Stripping

 So I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks and although it is spring, it has been snowing nearly every day.  I have been sewing 'cause I cannot get outside to plant, or do any yard work!!! Where is the nice weather? I am not stripping folks, although I have another case of shingles and I truly do feel like stripping.  (Yes I have had the shingles vaccination, but it doesn't always work.)  If you all recall, I bought an old sewing machine with a cabinet which is in need of some TLC.  It has been neglected for years.  Not wanting to damage it, I have been wanting to try just a refinisher.  At a yard sale last week, I bought a small table for $3 to experiment with the refinisher.  I used some years and years ago and was so impressed with it but haven't used any since and I don't want to strip my cabinet for fear of damaging it.  With a little refinisher on some steele wool and less than 60 seconds, you can see the results!!!  It even filled in the scratches.!!

Here is my stripper...well, she is just airing everything out I think..and yes, I do wipe down my counter tops. She has been going out mornings with the dogs and it is still dark at 6:00 a.m. here.

One day this week I let her in, turned around and discovered she was approaching me with something in her mouth!!! I screamed at the Mr. (he was still in bed).  I did not recognize the critter she was proudly carrying and when I screamed, she dropped it under the dining room table.  He got up, grabbed a glove and told me to keep an eye on the trophy.  Whatever it was did not move at all very fast.  He scooped it up and threw it out on the cement patio.  It was furry, gray and about 5-6 inches long with a short skinny tail.  I had to google it and it was a MOLE.  Apparently the pelts are really nice, but although edible, the flesh is not very tasty!!!

Killing two birds

 We had a really big snowstorm this week, yesterday as a matter of fact, and it was 7 degrees when I got up today.  Now the sun has been out and the snow is melting like crazy!!  We had friends for dinner on Sunday and I needed to heat some frozen corn.  I had a small amount in a bag previously purchased and a new small carton in butter sauce so I put the first in a bowl with a lid and the 2nd which was in a pouch in the microwave on top of the lid.  When I opened the oven...this huge "bubble" was nearly touching the top of the microwave.  Whaaaat???  We all laughed so hard...trying to kill two birds with one stone?  Not always a good idea.

When it was so cold this morning, my little grey guy curled up on the carpet on the cat's scratching base basking in the sunshine.  Poor guy!  But look below...he and Roger got new beds!  And Spencer Blue loves his.  

I went to sew on Monday with my quilting friends and being able to sew all day without interruptions really does allow one to get something accomplished, plus the interaction with other quilters has been enjoyable.  I have some ideas for some quilts to start, but when I went upstairs to see what I need to finish....well, I have many projects that have been started and still need to be completed. 

I am so ready for spring and planting..but we have a busy little rabbit that has made tracks all over the snow outside and I am afraid that if we don't get rid of him, we will have more and all of my gardening will be futile.  It will become Peter Rabbit's Bed and Breakfast all over again!

Spring yet?

 So I am impatiently waiting for spring...winter be done!!  At Christmas, my friend and neighbor with whom we consider family, built and presented me with this wonderful bluebird feeder including the dried worms.  The bluebirds have arrived and although I haven't seen any, neighbors have.  We had snow this week, several inches in fact, but it melted quickly so perhaps on the horizon, spring will emerge.  Actually, next week is officially the first day.  I still need to seal it now that it has been painted and we need to get a post in the ground for mounting it, but that will be in a few days.

 The flies have started to show up and although Coalette chooses to nap in the weirdest places (here on the printer), she can catch any fly that she can spot.  YUMMY!  (Flies?  Another sign of warmer weather?)-- and the prairie dogs are coming out of hibernation too.

 We have the most gorgeous sunrises here.  This is a very pale pink taken from my very small upper deck and through the window. (It was cold.) 

I have been sewing a great deal and have joined a group of quilters and met some pretty neat gals.  You have to remember that we are in very rural Wyoming and there are a lot of tough ol' birds around here.  There are even quite a few transplants...people who are looking for a more peaceful way of life.  It never ceases to amaze me that retirees are moving here, as we lack a lot of amenities associated with the needs of senior citizens.  The ones who live here are hardy stock and survivors for sure.  But with views like the one above, who can blame them.  There were 3 cars stolen last week from Saratoga.  Imagine that! All were unlocked with keys inside.  Everyone does that here.  That sort of thing just doesn't happen here.  They were apprehended not too far away, vehicles located and not so long ago would have probably been strung up like horse thieves.  It has been a quiet couple of weeks..no news is good news..thus my absence from this blog. Just waiting for SPRING!

