Midnight Munchers and Other Happenings

Yesterday morning I sat down on the front steps to tie up my walking shoes and suddenly stopped... where there had been abundant Geranium blooms only the afternoon before, now there were only chewed-off bare stems!  Groan. The midnight munchers (deer) have been at it again. I use a product that works well in the perennial garden but hadn't even considered our front steps! I've never known them to eat Geraniums before either. I mixed up a batch of "I Must Garden" after our early morning walk was concluded and discovered the Hosta blossoms and the entire Clematis vine climbing up the lampost just behind it had been torn apart as well. Time to be proactive and spray around everything. The product is linked above; I've been using it for a few years now and find it to be highly effective. I just need to remember to be diligent in its use.  

So, while I am trying to repel some living creatures from our yard...

...I'm also determined to bring others back! The Goldfinch had been conspicuously absent this year; until a neighbor told me about feeding Sunflower Hearts & Chips. Well, what do you know? Slowly, a few more each day, they have returned. They absolutely love this seed... maybe a little too much! $$$!! My plan is to switch them back to Thistle seed, which I already have on hand but now I'm worried that they may leave again if I do that. I just don't know.

The Bluebirds have returned to raise a second family already.

And this, from the orchard. Our first ever apple. But, on the entire apple tree, only the one! Why? Maybe it's the same old story as I started with... perhaps it's the midnight munchers; they're particularly fond of our peaches out there too. It's hard to keep up.

Meanwhile, back inside the house... is there a quilter in this country who's not working on a R,W & B quilt in celebration of America 250 this year? Count me in with all the rest. 

Even the trimmings are patriotic!

Work on my version of the Sarah Barker sampler continues in the evenings; seemingly with no end in sight. When I embarked upon this project I had no idea it would take forever; however, it is actually larger than I had envisioned as well as a labor of love; I must say that I am truly enjoying the slow pace and the results. It's a pleasure to return to night after night. Undoubtedly, I will be sad when it's completed, she and I have become a good friends. 

I've got a surprise (WITH ATTITUDE!) loaded onto the longarm right now (speaking of projects that have dragged on for an eternity) and am eager to reveal it soon (I hope)! Someone is keeping an eye on me while I work, it's good to be held accountable. 

SEW... what's new with you?

Life is Good!

After Easter Springtime Happenings

Another Easter Sunday has come and gone; we had a lovely holiday complete with a baked ham dinner and all the fixings at a table surrounded by family and friends. Lynnleigh spent the night with us on Saturday and helped to decorate some beautiful eggs which added festive color to the  dessert table laid out with bunny and chick cupcakes. The Egg-mazing egg decorator was one that I saw advertised and ordered off of Amazon. It did NOT disappoint! The results speak for themselves... and no mess! Win-win!

We've got Bluebirds nesting- mama is currently sitting on 5 eggs, new life abounds!

These minature white Iris came from my childhood home, 

they never bloom long enough for me!

Mr. G and I (and Augie!) spent all day Monday cleaning up the perennial garden. Weeding, trimming, spreading mulch. It was like a reunion with old friends as I discovered Columbine, Blue Fortune, Cranesbill, Brazilian Verbena, Echinacea, Daisies and Garden Phlox all reemerging from a long, cold and snowy winter; welcome back!

It was a great day. Yesterday I could b-a-r-e-l-y move after all that work on my hands and knees! Ha!! No pain, no gain? Maybe. 🤔

That didn't stop me from my daily walking regimen, I'm still committed  to that;

although the uphills were a bit more ouchy than usual yesterday.

Someone is happy that it's porch weather again!

Spring is here, in all its glory!

Life is Good!

Step By Step

  

Spring is arriving, step by step... I'm ready!  I wish I could say it was a steady and gradual shift into spring, but that's not the case. One day we'll have beautiful almost-summerlike days and the next we're plunged back into a day that's cold and blustery, winter still has a grip. 

I've dug out my wintered-over geraniums and potted them up to enjoy the warmer, sunnmy days and get a head start. This year I am also trying my hand at pre-sprouting the dahlia tubers. I hadn't ever done that before but after watching a few youtube videos, and feeling fairly confident that I can succeed, I'm giving that a go. Wish me luck. 

We gathered for the funeral of Phyllis, our dear DIL's mother, on Saturday. I believe that it was one of the most beautiful, music-filled, personal send-offs that I have ever attended. I  am truly blessed to have known her, she was a lovely and accomplished woman in every sense. The service was held at a Methodist church, this hung in the Fellowship Hall there. I am well-acquainted with this style of watercolor quilts and wallhangings. Remember when these were all the rage in the 1990's? I just know that Phyllis would have directed my attention to this when we entered the room, had she been there. She is deeply missed already.

I'm plugging away, on schedule with week #2 of the R,W & B Scrappy QAL through RedRainbootsHandmade and her Sparklers quilt constructed from the strips received in the recent scrappy swap. I am appreciating the relaxed pace of this quilt-along and enjoying the process fully; one step at a time. Stay tuned; this beauty lives up to its name!🎇

And so, after a sedentary winter I have decided to kick my walking regimen into full gear. Sunday's progress as shown above is pitiful, somehow I contracted a short term (thank goodness!) stomach bug. But, yesterday I was feeling great again and back to hiking the neighbohood hills. It's all good. 

Oh, and Augie has a new friend. 

Life is Good!

Land of Cotton?

