Off to see the wizard

Not really off to see the wizard, but we are looking forward to spending Christmas with our family. Packing for one little 15 lb dog is like packing for a baby..really!!! First of all we have records of vaccination, we have a bed, a carrier, toys, treats, dishes, dry food, canned food, comb, brush, coat, diapers....yes, actually what is called a belly band, and tooth paste and brush (and pooper scooper. Then we had to find a pet friendly motel. Hildy is being boarded and she does really well as we have boarded her since she was a baby. Quite frankly, I think she will enjoy the vacation away from the pest. He constantly wants to play and she has no patience with him.

I finished the class project and it is now on the end of the bed as you can see. I am pleased with it although if I had it to do over I would used a different color thread for the actual quilting. As the new year is around the corner, so will a new project be forthcoming. I am anxious to embark on another project and will continue to post projects and picture of our 4 legged family members. Merry Christmas!!!

No power

Saturday became our second day of marathon baking.......until the power went off. I have a new gas range now which I love and was so anxious to bake goodies in it. Before Sal arrived, I mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough, was baking oatmeal raisin cookies and had started on biscotti. However, we needed to check the accuracy of the oven temp so had purchased a thermometer at our "kitchen shop"....which is a wonderland of gadgets, but that is another story. The Mr., being the tech person that he is, had to fidget with it until he had it registering as it should. We began rolling, cutting, sugaring, dicing nuts etc. happily on our way with the oatmeal cookies out of the oven and the biscotti in when the power went off. It came on and went off in three short spurts and came on again. Finally it was out. After about 15 minutes, we came to the conclusion that we were stuck. Now the range is gas, but it takes electricity to make it actually work!!!! Don't ask for the details. I don't care!!! The Mr. and I bought a generator last spring on a spur of the moment when we discovered them on sale in one of those middle isles, where everything is on sale. "It would be great for the camper!" said we to ourselves. Well guess what.....it was great for getting the range back in business too! Of course, we had one of those bright orange extension cords strung from the patio, through the garage, the dining room and directly up over the counter to the range, but we got cookies!!! The power was off for 2 or 3 hours and this will be another chapter to relate in "cookie marathons" to come.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Under my tree!

I have been busy quilting by machine this class project and I would really like to get it finished before Christmas!!! It has given me the opportunity to try out some quilting techniques and discover which ones I will keep trying to improve as well as which ones to scrap. Free motion quilting requires a good amount of skill I have discovered and will only improve with practice, practice, practice. Sal and I made more goodies this past weekend, sugar cookies and rum balls from a recipe my sister gave me. Yummy!! The rum balls were fantastic!! Thank you Joan....they were especially good with the 150 proof rum that Sal dug out from the depths of her cupboards. They got better as we sampled more and more. Anyway, my dear neighbor reminded me that I had not posted a picture of Spencer lately and she needs a doggie fix I think so here goes. Notice the rawhide bone which he had confiscated from Hildy and tried unsuccessfully to hide in the Christmas tree skirt. He spent the entire evening under the tree.

Just when I think I have figured out this "blogger thing" so that my text and pictures jive, I find that I am just as confused as ever!! Discovering "facebook" though has opened up a new opportunity to connect with old friends, classmates and most importantly, family members with whom we have lost touch. I barely can find time to "blog", so I really don't have time to play games or "farm". We used to farm for real and that was hard work....no thanks!!! But being able to stay in touch with family across the country has been amazingly enjoyable!!

"You will never "find" time for anything. If you want time, you must make it." ~
Charles Buxton

Wintery thoughts

Finally, I finished the glass stars. Since I am not the best of photographers, you will have to use your imagination. We are supposed to get a really cold spell coming in this week. We went to the Christmas parade and stood in freezing temps for over an hour...it seemed like two. But the parade was really good and those poor little ones on floats weathered it better than us ol' folks I imagine. I remember as a child, that Dad always took us to Greeley after Thanksgiving to see "Santa" as he arrived in the downtown park. What a thrill that was. On Christmas day we would always go to our Aunt and Uncle's home for a wonderful day of festivities. There was always snow it seemed and we were treated to a movie in the afternoon, (that was something we rarely got to do), and then back at their house, Santa always came by in a sleigh. People say that Christmas is for children and I suppose it is in reference to the "Child" whose namesake we celebrate. But I love the festivities of the season and if it is Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Winter Solstice, or any other cause for celebration, do it for the child within.

