Yard Work

Today I spent a good part of the day cleaning up fallen leaves from the blow we had last night. I hadn't been back by the orange tree for awhile and many leaves had fallen, dried and crinkly. I picked the last of the oranges off the tree...two had been eaten by a fruit rat. I suppose, now that I have removed it's source of food, it will move to the Meyer lemon and enjoy what's left there. 

I have been toying with the idea of taking out the two scraggly bougainvillea plants behind the fountain. I want to replace them with a calliandra that will grow up against the wall adding a green background with red blossoms. I finally got out the pruners and started whacking.

Tomorrow I must go to the nurseries in search of the calliandra!

Let it Steam!

This is my new toy, well...kinda!!
When the Solmonsons were visiting, Mary Ann commented on cleaning tile with a steam mop. It sounded like a great idea so I trotted off to Target and found one to try. I think I like it a lot. Yesterday I steamed the kitchen floor and learned the ropes of handling the thing. Today I did the rest of the floors and liked it even more.

Jasmine

Today Kareese needed a hand moving her jasmine plant that had outgrown its spot. John put on his work clothes and we headed up the street. All the hard work, digging it out and prepping the new spot to receive it, had been done. With the temperature hovering around 87 it was a bit hot to be transplanting, but Jasmine is a tough plant.

Kareese and John maneuver the tarp under the root ball and we were able to lift it out of the hole.

Its new spot was looking nice. Kareese had worked hard at loosening the cement-like sand and  amended it with mulch. That made it a quick and easy dig.

Into the hole it went... 
After it was settled in we realized it wasn't quite centered...just a little bit of shifting and we all approved of the job. 

Jasmine has a heavenly scent when it blooms with it's white flowers.

Tea Time

 Today I was working on a crossword puzzle on the patio and just happened to notice a roadrunner on the wall. Not bothering the little finches, I thought all was well~ hearing a funny noise I got up and looked up on the roof. There he was with his snack. I wanted to yell at it "Come back you rascal...I want that lizard back!!!" The little lizard has been surprising me, as I work in the garden, darting here and there. I'm going to miss it!

My Little Girl

I ran across this old photo of Annie and had to scan it. She was wearing Jenny Jo's raincoat and new black boots. I think it was probably about 1983.

Birthday Dinner Alaskan Style

John and I worked together on cracking the King Crab that Frank Neidiffer gave us. Then we threw it into a salad and ate like kings ~ a great birthday dinner!

Rainy Southern California

This was the weather I woke up to this morning...

It continued throughout the day.

Petersburg

I had to make a quick trip to the quilt store before leaving town. It was a nice day to walk...amazing what you don't see when you are in a car.

John was quite proud of the tarp he erected to keep the snow load off of the boat. It had stayed in place and hadn't blown free. I was shocked at the sight in the front yard...all the various bottles he found to weight the tarp down made quite an eyesore! Later I laughed about it and wondered why he had chosen such an assortment...he said he had to go through trash cans to find bottles to hang. Had I know this, I would have saved up milk jugs ~ whew!

 

What a typical sight in the Trading Union parking lot...black lab in the bed of a pickup!

A Quilt for Brooke Anne and Dolly

Brooke and Annie are coming to visit in California. The last time Brooke was there we made a sleeping nest on the floor, which worked well for a nine month old. Now that she's 17 months that wouldn't work for napping or night-time.  I'm buying a Pack N Play to keep for little people visits and need a quilt to go with it. 

My favorite online quilting store, Over The Rainbow,

(www.overrainbow.com) had a new line of fabric I thought would be fun to use. Red Rooster and Arlene Neely Nana's Garden was the line that caught my eye. After Googling Arlene Neely, I found her website, Rabbit's Haven, where she has patterns for sale. I printed a picture of the quilt and ordered fabric. 

Quilt top constructed ~ It was fun sewing on these pastel fabrics ~ love the little rosebuds. After chatting with the artists in the family about possible changes to the quilt (John wanted another flower added and less contrast in the leaves; Annie liked the contrast but toyed with adding another flower.) I decided to forge ahead and begin the quilting.

 

Using Minkee for the first time (as a backing) and a bamboo batting, I was quilting in softness...heavenly!

Now for the binding and this quilt is ready for Brooke's visit!

What should I do with the scraps....make a dolly quilt!

Deer Me

Looking out the back door on a dark rainy morning using John's little camera ~ wish I had brought mine with me. The three have been visiting daily...waiting for spring and my flowers!