SUNDAY STROLL

Out in the old garden area are two peach trees. They are very pretty, at least in part. Time and bad weather have pruned them unmercifully. And so they are what they are, neglected old trees.


I swear there was a gallant honey bee working the flowers when I took this picture. I suspect she is behind one of the flowers waiting for me to leave.

My all time favorite this time of the year are the Bleeding Hearts that line the entry ramp to our house. As a child did you ever turn back the heart so that you ended up with a ballerina?

These Selfheal and Dandelions have risen in our garden space which has not been active for a couple of years. We planted, but nature did not approve. Our town had to buy water from a fellow with a big lake not too many miles from here. We have had two years of drought and veggies don't make it very long, but the resilient weeds and herbs don't need endless watering and are content.


A pretty little Bluet.


Sweet Violet

I am still practicing close ups and still envious of all the bloggers who zero in on flowers so beautifully. I may have to take a course in photography again to learn some of the tricks of the trade.

See who else is strolling today at The Quiet Country House

JACK'S QUILT IS COMING ALONG

Here are the two blocks. I've made twelve of one design and six of the other.

Here is a quick glance of how they will be sewn together. I have to cut out the triangles that will complete the ends of each row. Then I can start sewing them together. One step at a time.

QUILT CLASS PROJECT

My quilting guild met yesterday and our project was to create a new purse. Of course, the material was to be quilted. It is filled with pockets inside and out. The fabric choices of the ladies were delightful and varied. I used the black and white tai chi fabric that has been stored in my stash for awhile now waiting for the right and proper use. Quilters tend to buy and store fabric with something akin to obsessiveness. It is a quality we all recognize and appreciate in one another. Fabric designs tend to go out of style and out of stock as the new and latest trends develop. So when you see something that grabs your eye and heart you better buy it. The right and proper use will present itself in the fullness of time.
FILLED AND READY TO GO OUT AND SHOP

SUNDAY STROLL- JUST A LITTLE DAFFY-DIL

As winter winds down I notice all the evergreens are casting off their seed pods. They are looking toward the future just as we do, sending their young out into the world to take root and grow and prosper. The majestic Hemlocks have the sweetest little one inch cones that make me smile. The actual seeds must be so tiny, but in good time, nurturing soil and the right environment there will be soft welcoming evergreen trees filling the forests. I am impressed. The seeds of our trees must have laid dormant for years till all the pine trees here were stripped of their needles some twenty or more years ago during a ice and sleet storm. The pines died and the Hemlock seeds just rose up out of their deep sleep and now we have glorious lush trees. Nature has her ways and we can only marvel, for obviously there were Hemlocks here before the pines became dominant..

We have a Weatherstick on our front porch. At the moment it is showing a warm comfortable day. Should it point downward we would know from inside the house that a cold and dreary day was in progress. It is a fun indicator of weather. Hope you can see it attached to the post.
The bleeding heart has a touch of color in the cluster of flower buds. You will probably have to
double click on the picture to see it. They are a little tender and get frozen out quite often, but like good little troopers they bounce back with showy delight.

O.K. Here is my contribution to the Daffodil blog sightings. First the buds a couple of weeks ago.



Now a community of Daffies on a little rise in the yard. It is a natural yard room divider.



I would like to point out the double Daffodil's that I have propped on the solar light. The heads are so heavy that they generally end up laying on the ground so you can imagine which flowers grace our spring dinner table.

Here is the final cluster of spring delight. Bright and full of life.



Link on over to The Quiet Country House for more strolling

SINGING AS I GO

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 3:16

How sweet it was!! We are back home after making a whirlwind road trip to the sunny land of Florida to join in a gospel singing funfest.
As a teenager Hubby Dear was in a gospel quartet called the Gospel Ramblers. There was a reunion of sorts this last weekend at one of the member’s home and we heeded the call to join them and their friends in an old fashioned sing-a-long. What a joy and delight it was to be there.
Let me see if I can tell this story from the beginning. The Gospel Ramblers were four young men from Columbus Indiana, Gerald sang lead, his brother James was the bass, Richard was tenor and Steve was the baritone. They sang for the glory of God (it also didn’t hurt if some pretty little gals were impressed.)
Then life began to get serious with college, military service and careers. Steve stayed with music and became a music educator in the Florida school system. He also managed to meet and know many professional gospel singers over the years. Richard and Jim kept their voices limber in their church choir. Jerry was inclined to play the guitar and sing for his own pleasure in small jam sessions with friends.
Now in the years of retirement and reconnecting with old friends we met Steve and wife Cindy when they were vacationing in Tennessee and learned of a yearly get-together with Richard and several of their mutual friends. Well, we wondered if we could get involved with this wonderful reunion and they very kindly said “sure”.
We hoped brother Jim would also be there so that we could have a full fledged reunion of the Gospel Ramblers. That wasn’t to be this year, but there is always next year as people often say. We can only hope.
We are so glad to have reconnected with all the old friends and to have met so many new friends. There were about 18 of us gathered around the piano and around the living room. Thank you Steve and Cindy for opening your home to such a delightful event. And, thank you God for the love and friendship built around music. What would we do without music.

JACKSON'S QUILT LOG

To review my progress. This is what is involved in creating a quilt.

I decided Jackson's quilt should be similar but not the same as the one I made for his big brother Joshua So I had the pattern and I bought the perfect fabric.

Next step was to cut, sew and cut again. I needed lots of components to make up the two main blocks that comprise the design of the quilt.

Components piled everywhere.

Here on my design wall are the small blocks set in place to consider if this is indeed how I want them to look. The corner small blocks could be turned in a different direction for a completely different final look. I'm still considering possibilities. But today I will start sewing the large blocks together. I will have six blocks of the left hand design and twelve of the right hand design. Putting them together on point will complete the design. I love it when a plan comes together.

STROLLING MEMORY LANE

Sweet, sweet memories are made of this. My daughter, son-in-law and their first daughter are entertained by my Dad while they are visiting my folks in Tennessee. Dear daughter has since inherited the banjo which was built by my Dad as he copied a Gibson Mastertone owned by a local musician Ray King. I will add more of my Dad playing when Flutemaker learns more about video programing.

Be sure to link on over to The Quiet Country House for more strolling.

OTHERWISE

Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day - like writing a poem or praying a prayer.

Ann Morrow Lindbergh

SUNDAY STROLL

This is the tree we used for crossing the creek for a couple of years before we built the bridge. Nature is a clever decorator. The colors, the random placement of trees, bushes and wild flowers seems just right. But, although we are admonished to not try to gild the lily, I in my enthusiasm to share in the creative process have done my bit to pretty up the pathways.
Entering one of the paths I have hung the gift of wind chimes from our son and family in Texas.

Four benches grace the walks in order to sit and listen, watch or just ponder the ways of nature.

Dave and Mary are the docents in this area of the woods.

You are bound to meet Babette gazing sweetly at her love.

In return, Gerard sighs "Ah, Babette"

We have a wondrous community of sprites and fairies and I decorate for them as well.

Finally let me introduce you to the thinking frog who sits in the wildflower patch waiting for the dear sweet princess to come and kiss him back into his princely form that we have learned to call The Thinker.

More Strolling can be found over at The Quiet Country House.