Starry Night

OK...I have never loaded this many pictures before so lets see how this works. Starry Night was the Thimbleberries quilt for this year and I didn't actually use all of the block patterns. Some of them just didn't appeal to me so I had to adjust my quilt. Improvising with a piece of paneling to have a large enough surface was the first and it worked really well to sandwich the backing, batting and front. Then I pinned all three together and began to stipple on the machine. It took a total of 3 days, working a few hours each, to finish the quilt and as you can see, it is now on our bed! I love it!
I will now start another row of Sylvia's sampler and ready myself for another Thimbleberries quilt this next year.
So, we are now snuggling down at night under two quilts and some fluffy pillows and winter, which has arrived stays away.

"A good conscience is a good pillow." ~ Coussin

My lazy dogs

Just a quick picture of part of the last wall in my sewing room where this little garage sale table and chairs now sit. There are more pictures to come of this wall as the room is large enough for several activities. I love having the space to quilt, paint and perhaps just sit and have a cup of tea without having to stop and "pick up one mess to make room for another". We are continuing the wall as it extends nearly the entire length of the house downstairs, but the Mr. is now shooting fasteners into the cement and my poor dogs do NOT like the noise. Drywall is next, then mudding, priming and painting...AGAIN!
Ahhh! Another row of Sylvia's sampler quilt squares. Remembering that these squares are 6 inches finished, some of these pieces are very small! I am half finished.
And these lazy dogs!!! Both my little gray boy, Spencer and the little white boy, Roger are sporting new haircuts for the holidays. However they always choose to find the hallway the most comfortable place to nap! We have learned to step over them and they have learned to expect it!

"I have learned ...that when you are in love, it shows." ~ Andy Rooney

New Year Resolution

Like so many others, with resolutions fully intending to be kept, alas, I have failed! We have been so busy that I haven't even been able to get to my blog and that makes my resolution pretty much null and void. However, this is what I have been doing. My unfinished craft room, sewing room, art studio is slowly emerging.
Although it still lacks a ceiling, the walls are nearly finished and my work tables are almost in their permanent homes and with 4 sewing machines, it looks like a sweat shop. There is one more long wall which is getting electrical outlets and mudding and paint yet. More pictures to follow when finished!
My door casings and window casings are not yet installed, but I am finally able to get some of the treasures I have kept from my childhood and family displayed. This includes some of my old toys, a Shirley Temple doll given to me from a cousin, a quilt panel from my grandmother's needlework I think, and a place to do stained glass, quilt, paint etc. as well as lots of storage for these things which are all an extension of my need to create. We have also finished an area for a utility sink next to the bathroom so that I may bathe my little dogs when needed and clean up painting messes.

I am so very grateful that I am able to enjoy these retirement years after what seemed like an eternity working everyday. Getting up before the sun, driving in the blowing snow in the dark, dealing with unhappy clients, trying to juggle family and work and home--all were a test of my ability to succeed in life. I feel as if I have passed the test!

"I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted paychecks." ~ unknown

Winter arrives

I know it has been forever...where have I been? The hurrier I go the behinder I get. Wow...no pics today. Just a short note to say hang in there. We have been working on the basement...drywall, mudding, priming and painting walls and more! The Mr. had an opportunity to buy a 69 VW which will be reincarnated. An electric vehicle will be it's destiny....providing we get to that point. So many projects and not enough time. We have had good friends who have had health problems, so that is on our minds, and had an opportunity to get together with lots of old past co-workers who celebrated the closing of our old workplace, Mt. View Elementary School in Rawlins, WY. What a wonderful experience! Other good friends were here to shop for their new home and we were included in that endeavor and had lunch with 9 people today, also past co-workers. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful circle of people with which to share time. Quilt classes start tomorrow for me and the Mr. is playing pool leagues again....so hopefully the merry-go-round will slow down a little and I can get back to this blog. Sooo....hang in there!

