turkey feathers

Everything's Coming Up Daisies

Hi out there!  'Daisy Dolittle' checking in.  Summer's here and I've got daisies in my hair, and I'm doing very little !  

 
Actually, that's not 100% true.  I'm 'busy as a bee in a clover patch' lately, but pacing myself, taking time to look up into the clear blue sky--breathing deep for a change.  And we are enjoying the backyard which is awash with wild field daisies right now.  They've literally formed a giant daisy ring around the house.  I took a few pix yesterday to share.  The pink playhouse is hidden back in there somewhere.

Just passing through....one of many. 

My new favorite dreaming spot.  Ahh...back to "work" now.

NEW YORK : Rose

 
Happy first day of summer!  We're still waiting for the sunshine here, but in the meantime . . . what better flower block for June than the rose?

Rose are one of the most popular flowering shrubs in the world, ancient symbols of love and beauty, and the inspiration of many an artist and poet throughout the ages.  William Shakespeare's famous line in 'Romeo and Juliet' comes to mind, "What's in a name?  That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet."   And from 'Bread and Roses' by James Oppenheim, "Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses."  Yes, we must indeed have roses!  (Here's the wonderful anniversary bouquet I received from the Mister a couple weeks ago--celebrating our 29 years together!  BEST Friends are we still.) 

The word 'rose' means pink or red, but today there are thousands of colors and varieties. I don't think I've ever met a rose I didn't like, but I'm especially fond of old roses in the garden, such as those romantic pale climbers and the rambling types; and varieties of English & French roses, such as damask and gallica, with their many rows of delicate petals like icing on a cake.  Yum!

The adoption of the New York state flower began in 1890, on Arbor Day, when it was put to a vote by school children of the state.  Three flowers were nominated and were ranked by popularity as the goldenrod, rose, and the daisy.  A year later, again on Arbor Day, another poll was taken for the two top-runners and the rose won out, but no action was taken to make it official until April 20, 1955.  It then became the official flower of the state, "in any color or combination of colors common to it." 

So...this flower block can be stitched in any color that you like.  I did mine in the colors that were listed on the original chart. Specifically I chose, DMC COLORS:  petals #444/970/945/350; leaves and stems "dark green". 

Remember images should be about 4 x 4-inches to fit a 6.5" quilt block.

To get the image:: RIGHT CLICK to save it as a file, or for size options--LEFT CLICK and use the flickr 'all sizes' link.

If you are visiting for the first time, and just starting the project you can download the stitch guide and color chart here as a PDF:

STATE FLOWER QUILT DIRECTIONS

Gypsy Queen

Blooming now in the garden!
 

ALASKA: Forget-Me-Not

There's a type of wild "forget-me-not" here that is just starting to emerge in the backyard--and they are so pretty!  These darling perennial herbs are easy to grow and truly hard to forget as they come back faithfully each year from the same roots, forming an expanding clump, and then bloom again the following spring from seed.  Once established, they spread happily and are perfect for wildflower gardens and natural landscapes, growing in all regions of North America.  Even with their habit of spreading, they are not considered 'invasive' in that sense, but can sometimes be considered a nuisance in more formal gardens. 

Even though the flowers are not edible and the plant provides no medicinal magic, I still enjoy these tiny clusters of blue flowers in mass, and appreciate that they choke out the first of the spring weeds.  Now that's not a bad thing, is it?  And what's more, honey bees love them too.    

Alaska's state flower is an alpine variety called, Myosotis alpestris, that blooms from midsummer to late July.  It grows in open, rocky places high in the mountains, damp fields, stream beds, and wet woodlands.   Its history as a state flower actually began years before Alaska entered the Union as the 49th state.   At the turn of the century, various men's lodge groups got together and chose it for the state flower, and later, as the population grew, Women's Auxiliaries got involved and supported the choice to represent the new territory, even writing poems about it. The legislature of the Alaskan Territory met for the first time in 1913, but it was several years later when the flower was signed into law, on April 28, 1917.  When Alaska was granted entry to the Union, it was adopted as the official State flower in 1959. 

My COLORS:  flowers#800/813; center yellow; leaves & stems #989

Images should be about 4 x 4-inches---to fit a 6.5" quilt block.  To get the image::  RIGHT CLICK to save it as a file, or for size options--LEFT CLICK and use the flickr 'all sizes' link.

STITCH GUIDE: For general color and stitch guide; print out the original PDF Directions here:

STATE FLOWER QUILT DIRECTIONS

 

They're Back . . .

Look who's keeping our bushes trimmed. 

Birds of a Feather

 

It's been raining non-stop for days upon days--but the air is sweet and mild and it's been wonderful to open a few windows to let in the spring air.  This picture was taken last weekend on a sunnier day, after lots of garden puttering.  It's taken about a week for all my scratches and wounds and sore muscles to heal, but I'm ready to take it on again this weekend.  Weather permitting. 

