Snowfall Record Broken!!!!!!!!

Good News! We have officially broken the winter snowfall record in the Boston area!!! Yesterday's 3+ inches have put us in first place in the record books. The remarkable thing is that 107 inches fell just in February alone. Think what we could have done if the snow had started back in November. On second thought don't consider that as it might push some snow-stressed folks over the edge. :-) While happy that the record  has been broken, most are now more than ready for spring's arrival in a few days.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am doing the "Mistletoe Lane" BOM from Bunny Hill Designs at the Heart in Hands quilt shop in South Weymouth, and here is the first completed block. It is fused appliqué and each element is outlined in zig zag stitches. There is also some hand embroidery involved; in this case, the window sashes are stitched. The pattern instructions call for the addition of little pockets, so that it becomes an advent quilt. I'm not including the pockets and may leave out a few other elements. Buttons and other embellishments will be added after the quilt top is quilted.

Did I need to make another Christmas quilt? No, but I loved the color palette, and it looked so sweet displayed in the shop that I just couldn't resist.

An Absolutely Glorious Day

      Blue skies and temperatures hovering in the fifties . . . could there be anything better after the weather we have been having???  I had plans to spend the day sewing, but spring fever has me in its grips. It was warm enough to get a layer of grime, grit, and salt removed from my car so first stop was the car wash. Next a quick stop at the fabric shop for some fusible web for the BOM that I am working on. So far so good . . . My mistake was to go out on my sunporch. It was sunny and seventy degrees. My next mistake was to lie down on the sofa out there for just a moment or two. Well, let's just say that Emma and I both had a very long, sweet nap.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Sunday afternoon, my friend Marilyn and I went to see this movie. I enjoyed Dev Patel and the cast was the same as the original with the addition of Richard Gere. While the sequel had a few funny moments, overall I would say it was a tired, somewhat dull movie. The dancing scenes were the only bright spots, and a few more would have added some life to the piece. If you saw and enjoyed the first movie, you will probably enjoy this as well, but I am only giving it a C/C+. For fun, I looked back at my review in May of 2012 of the  Best Exotic Marigold Hotel   . That movie received a B- from me.

     Well, I've had the windows wide open for a few hours to bring in some clean fresh air, but now it's time to go close them. After that I might actually do some sewing.

Another Busy and Quilty Week

     On Tuesday, I went with friends to Contoocook, NH, to drop off quilts to be long-armed at Dancing Crane Quilting. My quilt is for my godchild's nine year old daughter. I can't wait for her to see it as it's so happy and colorful. Of course, this day trip included lunch at Daniel's restaurant in Henneker and a stop at Quilted Threads, a wonderful quilt shop just up the street from the restaurant.
     On Thursday night, I went to Heart in Hands quilt shop for the first session of a seven month BOM (Block of the Month). I'll post photos as I go along.
     Yesterday, my friend Laurel came to spend the day quilting, and then we attended a meeting at Heart in Hands. The turnout was low which was not surprising given the cold weather and difficult driving and parking conditions.
     This morning, the pink star quilt above was donated at the Herring Run Quilt Guild meeting. A few years ago, one of my friends Liz was the high bidder at a charity silent auction at our quilt show. Many members of our guild had made the individual pink star blocks. The money from the basket of blocks went to breast cancer research. Four of Liz's friends joined her in making quilts from the blocks and then donated the quilts to the guild's comfort quilt program. As with most other guilds, quilts are made and donated to various groups where they are most needed.  You would be amazed not only with the talent but also the generosity of quilters. My quilt top had been made right away, but I didn't get around to quilting it until one of our recent storms.
     One positive aspect of the historic weather that we have been experiencing is the amount of work displayed during 'Show and Tell" today. It was simply amazing.

More Amaryllis Images - Moku Hanga

     Well, the snow came, but we still need a few more inches to break the all-time snow record for the Boston area. Before joining friends for Italian conversation practice this morning, I spend a little time with the Moku Hanga app on my iPad. It's easy to use and fun for would-be artists.  Not all photos work well for this process, but these shots taken on Saturday, I think, are interesting. You can select from different styles, borders, and textures to render your images.

