bitterly cold this past week, and the birds are stuffing their beaks to get enough energy to keep warm. Of course, this means the feeder empties out quickly on some days. We have a pair of hairy woodpeckers that live here year round. Here the female hangs off the bottom of the feeder, while a goldfinch sits on the left keeping a close eye.

The goldfinch flew off, and a bluebird stopped by to take its place. More goldfinches were visiting and taking turns.

A titmouse landed on the empty suet feeder looking for more sustenance on ...

It is 2024, and I am happy to turn the calendar over to a new page. I am looking forward to this new year in the hopes that the issues of the past couple of months are resolved enough to go smoothly now, at least for a while. I thought it was a good sign when more than 2 dozen robins showed up in the front yard and meadow. They are hard to pick out in the photo below, but you can see a bunch of them between the rails of the veranda.

The birds were all over the front ...

 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.

Are you enjoying this Thanksgiving Weekend and beginning of the holiday season? I sure am! This weekend, my Thanksgiving cactus burst into bloom all over. I think these blooms are so interesting, with their shapes that make me think of little rockets.

The plant has blooms all over, most are red.

On the other side, there are a few yellow ones blooming, and more buds on the way on the fronds behind.

Several people asked about the difference between the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti on the leaf shape. The spiky ones are Thanksgiving. But if you cannot decide, look at ...

 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.

Welcome to another post where I share more of the tiny bits that make up my days.

 I was delighted to capture these two juvenile robins taking a bath...perhaps their very  first, in our little pond. First week in October

 Reason to Keep the House Clean

I spent Monday afternoon tidying in the sewing room.  That seems to need doing every time I turn around and I thought of some of my quilting blogging friends as I was doing it. Bet they don't get into such a mess in their sewing rooms as I do in mine, I thought, and if one of them should drop in, what would they think! And that made me think of my Javex loving grandmother who was an especially clean freak. We were talking about this issue once and she said her house ...

 Another blast of humidity this week make us so happy that autumn is just in the wings now. Here are more of the Zinnia blooms with their starry stamens. They are annuals but very long lasting once in flower.

Not a great photo but I liked this capture of the female Cardinal sharing nicely with a Redbreasted Nuthatch. Though she appears to be giving him the eye, they were there together with the Nuthatch going back and forth, for quite a while. 

 Early afternoon here and Tony has his tea and biscuit snack. I have to tell you about these biscuits that he likes so much. I was in a dollar store recently looking for dog throw balls and saw these biscuits...several shelves of all the different kinds. And they were a whole dollar cheaper than at the grocery store!

Happy mail...my Quiltmania magazine ...

 I have written about how I kept the wild Mullein in the garden because the birds and bees like it. It was interesting to hear from several readers about Mullein in their gardens. I guess there is a movement to protect this valuable plant and it is now being harvested for medicinal uses. A great article on this weed is here... Mighty Mullein, thanks Reg for that link. I also found this plant featured on fabric. I had no idea of the long and ancient history we have with Mullein. 

 I was fortunate to capture a little Downy Woodpecker enjoying ...

Mornings have been delightfully cool, with temperatures in the low 60s F and even the high 50s yesterday (high teens C). Waking early, there are clear skies most days, but sometimes the humidity will cause fog in the valleys between the ridges of trees. Although the sky is light, the sun has not come over the mountains to the east yet.

It’s a good time to take a photo of the latest dahlia bloom, bright red with intense yellow stamens.

The begonias continue to bloom prolifically as well, masses of white flowers that the bees are loving.

It is ...