Quilt

Has it been this long since I sat down to write? Wow! Guess I've been really busy or really lazy. As much as I would like to lie down and be lazy, it just isn't in my genes. Unlike some of my nearest and dearest, I am a morning person and I need to be movin' an' groovin' EARLY. I have been busy. I have learned where some of the medical clinics and various other facilities for health matters are located. I have learned that the local hospital has valet parking. I have learned that it has a pretty snazzy gift shop and a coffee bar. My good friend is on the mend now I think though, and today I told her that the next time we go out, we need to do something fun!!! Going to Doctors and clinics isn't much fun as far as I am concerned. (I have also learned that as I age, it is something I had better get used to....however, like my friend, I will be kicking and screaming all the way.) I have been busy with two quilts, I have been busy trying to get over the crap that has been stuffing up my head, and to tell the truth, I have been busy with other things but for the life of me I don't know what.

Above is the Thimbleberries quilt for the year. The top has just been completed and I will have to quilt and bind it. This took me a year to put together and it may just take a year to quilt. The Mr. had a pool tournament this past weekend so my friend Sal and I hit some bazaars, and some shops and had the best hamburgers! We stopped in at a place called 2 Doors Down, which didn't seem to have much for atmosphere and we were a little sceptical at first, but the burger was at the top of my list as far as burger go. It was a good day for a couple of gals to have a day out!! Thanks Sal.
I just had to post a couple of pictures of our doggies. Spencer is napping in one of his favorite positions...not very flattering, but it must be comfortable because he does it a lot. And Hildy tries to catch the snow as the Mr. shovels it. That is one of her favorite things to do. She jumps up in the air and does a flip while trying to grab the snow. Yes, we got hit last week with another storm!!



"Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere."

The early bird

Usually the early bird catches the worm, but today as is the norm for me, I was up early enough to catch this wonderful sunrise in the eastern Wyoming sky. This is the view I had from my dining room patio window. Last week we had 17 inches of snow and this week we had 70 degree weather. The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees and other signs from good ol' mother nature do indicate that it is fall and if that wasn't enough, this change back to standard time leaves us in the dark at "quittin' time". (We don't officially work out of the home, but it is still "quittin' time".


This past week has been a blurr and because I had a sinus "thing" in addition to worrying about my neighbor who had a rough week...(It is hell to get old, but the alternative isn't any better she tells me), I don't think I got much accomplished. However in reflecting back on the past few days, Spencer got a haircut, I went to quilt club, I finished one stained glass star, worked on two quilts, made a really scrumptious soup from a new recipe and today had another great day. With the onset of the holidays, the crafters begin to display their wares and the shows have begun! My good friend, Pat, came from Brighton today and with list and maps in hand, we began our journey this morning. Hillsdale, which is several miles east of here was our main destination where we were greeted with coffee and cinnamon rolls started our day at the first show. There are some really talented artisans. I hesitate to call them "crafters"as some of them are talented artists. Then traveling on country dirt roads through plowed farm lands several miles north, we came to a lovely log home where the elf living there opens her entire two level home to crafters for several days. The baked goods in the kitchen and the wonderful smells of cinnamon and spices were a treat for our senses. Her entire home was filled with every kind of creation you can imagine and she took "plastic". People were spending money, including us. Backtracking a quarter of a mile, brought us to a one room school house where lunch was being served along with more gift items. Home made soups and sandwiches and pies and hot apple cider....yummy! Driving north across more dirt roads brought us eventually to the Torrington highway and back south into Cheyenne. We then stopped at "Twigs and Teacups" for more antiques, soaps, etc. where this elf's home is also turned into a gift shop for the holidays. She offered us coffee and a scrumptious raspberry filled cake and we got a chance to say "hello" to her dog "Hazel". I have been to her shop several times and I always remember her dog's name as it was my mothers name. There aren't many Hazels anymore are there? Tomorrow morning brings another adventure for me. (EARLY) My friend Sal asked me to go to a women's wellness seminar with her. Registration begins a 7:00 a.m. Perhaps it will get me back on track after today and the cinnamon roll, the broccoli cheese soup and the raspberry filled cake.

"Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Winter

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the snow is so delightful. (Note the drift above the Mr.'s head.)















Yes, we got lots of snow. Set a record for over 100 years..26 or 27 or more inches depending on where you lived here, for the month of October. Luckily, we didn't have to go out and had stocked our pantry. All major highways and byways were shut down for over 48 hours...we were socked in. But at least Cheyenne is large enough that we could get anything we needed. All city and county offices and school districts were closed yesterday and some today. But finally, the sun came out and it is melting fast. There was no point in going out to shovel as the snow continued and the wind kept everything drifted. Today was the third day and the Mr. finally got out to use the blower.














