Major Changes

You may remember an earlier post about my spruce tree falling down and my brother helping it back up.  We decided that it needed more support, so my brother put in the bird house (post set in concrete), with the intent that we would band the tree to the post when it set.  Remember the best laid plans?  Well, while the concrete was setting, the tree fell down again.  It was a painful decision because it was slowly dying from the bottom up.  What to do?  The neighbors who own the land directly behind me kind of made the decision for me.  They were having the field plowed and planted and offered to have the tree shoved into the hedgerow.  I said yes, and was not home when it happened.  In this pic you can also see the other volunteer trees and bushes that have grown up over the years.

Here's the view today.  The brush and small trees were removed, the field was planted and the corn is up.  The bird house looks a little lonely for now, but I'm deciding what to do next.

It's been about 20 years since this field was planted.  It looks so big and open now.  The good news?  I've seen three turkeys taking strolls there.  Before, the grass was high enough to hide them.

And the Casket Company Brewery is gearing up for another year.  The vines are already over a foot above the lattice.  I swear you can stand and watch these vines grow.  There are also two climbing rose bushes in the middle.  Luckily they are hearty and will stake their claim to part of the lattice.

End of May.  How did that happen?

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Wednesday Night

From frosty nights to 80s and 90s--can Mother Nature make up her mind?  Last night it was chilly enough to have the furnace on low.  Today the air conditioners were put in--to make up for the high 80s today and into the 90s for a few days hence.  But we are thankful not to have severe weather patterns.

I've spent some time washing windows and picking up the flat surfaces (again!).  Did a little hand piecing on the new project--it's looking good.  

Okay, that should have bored you enough to make you sleepy.  Better stuff tomorrow!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark.

P.P.S.  Have you been watching Master Chef?  There is already fighting and tension and it's only just started.  I know who I want voted off soon--her name begins with N. 

Sunning

One of the resident woodchucks sunning on cinder blocks on the back porch.  Looks pretty comfortable for such a hard tanning bed!

Thanks to Sheila and Janet for identifying the flowering plant a couple posts ago.  The leaves really do look like trouts!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Thank You

To all the men and women who serve or have served in our Armed Forces.  Without you, America would be a very different country.  Thank you for protecting our freedom.

Does Anyone Know...

what this flower is?  I found it a couple of weeks ago in the hedgerow.

A close-up of the leaves and a flower.  Very pretty.  Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

And Dickens is his usual self.

Who you lookin' at?

Okay, who's next?

Today I drafted, cut out and started hand piecing a new Mariner's Compass design.  32 points!  I'll show you pics when I'm a bit farther along.

Tomorrow I need to bale my lawn; yes, it's that bad.  Should have done it today, but something begged to be worked on first.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Memorial Day Weekend

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to several days off.  "Off" in this case just means not teaching, not sitting on the porch eating bonbons!   We finally got rain and cooler weather.  The lawn that had sort of maintained a decent level has now reverted to hay field.  My sycamore tree got hit with frost so it looks partly green and partly brown.  Remember the hops vines?  Both are about a foot over the top of the lattice already!

Mourning dove mom decided (voluntarily) that the nest on the front porch was not in her best interest.

Dickens is doing fine--he loves to bat things out of the air--and he is quick!  And he loves to snuggle--what's not to like about that?

My absence from the blog has nothing to do with disinterest.  I've been extremely busy with teaching, which is a great thing!  Not a complaint here.  The last time I posted I timed how long it takes to put up a post with pictures:  at least 60 minutes start to finish.  So at the end of the day sometimes I just cannot face that.  And as most of you know, posting in the morning is probably a non-starter!

As we speak, I am working on one of my goals for the weekend--washing and drying the fabric pile on top of the dryer.  I have been buying fabric for backing and for a couple new projects.  In the door it comes and gets set on the dryer until I get a chance to wash it.  Well, I'm on my third load, with two more to go.  So I can at least cross that off my list!  I read somewhere that you should always put something easy on the top of your list so that you can cross it off right away.  I probably need to put "Get Out of Bed" on the top of mine! How about you?

Okay, enough for now.  Have a great weekend, whatever you are doing!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am re-listening to The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell.  And I just finished Lethal by Sandra Brown.

Catching Up

 Debbie and Cheryl (middle) display Cheryl's finished Monthly Bliss 3 quilt while Bobbi looks on.  The blocks are hand pieced and Cheryl hand quilted this beauty.  Can you believe that she's only been quilting about two years?  Great job, Cheryl!

Last week I did a labeling class and what an artistic job these ladies did.  Each is holding up the final project.  They combined components learned earlier to make lovely wreaths.  You should be able to enlarge each pic to see more detail.  Take a look.  Emily, Marilyn and Diane--dazed but happy.

Debi, Robin, and Doreen.

Doreen again, Marie, and Lorraine.  Check out those smiles!

Traci and Cassandra.

Terri, Penny, and Collie.  (I had a great shot all lined up when Terri tried to get out of the frame.  You can see how well that worked.  I just couldn't crop her out.)

It's so exciting to see the creativity come alive.  Plus, I always say this class is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.  It must be true--there was a whole lot of laughing going on!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Lethal by Sandra Brown.

Mary's Dresden

On April 4, Mary started her Dresden Plate wallhanging at a Lake to Lake Quilt Guild workshop.  Now, one month later, she has it completely finished!  And I do mean completely!  Take a look:

Mary cut each blade individually and then hand pieced them to complete the plates.  

Then she machine quilted this beauty.  She used a 30 wt. thread for the quilted in the center circle--doesn't it look like seeds to feed the birds?  What a fabulous job, Mary!  Thanks so much for sharing!

It's been a beautiful day here in central New York.  I started out on the riding lawnmower--took two trips around the lower part of the 2-acre lawn and...the belt came off the mower deck :-(  So I spent the rest of the day mowing by hand.  Did me good (that's my story) and the lawn looks better because I used the mulching blade.  I did NOT get the whole two acres done--only about half.  Still....  And it seemed funny not to have Lynnie running in circles or waiting at the door.  But Dickens did make a couple of appearances at the door--I'm not sure what he thought was going on.

Also, I have a mourning dove sitting in an old robin's nest near my front door.  I keep getting the hairy eyeball each time I open the door.  We chatted tonight and I gave her the scoop on living on the front porch. We'll see how it goes.

Other than that, it's been a paperwork kind of day.  Seems to be a lot of that!  And laundry.  I swear my clothes multiply in the hamper.  And for those of you who know me, you know almost everything I own has to be ironed.  Can we say "giant pile of ironing"?

Okay, off to see what I can get into.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

May

It hardly seems possible that it is May 1.  Tulips are finally blooming, along with snowdrops and daffodils.  The bleeding heart are in bud.  And the grass is growing....

Pics of what I'm working on soon.  I didn't want to start another month without a post!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon