Spring?

 With spring officially here, I have finished my Christmas quilt so it has been put away and I am off to start another quilt. That is because it really is NOT spring!!!  We are expecting to get another snow storm and I will be forced to stay inside this weekend.  Hurry up spring!  Someone has however, forgotten to tell nature's little critters.  The prairie dogs and little ground squirrels are busy tearing up the soil around here.  I see them scurrying in and out among the sagebrush now and the scent of little beings is driving my dogs crazy.  They have had rabbits to chase before, but this is new territory for their keen little noses.  We need a fence as they continue to roam farther away from the house as they become more familiar with the acreage. Bad dogs!!

 My cat thinks she can do anything she wants and she pretty much does.  Questionable as this looks, she has attacked my little Spencer and has him pinned down in a wrestling move.  He did escape her attempt to hold him down and she did not pursue him, considering it a win I think.  They make me laugh and they will cuddle up and sleep together sometimes when they are not playing.  How do people live without pets?

This is a houseplant related to the African Violet I think.  Sorry, Bonnie, I don't remember it's name, but most of my plants are gifts of my good friends.  This one blooms constantly and at present, it has at least 18 blossoms.  So.....spring, hurry up as I need to get my hands in some soil!!!!

"If you pray for rain, be prepared to deal with some mud." ~ Charles Dudley Warner
  

More crafts

 So after the last post, this shows how this piece will be mounted on a piece of metal rod in the garden. The bottle will simply be slipped over the rod.  And below, another of the critters that emerged from the quilt.

 This past weekend we went to a State team Pool tournament and although the Mr.'s team did not make it to the finals, the weather was beautiful and they had a good time.  We saw lot's of old friends and were able to do some shopping.  However, the wind began to blow on Saturday and by Sunday as we headed home, we battled 60mph plus winds and blowing dirt.  We though we were in Arizona! Actually one strip of highway in the eastern part of the state was closed for 6 hours. So this is our devil cat Coalette, getting ready to practice some trick shots. We boarded the dogs, but left her home in the care of our friends. The only damage she did this time was to rip up a roll of paper towels at the bar sink and dig around a little in the plant soil looking for small flying bugs.

I love, love, love daylight savings time which we are now enjoying.  Not everyone shares my view, but if you are a gardener...well need I say more?  We will be battling a newcomer to our property though.  The previous owner had pretty much erradicated the destructive rodent-type of critters, but we now have a new little guy, a prairie dog who has moved in. My dad had two as pets actually in our back yard in an enclosure.  He called them "Pete" and "Repeat".  Maybe I will call this little guy "Pete", but he will NOT be a pet and may not stay long.  Sorry!

Spring crafts

 With snow in the forecast and temperatures mostly chilly, I should not be thinking of spring.  But wait, it is but just a few days away (Officially).  The days are getting longer and with daylight savings time taking place this weekend, the sun will still be up even longer in the evening.  When I was in Denver a few weeks ago, I was at the Brass Armadillo (a terrific resale shop) with other bff's  (you cannot have too many bff's) and on a mission to locate one of these older cookbooks with just these particular graphics for my bff here down the road.  We found several ranging from about $9 to $40 and this one was only $10 and in the best shape.  So my friend finished it this weekend and this clock sits on her counter.  Isn't that clever!!!

 Easter is also upcoming and if you all remember that at Christmas, I took an old quilt also belonging to the same friend and made 3 stuffed animals for her using that old quilt.  It was faded, torn and in no shape to be repaired so this little bunny emerged and sits in her sewing and craft room.

 Thoughts of spring stirs the gardening ideas in those of us who cannot wait to get our hands in the soil.  I am not sure how much I will do here, but we do have a few flower beds and my friend down the road has the most gorgeous plantings.  As previously posted over the years, I have made several versions of garden art involving cast-off glassware.  This is a new project where we actually painted some snack trays with glass paint and with other pieces attached with silicone, we have our "garden flowers" ready to be placed in the beds.  They reflect the sunlight and add color to the beds.

We scrounged for bottles with flat sides and attached them to the back, again with silicone, and the bottles will slip down over some metal rods which are placed into the beds.

"To create a little flower is a labor of ages" ~ William Blake