Oh, the weather outside is frightful-but the fire is so delightful. Fire? I have no fire. I had 3 gas flames in my last home. I woke up today to some kind of crud in my body. I got my flu shot, and we have been sanitizing our hands every chance we can when we go out or touch something. Pig flu? No...just a sinus thing I think. Haven't done anything creative the past few days...just glad I didn't have to go out in this stuff. I remember all of those days when I worked and had to brave this stuff day in and day out and I am so happy to be in. It is Wyoming and we do have some healthy storms. I will be resting and eating chicken noodle soup for the soul for the next day or so.

Good company.

Little stars? Now they are little pieces of colored glass which I cut and ground to size and after foiling, will solder into little star ornaments. It is a pattern I have had for years and have just gotten the urge to put together for the upcoming holidays. Finished project to follow. We have been pretty darned busy around here it seems and are finally back to finishing the bathroom project. As you can see, the drywall is getting installed. Doesn't look like much yet, but I've been taking short cuts from one room to another through the open walls for months and it seems strange, to actually see the walls taking shape and having to "detour" around them. Yeah!!!














In a previous post, I had started this particular 9 patch and as you can see, I have started to put the actual quilt top together. It has been challenging. The curved pieces take a bit of doing, but it goes pretty fast. I have also completed 6 squares for the quilt class I am taking. Poor teacher. We are all adults who have reached the half-century milestone and we feel like kindergartners.
Bless her soul! It is fun though.














Yesterday my neighbor, Ingrid, and I took advantage of the good weather and went to Ft. Collins via the country roads. What a beautiful fall day! The fall foliage which is usually shades of gold and reds and oranges, seemed mostly a rusty color because of the early storms and freezing weather. In spite of the lack of color, the farmland, fields, and horses and cattle grazing still always bring a peaceful autumn image to the senses. While shopping and sightseeing seemed to make the time fly for us, we didn't neglect our sense of taste. Red Lobster, which is one of my favorite places to eat, made our trip complete. Good company, gorgeous day, good food!!

Winter again!!

I hope you all don't get tired of my continual posts of Spencer, but this is how I am feeling about our early 11 1/2 inches (officially) of fluffy white. Spencer has draped himself over the chair and table in a way that echoes my feelings about the weather. I'd rather be out playing!! Instead, I just might drape my body over the chair and table. I did get this mosaic birdhouse finished in time for Sal's birthday, although it will be spring before she can get it outside. Lucky for me I have a zillion and one projects in the works. Because of the heavy fog we have had and the temperatures with this storm, the entire city of Cheyenne was without power for a while today.
Rather than get to any of those projects which all require light, or electricity in some form, I cleaned drawers and threw out tons of patterns and books and ideas of projects which will never, never, materialize. Not enough time left in my life and I pity the poor souls who have to clear out the remnants of my "idea" files when I move on to another dimension. My parents had the perfect solution!!!
When they retired, they retired!! They retired everything! No more work, no more livestock, no more snow, no more stuff!
They had an auction and everything that didn't fit in the little camper-type-trailer was sold. It must have taken guts to dispense with a lifetime of stuff, not to mention memories. Dad was a thrifty ol' cus and most of what was still there, a few saddles and tack, a few old tools, a little bit of furniture and of course Mom's salt 'n pepper collection, were sold for a little bit of cash. (I hated to dust those hundreds of shakers, but it was part of who she was.) Whenever I see a few of them in a shop, I always think of her.
There are still lots of critters who are waiting in shelters to find homes or be euthanized. In checking with the rescue where Spencer was, I saw a picture of the sweetest little girl dog. I am hoping that my very good friend will be able to give her a home and in reading the posts from the rescue shelter, it breaks my heart to know that so many of them won't find homes. Spencer looks a little sad in the photo above, but I assure you he is a happy little guy who is a sweetheart and a clown and a blessing for us and he knows he is loved.

"Until ones has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unwakened".

Spencer Blue

We had an old school chum visit last week. What a good visit we had and it has been at least 30 years since we have seen him. Where does the time go? And speaking of that, where has the time gone since I last "blogged?" We are supposed to get snow this weekend and I wanted to trek to Greeley to a craft show on Saturday. I get so busy around here that I lose all track of time. October is full of birthdays for our friends and families...forgive me if I forget someone. It is that age thing. My neighbor and I went to Ft. Collins a couple of weeks ago for her birthday treat and we happened into a store and as we walked by a pile of doggie beds, she said "That would be perfect for Spencer!" I tried not to look, but my eyes couldn't resist something for my Spencer Blue. One found it's way into my cart and my heart. HE LOVES IT! He spends nearly every nap there. Thank you Ingrid! Above he is sporting his new coat which I made for him today. Isn't it cute!! With snow on it's way, he will no doubt need this soon.