Latest quilt

 Finished!! This is the double Wedding Ring quilt in honor of our 50th wedding anniversary.  I have always wanted to make this but it seemed too daunting.  When I found a paper pieced pattern I knew it would be done!! All of the small scraps that have been saved over the years were perfect for this quilt so there are pieces from clothing and pieces from other quilts and pieces from fabric given to me by friends. I wish that I had not used the bright yellow 4 patches--they are loud, but it is done. 

I have missed my quilt gatherings since we moved, but have just discovered a newly formed group in Encampment, the small community just south of me about 10 miles.  They meet every other Monday in the library and bring their machines for the day and sew and share ideas.  I have been to the last two gatherings and it has been great to sew all day and the gals are fun!

My daughter, an artist in her own right, has asked for some pictures of the sunsets and sunrises I view from my home nearly every day.  This truly is the ol' west and no two are ever the same.  Toward the east this morning at about 6:30, I captured this sunrise.

Friends

 A couple of weeks ago the Mr. and I went to a pool tournament in Colorado and I got to spend the day with a really good friend and we went "junkin".  Of course, we had lunch too and we had such a great day.  I was able to score a few things on my ever changing list but at the end of the day when we had to bid adieu, she gave me this beautiful wreath.  It so reflects our way of life and our decorating style!!!  It will hang year 'round here.  Thank you dear friend.

I also got a call from a niece who was at a flea market and she let me know that she had found a small rolling pin for me...I posted a picture of the ones I have collected earlier on, but I found one too so again, pieces that remind me of days gone by.  Simpler days for sure are gone, but do little girls even use rolling pins any more?  There is a quest for some new moms to find a healthier lifestyle for their families and blogs now to actually do more of the things their grandmother's did, but do they make pie crust from scratch and do their daughters use little wooden rolling pins?  We did.

My other dear friend came over last week and we had lunch and junked a little bit.  For our craft retreat we plan a project to put lights in bottles, etc. and we found old glass blocks for $6.00 each.  We were only able to get 4 but that will be enough with the other items we have. New blocks are available, but for crafting, they are expensive and we are into "cheap" and recycling is even better.
I will be posting some of the projects later.

"True frinedship comes when silence between two people is comfortable." ~ Dave Tyson Gentry

Saying goodbye

It is with a heavy heart that I have had to say goodbye to a dear friend.  I worked for a wonderful man for nearly 15 years and now that red-headed Irishman has gone to meet his maker.  We were born in the same year, in the same month, a few hours apart and from the day I began my employment with him, it was evident that I would be his confidant.  I had never met him, never even heard of him before I applied for the job as his secretary.  Never has there been a man with a bigger heart, more compassionate, or more lust for life.  He had his demons though and somehow I know as I witnessed his battles with them, they took a toll on his life.  I am witness to others who are struggling with these demons and know that until they are honest with themselves and chose to do something about this fight, I can do nothing.  May they find peace.

"Junk"

 If you know a lot about me, you will understand my attraction to things that are old, can be re-purposed or just plain remind me of things from my past.  This little ol' child's stroller for her dolly or maybe a playful kitten, with the wheels long gone and the original paint missing is my latest treasure.  What makes some of these things special to me is that they were given to me by dear friends who also like "junk", and know that I will find a new home for them.  Yesterday, I dropped by my lunch buddy's home and saw this little gem sitting outside in the snow.  It just screamed "take me home".  It was just the perfect piece of junk to be outside because of its durability.  She graciously offered it to me and I was thrilled. (doesn't take much to make me happy?)

 I don't remember if my sisters and I had a similar piece when we were little, but it seems familiar for some reason.  I can just see it with blue paint and a few decals on it can't you?  I cleaned it a little and for now it sits in my dining room with a plant--also a gift from a friend's mother..and I am debating about trying to recreate the "look" it had when being pushed by a little girl.  However, for me I have a little bit of history to accompany it.  I was told that it was found in an old mine in Nevada and that makes it a bit more important to me.  Thank you Ginger!

Coalette is napping on the small secretary a few days earlier, and resting her chin on the little blue birds, dreaming of spring when she can actually get outside.  The secretary is also a very special piece.  My mother-in-law, rest her soul, gave this to me nearly 50 years ago.  It was in a garage when they moved into a house and had been in a fire.  Unfortunately, back then, I did not realize that old furniture should not necessarily be refinished.  This piece is entirely "pegged" together and I put at least 12 coats of hand-rubbed finish on it in the early 70's.

The gals and I are still trying to come up with a date for our retreat and so far, nothing definite.  But my dear friend has a piece that intrigues me and I may have another project if we can ever set a date.

"He who makes room in his heart for others, will himself find accommodation everywhere."
~ Anonymous