Fun with Instagram

Ignore the Creeping Charlie

(That's what I do)

Happy First Day of Spring!

A Work in Progress

I had small scraps left over from a baby quilt, and decided to put them to use by making a coordinating diaper changing pad. Each square was 1.5 inches for a finished square of 1 inch. The fabric for the backing is a favorite from my stash - it doesn't necessarily match the  colors on the front patchwork, but I loved it so much, I decided to use it anyway.

I've been thinking of hand quilting one of my projects, but fear of failure has kept me from it. But I decided this was the one. And because I'm never one for convention, I decided the quilting would follow the flower patterns on the back of the quilt. The front has so much going on that it didn't seem right to do a fancy pattern on the front - and stitch-in-the-ditch didn't feel right, either. I've managed one flower. My stitches are far apart and not very even (and nearly invisible on the front), but I'm content with this as a practice piece.

Hoku, Meet Tessa

Hoku and I drove up to Mom's place over the weekend. Hoku was thrilled to have another dog to play with. They chased each other around for so long, I thought for sure they'd just pass out. But like the Energizer Bunny, they just kept going, and going, and going .... they looked blurry in real life, too!

And Hoku thought he was "king of the mountain" ....

More Signs of Spring!

Crocus popping up along the front sidewalk at my house. There's another patch under the maple tree in the boulevard, but I don't think they're up yet (they're buried under a couple inches of leaves, so they've probably got a few more days of warmth before they find the surface).

And these are the same tulips I saw here a couple of days ago ...

A Definitive Sign of Spring

I know that's almost impossible to see, but that's something green popping up through the ground! Hoku and I took a walk today (despite the fact that I've been sick for the past 3 days and wanted to do nothing more than lay on the couch) and I spotted this on south side of a six foot fence. There was another little clump nearby. I'm guessing it's crocus. The house is at the end of my block, so we should be able to check progress nearly daily!

Hoku, Meet Amos

I think it's fair to say that Hoku was more interested in Amos than the other way around. Perhaps their next meeting will be more successful for both.

Winter Sowing: Part 4

There's a little more snow on the ground than last time I posted pictures - actually, I'm not sure there's more snow, but there's definitely been some much needed moisture.

Rudbeckia - Cherry Brandy: I winter-sowed some of these last year. They seemed more cherry-cola colored than cherry-brandy, but I thought I'd give them another shot and see if I like them more this year.

Bachelor Buttons - Black Magic and Tall Blend

Zinnia - Pastel Sunset and Giant Fantasy: I tried to winter sow these last year without success.

Zinnia - Fruit Smoothie: I successfully winter sowed these last year and quite liked them. They were over 3 feet tall. I only got orange and purple flowers, but that suited me just fine.

Scabiosa - Burgundy and Vanilla & Giant Imperial: I've never grown these before. In fact, I'm not sure I've even seen them growing anywhere, but they looked interesting on the package. Now that I think about it, I've probably seen them but just taken no notice. That may not bode well.

Aubrieta - Whitewell Gem: I've never grown this either, but I needed something to add to the rock garden area on the side of the house. We'll see how these do.

Agastache - Lavender Hyssop: These are new to me, too, but I've seen it in other people's gardens and thought they were interesting looking.