Fall

As fall rapidly approached and I was unprepared for it, I saw my Zinnias, my tomato vines, and my nasties, which were still in a full glory of bloom, disappear overnight this week. Wow! We have had such a beautiful summer and it has remained for the most part, a steady day after day 70-80 degrees. All of a sudden....mother nature looked at the calendar. I finished my garden sign, which will grace my veggie garden next year and the dozen or so Virginia Creeper that my neighbor gave me, rooted very rapidly and will no doubt climb up this ugly retaining wall next year. This one took root and just put out new leaves like crazy. I had plenty and even had a few to give to
another neighbor.

My friend, Pat and I met Saturday for breakfast in a small town in Colorado south of Greeley and drove to Hygiene (not our destination). I always say I am not lost, I just don't know where I am. Our goal was to attend a quilt show in Longmont, and we did eventually make it there but as there was a lot of highway construction, the side roads were not clearly marked and we missed our turn. Perhaps I was talking,--who knows? Anyway, when we discovered where we were, Pat said she had been to a really cute country shop there and by golly, we drove right to it. The proprietor was very helpful and directed us back when we were finished at the shop, which was really cool by the way. The quilt show was spectacular and it was so inspiring to see all of the creative efforts in completed pieces of artwork. As far as I am concerned, each quilt was a piece of art. In addition, there was so much to see from each of the vendors with their wares. It appeared that people were buying too, and since these vendors came from all over the united states, I hope it was a successful endeavor for them. I am so glad we went. Then we had lunch of course, and found a great flea market there and before we knew it, the time to leave and head home had arrived. Weather was beautiful and it was a great day!!

My first session of a new quilt class started last week and I finished my first square today. Will post a picture and that of another project I started this week. As I talk about fall being here, I am not sure is we will actually have a fall. With the one early freeze this week, lots of the trees will not have a chance to turn and predictions from the weather "guy" indicate snow toward the end of the week. If that happens, the leaves will just fall....that will be the only "fall" we will have. I am not ready for winter yet....let's have a little FALL!!!

"Life isn't fair, but it is still good." - Regina Brett

Cottage sign

Look at the chairs....When I went to Elk Mt. this year for our painting retreat, these chairs were sitting on the front porch of the smaller cabin, in which we were painting. I nearly fell on my face. When the Mr. and I bought our first home in 1974, we purchased from Sears a dining room table and 6 chairs. The upholstery was a yellow checked vinyl and those chairs followed us to Shoshoni in 1976, back to Rawlins in 1979 and I remember reupholstering them at least 4 times. When we left Rawlins in 1996, I sold the table and all 6 chairs at a garage sale. The upholstery on these two are the last I did and the one in the background went downstairs to my sewing room.
Imagine my surprise when these two chairs met me at the front door of the cabin!

Here are two views of the "Teacup Cottage" sign for Sal's arbor. She was pleased with it as was I.
Click on the snaps for a better picture. I am off to a quilt show tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

Garden sign

Ok here is the garden sign...OK...here is NOT the garden sign. For some reason I am not able to upload the images today. I am hoping that blogger is getting this option fixed or I will have to call my computer guru (alias Erica). I have so much to blog about and now I am at a loss for words. (NOT). Last week, my 80 year old neighbor and I went across the border to Ft. Collins, took the back roads, and saw some beautiful country and had a good lunch. It was a good day. Thank you neighbor!! Then on the weekend we had good friends come and spend the night Saturday with us. The last day of summer, we had snow showers and until today, the sun hasn't shown. Although it hasn't been as cold as was predicted, fall has definitely arrived. I have a funeral to attend tomorrow in Rawlins and a quilt show in Longmont on Sat and a quilt class here tonight so I will try on Sun to get the pictures on here. Today, the Mr. and I put an epoxy floor down in my studio to replace the painted floor with the stenciled roses. It came out pretty good, but it will be until tomorrow before we can put furniture back. Will post pictures if I can get this thing to work. This is short as I am short on time.

