a finished quilt top

My friend Elaine invited me over to her studio where she did all of the work helped me calculate borders for the H quilt.  I had found a delicious Kaffe Fassett print and was scared reluctant to cut into it without Elaine's expertise.  Many thanks to you Elaine - I couldn't have managed without you!  Your generous nature and amazing cutting table turned this UFO into a completed top!  Yay!

This image was taken moments before the skies opened and let loose with a wonderful torrent of rain!  Harley was not asked to pose - he simply appeared for this photo!  After all, he was the one who sat out all of the cutting and pressing and piecing of the quilt - what better closure than to lend his good-looking self to the beauty shot?

I plan to send this piece, my FIRST king-sized top, to a machine quilter.  I am in Wanda's debt for introducing me to this joyful block - thank you, my friend!  I follow your blog religiously and you never cease to amaze me.

One always hopes for lighter days to follow the dark ones.  These colors lift me, help me to focus on the positive aspects of this one life.  And, as always, I've returned to my favorite - ORANGE.

A carotene table runner!  My carrots never came up this season, so I made a giant fiber substitute!  I'm still wondering what went wrong with those seeds.

I like this piece a lot.  Orange continues to be my neutral - my  inspiration, my obsession.  

When the rain stopped we took a stroll outdoors, shaking off too many days and nights of artificial air.  Don't get me wrong - I am pathetically addicted to, and grateful for, and LOST without, the central air conditioning.  But there's something so powerful about that green-ness, that SMELL of the earth when it rises to meet the rain after so many days deprived of its goodness.

I'll get back to the herb garden with my new plan to replant the herbs and flowers that I'll need for the moth/mouse repellant that I want to create.  (please don't look at those weeds!)

A finished quilt top and a healing summer rain...perfection, except for what is missing and how we continue to miss him.  On the morning that Jack died, my Madonna lily bloomed.

Pristine.  Fragrant. Breath-taking.

Signs in the universe.  All is unfolding exactly the way that it is supposed to.

a sorrowful day

We had to say good bye to Jack Russell this morning.  He was a good faithful dog and Scott's best friend for over 14 years.  

I just don't know how to sum up nearly a decade and a half of love and devotion.  He was Scott's dog.  There was never any question about that, not ever.  In the early years he went to work with his Master every day.  The truck was his home away from home.  Wherever Scott was, Jack wanted to be.

He wasn't much of a water dog, but he went swimming with Merrilee four summers ago and seemed to enjoy the lake.

He tolerated the addition of the Harley dog and they became friends.  As Jack's health began to deteriorate this spring, Harley became very gentle and tender with his old buddy.  Sometimes he even allowed Jack to go outside first!  But not too often.

He was a sprite - a vivacious and energetic force - a wiry little porcupine who slept in our bed every night of his life.  He knew that he was loved.  We buried him in front of the barn, under the mimosa tree where his grave is protected by the fairy roses.  His spirit permeates this place.  You'll never leave our hearts, Jackie Boy.

You enhanced our lives in ways that words cannot express.

You were one of a kind.

A legend - a companion, the mexican jumping bean.  Brave, determined and true.  Rest well until we meet again.

intentions

Monday morning intentions may be the purest of the week.  Renewed energy and vitality coming off of a satisfying weekend can make for enormous plans.  I'll weed this garden, run hoses to that garden, fertilize the daylilies ... until I step out into an early morning pea soup that attempts to pass for breathable air.  The Hudson Valley humidity must be climbing to at least 500 %, and this, at only 6:30 am.   It's just damp and hot and wretched and I'm reminded why I hate the tropics.


The sewing room is the only sensible place to be today.  I've been cleaning it out in stages. The magazines have been deviling me - why is it so hard to part with Quilters Newsletters from the 70's?  Before I can discard even one magazine, I feel inclined to study intently leaf through each page, check out all submissions.  Before I knew what had hit me, I was sewing strips.

This is a fun project whose pattern I've held onto since 2006.  It should be ready for its debut tomorrow -

Orange slices - irresistible!  I'm keeping this little fabric wreath out so that I can add strips to it as well.  Sometimes I find that multi-tasking in the sewing room is the only thing that works for me.

I'm all about process.  To that end, here are two projects that are zipping along -  my Hug Me sock in Jawoll and -

(can this one pose, or what?!)

then there is this solitary creature who refuses to inspire me much at all ...

But I'm not giving up on her because I KNOW, in my heart of hearts, that this little vanilla pattern is a keeper!

discovering treasure

My BFF stumbled onto a treasure, which she immediately shared with me.  She's like that, generous to a fault.  On the outskirts of New Paltz there exists a magical place called White Barn Farm.  There is much to say about Paula and her farm, but you should probably just put down whatever you are doing and GO THERE yourself.  Right now.  Summarily.

This merino sock yarn by Bluestocking Yarns is dreamier in person, and so very soft - I found myself petting it.  Paula didn't seem to mind.  I love that she is featuring the work of local artists.