     On another note, last week I wrote of how Emma simply walked over the snow buried fence separating the front and back yards to go for a short stroll. Well, in today's newspaper there is an article about this problem. According to our town's animal control officer it is happening all over town. He is admonishing owners to be sure their dogs are wearing tags and that owners have made certain their dogs are unable to wander off. In just the last few weeks, there have been twenty to thirty dogs who have done what Emma did. Since there are no cleared sidewalks to go for a walk, the dogs are taking matters into their own paws, but it not safe. 

     Spring is coming . . . nineteen days. I can't wait to go for some long walks with Emma.

     Finally, the movie The Sound of Music" turns fifty today. I remember my Aunt Ruth taking me and a friend to see it in Boston when it first came out. What an impression it made on us! If you ever have the chance to go to a sing-along presentation of the movie, do go. A friend and I went to such a performance a couple of years ago, and it was great fun.

It's Sunday; Snow Is Coming

I can't remember a Sunday when we haven't had a snowstorm. This time we're expecting just three to six inches to fall during the overnight hours. Compared to recent storms, this will be practically nothing. We'll be waiting to see if this snowfall helps us break the all time snowfall record in the Boston area which stands at 108 inches. Will we top that with this storm????

Some members of the South Shore Camera Club visited Kennedy's Country Garden in Scituate on Saturday morning. With all of the cold, snowy weather we have been having I am sure everyone had a wonderful times. I was torn about going as this was also a quilting weekend. Quilting won out, but I did spend a little time at home photographing this pink amaryllis before I left for quilting. (If you check out the Kennedy's website, be sure to sign up for their wonderful newsletter.)

     It was a good week with a third birthday party last Saturday for one of my little cousins, lunch with friends on Thursday, and a full weekend of quilting. I'm pleased to say that I finished a quilt top for another one of my little cousins. It's bright and colorful, and I think she is going to love it. I intend to bring this quilt top to a long arm quilter in NH, but when I am able to get there will depend on the weather. I just heard the weatherman say that more storms are on their way this week. :-(

      Finally, Star Trek fans everywhere are mourning the death of Leonard Nimoy,  Spock. Nimoy was an actor, director, and a poet. In his last tweet, he wrote . . .

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had

but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

Live long and prosper.

Adventures with Emma - A Winter Stroll

     Here's Emma posing this afternoon after a trip to the groomer. Let me tell you what happened earlier today . . .
     It was about 8:30 and the temperature was four degrees. I was tempted to let Emma go out by herself, but after seeing the hawk last week, I bundled up and joined her. The air was crisp, clear, and very cold. I was leaning on the deck railing when I was startled to see Emma at the very back of the yard. For the past three weeks, she had been restricted to a long narrow path that I had shoveled. With the frigid temperatures, the snow was frozen solid and after evidently finding a low spot she was  walking on top of the snow. My first reaction? Oh, that's good! Now she has the whole backyard for exercise. Maybe the cold had momentarily frozen my brain. Suddenly I realized there was nothing to keep Emma in the backyard as the four foot chain link fence was buried in the snow with only a mere three or four inches uncovered. Emma was heading in that direction, so I yelled, "Come!" Not deterred for even a second, she kept walking. Next, I called out in a happy, enthusiastic voice, "Emma, come. Let's go get a treat." Nope, she kept walking right over the fence into the front yard.
   OMG! I ran inside, grabbed a handful of sweet potato chip treats which she loves, and raced out the front door. I didn't see her at first but then spotted her in my neighbor's front yard.  Since I wasn't able to walk on the snow, how was I going to get her? Last week a front end loader had carved out a few places in the high bankings lining the street. I got as close as I could and called out, "Emma" "sweet potatoes," and soon she appeared at the top of the banking.  I reached way up and was able to lift her down from the snow mound which had to be five feet high. We can now add mini mountain climber to her resume.
     This afternoon after dropping Emma off at the groomer, I went straight to the pet shop to buy a fifteen foot tie out since the one that is already there is buried under four feet of snow.

Hawk Visitor

This afternoon I grabbed my trusty snow rake and once again did my best to remove as much new snow from the garage roof as I was safely able to do. As I was finishing the back roof, it began snowing steadily, so I disassembled my snow rake and headed to the deck. It was then that I saw this hawk in the woods behind my house. 

It was my reward for all the shoveling and snow removal that I have been doing.