Vacation

We allowed ourselves a short vacation last week, a much needed break from the window installation, the tree planting and summer work in general. Among our sights were Mt. Rushmore (you can barely see the moon over the heads of the presidents), the Crazy Horse endeavor, Deadwood, museums and the beautiful scenery of the Black Hills. Living so close to these pieces of history, we had never ventured into the area. The weather cooperated and other than a little road construction on the return trip, it was enjoyable. Although we didn't get to see any buffalo, we did speak with others who had been stopped in traffic by the creatures and as you can see, we did get close to some mt. goats and encountered several wild donkeys alongside the roadway. The visitor centers at both, Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore were so very interesting. The manpower and limited technology and primitive resources at the onset of these undertakings and really for the first part of the century, are amazing. Deadwood is still another part of western history that continues to maintain it's original image of the wild west. We were able to work in a couple of museums, an antique store, and lots of good food everywhere.














Back at home, we have started to feel the beginning of the fall chill in the air and I have noticed a very few leaves starting to turn colors. Sal and I went to an antique show here this weekend, oh to get a windfall of a few thousand bucks!!! Beautiful furniture and glassware and a perfect way to spend a rainy day. Today, another friend and I signed up for a fall quilt class and I am anxious to correct some of my bad habits perhaps. Mostly, I have been doing my projects from the seat of my pants and think some basic knowledge of correct procedures will improve my quilting. (You are never too old to learn.) Little Spencer got a new haircut...a little shorter this time and he continues to bloom. It is amazing how much he changed from the little guy we first adopted. I finished my garden sign and have started to paint a sign for Sal's cottage arbor. Will keep you posted on the progress and pictures to follow soon.

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you right back." ~ Arthur Rubenstein

Yucky yucca

First of all..here is the skeletonal remains of the yucca that Sal salvaged for me. Who but a best friend would go dumpster diving for me? Actually my other best friend, Barb has been dumpster diving for and with me. She once called me about a small child's chair that had been discarded and a woodworker let us dive several times in his dumpster for wood scraps. Ahhh! Thank goodness for recycling! Anyway, after the yucca was dissected with the aid of a reciprocal saw, I soaked the 4 little ones in a bucket of water and we planted them in the back yard. Time will tell.

I also decided to throw in a picture of my chandelier...it will hang under a finished ceiling one day I hope.














These little yucca didn't have much of a root system, only a lard bulbous type of base so I hope with a little bit of encouragement, they will take off.














Hope everyone had a nice labor day weekend. We went to a bluegrass festival here on Saturday night and again on Sunday, but it began to rain so we ended up at a flea market instead. Unfortunately, where we live, the rainfall was not very heavy and we are so very dry here. We are taking a few days off for a mini-vacation, so when I am back at the keyboard, it will be preparing for fall plantings and the inevitable snowfall just around the corner.

More about quilting

Finished!!! This is the Venetian Tiles quilt which I finally got bound. Before I started to think about really learning to quilt I learned of a series of books by Jennifer Chiaverini based on the Elm Creek Quilters. Fictional in content, her research and attention to detail, will appeal to quilters and readers in general. As I read "The Winding Ways Quilt", I discovered this week, a chapter that caused me to reflect upon my life and the parallels were actually a bit creepy. One chapter is exploring a quilter in the guild whose name is Bonnie. How many people do you know named Bonnie? There are at least 6 who have touched my life in positive ways, most of whom still do. This Bonnie tells of sitting under her grandmothers quilt as a little girl listening to the quilters talk as they quilted. I remember doing this under MY grandmother's quilt. She tells of the quilt her grandmother was working on---The Glorified 9-Patch. This is the quilt I am working on at the moment....the red and white one. Coincidence? She also talks about her grandmother wanting to go home to Erie (PA). My grandmother was born in Erie (CO). Her grandmother was grandma Lucy. MY grandmother's name was LUCY. As I continued to read the chapter, I kept reflecting and it brought back so many memories of my grandmother Lucinda, whom everyone called Lucy. She was gone from my life before I was out of grade school, but as the oldest of the four, I was privileged to be able to spend a lot of time with my grandmother. I spent many nights with her and she poured me a cup of coffee to drink with her at breakfast...we would call it a latte now as it was mostly milk. She made bread with butter and sugar sprinkled on top...a favorite of mine as a child. We made May baskets and delivered to the neighbors. She taught me to crochet. She let me dress up in her pretty dresses and wear her high heeled shoes (She wore a size 4 shoe.)
Perhaps I find quilting a way to connect with her as she was a talented quilter and it brings back those wonderful memories of sitting beneath the quilting frame trying to listen to the chatter above.

