Spring

Blueberry blossoms

Dogwood blossoms

Azaleas

Crepe Myrtle leafing out

Turkey Oak leafing out

.... Live Oak leaves turning brown?

It's about to happen.  We are about to be inundated with falling Live Oak leaves. For those who don't know, the Live Oak is semi-deciduous. It keeps its leaves through the winter. In the spring the new leaves emerge almost immediately after the old leaves fall. Because of this the tree appears to be green year round. 

It's a messy time. Between the leaves falling, and the pollen coating anything outside, 

wrecking havoc for with allergies, it may not be the best season of the year down here!

It's Here!

If you play Mahjong, you know!

Each year the National Mah Jongg League sends out it's new card some time before April 1.

The card shows what hands players may use. 

Hands are similar to rummy hands, for the uninitiated. 

The cards are highly anticipated by players, 

offering a welcome change in ways to complete a Mahjong.

The new cards also help to level the playing field for newer players

as no one is familiar with the selections, the choices are new for everyone. 

Oh, and if you noticed that I have spelled Mahjong two different ways, 

Mr. A-I-nstein tells me there are:

dozens of ways to spell the tile-based game due to it being a transliteration from Chinese. Common variations include Mah-Jongg, Mahjongg, Mah-Jong, Mah Jong, and Mahjong. 

Behind Curtain Number One

My bedroom has a sliding glass door that opens onto the pool area. It's lovely to lie in bed and peer out at the pool,  the three-board fence and the woods & pasture beyond. Some day I even dream that a horse could be standing by that fence. It's nice...until the pool service tech comes at 7:15am to check the pool. Oh, he's not bad to look at - but I'm certain that doesn't work both ways!

One morning the Mister came out of the shower, only to see the 'pool boy' outside. 

It was time to make a curtain. I have the fabric, including the lining. I was going to make drapery panels for the bedroom at our previous home - and never did so. 

And sew...the fun begins!

The curtain is going to go floor to ceiling - 95"

I need to sew two pieces together to make a panel that will slide over the door. 

I began the process on the floor, but once I sewed the two pieces together, 

I didn't have floor space large enough. 

I brought in a folding table that we had.

It was the perfect height to extend my ironing table.

On this particular day it was beautiful outside,

so I let a little bit of the outside in!

Last night I was able to hang the curtain up. 

I like the tchotchke shelf above the door, but it eliminated the option to use typical curtain rods.

I purchased a ceiling mount slider at IKEA months ago, and it seems perfect! 

I will still need to do some more work on the curtain. After it hangs for a week or so I'll need to 

adjust the hem, and 'train' the pleats. 

Right now, done is better than perfect!

Sorry, pool boy...no more free peeks! 

(That, and on nights with a full moon, we will have a little more darkness for sleeping!)

 

Come on Baby Light My Fire

Our yard is a mess - all 5+ acres of it. It has been cold and windy and we have been involved in other pursuits. We do not have yard waste pickup available to us. We either cut the waste in small enough pieces to bag and put into our bin, compost it, chop it up or burn it. We do a little of all four options. We have been under a burn ban since November, so the pile has grown, or the large pieces of yard debris have lain where they fell. 

This is one pile behind the barn. It has yet to be touched.

Saturday dawned sunny, clear and most importantly, with no wind. I had a fire going by 9AM. I collected and raked debris from oak trees closest to the fire, so I could keep an eye on it. Then, the Mister began to bring in some larger branches that he had to cut to manageable sizes. I left him minding the fire so I could go further afield. 

Our Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix Roebelinii) took a strong hit this winter. 

I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by a palm tree specialist this week.

He was very informative, and I'm so glad I heard him speak.

He explained that pygmy date palms are hardy to 29 degrees. We had two nights that dipped to 14 degrees,

in a span of two weeks where nighttime temperatures were below freezing.  Apparently this was the coldest winter since 1980, and before that, in the 1800's! (So sayeth the palm tree expert.)

So, little wonder that our poor palms look like this:

It was time to trim the dead fronds off the trees.

Pygmy palms have their own brutal self defense system!

I can't tell you the number of times I've been stabbed by these nasty thorns.

The lower fronds of the palm always die back and need trimming. 

And, thanks to the Mister's obsession with DeWalt tools....

