Monday, June 26, 2017

Puppies Recovery Is Done & So Is My Quilt!

With all that puppy time I had with Baxter & Bridget, to make sure that they were not together & each one taken outside for the short walk...
I needed my own therapy time & that is with sewing. So the kingsize quilt was cut & sewn together & now will go to the longqrm quilter for quilting. Thanks Bev, owner of Edged Squared Quilting Studio, for answering all my quilting questions & giving me suggestions.

 I now have let the two play together on day 8,  but only till the panting would start...

 Baxter was so happy to have his soother, just to tease Bridget! He loved his 'hoarding cone' as she would not enter into it! lol

 The two 6 month old puppies, move so fast, that it's hard to get a good photo & wham their gone!

 Bridget takes in some alone time, she looks so tiny by herself on the Canada quilt that I made in the 90's, for Bill's first race on Route 66.

 She finally got the soother! Their teeth are still coming in & should finish in another 8 weeks.

 So till then, I give them all kinds of chewy things. Bill & Nick arrive on Friday & their last visit was one of chewed, till soaked, running shoes. lol

 I think Bridget wants a cone to hold her chewer's inside, she was always watching Baxter! lol

 The old Star Trek saying 'Wanting is more desirable, than having. Not logical but true.' Hmm cone?


More Canada Sewing


 I had 18 month old, Alexa's measurements, for a 'Fancy Dress' entry for the Napan Fair & just could resist sewing her a Canada outfit!

Alexa has a 4 year old Boston Terrier named, Rossco & he's getting a Canada Day scarf made to match Alexa's outfit, I now have his neck measurement.  I'll show a modeled photo in a  later blog. ;-)

 These two love to chew on recycled bottles, today it's a water bottle that is totally flattened!

                                                        Baxter doesn't share well with Bridget!

 Bridget enjoys chewing on the empty Club House vanilla container! Thank you Pat!

 I tightened the lid the best I can & she chews away. Teething toys from the recycle bin!



My King Size Horse Quilt

 I have since added a 6 inch grey border, the negative to the black/grey that outlines the center square.

 There's just something about a quilt on the line, with movement from the breeze & next to shore...
There's always a breeze!
 The quilt has another row behind the clothes pins. It is five across & four down. I made this pattern in February for the Valentine Day's quilt. It is fast & easy!

 This is the Ford Mustang logo. I love the horse & when I saw this horse fabric, that was all I could think of. I have retired from racing but still love the Mustang!

 The center blocks of the quilt. I'm also having this fabric quilted too, so I can make coordinating pillow shams.

A Funny Surprise!

 Everytime I would drive up the lane & could see the house, there were always birds flying off the porch. I thought this unusual but then I would park the car & the though was gone.

 Till I noticed a birds nest in my faux topiary tree! I moved the tree away from the front door as that's how I come & go with the puppies. The birds have not come back. ;-(

 I'm going to leave the nest in the tree just the same. It makes me smile that they even though of coming on the porch to make their home. I hope they have found another, less trafficked place.

 The Anniversary Garden has been blooming for weeks now. The Iris's & Lapin's look great!


 The evergreens need a trimming & more black mulch needs to be added. That will happen this weekend, now that Bill's home.

The Pups Are Tied Up!

 No cone & freedom! ...  on a long leash away. They have been going to the neighbours properties.

                             I keep them out front & they have the porch & shade if they want it.

 I was a little sneaky with them & put the walk lead on Bridget's leash. She has another three feet on Baxter, so she could do her business without him.

 She has figured this out & will run in front of him, only to have him stop short, in front of her!

                                                She knows his length  limit & hers is different.

 I've now noticed that she drops her chewies at her limit & Baxter cannot take them!


Bill has ordered some white fencing, so the puppies will have a safe place to play. The fenced in area will be off the laundry room porch. It will have two fenced gates attatched to it. I think it's going to look awesome! And they will be safe there as the foxes are moving around at sunset & very close to the house too! The cats are the ones to let me know if a fox is in the area! Watch Cats On Duty! lol

 Lazy afternoon for Mr. Boots. The thunderstorm is going on & he snores away! lol

 He' so happy & purring these days. I thought his weight would go down being in the big house rather than the small cottage but he's still 21.5 pounds. His resting weight! lol

 I love warm summer rains! It's Monday & there will be no mowing till Bill gets home this weekend!

You can see how the rain hit the screens on the sun porch. And there was thunder too.
This will help green things up even more! The topsoil could possibly be delivered this week too!
In between rains maybe as they're calling for rain all week!

Thought for the week ----  Worry is like a fast getaway on a wooden horse.

Have a wonderful week, wherever you are!
Cynthia

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Much Mowing... Must Be June!

I was saying in the last post, that an ironing board cover was much needed, in my sewing room.
Here's the IKEA fabric I spoke of & it worked out perfectly! Thank you Mitchell! XO
You need to save your old ironing board cover, to use it as a pattern for the new one. 
I also used the elastic from the other casing & the 2 Velcro strips, to secure the center area.
And that was handy as it would have been a drive to get those supplies! Oh the joys of living in a village & now the large city. Slowly my sewing stdio is making its way east. lol

 This fabric too came from IKEA, 10 years ago now! I made this cover a few years ago & the threads have weakened with the heat & the iron pressing through the fibers. It started to split vertically & I did not enjoy seeing it rotting, when I could/should, do something about it!