More of Sylvia's Sampler

Rows 4 and 5 are complete and the challenges keep coming! I have discovered that as long as I can do a paper pieced block, I no longer worry about the 1/4" seams being exact. However, row 6 is actually completed although not photographed yet. It was all done with templates or written instructions and they were not EASY! But I persevered, even making one block 3 times before I got it finished to the exact measurements. Anyway, I nearly have half of the blocks done...140 here I come.
We had lunch this week with friends from Rawlins. They were actually teachers I worked with at Mt.View Elementary where I spent 14 years as school secretary. For us, we feel like a family of sorts. It is unusual for a group of upwards of 20 employees to continue to stay in touch after retirement, especially since we all have moved on with our lives. But the glue that held us together was our principal. Together we saw each other through joy and tragedy--marriages, divorces, births and deaths. There were good times and bad times and changes, but mostly memories and each of us with a special quality to hold our family together! Some, like us, have moved to Cheyenne as the need to be closer to Dr's and the other amenities a larger city offers, but when we have the opportunity, we still get together. This year, our dear Mt. View Elementary, along with the other old elementary schools will be closing and students will be together in a new school. Our school was built in the middle of the last century. Needless to say, it had been updated several times to accommodate the changes that come with progress but eventually there aren't enough "band aids" to hold it together. Our Mt. View "family" and friends will be gathering next month to remember the Ol' gal and the good times and to say goodbye to an old friend.

"Friends are like stars--you can't always see them, but you know they are there."

Before the migration

The pictures were taken from the patio door so unless you click on them in order to enlarge them, they are a bit fuzzy. My apologies. However, there are several robins slurping and sharing with the sparrows and since I took this pic night before last, I have not seen a robin.
Fall is definitely in the air and I am sure the migration has started. There were doves, blue jays, robins, blackbirds and sparrows all fighting for territory near the water source. This is simply a cement structure, formed over a large rhubarb leaf which my daughter and I made several years ago. It has held up so well and the birds love it!!

Taking a trip today with my buddy, Sal, across the state line gave us a chance to witness the spectacular fall colors. Mother nature graced us this year with the latest Indian Summer I can remember. In the fields the cabbages were still waiting for harvest, the corn is drying yet to be cut for livestock fodder, the sugar beets are being harvested and the trees are brilliant with color!
We spent the day rummaging through antique shops and country shops and flea markets! Usually by this time we are pulling on snow boots, scarves, gloves and heavy coats, but it was a day to remember and spent with a couple of good friends, who could ask for anything more?

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius

My new toy!

I won the bidding on the little Singer featherweight on a Thursday eve, it was shipped on Fri and the UPS delivered it on Monday. In addition, the price was very good...I lost one at a $350.00 plus bid (and this was much less) and it was everything the seller claimed it to be! Above are all of the attachments, a ruffler, a gatherer, a zipper foot, one for lace and other things that are quite frankly a little scary in appearance. In the Green box is an old buttonhole attachment. I am not sure it is for this machine, as it is straight stitch only. The original booklet is here and it all was packed very neatly in the original carrying case. It sews like it was new and as you can see, the spool of thread makes this compact, lightweight jewel appear pretty small.
I have signed up for another class and at only 11 lbs, it will be so nice not to pack my heavier machines. Admittedly my studio, which serves as my craft room, stained glass workshop, houses our treadmill, dog beds and now with 4 sewing machines, looks like a sweat shop for underpaid seamstresses.

There is a bite in the air now which is signaling the onset of winter and the snows that will soon be falling. My garden plot is ready for next spring, and the drip system is nearly finished. I have been gathering seeds and will soon put out the bird feeders. Since providing a water source in our backyard for the birds, we have had an abundance of visitors and all are chowing down on the seeds they somehow scratch from the drying grasses and flower heads. Several pair of doves are regulars, and the robins are arriving and grouping for the flight south. This year we have had some blue jays of sorts, several as a matter of fact. When they are gone, we will have finches to entertain all winter and of course the sparrows. The Mr. calls them "flying rats". I will miss the warm days and don't look forward to donning boots, heavy coats and gloves, or fighting the bitter cold winds, but then, spring does follow winter.

