turkey feathers

Birth of a Flower

I was meandering around my yard yesterday and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this Rhodie; a perfect puff-ball of pink petals.  Planted a couple of seasons ago, it has finally come into its own.  Worth waiting for don't ya think?   Sorry, the official name escapes my muddled mind at the moment.  I try and keep a small garden journal for such things, because I'm good at forgetting details like this, however, no time to dig it out this morning.  We've got "Bitty", our 3 1/2-year-old grand-daughter staying with us during the day so mama can get the rest she needs. 

Baby Olivia is doing fine, no jaundice at all and already gaining weight.   We were in sync with matching pink outfits this morning.  Sigh.  I could stare at this face forever.

Scoundrels & Scallywags

I'm glad my bunny tales are giving you peeps a good laugh.  Reading your comments has helped me keep a sense of humor over this silly situation.  That last post is just a small example of what’s been going on around here.  All these fuzzy rabbits are cute for sure, but it can be alarming to see so many of them running amok and browsing the garden, especially knowing that the gestation period for these critters is only about a month. You can do the math. Sometimes I think Mrs. McGregor had the right idea!  Fortunately, I won’t have to do anything as drastic as putting rabbits into pies though (or hasenpfeffer), because I’ve found the numbers decrease naturally as the months pass.  We were actually somewhat relieved to see a falcon surveying the backyard the other day.  By summertime most of the rabbits are gone due to predators of one kind or another, but in the meantime, I’ve been covering a few plants with cages, and the Mister sprayed the premises with his magic concoction (deer repellent recipe) again this weekend, which also deters rabbits.  No sense offering up a salad bar for heaven's sake.  Besides there are plenty of ‘volunteers’ like this one that need "natural pruning".  Isn't it amazing how borage (and other plants) can spring up like this out of a tiny crack?  Right now the girls and I are planting our vegetable garden in the fortress, and so far we have lots of spring greens, like spinache, lettuces, cabbage, and sweet peas, both flower and vegetable varieties in the ground.  I'm also moving forward on the front-yard landscape we started last year.  Another sporatic work in progress.  And so I've been looking for ornamental trees again.  Yesterday, we were at a friend's birthday party in the park, and this gorgeous dogwood caught my eye.  So pretty, with little English Daisies scattered in the grass all around it.  I'm on the hunt for one of these now.  Anyone recognize this, or know what it's called?

May Day! May Day!

Caught in the act.  Apparently I'm not the only one who likes borage flowers.  I'd better pick a few before they're all gone!  Happy "May Day" everyone!

Garden Rhythm

Spring came bearing gifts this weekend.  Sunshine and warmer temperatures being one of them, which was a wonderful surprise as we'd been expecting more rain.  Naturally, we dropped everything and bounced out the door.  The moment had finally arrived to spruce up the the garden and plant a few things. 

Birds like to plant things too.  So lovely to find little surprises like this.

To see the fresh glow of  little morning faces.

Buds on the crabapple trees ready to burst. 

The next sunny day may bring an explosion of fireworks. 

Hippity-Hoppity

Although I did have the very best of intentions, I didn't get very far on the third office-chair cover this weekend.  Thought I'd try and pick it up again later today.  It's not easy to concentrate though when you have distractions like this.  A small herd of young buck were on the move up my driveway this morning.  There were five in all, just passing through and checking out the eats along the way.  They trotted a little faster when they saw me appear in the doorway though.  Keep moving fellas.  Note to self:  Time to mix up the magic concoction and spray a few things. 

I was shocked to also see, that the cottontails had nibbled the lavender stalks down to the ground.  Apparently they like certain varieties better than others, and 'Provence' seems to be one of them.  However, this one was being adorable and eating the weeds in the lawn today.  On to project news:  The wool blanket, in particular, as a few have been asking about it.  I still have a smallish hunk of it left, if you can believe it.  I've been sneaky too; stitching up more fun stuff on the sly.  I think it will be nice to have a few surprises in the book, don't you?  So I'm keeping these new things under wraps for now.  Also keeping a craft diary as I go along, making notes of essential details so I don't forget as I hop around from one thing to the next. 

Marching Out

So, it's the last day of March already!   "In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb"...as the saying goes, with winter and spring in a transitional tussle. Our weather, here in the northwest, was a mixture of hail and sunshine that alternated about every fifteen minutes for most of the weekend.  I don't know how these flowers survived all the battering they got, but I'm glad they did.  I know some peeps out there, that are just dying for a glimpse of spring too, so here's a little peek.This group of Hyacinth emerge early from the ground in the middle of a 'dead zone' of other plants and shrubbery in the backyard, and are quite spectacular-looking standing out there on their own. I appreciate these tiny grape-Hyacinth varieties too, the blues mix so well with the daffodils and other bulbs. The Mister (bless him) cooked all our meals this weekend (with a little help), giving me time to (1) get caught up on some pattern orders, (2) dedicate time to the wool project book, and (3) get reacquainted with my beloved sewing machine.  I've missed the long quiet interludes of contemplative sewing and had some new ideas I was excited to explore.  (More about that later.) It was just what I needed.

