Amazing Day - Revisited

 Today a picture from 2013 popped up on my computer as a memory. Both the Mister and I commented that it was one of the highlights of our adventures, something we would probably never see again, and something that most people will never see! It was a picture of sheep. Thousands of them. They were traveling from their winter grounds to the mountains in Idaho for summer. Their path took them through McCall, ID where we happened to be staying while visiting my bother.

It was magical. 

I wrote a post about the semi-annual trek called, "Everybody Loves a Parade"

The Last Project

 We have lived in our little Hacienda for almost 1 1/2 years. 

In that time we took on a number of projects: 

• the bathrooms and the kitchen were renovated,
• an RV 'port' was built,
• the RV 'port' was enclosed (didn't think of doing that originally),
• a workshop was framed in inside the building,
• solar panels were installed, 
• a well was drilled for irrigation,
• the existing attached garage was converted into my sewing studio,
• a free standing two-car garage with extra space for lawn equipment, etc was completed

....and our 'final' project is nearing completion! Phew! Hooray! It's about time! 

This week landscapers worked around the garage building. They prepared the ground for the garage apron, a walk between the garage and the house, and a small patio between the garage, running along the back of the house to the pool area. They brought in fill and compacted it, and then covered the area in pavers. It was amazing to watch the speed with which the workers placed the pavers. 

Tearing out existing plantings where the patio will be going

The existing fill was dug out and leveled

Sandy, limestone fill was brought in and leveled.

The sand was compacted, over and over again.

The men placed the pavers. I was in awe of their speed,

and worried about how much their backs must hurt.

Blocks were cut to fit into small spaces along the building and the edges of the area.

Next week rock will be placed in some areas around the building, and between the fence and the newly paved areas. And finally, some shrubs will be planted in various areas within the newly improved grounds. 

Then we will be finished....

Do you believe it?!

Beach Art

 Ocean Beach, in San Francisco, became the canvas for a temporary art exhibition created by locals. Andres Amador, a local artist, invites area folks to come to the beach a few times a year. He offers suggestions and provides custom rakes for the participants to use. The rakes are made from handheld garden cultivator rakes attached to broom handles. 

Our daughter-in-law has wanted to do this for a while, and kept her eye out for the next opportunity. This past weekend the artist conducted a "Celebration of the Sun" instructing folks to commemorate the summer solstice with their art.  

Our son hiked to the top of the cliff to take photos. Drone photos were also made available, and the event was covered by the San Francisco Chronicle! 

Our granddaughter is making a picture of a bird pulling the sun away

while her brother looks on.

Here's a drone shot when it was complete. 

Our grandson is working on the sun held aloft by an Atlas-like person.

Such beauty to be found, if only temporarily! 

Doing Disney

The Mister and I are heading to Orlando for a few days. His sister and her husband are coming as well. Neither of us can remember the last time we saw each other. And, since we moved we don't live that far from each other.

I looked in our files, and unbelievably found two tickets for Disney parks,

from 1984!

According to Mr. A-I-nstein:

Disney honors completely unused or partially used old park tickets, provided they were originally purchased with a "no expiration" feature and still have valid admission days remaining. Old tickets without this feature generally expire, but their original purchase price can be credited toward a new ticket purchase.

It sure beats buying a new one! 

Happy Father's Day

 

It appears that Fathers in my area have not been overlooked on their special day. 

It was slim pickings for cards at the grocery store. 

Dad, as a cherubic toddler

Dad was a man of many talents. 

I never knew he could play the accordion, but recall finding this one in the attic.

Mom and Dad, perhaps at some sort of mixer during their college years. 

My Dad insisted on a Father/Daughter dance at my wedding.

Dad's manner of babysitting! 

Dad at 96, a year before he died. 

He never lost that smile and the twinkle in his eyes! 

Happy Father's Day.

You are always in my heart. 

Jasmine on the Move

This is Asiatic Jasmine. This is a hardy evergreen vine-like woody plant. It is native to Japan and Korea, hence its common name. The vines create a thick, tangled blanket that chokes out other weeds. It makes a great ground cover. It isn't picky about soil. It survives drought. It survived our freezing temperatures. It seems to thrive in our relentless sun and heat. It doesn't seem to mind if the dogs curl up in it, where they are almost covered by the runners (although I do occasionally wonder if there are any snakes curled up in their as well!). I recently learned that in the spring you should actually mow it! This is supposed to encourage new growth. Judging by the looks of our jasmine patches, I'm not sure it needs much encouragement!  

