Games Squirrels Play

Apparently Kaitlyn has a new friend. I have noticed her hanging around the base of this oak tree several evenings now. Today I watched from the kitchen and snapped pictures of her antics. 

Kaitlyn is mesmerized by the squirrel up in the tree.

The squirrel seems to be having fun moving around the tree, and teasing Kaitlyn.

First she is here....then she is there!

Kaitlyn peers around the left side of the tree....

While the squirrel comes down the other side, shaking her tail and chattering at her.

The squirrel is leading Kaitlyn on a merry chase from her 'handicapped' position on the ground. 

The squirrel is playing hide and seek!

Twice, while I was watching, the squirrel came down the tree, 

coming within a few feet of the ground.

Catch me if you can!

What a tease!

"Which way did she go?!"

Poor Kaitlyn just can't get a break!

But the squirrel seemed to have a great time!

Feeling Peevish

 I begin each morning by checking my email. Today I had five (5) more unsolicited emails, three from politically-focused entities trying to tell me how to think and two from a financial blog telling me how to invest my dwindling funds. Oh, and then there are the additional emails hawking their products simply because I have shopped at their store or online.

I could go on and list more of my peeves. I bet we all have lots of them. Many, many niggling irritations! 

Just for the heck of it I looked 'peeve' up in the thesaurus. (I remember the thesaurus that sat on our bookshelf in the hall when I was a kid. The one with the corner of the paper cover torn, and curled back. The book that had magical words in it!) I enjoyed seeing just some of the synonyms for 'peeve':

thorn

ruffle

vexation

bugbear

botheration

tribulation

fleabite

albatross

hair shirt

Ah, such fun. Now I feel better. I don't feel quite as dandered! 

Thanks for reading! What exasperates you?

Projects, Projects, Projects

Earlier in June I visited Sara's "My Sewing Room" blog.  She had many pictures of fun quilt blocks she is currently making. Her work made me think, and I commented on her post:

I stared at my stash today and decided that I really need to attack it and work up some sort of scrappy quilt in rainbow colors....

• after I finish quilting what's in by TBQ pile, 
• after I finish piecing my Judy Niermeyer quilt and king extensions, 
• after I finish the guild mystery quilt, 
• after I complete the guild challenge quilt, 
• after I make valences for the MBdr and 
• after I design and piece a quilt using the fabric I bought a few months ago....
• oh, and after I quilt some fabric I bought to make bedspreads for the guest room. 

That scrappy quilt is next in line! LOL

Since then I've run across even more projects I want to/should start and/or complete! So much to do and so little time! 

I went back to a post I made in January that listed some projects I wanted to complete. Well, I'm making some progress....but there is still a lot to do! (And some of the January projects didn't even make it to the list I so glibly created in response to Sara's post!) 

1. January: Move forward with Desert Oasis quilt

    Now: Yes, I am on the last section of the quilt. I am moving forward.

2.  In January: Create a quilted scrap backing, using blues, for the Susan Cleveland sailboat kit hanging.

    Now: Nope! Totally slipped my mind! But I did make a scrappy blue backing and started this wall hanging....it hasn't progressed much further than this, however!

3. In January: Continue using Christmas fabric as leaders/enders resulting in a Christmas tree quilt. Maybe something like this: 

Now: I made baby-step progress. I've made several yards of pieced fabric to cut into the trees, and then piece into a quilt. 

4. In January: Bind bright Apple Valley placemats.

    Now: Gone! Nope, I didn't bind them. I put them in a bag, with the binding, and put it on the "Take it, It's Free" table at the Guild! I decided that since I really didn't like how they turned out, I wouldn't even waste my time finishing them. 

5. In January: Make the  purse from "Sew Yours"

    Now: Hanging my head in shame. I didn't do it. Does it count that I pulled the pattern out again and read through it?

6. In January: Make a bag using cork material and embroidery embellishments 

Now: Yes! I did this one! 

7. In January: Quilt the pin wheel quilt

    Now: Done! I even stitched some embellishments with pearl cotton! 

8. In January: Quilt the "Quilter's Prerogative" quilt

    Now: On my machine and over half-way finished. 

9. In January: Embellish shirts with embroidery

    Now: Does it count that I made a pillow with embroidery? 

10. In January: Make twin headboards for the guest room

    Now: I decided that the beds can stay without a headboard. I did put up two large pictures to define the space...for now. So, in effect, this "To Do" is Done! 

11. In January: Create a quilt using a 'jelly roll' I have on hand. 

    Now: Nope. I have a pattern in mind, but I really think the jelly roll fabric is ugly, and unless I find a coordinating fabric that works with the pattern, I don't want to waste my time on an ugly quilt! (Any suggestions are welcome!)

12. In January: Complete the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt, 'Lupine & Laughter"

    Now: YES! The quilt is pieced, quilted and has its binding! 

I have many, many more projects, at different stages of completion, that I could add to my list. But, for now, I'll just keep plugging away, taking it one day at a a time (but, not necessarily one project at a time!!)