"A grandmother is a person with too much wisdom to let that stop her from making a fool of herself over her grandchildren." ~ Phil Moss

TV Stand

Picture this stand all black. I intended to document the transformation of this garage sale purchase of Sal's as we went through the steps, but old age is chasing me faster than my brain will travel. Instead, here is the finished piece, minus the shelves, which are being given a 2nd coat. Hope you can see the crackle finish well enough and if you click on the picture, it should enlarge it for better viewing. Sal cut the motif from a wall paper border which encircles her room near the ceiling. It also matches her sofa and love seat and the storage boxes in the background. We think it looks great and are pleased with the outcome.

She has a neighbor who is renovating the house next door and I noticed earlier this summer that the yard is quite overgrown. Among the foilage near the alley were several yucca plants. Since we are trying to put native plants in our yard and since we have such a large yard, I thought some yucca would be OK. I was there last evening and asked her if she though he would let me have one. She said she would ask when she saw him.
Tonight as she came home from work she was shocked to see the yucca gone. (They have been there for years.) She saw him and he told her they were in the dumpster!! We could have all we wanted. He helped her pull a clump out and she put them in her trunk, strapped the trunk closed and brought the huge cluster to me. Yeah!!!
Beg, borrow, steal. Well, beg maybe. Reuse, recycle,--whatever. My yucca garden will be named "Sally's Succulents". I finished my veggie garden sign today, except for a little more paint on the trim. It reads "Peter Rabbit's Bed and Breakfast''. Now if I just had a veggie garden. I am not sure a few tomatoes, some overgrown lettuce and a couple of herbs qualifies as a veggie garden, but this was my first year with some very poor garden soil, so I plan to do better next year.

Stay tuned for more garden news and I am just about finished with my Venetian Tiles quilt and the teacup chandelier is up. I need to grout the birdhouse and pictures will be forthcoming!

"Happiness walks on busy feet." ~ Kittie Turmell

Gardening

What was last year a thistle patch among some overgrown junipers is finally starting to shape up as a flower garden thanks to mother nature's grace and some dear friends. My neighbor was kind enough to give me starts of several perennials and a couple of friends shared some of their bounty and I am totally pleased with the first year's accomplishments. I have also begun to terrace part of a very steep hillside and have planted some snow on the mountain which will, I hope, spread like wildfire to help hold the soil in place. After digging out around the pine trees, the scalloped stones were put to use in this effort.


The retaining wall is quite tall and behind it I have planted Virginia creeper, hoping that it will climb up over and cover it.

I spent part of this weekend helping my friend Sal re-do a black modern TV stand which was a yard sale purchase. She has such a cute little cottage and we applied crackle medium last evening and today sponged a beautiful light chocolate over it. I should have taken pictures as it appears that our efforts to convert it are going to be a success. We hope to finish tomorrow and I will post a picture.

One of my furkids gave me a few hours of worry this weekend. Hojo, the cat who has become a house kitty, much to his chagrin, escaped on Friday evening and the Mr. chased after him, but he was way too fast and it was dark. He didn't come for breakfast yesterday morn and I called all day long for him. My imagination just ran wild with the possible fate that he may have encountered. This neighborhood is entirely different from any he has know in his 12 years with us. I woke up today and he leisurely strolled up the stairs to greet me. The Mr. said he came in with the dogs after they went out at about 11 pm last night. (He was mighty hungry too I guess!).


This is a birdhouse I am putting a mosaic finish on. I now have it finished, except for grout and will post it then, and I hope to put it in my garden next spring. I am an embellisher. I love to embellish stuff which is evident in some of my needlework. It is difficult to know when to stop, but most of my birdhouses are adorned with cast off hinges, door knobs etc and each is completed with a key to the front door so I am anxious to get to that point on this abode.



















"Teach us delight in simple things." ~ Rudyard Kipling

Quilting madness

For over a year now, I have had in mind to start this red and white quilt. The block is "glorious nine patch" from a Fons & Porter pattern and as you can see, it stars out as a simple 9 patch, but after it is trimmed to the template, becomes much more complex. Between the blocks will be sewn an oval of small red print on a white background. Yes, yes, yes, I do have others in progress, but my mind works much faster than my hands (and my mouth). I had an employer tell me that one time. She said "Pat, your mind works too fast for your mouth...you cannot catch up." I always thought my mouth worked pretty fast, but evidently not. The other quilt that I am working on is in the process of hand applique, which I can take with me, in the car when I am traveling, at home when the squawk box is on or when I am camping. It is below and it will take me eons to get it ready for assembly. Soooo...while my mouth and hands are trying to catch up with my brain, I can keep my hands busy with the red and white quilt and my mouth needs no help staying busy. (The Mr. may testify to that.) My furkids keep me company while I am creating and are always in the way as is evident in the photo.