We are putting a small patio between the pool area and the garage. The guys were here to begin the preparation a few days ago. I asked if they might be able to save some of the Jasmine as I wanted to move it to the other side of the house. They dug it out in large slabs and hauled it around the house with the tractor. The information on transplanting jasmine suggests handling the roots gently - ha! These hunks were dug out and partially dragged into place. The information about planting also suggests doing so in spring when temperatures are lower. I think it was 95° the day they moved it, with a heat index over 103°. Not exactly cool.  I needed the Mister on his tractor to push the heavy slabs; they were almost 10" thick and included the greenery and vines, the roots and a fair amount of dirt. As best as I could I jig-sawed the pieces together., filled the edges and cracks with soil, and watered the heck out of it. I'll see just how hardy this plant can be, given time! 

This is the bank that was previously planted in Cast Iron Plant.

I moved many of the plants to a shadier area in our garden in May.

Cast Iron Plants, according to what I've read, do not care to be moved. They don't like their roots to be disturbed. Well, it was either disturb their roots by moving them, or watch they struggle in the newly sunny area created when some trees had to be removed. 

I can't say that the Cast Iron Plants are now thriving, but they haven't died, and don't look like they are struggling. The newly moved Asiatic Jasmine is in the background of this picture. 

 

Just Peachy

Shortly after we moved into 'The Hacienda' we purchased two peach trees. They made it through their first summer. Winter was tough for them. The trees had some blossoms, but the cold weather did them in. We didn't hold out much hope for any peaches.

But...one brave peach held on! We watched through the spring. It continued to mature. It grew, it began to have a blush of color...and finally, I found it on the ground, probably just after it fell. A nice, plump peach. Our only peach from either of our trees for the year. Not much of a crop.

But...

It was good!

Yum!

Now....That's Hot!

 

I checked on our weather using Weather Underground. 

This is what came up....

Seriously?

Do you see the "like" temperature? 

Is that's supposed to be the heat index?

It looks like I could do some slow cooking just by putting the pot outside! 

Regardless, I'm quite content to stay inside!

State Quilt

 I've been 'mum' about this from the onset, but decided I just had to share. As I have posted previously, I am in charge of the annual quilt challenge for the CCCQ guild. In honor of the 250th Anniversary of our country, the challenge is to pick the name of a state from a hat, and make a quilt about that. 

The state that I drew was Delaware. I did a bit of research. Delaware's State colors are buff and colonial blue. Delaware's flower is the peach blossom. Delaware is the 2nd smallest state, after Rhode Island. 

For some reason, I searched online for a Delaware 'doll'. Lo and behold...a doll showed up on eBay. She won a blue ribbon in 1961 at the Delaware State Fair. 

OMG, she was darling. I am not a doll person, but I had to get her. I won the eBay bid and she was on her way. As far as I can tell she won the ribbon for her hand-made outfit. It is all delicately stitched by hand. When I get brave enough, I will wash and iron her dress and pinafore.

Next, I decided, since Delaware is a small state, a small quilt is in order...one using the state colors and the state flower. A quilt that would be a perfect quilt for this doll! 

So began the collecting phase. I picked up fabrics in California and locally, and finally settled on a pattern.

Here are a few of the early contenders.

I decided that my doll quilt would be made of two different blocks. The first, a nine-patch that finishes at 1.5 inches, and then another square within a square,  with the center set on a diagonal. 

I experimented with doing some embroidery for peach blossoms, the state flower. 

Although I liked the way it look, I decided to use the floral fabric I had found. 

I began cutting, stitching and ironing. 

It slowly came together. 

Now to decide whether to go with the norms of turn of the century, and have no border, 

or whether to add one. Your thoughts?

Games Corgis Play

 I discovered that our Corgis love to play, "Where's the Corgi?" If I'm changing the sheets on the bed, or handling large towels, or changing out the sofa cover, they love nothing more than to have me cover one of them, and ask, "Where's the Corgi?"

The other Corgi moves in, and they wrestle in play, one under the covers, the other on the outside. They've also played the game with one on either side of floor to ceiling curtains. To date, they have not torn holes in any of the fabrics...well, the gauzy sheer curtain did have a few pulls, oh, and the quilt batting hanging from the belly bar of my long arm machine to the floor had a few holes.... but, what's a little damage when so much pleasure is to be had! The game goes on....

and continues until the missing Corgi tunnels out of the fabric.

There's the Corgi!

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!!)