Gardening

470 bricks complete my "yellow" -- make that "red" brick road, Dorothy. With "Toto" in the background and my knees healing from the ordeal, we are quite pleased with the finished final walkway. Not wanting it to look "new", I was determined to lay this the way my grandmother might have done it. No digging down 6" and adding pea gravel or sand to be tamped to perfection. On the left will be a mulched area, shaded by the Aspen grove and on the right, the herb and veggie garden with ground cover between.
3 cubic yards of topsoil with 40% amendment filled the raised garden area and I still have to sift my black gold...compost for you non-gardeners, and add to the mix. In addition, there is a small area for herbs. The drip system is almost completed and hopefully this will look so different next year.
This is the front garden as of Oct. 1st. However, today there is a touch of fall in the air. Woke up to frost on things, but not enough to affect anything. I truly am blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors. Next door, I was gifted with a multitude of perennials...Hollyhock seeds from a giant pink plant, so many coral bells(I lost count), a butterfly plant, another hyssop which I divided, a geranium and others I don't even remember at the moment. Then last night, Sal came with what she calls "warm fuzzies". It was a 4 tiered indoor/outdoor plant stand which will be used to start my seedlings next spring. Thank you both!!

"To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds and watch their renewal of life---
this is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do.
~ Charles Dudley Warner

Birdhouse and Sylvia's Sampler

As promised, this is the small birdhouse. The other gals made larger ones, two story birdhouses and we had so much fun! I fashioned my roof from metal flashing, and soldered it together with ball chain at the bottom to cover the cut edges. One gal used a copper gelatin or pudding mold for a roof and we found metal funnels at the big box home improvement store for some of the others. The base is a plumbing item glued in and it will allow air to circulate. Those stores are great resources for crafters. The rocks are affixed with liquid nails.

And the 3rd row of Sylvia's Wedding sampler is now complete. This gives one an opportunity to use all of the smaller pieces of fabric that just are too good to toss.

Yesterday the Mr. and I went for our flu and pneumonia shots and we have been paying for it since. This year anyone who has reached the age of 65 received a different vaccine than younger people. Our arms are swollen and extremely sore (never have I had such a reaction to an injection). The Mr. is convinced that this is a plot to actually get rid of this baby boomer generation. He may be right!!! More swelling today and hopefully by tomorrow we will see improvement!

We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.

Great finds and Sylvia's Sampler update

See the wonderful cast iron griddle? I have a love for cast iron cookware and the Mr. and I hit a whole rural neighborhood of garage sales a couple of weeks ago. For a mere two bucks, I scored this 20" griddle in really great shape. I made pancakes and sausage all at once the next morning.
Great find!
Then the paper cutter. In our computer room, office, whatever..we constantly have a need for a paper cutter and have always wished for an old school paper cutter. At 12"X12"this one isn't too large. Another good score for $5.00.

Now to Sylvia's sampler blocks. Remember when I posted row 2, many weeks ago, I just skipped # 8 as it seemed way beyond my capabilities? I got my nose to the grindstone and decided that it was not going to intimidate me and I successfully completed it. Since these blocks unfinished are only 6 1/2 inches (if your quarter inch seams are correct), it has many small pieces. Ignore the strings and less than perfect seam allowances. In a large quilt with over 140 small squares, I don't think it will be noticed.
Pardon the absence. I have been really busy! The Mr. is installing a drip system for both front and back gardens, including all of the trees. It has been a job. I completed my brick walkway and started my herb garden border. Today I dug coral bells, yarrow and hyssop from my generous neighbor's yard and planted those. The first part of the week, my friend Barb came and spent 3 days and nights with me. We shopped and crafted on Tues when my other friend Pat came to spend the day. I am working on two quilts. Prior to that, I can't remember...but one day just runs into another at this stage of my life.

