Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Despite the smoky skies here during the waning days of August, our garden continued to surprise us with these pretties.

And we had a visitor that wasn't a deer!

Can you spot him?

This guy keeps showing up, too, and occasionally even brings a friend.

And best of all I finally finished this long-standing UFO!

Have a happy Labor Day weekend, everyone!

Two Finishes and a MYSTERY!

I finally finished a small quilt that was started a very long time ago and quilted by a friend last summer.  It's a design by Lynette Anderson, and I learned the hard way that when you print out a pattern it's not always the correct size. That I found out after all the stitching was done, and I started putting it together.  So with a bit of pattern modification, the piecing was completed and my friend quilted it for me.  I really don't enjoy binding quilts and tend to procrastinate that detail.  Well, a certain young lady asked me to embroider something for her birthday, and, bingo!  I knew just the thing.  It's done early, no less, and I hope she will like it.

The dress for the other little August birthday girl is also finished.  I measured her yesterday, and it should fit for a while.

We spent the rest of our weekend sorting through lots of old pictures and our genealogy stuff after a short break for church and dinner out with the kids.  When we got back home, we decided to take a short walk before getting back to work.  When we left for our walk, one of our newest blooming plants looked like this:

When we got back, it looked like this:

See the empty stalks in the right corner of the photo? Even all the buds were nipped off and a few blossoms were lying on the ground.  This morning I also noticed that whatever the critter was, also sampled a few tastes of lily.  Wonder who the guilty critter was?  4-legged perhaps?  That'll teach me to brag about my crocosmia!

Happy First Day of Spring!

Spring has come early to the Pacific Northwest, and  we have lots of signs of it in our yard.

The flowering plum was given to me by my friend Nancy when Mom passed away and always brings back sweet memories when I see it, especially when it's blooming.

Aren't these pink camelias beautiful?

This forsythia was standing up straight until it rained so hard on Saturday night.

For me, primroses are a true sign of spring.  I was delighted to see some green leaves on this little plant from last year!

Here's another early bloomer, Hellebore, sometimes called Lenten Rose.

Catherine gave me this plant when it outgrew her pot. I think it is called Euphorbia and is related to the poinsettia.

We have lots and lots of daffodils because the squirrels and deer leave them alone unlike tulips which they devour.

And this little character visited again and seems quite comfortable, don't you agree?
PS After consulting the bird book, I think the mystery bird in the last post is a Pacific Golden Plover!

Friday Ramblings ~~~

I just got home from a morning at the Block Party Quilters' annual show.  Becca and I went together, and we ran into a few others from my quilt group.  Pictures to follow soon. Meanwhile, here's what was on my needles a few days ago.  Since then that pair of mitts is done,  and a second pair in a different color is on its way.  The pattern, a fun and interesting one,
is Point Reyes from the Classic Elite newsletter a while ago.  The mate of the little mitten is one of what's on my needles right now. Check out Patchwork Times to see what others are knitting today.

These Christmas stockings were finished and turned in. Our group along with some others makes the needed 88 stockings each year that are filled and hung on  the door of each family's room at the local Ronald MacDonald House.

Not long ago on a foggy morning, I looked out our second story window and thought my eyes were tricking me. A very crafty and determined spider had spent who knows how long spinning its web way up high. It was only just barely attached to the string from a plant on the patio below that ran up to the second floor.  Don't you wish you could weave like that?

For those of you who've been holding their breath, wondering what Daniel and Sophia wore on Halloween. Here's the answer: (Rumor has it they wore different outfits for their school parties but no photos to prove it!)

Back when we were in Illinois a few weeks ago, Dick and I made our teaching debut in David's classroom.  I read part of a story about the Wright brothers

and Dick talked to the kids about how airplanes fly.  Everyone then had a lot of fun trying to fly their paper airplanes out in the hallway.  One plane went 34 feet!

Ginger could care less about all this.  Ah, the life of a cat!

Fall Knitting Frenzy

Whenever these spiders show up, we know that fall is on its way. Actually this guy's not really as huge as this closeup makes him look, but he is large! And hasn't been seen since his photo debut; perhaps he's shy?

With the advent of the spiders, I was reminded that I had some projects to finish before we go to Chicago to see the grandkids. Besides Sophia's birthday sweater, I'd also been working on some other things that needed finishing. And finish them I did. Can you guess who gets what?

Dee had the link to this pattern on her blog. I tried to make it look like Mocha because Sophia always wants to see Mocha whenever we Skype with her.


Mocha's not too sure about this next project but it's a great one for using up odds and ends of yarn. The rings are, too. (The pattern links can be found on my Ravelry page at jatshaw.)


Yes, I've been having fun!

I also tackled some longstanding UFOs this month but will save them for another post.