In My Garden This Week - 5/29/22

My vintage irises are in bloom. My brother bought the peach irises for Mother’s Day at least thirty to forty years ago. The two-toned purple irises have been in the same spot for as long as I can remember. The iris in the bottom left is really a light blue. I brought a few of them home when I sold the home that belonged to my aunts probably thirty years ago. This year the stand of these irises is spectacular. The gorgeous yellow iris came from my godchild’s home. Unfortunately, a beautiful two-toned yellow and purple iris that I purchased last year did not survive the winter.

Other spots of color. . .

A friend is getting ready to move, and so, a group of us recently helped her prepare for a yardsale. Among other things, I came home with a pink iris, this cute birdhouse, and a watering can. The watering can had a hole in the bottom . . . no problem,  I added an inch or two of stones for drainage, compost, and a red mandevilla. :-)

For a number of years, I would meet these ladies at Brewed Awakenings in Hingham where we would practice our Italian conversation skills. It has been two years since we last met. When one of the ladies suggested we get together, I offered lunch in my backyard. (I’m still much more comfortable meeting outside, and besides, my gardens are really quite colorful now.) The weather was perfect, and as long as one doesn’t look too closely, my gardens look lovely. All my planting is done, so next I will tackle the weeding. 

They were not the only visitors to my backyard this week. Peter, who lives down the street, was walking by and stopped in with his two Great Danes. (Peter was once one of my eighth graders many years ago . . . make that many, many years ago. :-) Anyway, they were in the backyard when I let Emma out. She went tearing down the stairs barking away and then suddenly came to a full stop. If you know my Emma, you know that she is usually fearless, but she was soon hiding behind my legs. When the BIG dogs wandered down back, she dashed over to Peter. She has met these dogs individually before, but never have they been in her backyard together. I did manage to get this one photo.

Emma stayed that close for all of about three seconds!!!

Raven is four and Vada, below, is nearly a year. They are sweet, gentle, very large dogs!

Hope you have a great week. 

Squeeze the Day FFO, Swans, and a Bald Eagle, Too!

 Update: Please note . . . I wrote this cheery, breezy piece and posted it earlier this afternoon before news broke of the unspeakable horror of the murder of nineteen children and two adults at an elementary school in Texas. A week ago there was another mass murder where a racist shooter killed ten people and wounded three at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY.

    It has been ten years since the slaughter of innocent lives in Sandy Hook, CT. 

    What is being done to end this insanity? 

    God help us all.

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Here is a recent finish, Squeeze the Day, a cross stitch pattern designed by Lindsay Weight of Primrose Cottage Stitches on Etsy. The yellow chair was from Michaels. 

I’ve been trying to publish this post since early last week, but my laptop would not allow me to upload photos from my “real” camera. I even went to the Apple store intending to purchase a new laptop as mine is at least ten to twelve years old only to learn that if ordered that day it would not arrive until some time in July. I did not place an order and eventually I was able to upload the images you will see below in this post.

As a general rule, after getting up early my entire teaching career, I have made it a point never to wake at the crack of dawn. In fall and winter, I might get up at 8:30 and in spring and summer 7:30 or 8:00 seem like civilized times to start my day. :-) Why am I telling you this? One morning last week I woke at 6:00. It was bright and sunny and the night before I had seen Carol’s latest blog post at Carol’s View of New England. [If you don’t follow her blog, you should consider it as she is a wonderful photographer.] Anyway, she had posted among other things images of the swan family at Jenny Pond in Plymouth, so I decided to head down there with my camera.

At one point, the ducks and Canada geese were getting a bit to close, so Mrs. Swan called out for her hubby. With a thunderous flapping of wings, he came zooming in from the other end of the pond to drive away the offenders. Here he is laying down the law to two geese who had gotten too close.

Soon peace was restored. One sad note. . . in her post Carol showed seven cygnets. There were only four by the time I visited. I have been told that the little ones often fall victim to the large snapping turtles.

As I was wandering around taking photos, a gentleman asked me if I had been to photograph the bald eagles. I know there are many nesting pairs on the south shore, but I have yet to see any. He gave me directions and off I went.

I could not see the eaglets, but dad was on duty. 