A friend sent us an E-mail...perhaps you have received this one. A new-word-for-the-day?
Paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that cause the reader or listener to re-frame or reinterpret the first part.
Example: A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Even though I have away from the blog for a couple of weeks, I leave today with a clear conscience. Think about it.

Resume of life

This brick path is being constructed by me with gloved hands. I don't like to wear gloves, but the bricks and the shoveling and the sifting the rocks from the soil I remove are so hard on my bare hands. I have always thought my hands were, as hands go, a nice compliment to my otherwise plain, short and now stubby body. Not being a very vain person, I have always liked the way my hands looked. As a child these pastie white hands burned in the rays of the hot summer sun, as I did chores assigned, and played outside when the work was finished. They hoed weeds in the yard, pulled weeds in our garden, froze in the early winter morning hours as milk was fed to calves, and frozen water dishes were broken for other animals. By the age of 4, I was learning to hold a crochet hook and weave yarn carefully around my nimble fingers under the careful eyes of my maternal grandmother. My 6th grade teacher taught the class to knit on those winter days too cold to be allowed outside at recess. My mother taught me to embroider and my fingers pushed the needle up and down, fingers getting pricked in the process. Then I was taught to sew and we made most of our own clothes. These hands worked one summer in a beet field with my mother, on my hands and knees, thinning sugar beets. Later for six plus months, they supported my body on a pair of crutches as my broken leg and foot were healing. After high school I became a keypunch operator (when a computer occupied an entire room), and later a typist and then worked as a secretary...all requiring my fingers to fly across the machines as many as 8 hours a day. As a mother of two, they did all of the "motherly" things mother's hands do. I learned to decorate cakes and that is one of the most stressful actions on the wrists, hands and fingers. I am a stained glass artist and using the cutters and other related tools are brutal on hands. I tried throwing pots..never quite getting the hang of it, but I do love mosaics and grouting. I build birdhouses and have learned to use lots of tools, but again the staple guns were tough on the hands. (now there are electric ones) Now I am finally getting to do some quilting also. I have always done gardening and for the life of me cannot wear gloves!! ( gotta get them in the soil) My hands help me talk. If someone tied them behind my back I would not be able to talk. (A joke my dad always told me.) Looking at my hands now, they are so abused and weather beaten and just plain ugly. Of course they are getting older and the skin is getting thinner and the veins are getting bluer and more pronounced. Today I heard an artist discuss a water color she had done of an old woman and her weathered hands. She said something that inspired me. She said that she felt that "hands are a resume of a person's life".

I will forever remember that quote. Seeing my fingers with their tale tell signs of arthritic joints and my scarred palms and veins popping, and my aching wrists, I must have a hell of a resume of my life!

Sylvia's Sampler & Spencer

We have been camping and then of course it takes time to unload, do laundry, clean up the trailer...(it rained and with 3 dogs--well, need I explain?) Above are 9 squares from the 2nd row of the sampler. #8 appeared way too complicated for me at the time, however I did finally get it done and will post with row 3. I love, love, love, these cute little squares which will eventually be a full-blown quilt. And speaking of a quilt to snuggle under, look at little Spencer. It rained, thundered and even snowed a little Sunday night and since Hildy the skinny bitch is afraid of the thunder, she jumped on our bed and shook all night long. Roger, our little white boy also spent the night on the bed with us and poor Spencer was just out of luck. He slept in his bed, but as soon as our bed was empty, see where he went to snuggle.(It definitely was a "two dog night".)
Yes we are crazy..3 dogs and camping with them, but they are our babies and are such a comfort to us.

"Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about." ~ Regina Brett

Fun in the sun (and shade)

I was careful not to get any faces in this picture....poor photography on my part but great for this blog as I really do not like to put recognizable people here. Shaded by the new roof on this old barn, the four of us gals were able to work on a craft project quite comfortably. As the stream behind us gurgled along and the dogs played and slept, we covered PVC with rocks using regular construction adhesive. Funnels completed the projects as make-do roofs and a finished project will be posted at a later date. We spend 4 glorious days here at Elk Mtn and our hostess graciously cooked for us and for the 2nd year in a row, we all recharged our batteries. The weather was wonderful and the hummers and other critters graced us with their presence. However, a short time earlier a bear had made his appearance and with the help of 25 lbs of doughnuts each night, and over a period of a few days, was successfully trapped and relocated. We also were asked to paint the likeness of an Emu for the parents of our hostess who had raised these birds for several years. We felt that we did an OK job and we all have painted projects together so we didn't "bicker" too much!!
Oops! Girls! Got your picture here! We had such a grand time here these days and look forward to another retreat next year. We laughed, bickered, shared good times and great food, ate way too much and were a little rowdy probably. I love you all!

"Well behaved women rarely make history." ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Summer fun!

As promised...a picture of the birdbath totem, made entirely of found or free items. Total cost=$2.00. On the bottom, a yellow large plate, then a canister turned upside down minus the lid, a large candle holder purchased for $1.00, then a shade for a candle (free) and a green bowl which I shopped for in my cupboard. It stands about three ft. tall and appears dwarfed in the picture, but the aspen trunks are pretty large.

Yesterday, we took a road trip through the Fox Park, Chimney Park, Pelton Creek area and came back through Riverside and the Snowy Range. We found two geocaches, had a picnic lunch, saw some beautiful country and on the way home, spotted this moose lazily grazing on the willows.
Because we had such a late spring and there was so much snow up there, the wild flowers were still very much in bloom and were very showy for as late as it is.

We are busy still trying to get the outside work done while the weather is good and have been painting fence, planting trees, getting ready to build a brick walkway...so much to do!

Back at the keyboard

As promised last post (and I have been away from the computer as we had our son here for about 10 days), see the old wooden furniture dolly? I got it for a buck at a yard sale and it just screams garden art! The Mr. repaired one of the handles as it had been "fixed" with duct tape. I plan to put the little round galvanized pail on it with flowers next spring.
This is the "privacy" fence which our son and the Mr. built for the lower patio. Yes it has a gate although as you can see, it doesn't go completely to the wall, but old people like us cannot bend over always enough to duck under the tree. DON'T FENCE ME IN! In addition to this project, I now have a solar clothes dryer, otherwise know as a clothesline, a raised garden area, and a repaired back fence. They also put insulation which was being stored in large rolls in the basement, in the garage attic area. The week was also Cheyenne Frontier Days and even though we got a lot of work done we managed to go to a parade, the PBR, a night concert and the State Museum. We had friends from Tuscon visit and all in all it was a wonderful two weeks. So, I am back at the computer!!!

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

The next 9 of the 6" quilt squares have been completed! Number 8 had way too many pieces in it for me to tackle yet...paper piecing or foundation piecing is really testing my patience. I hit a few garage sales this weekend and scored some really good stuff. Fabric was my main purchase and I was able to get some really good pieces for little of nothing. I also got a wonderful piece for my garden which I will post later and I was inspired today to start another couple of projects that I have always planned to do. I picked up a Country Woman magazine and they show the most amazing garden totems made from tea pots, flower pots, plates, etc. as well as some miniature gardens. I have the perfect place for a miniature garden so I will have to work on getting some miniatures for it in the way of plantings and garden pieces. I did pick up some hostas for my shade garden and a couple of snowball plants at a bargain price but we are battling the rabbits! We have had to put chicken wire around everything! They aren't afraid of anything and although they are cute, right now I feel like they need to go in a stew pot. I wonder also what they might carry in the way of fleas etc. Our neighbor's cats used to keep them in check somewhat, but they have not been here since Dec.

This sky blue pink picture is a wonderful reminder of Dad. It was taken a couple of weeks ago from my front porch. As children with way too many questions, we would often ask him what his favorite color was and his answer was always the same. "Sky blue pink". So in the quiet of the peaceful evenings on my front porch I will watch the pink sky and think lovingly of Dad.

