Quilt strip

 My absence from this blog is due to a number of things not the least of which is due to my age.  The age of technology is in a cute speedy sports car and I am still driving a horse and a buggy.  With the new laptop and the new I pad, it has been a struggle to understand each device and I need a teenager as the "books for beginners" don't quite answer all of the questions.  We ancients grew up with instructions that were very basic and most of these "primers" assume that we all have been taught the basics of technology.  It came in on a sports car to my graveled road - rather a bumpy ride I find!  Thank goodness for my daughter who understands me so the blog is up due to her patience.

The row for May which was mine to complete is third from the top. The original row was top in the second photo which included humming birds.
They cannot be seen here, but they are there and she loves the little birds.  I had a print which did have hummers in it so it was perfect for her quilt and it was just a small piece of fabric acquired from who knows where, so I "fussy cut" the birds for the center of the churndash.  All of these rows are twice as long as pictured.

We have the little hummers feeding at our patio constantly and yesterday when we trekked across the Snowy Range, we saw a cow elk with a calf.
This was the first for me and it is always awesome to witness these new babies.  The little fawn antelope are being born and we have seen a few of them also.  Each day I learn a bit more about these devices, but with the warm weather and my gardens in need of attention...I will be back when I can.

Old fashioned

So we have a new computer and I am struggling to figure everything out.  Above, I am converting an old Samsonite computer that I found at a thrift shop into a sewing caddy for traveling back and forth to my quilting group.  My intention is to have all of my fabric, sewing notions, rulers, books etc. in designated places inside-pockets, and elastic band or whatever I can invent.  I saw one at a quilt show last fall.  The exterior is so nice that I just wanted to put something on the top and not paint the entire case.  This is supposed to be the "grandmother's flower garden" square. More to come on this. The reason I labeled this blog the way I did is because I think I must still be quite old fashioned as the transfer of files which the Mr. did for the most part was not something I was able to understand.  I still like a manual which gives you step by step instructions and tells you what each step will enable you to do or accomplish.   It is how I learned nearly everything and when  I ask "why?"...I need an answer other than "I don't know".  You just do things and don't know why apparently or need to know why?

That explains my absence from the blog.

So my cat, Coalette is found here sleeping on my table in my wooden bowl.  Just had to snap her.


"Before Prozac, there was quilting."

Pea Soup and Birthdays

Fog! From this spot, looking south, I usually can see the sleeping Indian.  For the past few weeks we have had rain, fog, rain, fog and more fog. (pea soup)  STOP!  At above 7,000 feet in elevation, our gardens cannot be put in until Memorial Day usually, but now we are having some snow with the rain and fog and I am not so sure that this will just morph into winter.  Our lives here have been a little unsettled...the Mr. has had some small health issues and is doing just fine now, but even those small things interrupt our normal day to day living.  So there has not been much to put on this blog and in addition, this computer is in the ICU waiting for a replacement to arrive.  It is just becoming too old to do what it used to be able to do.......Wait, I had a birthday this week and I can relate although I am not ready for either the ICU or a replacement.  And speaking of birthdays, I try to celebrate all week.
My neighbor here also had a birthday the day before mine and she invited us and a few of our other neighbors for a celebration, but I had to make the cake!  I always make my birthday cake, but it was fun to be with them for a little party.  I also took cupcakes to my quilt group on Monday and have been out to lunch every day this week.  When you have had as many as I have had, might as well milk it for all it's worth.  Today we are lunching with friends from out of state who have come to say goodbye I fear.  We are all in the "golden" years and health issues are always a factor, but I think they should be called the "rusty" years.  Anyway one of these friends is suffering from dementia and we have not seen her in several years, so this will not be an easy day for us, but I fear it will be the last time we will see her.  Soooooo..until the weather improves and we see the sun again I will be retreating to my quilting and hope I will have a few more interesting things to blog about in the near future 'cause I have a lot of livin' to do yet in spite of the fact that the birthdays keep coming!

Yellow today

 Today's post is about yellow.  I put my hummer feeder out a couple of days ago and within 10 minutes, the little guys had found it and the yellow finches arrived at the feeder out front at the same time. They are such a brilliant yellow.

 Our row exchange was yesterday and this is the quilt I had to work with this month.  The top row was the quilter's row and the rest were added by consecutive quilters with mine at the bottom.