Nope, look again, they're not cotton bolls; it's snow. Winter has arrived with a vengeance in the south. The weekend before last it was all ice, this past weekend it was all snow. Eight inches plus at Chez Goodneedle. That will teach me to make statements like "it's been so long since we've seen snow"! This snow was light and fluffy, due to the temperature being brutally cold, it is very pretty. (The tracks in this photo leading up from the lower right corner and traversing back and forth are from deer.)  We dodged the bullet again, power-wise; sadly, so many other southerners weren't as lucky. 

In anticipation of the storm, Augie got a coat. He was more than happy to stay cozy and warm! I'm content to stay in and work on projects, and as long as there's power I can do that for weeks on end!

Sarah Barker is coming right along...

...and I was able to get all the remaining blocks cut and kitted to complete the Cream and Sugar quilt. 

This magnificent Amaryllis continues to be a bright spot in the kitchen...

...and with plenty of time (and sourdough discard) on my hands I've even been baking crackers! I'm attaching the link here. I added a pinch of rosemary, these really are yummy. 

Most likely there will be more DIY clean up happening today. Our nighborhood is very low on the priority list, so far no state vehicles with a plow attached have ventured into our neighborhood at all. It's difficult for some to get in and out as we do have some significant hills in here which are heard to traverse with the remaining hard-packed ice underneath.  The public schools have been out for six days straight now and tomorrow isn't looking much better. I received and email this morning that our LQS is closed until further notice. The mail hasn't been delivered to our mailbox since a week ago last Friday, there's been no trash pick up and, for the second week in a row, church services have been canceled. Yesterday it was especially sad to miss worship as it was to be the celebration of the 500th service for our little mission congregation. Sigh. 

Snow... in the land of cotton, 

 days like these won't be forgotten!

Life is Good!

2025 Holiday Wrap-Up

Consider this a post-Christmas, end of year, holiday wrap-up post. You might remember my initial foray into needlepoint, my birthday plaid. Our daughter took it back for finishing and surprised me by attaching it to the lid of this sweet little basket. I absolutely love it! It will hold my treasures and be a constant reminder of a wonderful weekend that we shared together. 

I don't know how many of you work the daily Wordle puzzles, I've been doing them for years. Imagine what a big surprise two of last week's puzzles were for me: QUILT was the answer a week ago on Sunday, and a few days later the word SPOOL solved the puzzle. A needleworker's delight!

Cocoa Quaker by Primrose Cottage was a Christmas cross-stitch start for me. 

This tea, from Metropolitan Tea Company, a brand that is new to me, was included in a Christmas gift basket from friends. It is absolutely wonderful! The tag reads : "Good Tea tastes better", that's certainly the truth! I can highly recommend this one. It's the perfect accompaniment for cold winter evenings as I work on my stitching. 

These were four of my favorite movies watched while I was hand-stitching binding on the Christmas quilts this year. The first three were movies that I hadn't seen before but the last one shown here, Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas is one that I must watch each and every year; I adore it and probably can recite the entire dialog of each Muppet by heart! I will never tire of the sweet story, the songs and the precious characters.

I finished this book earlier in December, it was one of those that I couldn't put down. 

The character development and the historical references were rich additions to this one,   definitely a story to remember!

I'm back to piecing a scrap quilt that had been set aside temporarily while working on the Santa's Puzzle quilts. I have my sidekick perched in a chair right alongside of me as I am piecing. It's always great to have company in the sewing room. 

And I'll finish up today's wrap-up post with the birthday boy (and Augie again, he's Mr. G's companion too!) My sweet husband, today is his birthday. Since we have been married 50+ years and we each have a birthday, that makes 100 birthdays that we've celebrated together!

Holy Cow!! How can that be? 😮

Life is Good!

Birthday Boy!

Happy 3rd birthday today, Augie!

You're one great pup! 🐾

Life is Good!

A Quick Trip

Since I last posted we've made a quick trip to New England and back. The trip wasn't a planned one but came about as a result of another quick trip: one that Dad made straight to the floor a week ago Friday. He got up from his bed that morning and was going into the bathroom, the next thing that he remembered was waking up facing the ceiling; he had fallen backwards, striking the back of his head on the lip of the walk-in shower. It was a bad fall resulting in both stitches and staples to close the wound. He spent that day in the Emergency Dept. at the local hospital and was discharged to home. Two days later he found himself unable to speak. Thinking that he was having a stroke he was, once again, transported to the hospital by ambulance. It was quickly determined, as his speech returned, that he wasn't having a stroke at all; thanks be to God! But, rather, he was suffering from a subdural hematoma, or brain bleed. The pressure on the part of the brain that controls speech was affected and that is what mimicked the stroke-like symptoms. By the time we learned all of the above activity we were packed, in the car, and on the way to New Hampshire. It was comforting for us to lay eyes on Dad and ascertain how he was doing, I am SO GLAD that we went! He was discharged from the hospital to rehab, the same rehab that my mother loved so much, where she spent some of her final days last year. We (including Augie) are no strangers to these long corridors and attentive and supportive staff. 

While we were there we stopped at the library that has been dedicated to my mother. This tribute to her  hangs just inside the door with a quilt that she made in 1998 and framed photograph of her working at her sewing machine. 💗

Dad is all settled into his room, he loves sitting by the window. Until he gets a little stronger and steadier he'll be calling this home for a few weeks. Every bed in this rehab facility has a quilt on it made by the local quilt guild. I am planning a second part to this post in conjunction with that fact, stay tuned. 

When we left to travel home on Saturday, sadly, Dad was more than a bit discouraged. Even though Augie was comforting him to the best of his ability, for someone who is used to "going and doing" on his own being relegated to a rehab facility where one needs to call for assistance every time they move is a hard pill to swallow. In the meantime, prayers are graciously welcomed!

Life is Good!