"Memory is the diary we all carry about with us." ~ Oscar Wilde

Garden totems

My friend and garden Guru, Bonnie, and I embarked upon another "crafty" bit of garden art over the 4th of July weekend. First we hit a few yard sales and then a couple of flea markets to gather bits of glassware. We found vases, bowls, goblets ashtrays and globes for discarded light fixtures. This is only one of 6 that we constructed. The base is a piece of re-bar hammered into the ground 1 ft. for every 2 ft. of glassware. Then the lower most piece is a cheap or free vase of the type that a single rose might come in which will slip over the re bar. Using a caulking gun and GE Silicone II for windows and doors, which is a clear sealant and adhesive, we started by adhering two pieces at a time and letting the final structure dry overnight. It really is quite strong and drys in a few hours time. I will post a couple more later, but did E-mail these to some of my followers so sorry about the repeat.
Still working on more small quilt squares for Sylvia's Bridal quilt sampler and will post those as I progress slowly through them. We have relatives coming for a short visit and are excited to see how the little ones have grown.

"What we have to learn to do we learn by doing." ~ Aristotle

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

I have in the past, blogged about Thimbleberries, which is a quilt club with members across the country. A couple of months ago, one of our members locally embarked upon a project which has sparked a good deal of enthusiasm among our members. Every year, we have a quilt project to complete if we so desire, but this project is of our own choosing. Jennifer Chiaverini has authored a series of novels ---"The Elm Creek Quilt Novels". I began reading this series several years ago, before I began to quilt actually. The stories depict quilters from different eras in our history, one for example about a slave titled "The Runaway Quilt" and her struggle to escape slavery. But the novels all are based on the same characters and their common interest in quilting. Sylvia's Bridal Sampler was a quilt assembled with 6" squares, each from a different quilter. Sylvia was a master quilter and opened a retreat for quilters from all over the country, even other countries. When, at an advanced stage in her life, she married, the quilters whose lives she touched contributed to her wedding quilt. Now this book of quilt patterns, based on the 140 blocks from "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" authored by Jennifer Chiaverini has been published for us!! I was so excited to begin and as I make each block, and learn it's name and struggle with each method of construction, I find that I am learning so much. What started as one quilter here choosing to start this project has become many. We compare our blocks, share tips and encourage each other. So...here are my first 10 blocks. There are 14 rows of 10 blocks each in the quilt example I chose.

We had a wonderful 4th of July with friends spending the weekend with us. My friend, Bonnie and I spent the weekend on a garden art project which exceeded our expectations and my next blog will show the fruit of our labors. I hope it will inspire some of my followers to follow our example and to let me know what you have done.

"Like a gardener, I believe that what goes down must come up." ~ Lynwood L. Giacomini

Summer windchime!

A few posts ago, I indicated that I would be making a wind chime from pot lids and silverware. I finally got down to business and here it is. I opted not to use the large spoon, but will save it for another project. When the breezes blow, the silver pieces make a delicate little chime. Hanging outside my kitchen, it reflects my love for old things and I have re-purposed something!!! Thank you to my friend who brought hers to me to use as a model. With the dog days of summer upon us, we are taking every opportunity to work out of doors in the yard. A split-rail fence is now being constructed in the back yard and a small section, purely decorative, will find residence in the front of the house. We have planted numerous bushes and trees, mostly of the small, cheap, beg, borrow and steal type. (that's me--cheap, cheap or as I prefer, thrifty!) Usually with a lot of luck, we have success! We are looking forward to visits this summer from friends and family and perhaps a few day trips with the furkids and a picnic lunch or two. The weather has been wonderful and my flowers are in full bloom. I will be posting pics, but it is always difficult for me to get to the computer when mother nature is so kind!!!

The Amen! of nature is always a flower. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Summer

Feed me! Feed me! Look at those little babies waiting for more lunch. Mom and Dad are very diligent and when our weather was so wet, Mom kept the babies warm. There are 3 little hatchlings in the nest and the way they are starting to flap their wings, I hope they don't fall out.