Since the yellow is such a bright yellow in all rows (each row is actually 60 inches approx) I felt that the little finch was a perfect addition to the blog. We had a large group for the exchange yesterday and for lunch and we all are always excited to see what each of the 12 quilters had added to the previous rows.  I have a new series of rows now with which to add my personal touch.  This has been a great group of gals and we have developed a sense of community among the "clan".

Spring?

 These are old pictures I pulled from the computer as I have had "stuff" on my plate this week or so and actually have no other excuse except that I have worked outside mostly.  Those pics later.  Also next Monday is our row exchange and I just finished mine.  Post will come this week.  So above is a small Dresden plate square which is only 6 " from yellow side to side.  Below is a sampling of some of the garden "totems" we have made.  These were made in Cheyenne several years ago, but we are still constructing these for the gardens.  A conversation came up last week about these and so in searching for something to post, I found these.  We have already begun to look for treasures for this year's craft week and my buddy and I went to Laramie last week and discovered a couple of thrift shops.  These and garage sales are the best places to find affordable junk.

As you can see, we use a myriad of pieces...vases, lamp parts, candy dishes, bowls etc.  So if you are in a winter funk....go for it!!!  It may bring spring or even summer to our gardens.

Winter in Wy

 It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed since the last post, but it is also hard to believe that we have had so much snow this past week.  Roads closed for two whole days for the most part and we were headed south to a quilt show and weekend with a friend.  NOT POSSIBLE!  Crazy weather.  It snowed for two days constantly, but the snow was so wet and we need the moisture so maybe next year we will make it.  Above, the quilt made from my scrap stash for the bed.  This is where my furbabies sleep when they nap during the day.  Now the furbaby below is a small breed of the critter which lives mostly under the pine tree out front and munches on the lawn.  He doesn't eat much.

We did make it in to Rawlins Saturday for our health fair results, but the interstate was closed and since we were local, we were allowed to go through to come home.  Our intent was to see a movie but our better judgement told us to come home.  Another movie now playing is The Diviner.  Probably most don't really know what one is today, but I remember my grandmother was a diviner.
I saw her more than once with a forked branch trying to locate water.  I have mentioned it before, but I felt doubt from those I told.  She was born in the late 1800's and before modern methods of locating water for wells, it was common for one to divine for water. Apparently not just anyone had this skill, but from old newspaper clippings and stories retold, my grandmother was a remarkable woman.  I remember my uncles telling me that she knew when she would get a letter from a son who was overseas during WWII and send someone for the mail. Although she was a "lefty" she could do anything equally with both hands. I remember her singing the alphabet back words to me and she was a tiny lady, wearing a size 4 shoe. She died when I was only about 10, but every once in a while I hear something that stirs up an old memory of this wonderful pioneer woman.

Cute and cuddly..NOT!

 This is a side window next to my front door and this critter was taking refuge from the cold and wind one morning this week.  As I came downstairs, I came face to face with this strange looking creature.
Now I have lived most of my life in rural Colorado and Wyoming, but had actually never encountered this large rodent.  It is a pack-rat, or wood rat as they are sometimes called.  This window sits about 3 feet up from the ground and is about 12 inches wide to give you perspective. The Mr., with assistance from the dogs was able to do away with it and it became Magpie food, but this rat could jump.  He or she even jumped into the living room window sill outside before meeting his end.  They are terribly destructive and carry lice, fleas etc.  UGLY!

On the other hand, these are cute and cuddly. Although the little grey guy is not much bigger than Coalette, together they keep the mice away as much as possible.  (Don't think they would be much of a match for the rat though). She catches them and if he can get out to help her, he paws at them and "helps" her keep her prey. Understand that where we live, on 4.5 acres of prairie and sagebrush and near the river, we share our turf with all kinds of nature's critters.  We have bear, elk, moose, antelope and deer as well as the cuter but destructive rabbits, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, weasels, and the uglier badger, mice, rats, moles, and we have osprey, cranes and the bald and golden eagles.  We also have most of the other birds..the doves, robins, swallows, bluebirds, red-winged back bird, chickadees, and the hummers of course.  We just don't choose to live with some like the pack-rat above.  We have not seen another here and have no idea from whence he came, but he did not bring an Easter Basket so....gone, gone, gone.

Today our quilt group meets to exchange our 2nd rows.  It has been so much fun to do these and we all get so many good ideas from each exchange.  Although we have had some sunny days with more of it each day, the wind has blown so much and we are in for another batch of snow later this week, so it will be a good time to huddle up and quilt I think!