The nest is huge and has been there in that spot for at least five years. I learned about it from some birders who were incensed that a young woman had disregarded the sign and whom they felt was too close to the nest. I suggested that perhaps she had not seen the small sign telling people not to get any closer than 300 yds. They responded that they had informed her, but that had not gone well. I’m glad I missed that. Why is it that some people think the rules and signs do not apply to them? Would I have liked to get closer? You betcha, but I wouldn’t ignore the message on the posted sign. I was able to get these images with my 100-300 zoom. She should not have been that close and given that her lens was gigantic, she did not need to be that close. To see larger versions of any of these images, please do click on the photos, especially the eagle ones. Will I be heading down there again in hopes of spotting the eaglets? You betcha! I’m told they are most active early in the morning. Of course, that will mean getting up very early again. . . 

All of this activity occurred before 11:00. Did I manage to squeeze anything else exciting into my day? You betcha! My cousin Miss Lucy was taking part in a track meet in Hingham which I attended. The weather was perfect and it was fun to see all the events. Besides watching her compete, I enjoyed watching the discus throwing. Each athlete had her own style and wind up before letting the discus fly.  I’m sure that it not the correct terminology, but it was sure fun to watch. Lord help the man in the field measuring the throws as a few times he narrowly escaped being hit. One errant throw ricocheted off a lamppost, and it was a good thing he was fleet of foot as it headed straight for him.

After the track meet, Lucy, her mom, and I went to dinner. I had truly managed to squeeze a lot into that day!

Have a great week and don’t forget to squeeze the day!!!

One more thing . . . do I realize “betcha” is not proper English? Yes, I do. Do I intend to keep using it? You betcha! ;-)

Gardening and Painting a Barn

 It’s gardening time. I have been spending lots of time visiting various garden centers to see what they have this year, and of course, picking up plants everywhere. :-) It’s only fitting to share the wealth with as many garden centers as possible! I did get a lovely surprise when I stopped by the Artery Garden Center in Quincy. It was late on Tuesday afternoon and after picking up more supertunias, the cashier told me to take one of the bouquets of roses that were left over from Mother’s Day. She explained that the owner knew they wouldn’t last indefinitely, so he wanted them to be enjoyed. Everyone in line was surprised and delighted. 

So, in the past few days I have made fourteen hanging baskets, planted two whiskey barrels, etc.; there is still much to do, but I have planted all that I have purchased. Whew! I also think that might be the end of my plant buying as I feared that I might have needed an intervention! But seriously, we need all the bright, happy flowers we can get. Who could resist this gorgeous hibiscus?

So, what’s up with painting a barn? Is there a barn behind my castle on my estate? No, no, and no. It was an unfinished piece from 141Design Company on Etsy. This company features many pieces on which to present cross stitch pieces. The barn is made of thin plywood and comes in separate pieces to be painted. The pieces can be stained or painted. On a flosstube video, Chantelle of 141 Design Company showed how to paint and assemble the piece. She used chalk paint, but I used acrylic paint that I had on hand. She said not to worry if it didn’t turn out well as you could always repaint it.

Fortunately, I love how mine turned out. I will glue a magnet in the center, and then I will be able to attach various cross stitch pieces. In case you are interested, I used a basic red with a bit of black mixed in on the barn boards. The silo is silver and the silo topper is silver mixed with a bit of black. Fun! I also painted a beehive which I will show in a future post. Now I just have to finish the cross stitch pieces.

Finally, here’s a meme sent along by friend Laurel. :-)

Stay safe. Stay creative. Buy flowers. Enjoy this glorious weather.

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A somber, horrifying statistic . . . the death toll from Covid in the United States has reached 1,000,000.

Happy Mother’s Day and a Sunday Smorgasbord

 Happy Mother’s Day! Happy March! Wait . . . it’s May 8th, but with the steady wind and cold temperatures we have been having it sure feels like March. I have half of a picnic table full of newly purchased plants, but it is too cold to be working outside.

Anyway, here are some pretty photos for Mother’s Day. Yes, these are the same tulips from Easter:-) They are on their way out now, but when it warms up, I’ll plant the bulbs in my garden.

These photos were all taken with my iPhone. Don’t be afraid to get in really, really close as you will be able to take amazing images such as this.

Did you watch the Kentucky Derby yesterday? If not, the winner, Rich Strike, was a horse who was entered on Thursday after another horse was scratched. It was perhaps the most amazing upset in Kentucky Derby history. Following this theme . . . the other evening while looking for a movie to watch I came across on Netflix, Dreamer starring Kurt Russell, Kris Kristofferson, and a very young Dakota Fanning. It’s about a down on his luck trainer, a horse in need of a second chance, and a little girl with a dream. While not Oscar worth, it was a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours. 

