Rainy Day Chat

Welcome to the Banter!  It's a rainy day here in the mountains, and with the rain and drizzle comes the fog... so typical for the fall and spring here.

Speaking of fall, its about at it's peak here, colorwise.  It is beautiful.  The leaves are clearing out though, and they'll soon all be gone.

Which doesn't bother me much at all, because, next is Winter!!  I love winter.  I think people think I am crazy-- who loves the cold??  I do, because I get to wear sweaters, and thick socks and warm pants and coats and knitted hats and gloves.

And, speaking of sweaters!!   I'm knitting one for myself.  This is the first sweater I've ever made for myself.  I think it's coming along well.  I made some mistakes, but corrected them all before going further.  I had to knit several swatches first, and learned the pattern quite well, as I had to start over and over.  My brain just doesn't want to work with me in counting, unless I do it over and over, and over again.  So it is quite a challenge for me.  This is the back of the sweater, it is going to be seamed, which frequent makers on the internet comment that they really hate seaming.  But I have to do it for the experience.  There is more on my Ravelry page which you can link to HERE. (click on the word "here").

The three pictures above are part of my BEE HAPPY quilt project organization.  I'll be cutting the 10 inch stack today, then hopefully start at the machine very soon.

 This is my foyer.  I've never had one before, but I think it looks okay.  It's really not done yet, it's always  a work in progress around here.

 Some mums for you!

And here's my Good Bye Girl.  I decided to put her on display in my glass case.  She's too fine to keep in the shadows.

I hope your day is fine.  I love the rainy fall days.  I've made some chocolate chip cookies and am ready to cut some fabric!!!!     XXOO,   Bebe

Cheerio, then, and Hello to the New

Stars and Stripes patch from Joanna Fiqueroa, Fig Tree & Co. Nantucket Mystery Block of the Month

~~~~

After saying an anniversary prayer for the passing of mum, and unfortunately adding two passings around the same date, I bid farewell to them that passed.  Still feeling sad, I have been able to put my hands to the test and make a production of things.  One being namely the Stars and Stripes patchwork above.  How lovely is that??  I am so thankful Joanna Figueroa is in this world right now, to cheer me up!! 

A gift for a friend

I laid my hand onto paints and canvas, after so many years, and made the above gift for a friend, from a photo she sent of her front door.  I think it has made a pleasing picture, no?

~~~

And this is for you, my friend:  a pot of flowers to cheer you on this hottest day of days.

Remember this day in your coldest this winter. 

Think of those whom you love, and let it warm you.

The end.

XXOO

Ordinary Days

 I missed posting this on Flag Day, so here it is.

I mostly like the ordinary days of the year, no holidays.

So much less stress and emotion.

 This is why I wear boots.  This is a small corn snake.  It's nonpoisonous.  They do kill rodents.  This is a baby one.  I still don't like snakes.  EWwwwww.

 A mini Flower Garden in a bucket!

 The "escapee".  When I got home one day last week, she was no where to be found.  I looked high and low and even looked with the car in the neighborhood.  After dark, I decided to go back to her kennel, and found her underneath these boards on her deck.  She got under it but couldn't manage to get back out!   I was so happy to see her, and she me.  We made friends again.

 Showing you this deer right outside my pantry window, because she has a belly.  You can't always tell when a female deer is pregnant, because they are so slim, but this is what they look like.  She's next to the cages where my blueberry bushes are.  This area is inundated with deer, and they are not afraid to get in your yard and eat what ya got!

 Here's a mockingbird, chiding me.  I must be close to it's nest.

 Look at this pretty chartreuse green!  The bird nest is probably somewhere in this shrub.

 Peek- a- boo!

 Tangerine Gerbera Daisy

Blooming cactus

 Yes, that's a mole.  Mama Kitty left him on the porch for me.  yay...ewwww.

 A walk in the woods

 The perfect sunset after a rain.  Am I sure I'm not in the great American West somewhere?

This is but a dream, maybe.

Small Miracles...........This Week On the Farm

Oh, Look at those little bunnies!

Ain't they cute!?

More about these later......

This was the corn on May 27.....

This is the corn today, June 20.  It's about 6 feet tall and 

it's tasseling.....

Each one of these hairy "blooms" is an ear of corn...

Look how pretty!

And this.....

I think they're showing off!

It's dry this week, so we're getting plenty of road dust on the garden.

The blueberries are growing like gangbusters this year.  Bird netting was necessary. 

Mostly it's been mockingbirds so far that want them.

We've still had plenty for two pies and about 4 gallons frozen. Mmmmmmm......

We'll be picking green beans soon, and....

...making pickles!

Here's a garden tip for ya:  Black plastic (held down) will kill anything underneath it.

I'm using this method, along with tilling, to keep the crab grass under control, which is extremely a pain in the neck to remove by hand.  I'm saving this space for pumpkins, which won't be planted til July.

So far, so good!  Corn in the back, green beans, then tomatoes and then peppers.  Watermelons and cucumbers to the left (by the plastic) and blueberry bushes to the right.  Love this garden!

Had a visitor over the cornfield.  There's a patch in the middle of the field that the corn didn't grow, due to too much rain.  I think they are looking for something else.....

We've had some small miracles lately.  This saucer magnolia is blooming for the second time this year, after a torrential rain.

And this white crepe myrtle is LOADED with blooms this year.

Last summer it never bloomed and looked like it was going to die.

This pecan tree sprouted from a "dead" pecan tree.  It was nothing but a black stick.  It got fertilized, and it sprouted near the bottom, and it's going crazy now.  The next picture shows another pecan tree, and how big it would be if it had not "died".

Pecan tree, large. 

Okay-- a really cool "miracle":  baby bunnies.

This photo only shows one, but there were two live baby bunnies borned in the garden.  Two didn't live.  Their nest was disturbed by some unknown source, but found when weeding.  The two live ones were obviously under stress, breathing hard and weak.  It was also very hot outside, so...

I had to help "save" them.  Fed them some water and milk with a dropper.  They don't have their eyes open yet.  They were really stressed, but they perked up and looked much better after a few minutes.

Just so you know, these are wild cottontail bunnies.  If they look like this, they are 5-7 days old.  If a human touches them, the mother will still take care of them.  But the best thing to do is leave them alone.

This was a rare opportunity for me to hold something this small and alive in my hand, so small, so light, so soft, and alive!

After their "refreshing", they were placed in a safer nest location, yes, back in the garden, only a foot away from the original nest, and the mama came and moved them somewhere else!  Whew!  That's good!

I wonder if I'll recognize them when they're older?

Time for a hug!  Don't be scar'd! This is Stinky.  He's just as affectionate as a cat, rubbing on you for a hug and petting!

He loves water!

Awwww...! Only a face a mother dog could love...!

Sneak peek of new apron design in progress.

Lilac Hill pattern by Jan Patek,  all needleturn on the applique.   Fun- love doing needleturn.

I'll leave you with this- the corn,

reaching to heaven.

Happy Summer!