Flora’s Basket, Wool Applique Tulip Topper, and Goodbye Maple Tree

This sweet piece is Flora’s Basket by Cindy Young of Luhu Stitches. There were nineteen different flosses used to create the shading in the roses and apple blossoms. When I purchased it, I thought it would be a quick little stitch; boy, was I ever wrong!!! Still, I do love it, and I had just the perfect thrifted frame in my stash. Could this frame color be any more perfect?

In a recent post I showed a bowl of perle cotton threads that I was using on a piece. It was a wool applique April tulip topper from Shabby Fabrics. In the second photo there is a stained glass box which I made for my mom many years ago during my stained glass crafting period. :-)

This maple tree shaded my sunporch (and clogged my gutters,) but for the last few years a hole near the base kept getting bigger and deeper. 

The arborists that I consulted all agreed that sadly, it was time for it to come down. So, yesterday morning, bright and early, this was the scene in my backyard.

Earplugs in place, I sat on my neighbor’s deck sipping my ice coffee and watching the well choreographed  process. It was incredible!!! 

Precision . . . The crane operator swung huge sections of the tree to the crew below. At the end when the crane operator stepped out of the cab, I gave him a standing ovation. He had a grin on his face and nodded. Could that have been his first standing ovation? Honestly, I could not have been more impressed by the professionalism of the entire crew. It was masterful. [FYI: I used Bogan Tree Services of Quincy, and I could not have been more pleased with their work.]

It was a bit disorienting and a little sad when I took Emma out last night seeing the space where the mighty maple had stood. On the plus side, my large garden will now receive more sunlight.

Covid-19 Update:

Today the United States’ declaration of a public health emergency due to Covid-19 came to an end. There is one troubling note though . . . according to the CDC, there were more than 77,000 new Covid cases last week. Since many people test at home, that number may be far below the actual number.

Stay safe and have a lovely rest of the week.