Before I forget...it's time to mention that this month's bonus designs are up on the website, and as always, they are a glimpse of what I'm seeing or experiencing around "these here parts".  In the garden, tree frogs are croaking, brown bunnies are bouncing, bumblebees are buzzing, and birds of every kind are busy building nests. 

A few weeks ago, there was a bit of a tussle between the bluebirds and the English sparrows--each trying to take up residence in the birdhouses.  As it happens, the sparrows won, but I never have the heart to evict them!  The parent birds are now busy bringing food to their hatchlings--and we listen for their tiny peeps while out weeding or sitting under a tree with a book.  Yesterday, a wild turkey hen stepped cautiously through the yard.  I'm sure she was the lone survivor from last year's brood.  I'm curious about where she's making her nest.  One can't let things get too quiet back here because you never know who or what might decide to move in.  I won't soon forget the skunk under the house earlier this spring!  Or the vole who set up housekeeping in the upstairs sofa bed.  We probably never would've known it was there had it not been for the stash of birdseed under one of the cushions.  "Surprise!"

 

Quail have been snooping around the grounds back here.  We've been watching one particular pair from the kitchen window--watching as they've picked their way all around the yard, testing different areas for nesting.  The male was endlessly patient, always on the "look-out" with his little noggin-feather bobbing like a loose spring on top his head, while the female peeked and poked cautiously for days making up her mind.  For awhile we thought they would choose the 'pineapple-mint' bed (above), as they seemed particularly fond of it, and for several days the female popped in and out of that little burrow in the thick undergrowth.  See it there, above the right end of the board?  Unfortunately it didn't work out, being that it was right next to the main path to the garden.  Our frequent comings and goings rattled them, I guess.  The cat had also spotted their activity, and no doubt, they'd spotted her.  Eventually they found a safer hideaway under the blackberry bramble behind the house; a popular nesting ground for many fowl and fauna.  Any day now, I expect to see an obedient string of roly-poly chicks trailing through the yard. 

 

And...our 'golden chain' tree--which is so lovely just now and I had to show you! 

INDIANA: Peony

The timing for this flower couldn't have been more perfect.  In my garden, the round peony buds are ready to burst.  We have here five different color varieties growing, from white to burgundy, with pink shades in between.  I'm partial to the fluffy pale pinks myself, and decided to do my flower block that way.  No particular color variety was ever designated for the state flower, so the choice is yours.  Stitching it up was a slight comfort, as I'm again having trouble with deer in my roses.  I didn't get them sprayed early enough this year, and then with all the rain, the deer return before I can spray again. Will have to cut them all back now; there's just nothing left to do.  Here's the DEER REPELLENT RECIPE (pdf) in case you missed it--or need it!  It works really great when it's applied.  

So that's been a bit frustrating.  But I am comforted right now by these gorgeous flowers, which are not nibbled by insects or deer.   The only downside to peonies is they only bloom once, but what a glorious show it is.

Going back to stories of old, mischievous nymphs were said to hide in the petals of the flower, giving it the meaning of 'bashfulness' in the Language of the Flowers.  Greek myth named the flower after Paean, (Paeonia officinalis), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing.  When Asclepius became jealous of his pupil, Zeus turned him into a peony to spare him the wrath of his teacher. (No one's going to thrash a peony I guess!)

These beauties are native to western North America, as well as  Asia and parts of southern Europe.  Most are herbaceous perennial plants about 4 feet tall, but some types resemble trees and can reach over six feet.  The leaves are fan-shaped, and deeply lobed.  Flower heads are large,  mildly fragrant, blooming in late spring and early summer.  Once planted, it  prefers to be left alone and sometimes may take several years to flower again if it's moved.   Mine flowered again the very next season after transplanting--so although it's a possibility, it's not the rule.

Apparently, Indiana has had a long, tumultuous history regarding state flowers.  It actually began with a carnation by Concurrent Resolution in 1913, but protests resulted because it was not a 'native' plant to the region, and the blossom of the tulip tree was substituted as the state floral emblem until 1923.   Then, there were some shenanigans involving commercial growers and state representatives and conflict of interest issues that ushered in the zinnia in 1931.  Apparently even the simple business of choosing a state flower is not exempt from corruption.  Shocking!  Eventually, this was over-turned, and the peony was granted victory on March 15, 1957; although it has also been subject to criticism because it is not native to the state, the flower has endured to the present time.

 

COLORS:  Petals #602/603/776; stems & leaves #367 

Stitches used were stem stitch (for outlines), and back stitch for the letters. 

Images should be about 4 x 4-inches---to fit a 6.5" quilt block.  To get the image::  RIGHT CLICK to save it as a file, or for size options--LEFT CLICK and use the flickr 'all sizes' link.

STITCH GUIDE: For general color and stitch guide; print out the original PDF Directions here:

STATE FLOWER QUILT DIRECTIONS