turkey feathers

Spring is in the Air

I can smell it.

 

Or is it the catnip?

 

Silly Lily. 

The deer missed these, but probably not for long.  Perhaps it's time to mix-up the magic concoction. Easier now that I have eggs and milk again (because) the new fridge arrived yesterday. Oh what a happy moment that was.  I spent the rest of the day twirling around in circles:  cleaning up, putting things away, shopping for food, cooking--and measuring the windows for cafe-style curtains.  No wonder I was in bed and snoring by nine o'clock.  

   

And no help at all from this one.  Can't blame her though.  It was the first time we've let her out of the house for ages.  She made a bee-line for that catnip and was pretty much in a state of silly repose for the rest of the day. 

Say wha? 

And... March seems to have marched right on by.  I've still got the April '09 bonus designs to finish--and a *sweet surprise* update too, so I'm heading off to do that right now this very minute before any more distractions (or disasters).

Enjoy your day!

 

Camping In the Kitchen

I love this image, especially that cute apron from the March 2009 issue of marie claire idees; it speaks perfectly, in a way, to the mode we were operating in all weekend and not just because of a spring storm, but because Friday, we realized the compressor had gone out on the refrigerator;  just past its 5-year warranty naturally, amounting to a brain freezing $600 repair.  Is anything made to last anymore?  Growing up, it seemed like my parents had the same refrigerator for 20 years.  They were built like tanks; albeit not as energy-efficient or nearly as convenient (remember "defrosting days?"), but at least you could count on them to run.  Even pass them onto your grown kids when they moved out.   I'm frustrated because we've already had a number of newer appliances quit working recently--and this is just another one that will be added to the scrap-heap in a land-fill if it can't be fixed and donated.  Not to mention the strain on my pocket book. 

More mci eye candy for distraction:: pretty applique flowers on dishtowel. Note to self: bookmark for later.

Anyway, back to the camp-out in the kitchen with our food packed in ice chests scattered about and the cat on the prowl; fortunately, and trying to look on the *bright side*, we hadn't done our weekly shopping yet, so food loss wasn't monumental.  And I say 'monumental' with all sincerity as food prices are insane.  So are new refrigerators--we found out.  (Wow!)  I asked the salesman, "Can we drive it home? "  Reply: "No.  But we can guarantee Monday morning delivery."   Me (snickering):  "Deal!"  (Monday can't come fast enough.)

 

These aren't from the magazine, they're from my oven...the last of the blackberry tarts.  I was relieved to have them on hand (one of the things we were able to save from the freezer), to take to a special gathering of friends and neighbors up the street yesterday.  The recipe for the blackberry filling was blogged last summer and can be found somewhere in the archives.  The "cookie dough" is basically a pie-crust.  No time right now to find and link to it though. Sorry.  If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen--roasting marshmallows, and singing kumbaya.

Oh, Deer!

 

There's been a soft rainfall since we last talked, a slight cold spell too;  and as I look around, I keep noticing the small signs of spring's steady renewal all around us.   A sonata of birdsong, a tiny brown rabbit peeking out from the underbrush, little things like that, causing me to slow down and take a deep breath and appreciate the wonder of it all.  Then yesterday, as I sat working at my table in front of the window, I looked up and was absolutely shocked to see that poor injured deer grazing peacefully on the lawn right in front of me.   At first I didn't realize it was the same one, (there are so many here as our home backs up to a heavily forested area), but then as he hobbled away--it was obvious.   Many of you expressed concern when I shared about this recently, so I thought an update might ease your minds a bit.  The good news is, the deer actually seems to be healing.  The fact that he's getting around on three legs and eating is a good sign, I'm told.  The bad news is, there's no outside help for his situation.  Calls were made, but wild deer are difficult to catch, treat, and keep in captivity for any length of time.  Our state laws forbid any method of capture, so shooting darts with sedatives is not an option either.  I don't want to end this on a sad note though.  The very fact that he came right up to the window, where I could see that he was surviving OK, was such a cool thing to have happen.  It's eased my mind for now anyway.   And made me a little more forgiving about the lovely grape hyacinth, he heartily devoured.

Spring!

It's official.  And it does indeed seem to have arrived on time here in the Willamette Valley.  The cheerful "daffy down dillys" are in bloom, seemingly over night.   Listening to Foghorn Stringband this morning and feeling energized to grab my shovel and turn some soil.

Time to tackle a bit more clean-up in the garden and start making preparations for planting.  My helpers are on it.  Darling four-year old granddaughter has (very jubilantly!) requested pumpkins, so we absolutely must make space for them too. 

 

And a wonderful surprise found on the back porch yesterday from a friend.  Yes, so far, spring is taking shape quite nicely.  Bring on the (rainy) weekend!

Sock-It-To-Me

 

Grace knitted me this pair of darling little socks.  Her very first pair.  She painstakingly taught herself through books, pictures, and online tutorials.  I'll treasure these forever.  Hey, and they just happen to match my new apron.  Awesome!

Seeing Spots

Just call me Dottie. 

Hello!  And Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Can we get any greener or happy-sappy around here?  I don't think so.  Tee hee. 

I'm wearing my new apron turned the other way around today.  It's quite reversible! So no body better even try and pinch me.  No sireee.  I'm armed with a vintage shamrock pin too--just in case anyone is color blind.   

Look what I found at a local thrift shop; a pre-stamped vintage Vogart toaster cover.  I did the embroidery to match my kitchen, but my little red toaster is slightly too tall.  So, I copied the design and made another.   Too cute not to share.  Enjoy! 

VOGART TOASTER COVER  

Well, that's all I really have time for right now. 

  

Because it's time to get back to, um, work around here. 

Cobbler Apron

Oh how I've missed you dear Bernina. 

I went digging through my fabric stash and found this happy rosy print, appropriately named;  "presents bloom" by Laurie Bird, from Windham Fabrics, and knew it would make a sweet apron.  Then thinking about St. Patrick's Day (looming around the corner), and reminding myself that I never have anything remotely GREEN in my closet to wear, the minty polka-dot won out for the lining.  

Naturally, there was the addition of vintage minty-green rick-rack too. 

The apron pattern is one I've used many times, Simplicity #8698 (view 3-4; the short version without the elastic) but this time, I folded the lining over the raw edges along the sides, instead of using bias binding, and I really like how it turned out.  I think the longer version could be altered to make the wrap-around style I mentioned before.   

But for now, this really suits me just fine and dandy.   

Under Wraps

 

I was rooting around in my image files and ran across this super cute wrap-around apron dress, probably from the late 1960's.  Love this idea;  wish I had the actual pattern and not just a picture. Style A--with the flowers and rick-rack--are so calling my name.  With a little luck I might be able to figure it out from the diagram shown there in the bottom-left corner though.  Wish me luck.  Or better yet, if anyone has this pattern name your price.

Other than dreaming about creating a new apron wardrobe, I've been steadily working away on a bunch of other things---changes to the website (still in progress), finishing the March bonus pattern (up now), creating a new ABOUT page (much harder than I thought), adding sweet surprises #4; all of which, started me thinking seriously about retiring this blog and replacing it with a new one [more] associated with my website--bringing all the various elements together in one place. Makes sense in some ways, but wondering if it's wise for turkey feathers to fly the coop?