I have a tool for that!

It took no time to cut off all of the dead fronds. 

Their next stop? The fire pit!

The palms showed a touch of green...so maybe they will make it to annoy me another year!

 

Repressed Creativity?

My friend, Barbara, shared this image with me. Of course, it made me chuckle. Have you noticed that the things you are likely to laugh about are things that may describe you?

 

Sew...on Thursday I bought the fabric I put on a post yesterday. 

And also, yesterday, this arrived from eBay:

Yep, more fabric!

 I guess one might say I collect fabric. 

That's a nicer way of saying that I hoard it! 

(Amazing how one word can change the connotation of a statement!)

But, I have plans for the latest purchase, it will make the perfect backing for my hexie quilt! 

This morning while doing some long-needed yard work (more about that another day) I was listening to an audible book: "The Man on the Mountaintop" by Susan Trott. My ears perked up when the character referred to as Joes, the holy man,  shared this insight with another: "My theory about obsessive collecting is that it is repressed creativity."  

I'm not certain that I would be defined as an obsessive collector, but I can't tell you the number of fabrics I have in my 'collection' that I have chosen not to use in a project because I really like it, or I originally bought it for another project, or it was really expensive, or it has memories of where I was when I purchased it, or who I was with. I need to get over it. I really must use that fabric as then the finished product would have those attachments. Maybe, after all, my creativity is repressed by those thoughts that prohibit my moving forward with those fabrics. 

What about you? Do you collect anything? Do you collect items with the desire to do something with them...but you aren't quite sure how to go about it? Do you admire and collect items that you wish you could have made? In the book the character collected pottery from one ancient artist, because he loved it and admired its beauty. He was encouraged to learn to make pottery that would be equally beautiful, if not surpass the beauty of the artist. 

Ah, interesting thoughts. Time to get back to raking!

Life Resumes its Usual Path

 The Mister is recovering and getting back into some of his projects, as he feels the stamina to pursue. them. 

I'm back in my sewing room, juggling projects. I'm working on Lupine & Laughter, the mystery quilt I started in November. I'm using pieces I've made for the border as 'Leaders and Enders' as I sew the next step on my paper piecing project...and while I'm at it, the long arm is stitching away on a quilt for my BFF. Oh...and I'm listening to a "Meet the Candidates" meeting for folks on the ballot for joining our board of property owners in the community, and occasionally taking notes. 

Yesterday I went to lunch with my Piecemakers group.

 We also visited Sew Yours, a shop in Dunellon, FL that focuses on purse making, having all kinds of vinyl, canvas, fabric, straps, fasteners, etc. While I was there some fabric jumped into my cart! 

The shop is going to focus on purse making and the owner's own fabric designs. Almost all of their other fabrics are 40% off. These fabrics literally jumped in my cart. I know not how!  I did apologize to some of them and put them back on the shelf. But, then a few more hopped in to take their places! What's a lady to do in this case?

They came home with me. I have been cogitating on just what I might do with them in the future, and the kernel of an idea is beginning to form! 

Several years ago I visited the New England Quilt Museum  in Lowell, MA with my BFF. While perusing the quilts, and discussing what we liked about this one, or that one, a woman and her friend happened by. We chatted for a bit. The woman was Marianne Hatton, the author of "Simply Dynamic Sampler Quilts". Of course, I had to buy the book - it's no longer in print, as it was published in 2010, so that was a bit of a challenge. But I was instantly enamored with the content. Marianne's view of contemporary sampler quilts puts a new spin on a time honored practice of learning about quilting by piecing together block after block using traditional patterns. Marianne suggests a more unusual approach where the quilt not only demonstrates different historical blocks, but showcases different techniques, and different sizes, perhaps with an overarching theme, in a balanced quilt unified through color. Here's an image from her book that illustrates my description. 

Sew, now, it's time to stare at the fabric and think. And think some more. And see if the fabric evokes a theme, or if I come up with some other idea!

And, besides that, it is time to focus on dinner! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 Yum!

This was the best corned beef I recall having ....ever! 

When the potatoes and cabbage went in the pot we added a can of porter 

(only because we had one leftover from our son being here, almost a year ago 😳)

It was delicious!

Hope you had a fun day.