What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

This is what I'm calling "Confetti Chain",  as it stands right now, 24 blocks. I hope to add the same number more; making it a generous 60" X 80" quilt. Eventually.Here's the basic block unit laid out. Each block has forty three pieces! I can't remember where I ever saw this and I can't find a source. My version uses lights and darks out of the 1.5" scrap bin for the 4-patches. The

This is what I'm calling "Confetti Chain",  as it stands right now, 24 blocks. I hope to add the same number more; making it a generous 60" X 80" quilt. Eventually.Here's the basic block unit laid out. Each block has forty three pieces! I can't remember where I ever saw this and I can't find a source. My version uses lights and darks out of the 1.5" scrap bin for the 4-patches. The

Just like that, our world outside is a million shades of green.

Tony and Ned on the side lawn

I'm amused watching this small turkey flock trot through the front yard. The male is displaying constantly and looking so special. 

What a great gift! My sister always hits the mark with the books she gives me. 

"The times they are a-changin..." Bob Dylan

The library underwent upgrading last summer and huge new windows were installed. This was the view a couple of weeks ago out one of them. It struck me it could have been taken in so many small towns all over America with a church squarely in view. This is the Zion-Memorial United Church which would have been my church in the old days. This one is holding on but one of the other especially beautiful stone churches has been turned into apartments.  

Have no idea how it will wind up or even how it will sew together... with or without sashing? with or without plain blocks, etc. The birds have ...

I just have to share the end of another successful Barred Owls of Indiana season. I so enjoyed watching these three grow and then branch successfully off into the big wide world. I really like how the owl parents are so attentive and make sure all three, even the youngest and smallest, hatched days after the first, gets plenty of food. Their eyesight is thought to be better than ours so imagine emerging from the nest box and seeing all the world in front of them for the first time- no wonder they look transfixed. 

The birds have been giving choral performances every morning and most of the day now that spring is here. The bluebird has decided this is a great perch and sits here often enough for me to get his picture. That branch may fall off the tree soon, as it appears to be dead, but the rest of the tree is still thriving. It is covered in lichen.

On the ground, Gracie has not been by very often. I think the local red tail hawk has been hanging around. I saw it swoop through the yard a few times last week ...

Oh dear, over half way through April already! Time, slow down! 

After days of rain, yesterday was a glorious sunny day and I spent time down by the pond watching the ducks float about. As usual they alarm very easily so this was taken from far away. I wonder if they could be the same ones we see there every year. I identified (with help from some of you) American Black Ducks for the first time visiting us last year. 

They're Baaaack !

Turkey Vultures

We counted 25 of them today!

They enjoy roosting on the fence posts

at sunrise and taking a solar bath.

View my Instagram feed HERE

LuAnn Kessi

You know you're living in the country when a heading in the local forum reads..." Do Not Approach: Bobcat Sighted". It was noted to look healthy and was not aggressive. One time people did not have to to be told to stay away from such a wild animal. Once Tony showed me a clip of a man and woman being chased by a buffalo...they thought they could pet it or some such nonsense. But perhaps it is not new. Just that with our impressive social networks we are hearing about it. I read the phrase "common sense is ...

I've not shown a lovely cake from Beth in a while...here is the latest. Dark chocolate for Tony and Marshmallow icing for me.

I've been working steadily on my EPP Tiny 9 ...

Chester made a couple of appearances over the past couple of weeks. He doesn’t always stay around to get his picture taken, but this day he must have been really hungry as he was on the veranda trying to beg a treat.

I’m delighted when he stops by, and wish he’d come more often.

In the meadow, a couple of dozen robins came by and stayed a couple of days. We saw them many times, and then they moved on.

The photos had to be taken with the long lens on the camera from inside the house ...

It was a record breaking 10C here on Thursday and the temps have remained above zero, unheard of mid February weather, for a couple of days. The foggy air felt almost balmy and the squirrels and birds seemed to be going mad out there. The melting had uncovered lots of tidbits for them. But back to regular winter days now. 

This is another of Robert Bateman's birds in winter...Varied Thrush. Just lovely colours.

I have these two books from the library and started The Snow Child and realized I'd read it before. 

It has been bitterly cold this past week, and the birds are stuffing their beaks to get enough energy to keep warm. Of course, this means the feeder empties out quickly on some days. We have a pair of hairy woodpeckers that live here year round. Here the female hangs off the bottom of the feeder, while a goldfinch sits on the left keeping a close eye.

The goldfinch flew off, and a bluebird stopped by to take its place. More goldfinches were visiting and taking turns.

A titmouse landed on the empty suet feeder looking for more sustenance on ...

It is 2024, and I am happy to turn the calendar over to a new page. I am looking forward to this new year in the hopes that the issues of the past couple of months are resolved enough to go smoothly now, at least for a while. I thought it was a good sign when more than 2 dozen robins showed up in the front yard and meadow. They are hard to pick out in the photo below, but you can see a bunch of them between the rails of the veranda.

The birds were all over the front ...