The Mr. and I have been very busy, finishing the den flooring, planting...we put in a silver poplar, two barberries, two yucca, a Russian sage and a sand cherry.

These are the cakes I made and we delivered to Rawlins last week in the rain. The celebration was to be held out of doors in a beautiful yard, but alas, people crowded in doors. In spite of the weather, there were so many people who came to share in the celebration of 50 years of wedded bliss by one of my BFF and her wonderful husband. It was so good to see so many of our old friends and there were about twice as many as first estimated. Nearly 150 people came.
So with summer officially arriving in a few hours, and Father's day also on the horizon, it is finally beginning to seem that winter has given up.

Mom nature

Good ol' mother nature never ceases to amaze me. We have had such a long winter...and snow up until 3 weeks ago. Suddenly everything is blooming as if to catch up. We literally went from freezing to 80 degrees. The rhubarb above is from my mother's plants. I have carefully moved it to a new home whenever we moved for the last 30 years. I have shared it with others and left it in gardens to be nurtured by new occupants and always kept a piece for me. It is the best deep red rhubarb!! Like all gardeners, I watch for buds and cut them off so that the energy needed to produce is not wasted on flowers which go to seed. For some reason this plant has done nothing but try to bloom despite my efforts to encourage it to do otherwise. I discovered this pretty little flower hiding deep within the center of the plant. Since my lilacs for the most part froze...I was delighted to see how pretty this flower was. (I did however pluck it from it's mother plant shortly after I took the picture.) Below, is another of mother natures wonders. I found the plans for this robin box which we mounted on a dead aspen just outside our window last spring, but alas, it was too late for nesting I guess. I dutifully watched every day this spring for signs of a robin and when I was not looking, the Mr. informed me we had a nest. She has been sitting on eggs for a couple of weeks now and the male robin has begun to take his post on a branch above the nest when she leaves to feed or take a bath in the birdbath I provided for her.
We don't want to disturb her too much, so this picture was taken through our window and screen. But you can see what a wonderful view we will have of the babies when they hatch.

"Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." ~ Albert Einstein

Before and after

As you can see the first picture is the "before" and the second is the "after". We discovered broken floor tiles also, and of course couldn't match the old ones, so we decided to put a "tile rug" down. Nothing has been grouted yet, but that should be tomorrow. Since we really weren't planning this repair, we didn't tear everything out. Eventually, we will have to do that. I put in bedding plants today. My neighbor and I found some really good plants for cheap and I am known to be a cheapskate. I have also been working on a quilt repair which was not going well for me, but is now done. I did get to go to Denver with a couple of dear friends on Saturday and visited an elderly cousin. It pains me to see everyone getting so old. She has gotten frail, but still retains a good sense of humor. This is just a catch-up blog and I hope to get back to some "fun" things.

More bath blog

Not to bore you all too much, but after all, this is what we do! Tile is going on after the drywall was replaced with the wonder board and the holes were filled and primed!! Yeah!
We had ten inches of snow a couple of days ago, it is raining cats and dogs as I type and tomorrow there are two big plant sales taking place down at the botanical gardens and the depot. I don't know if I am in the mood to get plants yet although by this time, I usually have some bedding plants in the soil. We have had freezing weather this week at night. Summer, summer where are you? (Still in the bathroom I bet!)

Bathroom renovation

Just a quick post for my "friends" who follow our flipping processes. As you can see from the bottom picture, all that was holding the tile on the wall, was the paper from the drywall and the grout! There was NO drywall behind the area around the spout. This is our main bathroom and for those who don't know this story, one of the tiles seemed a little loose, so in exploring the reason, we found that the drywall had dissolved as a result of a prior leak. Unable to get all of the tile in that area off without breaking them has forced us to totally re-tile the area and more pictures will be posted. This is our 3rd bathroom renovation this year! The Mr. has become quite an expert!