I posted this quilt ages ago when I started it, and slowly, I am getting the fused pattern pieces appliqued with a buttonhole stitch. Depending on the winter we have, I may get them done by spring.














Today, the Mr. got our first new window installed in the kitchen. All of our windows need to be replaced and we decided to save money and do them ourselves!! Ha, Ha! Just one of the many do-it-yourself projects we have embarked upon and except for trimming it up, it is beautiful. I can actually see out of the window!! (of course, we picked the easiest one to do first). This evening we had a beautiful rain and yesterday I spent the day with two of my good friends, Bonnie and Sal and we toured the Parade of Homes, had lunch and hit a couple of flea markets! What a great day! Also blessed with good neighbors, this evening I scored a couple of zucchini and planted some starts of Virginia Creeper, a gift from my dear neighbor next door. Thanks neighbor!

"The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away." ~ David Viscott

More summer fun!

As you can see, I am posting birdhouses and the lighthouse for Christmas. If everyone agrees in our little "chic"retreat group, we will be embarking on these rock covered birdhouses next summer. I do think that these were posted a couple of years ago, but cannot remember. These are really decorative, but I am sure that if they were made from shorter plastic pipe, that they might entice fowl of some sort. And if not, they do make wonderful gifts for the birdhouse collector or garden decorator. The only problem is that they are a little messy and the adhesive is a little "smelly" so they should be done in a well ventilated area such as a mountain retreat in the summer, with plenty of iced tea and good company. We will need to collect rocks, funnels, copper wire, heavy duty wire and some steel wool. (oops!, that is just for Barb) She is not a "birder" and doesn't want the messy fowl in her birdhouses so she puts steel wool in the holes.














This is not the best picture of the lighthouse, but I did want to post the finished project. Hopefully there will be enough sunlight on my porch this winter to keep the little solar light aglow during the holidays.


















The Mr. and I have been working on the front yard. We planted a purple plum and he has 3 of 4 rug junipers on our slope out front. There is such a hill on our front yard that we are struggling to determine how to plant. I terraced a small area this week and thanks to a good friend, was able to get some "snow on the mountain" to put in as ground cover. I also got 8 jars of jelly from her chokecherries. Yeah!!!

"Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light." ~ Theodore Roethke

Summer fun!

The lovely little lighthouses with Christmas scenes are flower pots. Three of my friends and I were graciously invited to the cabins of a wonderful couple whom I have had the pleasure to know since they were married. This is a little piece of heaven and the smaller cabin in the foreground is where we made our "studio" while we were working on the project. I will post a closer picture of the pots later. The larger cabin, an A-frame, is 3 stories and can hardly be called a cabin. In it's semi-rustic setting among the aspen, and resting be a stream, we were wined and dined. Our hostess is a marvelous cook and although we had intended to provide our own meals, she insisted on cooking for us. What a delight!!! Our accommodations were most comfortable and we had all the modern conveniences of home. The Elk Mountain Hotel (I did not post a link here, but you can google it) which is famous for it's food and historic dance hall on springs during the first part of the century, is not far from the cabin. We were allowed to take our hostess to dinner there last evening and had a wonderful meal.














Hummingbirds greeted us every morning and 67 pounds of sugar were consumed last year by the little buggers. I have pictures and will post later. We went for morning walks, laughed until we could laugh no more, painted, and inhaled the wonderful fresh air and fragrances of the great outdoors. It truly was a relaxing few days. Our hostess is the daughter-in-law of one of my best friends. Suzie....thank you so very much !! (We hope you will invite us back!)

~"My friends have made the story of my life."~~Helen Keller

Off again!

Remains of an old cabin near North Spring Creek Lake, which we always trek into on our adventures while camping.

We had dear friends from Arizona visit us this week. They were here for a few days and we bid them goodbye this morning. On Friday, nearly 40 ex-employees of my old school district met at Snowy Mountain Lodge in the "Snowy Mountain Range" between Centennial and Saratoga for lunch. I do know that some of those there are still employed, but most are retired. What a wonderful afternoon and the Lodge staff members were most accommodating. In addition, the gals responsible for the gathering of people from around the state and outside the state need a big hand also. It was quite an undertaking!!

Tomorrow I am off for another "marvelous adventure", as the Mr. calls our trips. My friend, Pat from Colorado and my other two friends from Rawlins will meet at Elk Mountain and trek to a cabin, (house), (I haven't yet been there) near there to spend until Wed painting...not house painting. We are painting a scene on graduated flower pots which will be miniature lighthouses with solar lights on top. We have done this before, but these will be a little different. The countryside there is in the mountains and we are all looking forward to this get-away. The Elk Mt. Hotel also has a wonderful restaurant and that will be a treat indeed! Just a chic weekend and I will blog about it when I get back!!