 Voila! And here it is! It took longer to send the round elastic through the casing, than it did to sew the cover! I should have disassembled the old one, to get a better idea of how I made it. It's done now & I love it!
 I tied the round elastic to the end of the bodkin & pulled & pulled, I bent the metal, I knew I was having a had time! lol

 My sewing room now has a beautiful ironing board & I think I'll give my Oslo iron a try again. I'm loving my Rowentra & I'm so use to lift an iron upright...not leaving it down! Creature of habit. lol
What a view I have from this room, a different snset every night!  Rexton & Tommy are in this room often,  Rexton is watching the robins, pulling the worms out of the ground.

                      I fond the perfect branch to hang my new appliqued, summer hanger on!


Wrap Around Deck Begins!

 The deck began on Monday, from this deck, you can see the view of Miramichi Bay.

                                              This will really enhance the old sun porch!

 And it's located right next to the Anniversary Garden & will be viewing the garden also.
I'm so pleased with this area & an extension of interest next to the Anniversary Garden, right in time for our 30th Anniversary on the 4th of July!!

                               The landscaping should start soon & the deck will be finished!

 Straight from the door, will be a six foot stair, opening to the backyard, to the shore.

                                      The bottom of the deck, mimics the roof line's slope.

 I had the lawn to mow at The Carroll Cottage & the lawn here in the evening. So much lawn!!!
And in June, there is so much mowing, mostly every 6 days to stay on top of it!
Everything else is growing too!

 The Lily-of-the-valley looked great & smelt even better! I picked them & brought them home to enjoy, all 13 dozen of them!

 Mowing this lawn is a full 2 1/2 hours on the John Deer lawn tractor. This is the view from the top of the lane way. All the beautiful black stone, now has grass & weeds growing through it.

 This is the view from the other lane way... so much grass to mow here! I do enjoy the process but the bugs were thick & the the day hot & humid. You feel it more when your covered from head to toe & wearing the net bug covering jacket, complete with hood & face covering!

 I also mow my neighbours area as they are physically, unable to do it. They boarder on the lot line, so I just keep mowing. Keeps us looking neat & tidy. lol

 The little lilac tree I brought 8 years ago, from London Ontario, is looking its best this year!

 The rose bush is out of control! I'll be transplanting some of it to Hardwicke, once the topsoil is in place & I'll have a better idea of placement.

 The cornflowers look great too! It was so nice to see summer plants & in their showy colours.

 The large rose bush has the bright pink fushia colour, it's going to explode with colour soon!

      I enjoyed mowing past this fragrant area, the breeze would send sweet smells to me! When I was taking this photo, I never noticed the butterfly, right in the center! There were bees & butterflies around the Carroll Cottage gardens & a bird living in the birdhouse at the end of the clothesline pole!
So summery here today!

 The chives, flax, & bleeding hearts are giving summer colours, this area will fill  in, with the summertime.
 
                                                        I love the pom pom look of the chives.
 And the star like design & show of colour, the greens look like asparagus fern. Lovely combination!

And now... back home to Hardwicke & the decking project. So much wood has been installed!

                                                                  The view from the deck.
                                 Another view from the deck, with our flag peeking out. :-)
The area looks so much better after the dandelions & weeds have been mowed down!

 Even mowing the edge, gives a clean cut to the ditch, wild weeds. I've no idea what they are but can they ever grow fast & thick!

 The grass is green, the sky is blue & the water is even bluer! I love this place! The deck is taking shape too! It is high on the west side & from there, the sunsets will be beautiful!

 This is the grassy lane that takes you to the water's shoreline. Later this summer all those green bushes will be pink wild roses & the aroma so sweet, with the summer breezes.
 I got the diesel  tractor stuck down there last Sunday afternoon. It was a freak thing...  I ran over a branch limb that flew up under the mower's deck & disengaged the mower from the tractor!!! I could not go forward, nor backwards & I was on the downgrade of the grassy lane. Eek, looking at the water! Those that know me know I'm hydrophobic, I was not having a good day!
I often said that if Murphy's Law had a sister, I would be her!
Thank you Francis for putting it back together as a mowing tractor unit.

The grass needs a weed whacking here, this is the end of the grassy lane. Bill will soon be home.

                                                                 Another deck view.
And topsoil awaits for the spreading of grass seed. I'll miss you Mitchell, we put in a lot of grass together, a few years back.

                                           The Miramichi Bay is so blue on a sunny day.

                  To think that this time last year we were waiting to break ground & start construction!


 The wrap around deck will be enclosed all the way around with the board & batten look, that's in the colour of the siding.

 The black, aluminum railings, will match the front porch railings & will be installed after the deck flooring is complete.

 The bearded Iris's & Lupines are blooming! What a difference a couple of hot humid days make!!

 When you see the beauty of the garden, you forget the bleak white winter!

                            The white bleeding hearts have flourished in the heat & humidity.

                                                               Lovely Bearded Iris!

 The laundry porch will soon be a fenced area for Baxter & Bridget to run in. They're not staying home & are very lively terriers, looking in neighbours basement windows & jumping on them!
There's No Place Like Home!

 The white Russian Lilacs have the most wonderful fragrance & with the rain coming, I'm going to enjoy them indoors!

Oh summer, it has arrived here on the east coast. Thank you for all those that shared their pictures of their beautiful gardens with me, till I could , at last, have mine.

Baxter & Bridget are in day seven, of their 10 days of complete rest... we're nearly there!!

Have a wonderful week, wherever you are!

Summer has begun! Enjoy!!
Cynthia