Mishmash Monday

Today’s post will indeed be a hodgepodge of things.

This colorful alphabet quilt will be turned in at the next meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild in Weymouth. Our guild members donate quilts to a number of organizations. This quilt is destined for a child of a National Guard member who will be deployed. At deployment ceremonies, children may select a quilt or older children may choose a pillowcase.

The weather will be in the chilly forties for the next few days, but my front entrance sure looks like spring.

I do have a number of completed stitch pieces, but they are not fully finished yet. Hopefully, I’ll be able to feature them some time this week.

For Emma fans . . . here she is relaxing after a trip to her groomer. It’s hard to believe and downright scary that my sweet Emma turned fourteen at the end of December.

Are you someone who enjoys doing wool appliqué? If so, the "Woolie Friends Stitch A Longs" group on Facebook will be hosting "Wool Freedom Projects Celebrating America's 250th from April 27th - June 25th. There will be 12 different projects by 13 designers in the Woolie Friends group. Each pattern will be free to download for five days. Usually kits for purchase are offered if you don't have your own wool stash.

That’s my mishmash for today. Stay happy, creative, and positive this week. 

Hoppy, Hoppy Easter!!!

 

I know that I’ll sound like Elmer P. Dowd*, but the other day I saw a really, really big rabbit. He was friendly and happily posed for this photo so I could prove that I had indeed seen him.

Wishing you all a Happy, Blessed Easter.

*The name of Jimmy Stewart’s eccentric character in the delightful film classic, Harvey. 

Happy Spring !!!

 

The other morning I visited CVS Pharmacy and spotted my first real sign of spring. Two industrious little builders were hard at work. They had wisely each selected the “a’s” for their construction sites. It is amazing to me that they knew to select the letters which would offer the most protection from the elements. 

Later, still looking up, I grabbed a shot of this weathervane steer at Fratellis Bakery. The steer might be for Previties which is a meat market in the other half of the building. 

Sunday morning after church, I spotted another sure sign of spring! A local garden center had a sign indicating that they were open and that pansies had arrived. Of course, I pulled right in and made a purchase. Returning home, I planted them in my grandmother’s vintage wrought iron ice cream parlor chair. Is it too soon for pansies? No, if we get a surprise storm or another cold snap, I can easily put it in the garage until it warms back up. 

I don't have any finished work to show today, but I am excited about a project that I have started. A couple of Saturdays ago, I went to a quilt show out in the Ashland area.  One quilt in particular stopped me in my tracks. It featured all kinds of things that I like: buttons, ribbons and trims, lace, charms, denim, etc.. Returning home, I immediately purchased and downloaded the pattern for the quilt from its designer in Australia. It should be great fun to stitch. Wish me luck.

Happy spring everyone!!!

Ric Rac to the Rescue!!!

 I’m turning in another donation quilt at tomorrow’s guild meeting. It’s a cooking utensil themed quilt for some young cook. The colors are actually much brighter in person.

I was really happy with the selection of the pink binding and things were fine until I took a closer look at it a couple of days later. On quilts for children, I sew the binding on by machine. Yikes! There were small sections here and there where you could see slivers of the  batting. I knew that I should remove the binding and restitch it, but I also knew that I was not about to do all that.work.  After some thought, I decide to add wide, white ric rac to cover the problem. Truthfully, I love my creative solution. :-) 

Finally, a friend sent this out, and it is too good not to share. Lucy and Ethel must have been heading out  on a shop hop!!!

Have a fun, full, creative week. Go take a ride with a friend. 

Books in Bloom 2026 - Tufts Library - Weymouth, MA

 

On this sunny, Sunday afternoon, yes, I said ‘sunny’ afternoon, I wanted to post images from the Weymouth Garden Club’s annual “Books in Bloom” exhibition. After having had so much snow, it was a delight to see these sweet, creative pieces. A member of the gardening group told us that there were fifty-five pieces displayed throughout the library. Here are eight of my favorites. 

And finally, a biography of Weymouth’s own Abigail Adams.

Have a lovely, creative week.  ;-)

This and That Thursday

Hi everyone! Today I thought I would start with some good news. As you know from previous posts, my sweet  Emma who recently turned fourteen had been dealing with some age related health issues mainly vestibular disease which was affecting her balance.  Some times she would seem confused, her balance would be off, and her head would sway back and forth. It was difficult to watch. At other times I would have to carry her from room to room. Her vet told me to give it time as this condition affecting older dogs (and humans) often resolves itself in a couple of weeks. In Emma’s case, it was more like two months. But I am elated to say that she is now doing well. She bounds out of her crate each morning ready to start the day, and she is back to being her happy, energetic self. 

These photos were taken yesterday after a trip to the groomer. She’s all set for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Speaking of fourteen year olds, on Sunday I went to a family birthday party for my cousin Desmond. He is growing up far too quickly. The whole family was there except the triplets and Miss L. as they are all in their second year of college . . . unbelievable but true.

Snow Melt Update: Yesterday it was a balmy forty-five degrees. I did some errands and didn’t wear my winter jacket. I’ll be able to drag out my deck furniture any day now as I half the four feet of snow that I had after the blizzard. The temps will be even higher over the weekend.

Finally, last night a friend hosted a game night at her condo in Hull. As  always, there was lots of laughter and good conversation.This colorful buoy composition was in front of the building housing the famous Paragon Park carousel. We passed it and my friend who was driving went around the block so that I could hop out and get this image.

I hope you all have a sunny, warm, and colorful weekend. 

The Blizzard of 2026 or . . .

 There Is ‘Snow’ Place Like Home. . . 

South of Boston got clobbered during Monday’s powerful nor’easter as did a large section of the East Coast. We received twenty-five inches on top of the fifteen inches that we still had on the ground from our last big storm. Fortunately, in my area we did not lose power; we were incredibly lucky. Others were not so lucky and received thirty to thirty-five inches, and their power has still not been restored.

The blowing wet snow plastered every window.

My backyard looks like a moonscape with huge drifts, and most of my deck had four to five feet of snow. 

Starting at 7:30am, I went out every hour and a half to clear around the door to the deck and shovel out a small area for Emma. The snow came down at an incredible rate. If I had waited two hours at any time, I would not have been able to open that door. As  it was, I went out to shovel eight times. It was impossible to open any of my other doors. My friend Kathy L.sent a photo of my front door taken from her kitchen window showing that the snow covered half of the door.  While some areas received heavy, wet snow, ours was easier to shovel.

Here's the view out my dining room window. I had drifts like this all around my house.

I am so glad that I moved to this home as I didn't have to clear my driveway or my front entry way. 

Now here is the good news. After a few rough days, things are looking up. The temperature was nearly forty degrees today and tomorrow we will match that. Even better, we will be aiming for fifty on Saturday. Hallelujah!!!

Stay warm and cozy . . . spring is right around the corner. :-)