This skein was locally grown and hand dyed just down the road from White Barn.  It's a generous 200+ yards of muted  juicy wool from Full Moon Farm.  I'm thinking hat.

Paula also stocks commercial yarns-to-die-for.  This little gem jumped into my bag -

I had to leave so many of its brothers and sisters behind, but I'm reconsidering.  I might have to take another drive over to White Barn Farm and adopt some of the Jawoll siblings!  

I've been thinking about how important it is, and gratifying, to shop locally.  I want my neighbors to fall in love with the amazing resources found in our own backyards - to help sustain and bolster, to protect our riches.  To that end I am proudly displaying this sentiment on my vehicle - a first for me (I have always preferred the un-adorned bumper)

We can make a perceptible difference.  Paula's own cormo fiber will be available in a few months and I can hardly wait!  Luckily, I have projects to keep myself occupied with until then.

We haven't had any rain.  The hoses and I are reestablishing our abiding relationship-

And as always -

My efforts are rewarded!

beating the heat

It's been too hot to garden.  It's almost unbearable to stand outside these early mornings with the hose, keeping the plants hydrated.   It was time to pick the yellow squash - 

Nothing too remarkable about yellow squash except when you consider that I didn't plant any this year.  This particular plant hunkered down under the compost and slept all winter.  I tried a new method this season which involved not tilling the compost in, but rather - laying it on top of the existing soil.  The tilling comes only in the areas that one actually plants.  I have more than a few returning plants - very cool!


After harvesting, I jumped in the car and head south to check out a yarn shop that I'd heard of.  My sense of direction has always been keen and I trust it.  But somehow I ended up in the southwest corner of a county that I wasn't supposed to be in!  Circling back, biting my lip, trying to enjoy the ride - ending up in terrible traffic, getting hopelessly lost in a detour and finally - driving over Storm King mountain.  And back.  Two hours later I found the little shop and made a few hasty and sweaty purchases.

Cuddly cotton by KFI.  Wash cloths.  

Aqua and seahorses - there's a theme emerging here.

When I got home I called my daughter to tell her about my harrowing trip.  She calmly reminded me that she had downloaded a GPS app on my Iphone.  Maps and directions in an instant.  I'm a technical idiot.

sunday morning garden stroll

Renee, this one is for you!  

The East Garden, which has not felt the sting strength of my weeding hand!

The lacecap hydrangea is my favorite and it is thriving w/o me!  I haven't touched my gardens yet.  The weeds are colossal.  

The Fourth of July swags come down today - I'll miss them!  They'll be back on Labor Day.

This is probably as close to the blueberries as we can get - each season the chipmunks and birds make off with the entire crop!  Notice the thistle growing beneath the bushes - I always hope that its thorns will deter our hungry critters, but it isn't so.

We finally managed to force encourage the grapes to climb the mighty pergola!  One of my friends has dubbed this structure the "Tappan Zee" - which is, as all New Yorkers know, an expansive bridge!  I asked for a smaller version, I swear that I did.  (Scott has always moved to the beat of a different drummer!)

The daylily border is monopolized by weed and suffering a shaggy edge.  It's too late to edge and mulch without harming the bloom.  Sometimes you just have to let it go!

The vegetable garden is shaping up nicely.

Shallots and 'Sugar Baby' melons coexist peacefully.

Basil, beets and the giant pumpkin vines make good neighbors.

This is a good looking tomato crop!  Roma, plum, cherry, grape, big boy, beefsteak, etc!

Broccoli and beans - squash bringing up the rear.  It isn't ALL work -

Harley has a wading pool -

And there have been pink bird sightings in the hosta border.

Have a beautiful day!

summer begins

For some, summer arrived last month.  For me, it begins this evening at 4:30 (to be precise!)         t 

We woke to heavy rain which shattered much of the hydrangea bloom.  It will take more than rainfall to dampen my summer enthusiasm!  And besides, I made cuttings last night, thus capturing this special summer treat for a few more days.

we like long weekends

Today is Scott's birthday.  He isn't very enthusiastic about celebrating in any unusual ways.  After a full day of helping others, he is taking a break before dinner -

Oooooh - he's gonna be MAD if he finds out about this photo!  Listen, a birthday is a reason to celebrate... whether you take a nap while watching Westerns or mow your lawn!  There will be poached halibut for dinner with freshly picked snowpeas.  And arborio rice.

One of Scott's contractor friends sent over a very lovely bottle of wine.  I thought that it deserved a shot with my hydrangeas and current reading.

I've frogged the Cricket yarn and am working on my own design for a long vest with lace edging.  It seems to be going well - I have one front done and am casting on for the second.  
My BFF called and needed a bit of help moving some office furniture.  We flexed our girl muscles and got the job done in under three hours.  She tried to reward me with $$$, but I wasn't having any of it.  Of course, when she whipped this out, I buckled -

Noro sock ... what can I say?  Who could blame me?