"Happiness isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you got." Garth Brooks

Summer?

Where is it going? Summer!!! Where was I when it happened? We went camping this past week for 4 nights and three glorious days in our ol' favorite camping spot with our ol' favorite friends. I do have pictures, but haven't had time to download and sort out. One of the things we did was hide a new geocache. We haven't had time to do many of those of late. Weather cooperated and the mosquitoes weren't bad, but the flies..I must be bait for them as I got so many bites and the little suckers didn't bother anyone else. S'mores by the fire...actually Girl Scout cookies and marshmallows, a little wine at night, a little cold beer in the shade, lots of good food and fresh fruit. Mike brought us grapes from his vines and we finally were able to finish them as snacks...yummy!! We watched the hummingbirds and their antics at the two feeders I filled. They are ornery little birds and selfish at the feeders. They are so funny to watch and so noisy when they dive bomb. All three days were pretty and we were able to take several nature walks. The Mr. didn't do any gold panning, and although we are in an area a few miles from the main road, it was a fairly busy spot so we may be scouting for another place to camp. The dogs got lots of exercise and loved snooping and romping. Spencer was a great little camper. We are expecting friends from Arizona tomorrow through Sunday, the fair is going on here and on Friday, I plan to meet with old school district co-workers for lunch in Centennial, and I think there is a quilt show on Saturday. On Monday, my buddy from Co and I will travel to Elk Mt. and be guests of my friend, Barb for a chic break for 3 days where we plan to paint and relax and eat of course. Where has my summer gone? I don't know but it has been a great one!! One of the best ever.

"Give a man a fish ad he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish and you get rid of him for the whole weekend." ~ Zenna Schaffer

Critters

These are our critters...all lined up in a row. We have leather furniture because of the furry kids. Hojo on the back of the chair, Hildy keeping watch and Spencer, napping. He, however, has become the best of the watch dogs. He watches every move we make and hears every noise and barks at anything that moves or makes a sound. He has become quite a clown and is more and more becoming a lover...what a joy to have! Hojo is 12, Hildy is going on 8 and Spencer will be two this fall or early winter. They get along quite well actually and are very special to us. We are trying to get ready to go camping, but the weather doesn't seem to be cooperating. The pilot on our furnace had to be lit...in July if you can believe it, as we were expecting record lows last night and it is still quite chilly today.

I had lunch today with an old co-worker...she isn't old, just a friend whom I had not seen since 1998 I think. She lives here now and I think I have a quilting buddy as her interest in quilting is evident. We plan to take some classes together. We got a call from other friends from Phoenix and they will be here next Thursday. Had coffee this evening with my buddy, Sal, and will see her when she returns from a trip to see her grand babies. Have a safe trip. Hopefully things will have settled down a bit by then. (Critters like dogs and cats have the right idea.....)

"No day is so bad that it can't be fixed with a NAP." ~ Carrie Snow

Catching up

Having been blessed with so many friends has it's advantages. For those of you who regularly catch this blog, you are aware that my friend Sal and I have made a couple of "teacup" chandeliers. Sal has acquired 3 extra chandeliers and I want to have one above my table in my 'studio' (that's what I am calling it now.) Anyway, I have been searching for reasonable and pretty cups to go with the chandelier here without any luck. A couple of weeks ago I got a call from my buddy, Bonnie who was at a heck of a yard sale. "How many cups do you want?" she asked. She got me 10 of the most gorgeous cups and saucers and wouldn't even let me pay her for them. (She did get a great deal on them, but still?) What a friend!!! I have been trying to catch up on other projects and after Mike and family were here, the usual catch-up stuff needed to be done and I was a month behind on my Thimbleberries quilt squares, so in between, gardening, shopping for new windows (next big project which we will do ourselves because we are "cheap") and doing a stained glass gift for a new baby, (way overdue), and planning a camping trip and another "chic weekend" with more blessed friends, I am anxious to get started on this chandelier. That said, here are the quilt squares. I did manage to get the quilt for which I took a class last fall quilted finally and need to bind, also in between other stuff, so I feel good, but ready for a break...camping will be fun, but the weather outlook isn't favorable. Cold front here right now and it feels like fall....we actually lit the pilot on our heating system as we are supposed to get record lows tonight. Go figure!















Don't know who should receive credit for this quote but I feel like it reflects me somewhat...

"It takes a lot of talent to get a month behind in just one day"