Petal Paparazzi

This pretty little princess held her head up today despite rain, snow, sleet, and hail.  We should all be so brave!  The sun also showed its glowing face inbetween all this crazy weather, allowing me just enough time to slip outside and take her picture. Nearby, a fading star demanded equal time.  "I'm ready for my close-up Mr. Demille." Her fans waved enthusiastically.Still,  some were less impressed.

Bird Watching

The weeks following the "spring ahead" time-change is always a bust around here with everyone feeling sleep-deprived and out-of-sorts.  Just keeping all expectations low while we make body-clock adjustments and try to shake off the residual brain fog.  Again.  Grumble-Grumble.  Think we're finally pulling out of it.  The sun keeps peeking out from the clouds reminding us that Spring will officially be here soon and it lifts our spirits.  Flower bulbs are up and waving 'hello'.  Birdsong is abundant.  I see Lily with her face pressed against the windows anxiously awaiting another mild day so she can get back outside again.  She likes to birdwatch with the rest of us.  Our friend John, recently made bird houses from recycled wood (using crate packaging from France) to put up around the area, and gave us a couple of them.  Finally got both up last weekend.  These are primarily for the preservation of the Western Bluebird, which is considered a sensitive species due to loss of natural habitat.  They are darling little birds, part of the thrush family, related to the Robin, and they primarily eat insects which makes them beneficial to the garden.  We've seen them nearby in the woods and also in other locations peeking out from similar birdhouses.  These nesting boxes are made with optimal specifications to attract them, but the English Sparrows sometimes take up residence too. There's a hatch on the side that can be opened to evict them if need be.  I'm not sure I could do that though and hope I never have to make that decision.  Within half-an-hour of erecting the first one, a pair of chickadees was already checking it out, and I started getting nervous.  Fortunately, and to my great relief, they didn't move in.  Grace had her camera at-the-ready and got this picture of one of them peeking inside.   No sign of bluebirds yet, though we remain ever hopeful.  If you have an interest in creating a backyard bluebird habitat, you can read about it here.  See more images in the Bluebirds flickr group.

More Structure Please

I'd really hoped to have a finished quilt to show or at least a FAQ ready for posting today but that didn't happen.  With the change of weather I suddenly got the urge to nest, plump pillows, sort out closets, move furniture around.  In other words, the proverbial feather-duster's been flying instead of my quilting needle.  It feels good to get things in order though and return to that hygge frame of mind. 

The Mister and I are feeling pretty good about all the work we've accomplished outside this year too.  We sure make a good team, I tell ya.  He made these picket fences to solve a problem we were having with this space.  If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you already know about the fortress he built to keep the critters out.  However, both fence-sections here are open on the sides, so people (and animals) can easily move through them, but it all still defines the garden and provides additional areas for planting on the other side.  It's much more balanced and a lot easier to manage now, besides looking so perfectly sweet.  I just couldn't be more tickled with the whole thing.  Or him for that matter!

And another project, completed back in August: a new stone laden path with trinkets and treasures where previously placed, over sized stepping stones were once a trip hazard, not to mention, impossible to roll a wheelbarrow over. 

Now it speaks to us.  (See the work-in-progress here.)  Weather-resistant resin rocks found here.  I wish I'd known about these too when we were pouring the cement.  What fun to find them scattered underfoot while walking along a path on a dark night.

Backyard Wildlife

Beautiful fall colors are creeping into the landscape over here, along with a few creatures.  This family of deer spent the whole day in our backyard yesterday.  It was fun watching them nap, graze, and nap some more.  I didn't even mind that they nibbled the rose bushes.  Soon everything will be cut back and lie dormant until spring, so there's no harm.   They also enjoy eating the birdseed that falls to the ground under the feeders too.  Silly things.

We were sitting around the dinner table talking a couple of evenings ago, and a young bobcat trotted through the backyard.  I grabbed my camera with excited, shaky hands, and got one shot before he was out of view.   

Grace caught this picture of a young hawk on the garden fence post the next evening.   Suddenly all the wild rabbits we've been watching are gone.  I guess these sightings would explain that. 

And...back inside, where it's warm and safe...there's been more than just bird watching going on, I'm still making steady progress on this.  The hand-quilting around the leaves is done and it's time to take it to the machine to stitch along the sashing. One thing I've learned though, is that black is not the best color for a quilt.  It's picking up all the loose cat hair and lint like a magnet.  I really do like the color contrast of the leaves on the dark background, but still, I'm just sayin'. . .this will probably be the last black quilt I make.