Irma Update - Trees Down

As promised, Irma rolled through our city around midnight on 9/10 & continued howling throughout the day on 9/11. Unlike Matthew from last year, Irma's winds were stronger & the tidal surge was worse. Jacksonville & surrounding areas were badly damaged. Several downtown riverfront buildings are still closed. I think all counties in the state of FL were affected one way or another. Here are links to 2 slideshows of the damage nearby:

Nearby Beach Damage

Jacksonville Damage

Irma didn't stop w/FL she went up the gulf coast into GA as a Tropical Storm. The county where our country house is located was directly in her path.

The good news is that we were spared any damages to our home(s) & structures at both locations. We didn't have any electrical line damage in the city or the country so only without power for 3 days in the city & only about 24 house in the country (thanks for neighbors that kept us informed). We were lucky. We are in a small neighborhood in the city & a very rural area in the country & prone to be last to get power at either house.

We had generators running here in Jax (until the big one died on Wed. morning. Greg went to his shop & brought another one home). We had running water, some lights in the house, ceiling fans & could keep freezer & fridges running. If power had not been restored after 24 hours in the country I was prepared to high tail it up there w/a generator in tow. Did NOT want to lose all that beef in our big chest freezer up there.

Like last time, we had lots of limbs down & a ton of debris to pick up at Jax house.

We went to the country over the weekend to inspect things there. Like I said, house & buildings were fine but we are now without shade on the pond.

This post was originally supposed to be an update on the country tree progress. One of those that I was so proud of was one of the FL acorn oaks. It was literally a twig when I planted it never expecting it to actually live. (I planted about 10 of them & only 2 survived.) Here are pics showing 2 years worth of growth for one of them.

2017

2015

And, this is what it looked like when we arrived on Saturday:

The other surviving FL acorn oak had the top taken off but wasn't leaning. Also had 2 of the pine transplants blown over:

Got them all staked & hoping they will make it, especially the oak. We also had to cut away some blown down small trees in the branch blocking the driveway & of course pick up a few limbs there as well.

All in all we were very fortunate, again. Hopefully all those storms brewing in the Atlantic will keep their distance for the remainder of the season & for many years to come.

Pot O Gold?

A couple of weeks ago in the Country we had a massive thunderstorm come up. Then this happened:

It was huge & if only there had been that proverbial pot, it would have only been 100 ft. away. Then it turned into a double. Kind of hard to see but it's there & it lasted about 20 minutes.

We also hit a good weekend for the crepe myrtles.

About 90% of them were blooming. Just lovely. Hard to get a pic of all of them. Will be headed up there tomorrow, wonder if any blooms will be left?

Bambi & Other Wildlife

A few weeks ago Nelly & I left the house early to go on our morning walk. I hadn't yet put Nelly's leash on & once we got out of the garage she took off running to the vacant, wooded lot next door. I looked up in time to see what I thought were 2 small red dogs. When they turned to run I realized that it was wasn't dogs but a pair of foxes. We've always had them where we live here in the city because much of the lots & land around us are very wooded & there's still quite a few vacant areas where they live. But, we haven't seen them in awhile. I have a 'pit' on the lot next door where we throw yard debris & things that won't compost well (or draw too many fruit flies) such as watermelon rinds, corn cobs, etc., so I guess they were scavenging. Glad Nelly didn't catch one.

Went up to the country house for the 4th of July weekend. Greg closed his business on Saturday, Monday & Tuesday so we had a nice long weekend. I drove separately so that allowed me to have a couple of extra days.

We got up on Saturday & drove to get sausage. There's a place about an hours drive from our house, that has the best sausage. We like the fresh links & buy a whole bunch of it & vacuum seal, in small portions for the freezer. As we drove through the branch area on our way home, a huge doe jumped up in front of us & ran all the way across the field & jumped the fence on the far side of the property. Later in the afternoon, we noticed that she had returned. My Dad & his wife were also up for the weekend & he remarked that she probably had babies nearby.

Greg started mowing grass that morning & a fawn jumped up from beside the railroad ties that line the driveway & ran off only to get caught in a fence. Greg was able to free it & it ran off but was staying the area because he saw it (or it's sibling) in the adjacent field several times that afternoon.

I got up early Sunday morning to let Nelly out to do her business & noticed something over by one of the maple trees. A fawn was lying the grass around the tree! I ran inside to get my camera.

He/she just laid there like that until the sun rose over the house then it turned around. It eventually moved up by the front porch to sit in the shade for awhile. Then ran off back towards the driveway & branch.

We didn't see them anymore through the 4th. Greg left to get back to the city & I stayed on for a couple more days. As I was packing to leave on Thursday I looked over & it was back in the same spot.

Hopefully they will stick around & we can watch them grow, but I doubt that will happen. We put some corn out in the branch. Will check the game cam next time we are up there.

Gotta love the wildlife.

It's not Capistrano, but they still return ...

A few years ago, we had a swallow take up temporary residence just outside our side door (the main one we use to go in & out) up at the Country House. We let them hatch out that 1st year but after that we would scrape the nest down before they could lay eggs each year. It seemed they had stopped until a few weekends ago I was washing dishes & noticed they had found a new spot to build & lay eggs.