Summer Barn Quilt

 It has been a long time since I made a barn quilt for the side of our house. I have one for Thanksgiving (fall), one for Christmas, another for winter and this one for spring. 

I happened to have a 24" x 48" canvas on hand.

I worked up a design....

and went to work.

First I put a coat of paint (sometimes I use
gesso) on the canvas.

I find it easiest to do this outside where I can use a baking bench knife to spread the paint.

I had a bit of paint left from painting my sewing room that I used for this base coat.

I began taping out the design,

and started painting the first color. 

More tape...

more paint.

More tape...

more paint.

More tape...

more paint! 

Slowly, tape begins to come off.

(See the ball of tape on the left, middle of the picture?!)

Finally, it's close to being finished.

I used a black Sharpie to put in 'seam' lines.

The final step was to add several layers of clear acrylic to protect it from the elements. 

Most barn quilts are painted on wood. 

I tried using the canvases to make it easier to handle the barn quilts. 

Since they aren't outside all year, and since they are somewhat protected by the overhang of the roof, 

this has worked for me.

Comfort Table

 Oh no! I broke it! 😢

Just under a month ago I wrote about the "Comfort Table" that I have for my long arm. It has been wonderful.  It allows me to easily raise and lower the table at the touch of a button. I have been working on a quilt for a while (years, actually!) and chose to use micro-quilting for much of it. For those who aren't quilters, micro-quilting is very dense, tiny quilting stitches used in the background. It is slow going, and I chose to move the table low enough so I could sit in a chair while I worked on the quilt. It was perfect! It surely saved my back some ache!

I finally finished the micro-quilting and was ready to move on to regular quilting. When I am doing FMQ (Free Motion Quilting) I move down the quilt fairly quickly and trying to scoot in a chair as I am quilting just doesn't work well. So, I pushed the little "UP" arrow button to bring the table up to waist-height. The table didn't move. Nothing happened. And this message showed up on the screen:

I had no clue. I looked online and couldn't find anything about this. I read about 'resetting' the table and tried that. I received two different messages; E25 and E26. Again, no information online except suggestions to unplug the motor, wait and plug it back in. 

Although it was after-hours, I sent an email to my selling dealer. She got back to me shortly after indicating she had never heard of this and suggested that I contact APQS. She also told me that she had forwarded my message to APQS. 

The next morning I grabbed some paper and a pencil and looked online for the phone number I would need to reach service techs at APQS. While I sat there I looked over at the machine, one more time....and noticed..... amidst the dust, dog hair and stray threads....

Do you see it? There is an electrical transformer box wedged under one section of the leg. I went over, yanked it out (with a bit of difficulty...it was really wedged in there) and the table suddenly moved down. The signal for resetting that I should have heard the night before sounded. I tried the up button and, voila! The table responded and moved up. It is level. It goes up and down. My problem is resolved. 

I replaced that black box back under the frame on the sticky part of a velcro strip, where it had resided previously. All was good.

And, on a positive note, a representative from APQS called me later in the day. Even though I had not contacted them, my selling dealer had forwarded my email to them. Now, that's wonderful service! 😁

Last Rites for the Pygmy Palm

Previously I wrote about damages many of our plants sustained from our colder than normal winter. 

Our Pygmy Palm was one such victim.

 I trimmed the dead fronds off in March, hoping that the wee bit of green I could see near the heart of the palm would sustain it and produce new fronds.  

New fronds did not emerge as spring progressed. 

It was time to remove the remains. 

The Mister inched down the hill in his little excavator

and began to dig around the palm. 

He quickly discovered that although the palm may have been a 'pygmy',

it's roots were not!

It had a very healthy, extensive root network.

He dug some more.

And finally, after 34 minutes he was able to wrench the palm from its final resting place.

We looked for some sort of small, ornamental tree that would like partial sun.

We didn't find any that live in this zone and would like the conditions 

and space in that particular corner. 

We came home from the nursery with a Pinwheel Jasmine shrub.

This shrub will only grow to be about 6' tall, 

and 6' around, and will flower all summer. 

It can also be trimmed to form a multi-trunk tree, if desired. 

I think it will be a lovely addition to my back garden. 

Way Down Yonder

This may take you back a few years; but the song and the singer! 

As a kid, did you ever wonder what a "Paw Paw patch" was?

We have Paw Paw trees on our property now. Dozens of them! 

We noticed them last year, and again this year, when they were in flower. 

The flowers of this native Paw Paw (Manasota Pawpaw) are a creamy yellow. They are cup shaped and hang down, limply. 

They are said to turn maroon as they age. I have not seen them with that coloration....yet! 

The trees are also insignificant looking, most of them leaning at a 45° angle, 

looking like they are doing poorly.

But we have Paw Paws! 

I have read that as the fruit ages it will turn yellow-ish green to yellow-brown.

When ripe, if the tree is gently shaken,

the fruit falls to the ground.

If you hear me singing...I might be out picking up pawpaws in late summer or early fall. 

I have read that the fruits taste something like bananas.

They don't travel well and last only a few days after picking,

which is why they are not found at grocery stores.