Before I forget, on the news the other evening they explained the current high cost of lobster ($64 per pound!!!) The lobsters we are seeing at this point are Canadian lobsters as there are restrictions in place for local lobsterman. The restrictions are to prevent endangered right whales from becoming entangled in lines which connect buoys to lobster and crab traps.  There are only an estimated 360 right whales left, so these efforts are crucial. Clams and scallops, anyone?

God Bless all the mothers and all who play that role in the lives of children. Here’s a favorite photo of my mom, and, yes, that’s me with her. My mom was always stylish; just check out that suit and those classy shoes. 

Have a great week. Fingers crossed . . . it is supposed to get warmer.

Covid numbers are climbing in our area so please be cautious and stay safe. 

Chicks Garden and Another Vintage Photo

 Yesterday, I fully finished Chicks Garden which is a fun chart by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. Though it appears simple, it took me two full weeks of evening stitching! I used an inexpensive plaque from the unfinished wood section at Hobby Lobby and a piece of plaid homespun that I had picked up on the back table at a recent guild meeting to finish the piece.

In my last post, I showed a crazy quilt wallhanging featuring photos from my grandmother’s album. The tulips hid this wonderful photo. 

There are twenty-six people in this image; my grandmother is in the very top row on the left.

There are many excellent books which show you how to make a crazy quilt, but if you would like to incorporate vintage photos, a good reference is Brian Haggard’s Crazy-Quilted Memories.

That’s all . . . short and sweet except to note that prices are SOARING! I had a challenging morning, and to treat myself on the way home from Boston, I stopped at Tony’s on Wollaston Beach to pick up a lobster roll. They are by far the very best around. The price this time $39.95. Yikes! Today I didn’t care; I deserved it, but I won’t be making a habit of it. Later, I stopped to get gas. I had a quarter tank and to fill my suv cost 57.75! Yikes!!! And, just wait until you see the prices at the garden centers!!!

With the horrific war in Ukraine, the furor over the potential Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs.Wade, and the bitter politics dividing our country, I say buy the flowers. I agree with the Persian poet who wrote 

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

I wish you peace and flowers.

May the 4th Be with You!!!

 Happy Star Wars Day! It doesn’t seem possible that the first film in this mighty galactic franchise came out way back in May of 1977!!!  I, myself, have always been more of a Star Trek fan though I have seen most of the Star Wars films.

Last week was busy. On Tuesday, I attended a meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild. Our speaker was   the very talented Marge Tucker. If you are unfamiliar with her work, please do click on the link to see  samples of her work and learn about upcoming classes. 

Confirmation for my cousin Miss Lucy was late Wednesday afternoon, and I was blessed and honored to be her sponsor. I had also been blessed to be her mom’s Confirmation sponsor. After the Mass, we went out to eat, and it was only my second time in a restaurant since March of 2020. 

On Saturday, there was a family party to celebrate Lucy’s special day. The weather was absolutely perfect for sitting outside, and it was great to see everyone.

I have been enjoying the pink tulips that I received from my godchild’s family for Easter. The bulbs took a while to produce flowers and at first the tulips were white. After a few days they gradually began turning pink!

If you have been following me for a number of years, you will recall this crazy quilt piece that I made with photos from my maternal grandmother’s album. I never knew any of my grandparents, but as a child I was fascinated by the tiny photos in one album. If I live to be 100, I will never create a piece that I am prouder of. Here are a few photos for readers who have not seen this before.

What amused me as I grew older were the photo situations. Here the young ladies posed in a cornfield. My grandmother is second from the right. 

My favorite shows six young ladies on a ladder leaning against a tree. If you look closely, you can spot a gentleman perhaps anchoring the ladder at the top on the right. The date on these photos was 1906.

All of the decorative stitching and embellishing was done by hand.

Cuteness Alert!!! While shopping in The Paper Store, I spotted this salt and pepper set which, of course, had to come home with me.

Cuteness Alert for Emma Fans !!! Here she is after a Thursday appointment at the groomer.

So, what is up for this week? The sky is the limit. On Monday and Tuesday, I spent an exciting few hours spreading bags of lime and fertilizer on the estate. I had misjudged how much I would need so I had to purchase more. Today was rainy, so I was able to do some stitching: some cross stitching and some with machine on a number of small projects. I also fully finished a piece that I will show in the next post.

Stay cautious and safe and have a good week.