Fall Sewing in Summer

I’ve been enjoying some “just right” quilting projects. Just right has some variation to keep me challenged but easy piecing to make the progress steady and rewarding. Below is Pumpkins and Cream by Fig Tree. I’m actually further along than this pic but ran out of border fabric. I should finish it tomorrow. So much fun to make.

Twirl has been a want-to-sew for quite a while. I chose the original pattern because I love the border. The stems are applique in this version. 

This ruler is a life saver. Easy and fun. I’m using my much loved Farmhouse fabric.

I spent a week in College Station with a couple of friends. One has a son starting Texas A&M. We hung out and had girl time. Then my college roommate met me. We stayed in the Aggie Hotel and drove around reminiscing. It’s crazy to think it’s been 40 years.

The hotel is so much fun. Everything Aggie.

After eating at a restaurant we found a kitten in the parking lot. It was over 100 degrees. Next to a freeway. The end result was obvious.I didn’t need another animal.

Meet Gringo. He sews with me now. He’s the most precious little guy and so much fun. He’s named Gringo because that’s the name of the Mexican restaurant where I found him.

And we have new foster pups. Jodi and Cori. They have mange (not contagious) and need baths every 2 days. They are so very sweet and look better every day.

I’m listening to Tom Lake read by Meryl Streep. Lovely story.

  

 

I’m almost finished with Braiding Sweet Grass. If you love nature, it’s a must. I love the author’s gentle spirit.

It’s hot in Texas. I wish we had rain. I also wish people would stop complaining about the heat. I find the complaining more unbearable than the heat.

It’s a new week and I’m looking forward to sewing and seeing some friends I don’t often get to see. Life is good.

Summer Garden Zucchini and Green Bean Edition

We foster pups from the animal shelter. They are usually with us 2-3 weeks then get transported somewhere north. We named these Sam Shepard and Andy Aussie. The shelter named them Ford and Dodge but we didn’t know that. They were absolutely perfect dogs. So hard to let go but wishing them a happy life.

This is our first year to grow green beans.  It has been a success. We will try again in the fall because this is a vegetable we will eat lots of. Today I will can them.

The jalapeños are ripening. This is the first year that we are going to utilize them fully. I have canning recipes planned so I hope for a big crop.

It is getting a little out of control. My schedule is determined by zucchini. I have lots of shredding and freezing to do. I’ve made zucchini bread and frozen extra loaves. The All Recipes version is very good. Next I’ll try zucchini breakfast cookies.

Fresh green beans for dinner. I absolutely love picking my dinner from the garden. 

This weekend I have a quilt to bind for my nephew. I need to post my quilting projects. They are abundant.

A Fallow Hay Pasture and the Mint Experiment

We are at the end of a rainy spring after a year of drought. Our hay field used to be planted with alfalfa or coastal by our neighbor. He ran his cattle on our property and grew hay. We got the agricultural exemption. Covid took our beloved neighbor. His brother-in-law, whom we adore, has taken over the cattle operation. With the drought the last attempt to grow hay failed. We allowed it to go fallow and will likely plant natives. 

It’s amazing how nature rebounds. Monarda, bee balm or horsemint, is everywhere. So are the blackeyed susans.

Cane is ever faithful and ready to go for a ride.

The back pond has been dry for quite a while. It’s so nice to see it full.

I’m in a horticultural study group in my herb society chapter. Each year we study an herb by growing several varieties while trying to control some variables. This year our focus is mint. I’m growing 8 varieties with an irrigation system because they like their water. 

Carl, our rooster, is helping me inspect.

We have to present on a topic related to our herb. I’ll be doing mint appetizers. 

Enjoying a nice, lazy Sunday.

Beautiful Spring

We’ve had a beautiful spring with an explosion of wildflowers. Cane has been doing his manly duty of taking out the trash and getting the mail while my hubby is visiting family in Idaho. He often sits in the mule while I do all the work but he sure looks handsome. 

The roadside thistle is full of butterflies and moths. I didn’t notice as I drove by but when I checked the mail I saw all the fluttering. I think hubby has chopped the thistle in our pasture. I need to relocate some to a designated spot so I can enjoy them. They really are so pretty.

We’ve gotten much needed rain. And there is more to come. The front pond finally filled past its banks. When I lived in Houston heavy rains made me uneasy because you never knew if there would be flooding. Now I do the rain dance and celebrate every drop. 

Best quote I read recently: Tact over temper.

Kind of another way to remember to always take the high road.

International Quit Festival Houston 2022

I went to Festival after missing it for 2 years. It was so nice to be back. I didn’t take any classes and only bought a quilt kit I planned to buy. All very different from years past.

Pictures are just randomly placed. I wish I had taken pics of all the descriptions.