At Long Last

I finally got around to having some quilt tops finished up and quilted.    The chickens have been sitting around for several years since a block of the month project with my online quilting buddies. 

I made the top for this next one at my little quilting retreat last year.  It's called Tumbling Charms.   Very easy to do while distracted (like when talking at retreat). 

And this one I started last year while still in the RV and up here looking for houses. 

So, that's three down and a stack still left in the cupboard. 

Y'all take care. 

Perfect Day in the Mountains

Oh, my goodness.  It is the most beautiful day here in the mountains.  About 68 degrees, sunshine, some puffy clouds floating high above and a bit of a breeze.  It's as close to a perfect day as I've ever seen. 

The hummers are still buzzing around, although not as many of them as in the past several weeks.  I've tried and tried to get pictures of them on the salvia but no luck getting anything I'd show to anybody else. 

My new flower beds put in this year have done nicely.  I'm hoping for even better results next year. 

I'm a nut about coneflowers.  They just keep on and on with their loveliness. 

A lot of the flowers have done their deed for this year but there are a few that are still blooming away.

Hubby pulled out the tomato plants this morning.  They produced fine but something just decimated the tomatoes before we could enjoy them.  No horn worm but something would bore a hole in the top of the tomato and there'd do.   I doubt we'll plant any next year.  I'll just devote that space to more flowers!!!

Hope everybody is doing well.  I've been keeping up with you guys but have had a really hard time coming here to post.  Please forgive me. 

Oh, we went over to a neighboring town last night for a songwriters' showcase.  We figured on a two hour show.  Wrong.  By.  A.  Lot.  The music stopped 4 hours after it started.  Poor performers were pooped.  That was our first time at that performance hall and it's a jewel, especially for such a small town.  

We're headed to another small town in the opposite direction next Saturday night to hear a jazz guitarist.  Good stuff. 

Y'all take care. 

Time Flies

Twenty-five years ago today my Daddy died.  I can't believe it has been that long.  Where does the time go? 

Daddy at granddaughter's 3rd birthday

Look at those hands in the picture.  That's my brother leaning on the back of the chair.  I'm amazed at how much their hands look alike.  

The hummingbirds are swirling around like leaves outside.  There must be 10 to 15 of them diving and swooping.  

Keeps me busy refilling feeders.  I don't fill them all the way up so that I can keep them fresh.  The weather is such that the sugar water will mold easily if left in there for more than two or three days.  

Y'all take care.  

There have been feathers and flowers in my life

I've been so remiss about posting.  I've certainly enjoyed everyone else's blogging but I've been missing in action. 

I did make my annual trip to the south Texas coast during the spring bird migration.  It took a while longer to get there because we drove through rain for about 90% of the trip.   I think we had thunderstorms every night of the week we were there and our house was rockin' and rollin'.  Since Hurricane Ike, all houses rebuilt on the Bolivar Peninsula are raised on pilings.    Days included some rain but we were able to be out and about most of the time.

Scissor-tail flycatcher

I did all the driving on this trip as we were on my vehicle, although my buddy Larry would have helped out had I asked.   The three of us have birded together so much that we all know how to move along or linger so that we're all happy.  We did trek through a lot of mud and puddles on some days.  My hiking shoes weren't the waterproof ones so my feet got wet.  I always wear wool socks with those shoes anyway so my feet didn't get cold.

Because I was driving and the drippy woods, I didn't take many pictures. 

Purple Gallinule 

Here on the homefront, I arranged for a local nursery to put in a new flower bed and a new raised bed.  Took for-ev-er to get it all done. 

New perennial bed newly planted

One month later

Of course, it looks differently now.  All in all, I'm pleased with it.  I thought there would be less weeds but I'm finding that we have to crawl up that hill every so often to pull grass or weeds.  Not fun, at least to me. 

The new raised bed at the end of the house is still a work in progress.  I have a few plants waiting to go in here and it'll need mulch once that's done.  

New raised bed

I can see this bed from my sewing room downstairs.  That was a primary reason for having it put in, so that I would be able to see flowers from there.  Although, I can see the other perennial bed through the side window.  I have a bird feeder out there and some days there are so many birds flitting around it looks like yellow snow.  Goldfinches.  And lots of other things too. 

Hope everybody has been well and is having a good summer, even with the weird weather all around. 

Y'all take care. 

Hello and Thanks

I'm still alive and well.  Seems my posts only appear in my head and never on here.  

I'll be back soon to try to catch up.   Thank you to all of you who have hung in with me.  

The view from below (on the walkway downstairs)

My knockouts came roaring back after being pruned severely.  Now, I'm afraid the Japanese Beetles have found them and I'm fighting that.

Y'all take care

A Room With a View

It's that time again and I'm loving my first spring as a resident of the north Georgia mountains. 

View from the front deck/porch

Hubby is suffering from the pollen levels but I'm not having too much trouble with it.  We both agree that its a small price to pay, however, for living in a place we love. 

The azaleas really put on a show.  Too bad the don't last longer. 

The hostas seemed to just burst from the ground. 

Hostas on April 9

Hostas on April 21

With spring comes the migration of little feathered friends, too. 

Flying little pigs 

First Rose Breasted Grosbeak of the season 

We're having a good number of Indigo Buntings but no picture worth sharing yet. 

Yesterday I counted fifteen different species of birds from either my sewing studio or the living room upstairs.  And I wasn't even looking toward the feeders farther out in the yard. 

Y'all take care. 

And here she is.........at last.

Hey, everybody. 

I've been fussing about my landscaping the last few week.  There are things I want done and the folks I've called are s-l-o-o-o-o-ow in getting back to me.  Finally, the nursery guy came today and started on the new raised bed I want.  

Please forgive the pictures.  It was dusk when I took these. 

I'm also going to have creeping phlox put on this bank near the mailbox. 

This'll serve as my before shot.  The hostas there along the wall are coming up nicely.  They were gorgeous last year and I'm hoping they'll be the same this year. 

I had a hard time holding off so long, but over the weekend I finally broke down and planted my garden.  A whole three tomato plants!!! 

They're in a narrow bed right beside where my husband parks his car but they get full sun there. 

We're seeing more buds and some leaves but we're still waiting for the big burst. 

Winter view 

I noticed tonight that the azaleas have buds and will be bursting out in a few days.  There are a few rogue clumps of creeping phlox around the yard and they're looking good. 

I've been sewing a bit but nothing I can show you at the moment.  I've been slow getting back in the groove.  The month of April is a very busy one for me and I'm in and out of town the whole time.  Poor hubby has to stay home.

I'll be doing fun stuff the next while and I'll try my best to take lots of pictures so I can share them with you. 

Y'all take care.