It's on the corner of the front porch. At least they are not in the direct access to the house & it's kind of fun to watch them. They do make a mess but it only last a few weeks so I guess we'll let them continue to return.

We have had a decent amount of rain up there lately & most of the trees seem to be doing well. Here's a shot of the orange tree which has quite a few oranges. there was a LOT more blooms but I guess many got blown away before they could form.

Here's a pic of one of the oaks in the field. This one has a very strong trunk but it will still be a few years before it provides a nice shady spot to sit.

Although I got the asparagus planted this year I didn't get anything else in the ground up there. Too bad too, since the rain would have been plenty this year. I did plant some squash, cucumbers & beans in the raised beds in the city. Not even 1 squash or cucumber formed even though they had a ton of blooms. I guess the neighbors bees never found them. I did however, get a couple of servings of beans.

I have picked them twice now & got about the same amount each time (just enough for supper & then lunch the next day). I may have one more picking left.

When I was at the last quilt retreat my sewing machine had some issues & my friend loaned me hers for the remainder of the retreat. I sort of got it working when I got home but it still wouldn't keep the feed dogs up enough to work properly. So, after much research I bit the bullet & bought a new machine from a nearby dealer.

She sews like a dream! The first thing I made was a table runner for my sister.

I'm going to give it to her this afternoon after I pick up their pup, Lexie, to dog sit for the next 10 days! Nelly has met Lexie before & they seem to tolerate each other. We'll see how it goes!

Just Plain Stuffed (Plus a Quilting Update)

A few weeks ago I attended another quilt retreat at Homeplace Bed & Breakfast (SC). As always it was a lot of fun, food, laughter & a good time spent with friends. I made my first 'big girl' quilt.

It's a king size! I used some fabrics that were gifted to me & some I had gotten at garage sales over the years. I finished the top at the retreat then had one of the quilting ladies there, quilt it on her long arm machine. She did a beautiful job! It's 108" x 112" & there was NO WAY I was going to tackle this behemoth! The pattern is called "Broken Star", a variation of a Carpenter's Star.from a booklet published by Debbie Maddy of Calico Carriage Quilt Designs.

Close up of center star.

Once I finished w/this I decided to make a laptop quilt out of some vintage reproduction fabrics I had in my stash. Pic is sideways but you get the idea. It's called a ribbon box quilt, free pattern from Coud9 Fabrics. It is 56" x 62".

Since I got home I've finished up on my Christmas Table toppers that I will be using as a lining for baskets of goodies to give away this year.

While at the retreat my sewing machine wasn't working very well & I had neglected to take my Featherweight. My friend Debbie (the enabler) kindly loaned me one of hers to use. Otherwise, I would have been twiddling my thumbs the whole time.

Now I have to get my mid arm machine (another post entirely) set up so I can get all these projects quilted & bound before Christmas time rolls around.

On another note, I actually planted a few things in my garden beds here in the city. As usual it is proving that only about 3 or 4 hours of sunlight is NOT enough to produce prolific results.

String Beans & carrots in the pot.

Squash Zucchini, Cucumbers, more carrots & marigolds in front.

Onions taken over by weeds.

I had waited way to late to plant the onions & scallions so most just died. I still have a couple at the very back of the bed, we'll see if they hang on. Too darn hot for them.

The squash & zucchini have lots & lots of blooms but never product any fruit. No pollination happening & I'm not doing it by hand. One of our neighbors has gotten bees but their scouts haven't come down to visits. Sooooo, since they aren't making baby squash I decided to stuff some of the blossoms.

Cheese mixture in bag.

Decent sized blossom. Most were smaller than this.

Stuffed with cheese mixture.

All stuffed & ready to fry.

I picked & stuffed yesterday & as the last pic shows, I had a bit of cheese left over so I picked a few more this morning & finished up the cheese. Will fry them up tonight using a tempura type batter. We've had these before & they are delicious!

Well that all that been happening around here ... until next time.

p.s. I have been scrounging the Internet looking for this discontinued fabric.

It's called Anastasia by Robert Kaufman (orange, black & gold colors). If you have some in your stash or see any for sale, please let me know. I'm more than willing to pay for it. 

Easter 2017

Went to the country last weekend. It was Easter & as it turned out, our first mowing of the year. I got up there on Thursday & decided to go ahead & get a head start on the mowing. Greg came up early on Friday to finish up. In one of our fields there is a new (to us) weed.

It's an ugly little thorny bush that you can't pull up & after it's mowed down it looks like some sort of bird has met it's demise.

My Dad said he hasn't seen it before but it's in almost all the fields. Anybody know what it is?

Update: Thistle! Kill it!

Went out to the garden to open up the shed to let the breeze blow through.

I had left a bag of blood meal in one of the buckets under the back lean to & something must have thought it was food. Doesn't appear they liked it after mauling it, as most of the contents were still intact.

And woo hoo, my asparagus is growing!  I planted 15 crowns & all but 2 are showing signs of life.

Greg had brought a load of compost from the city property & as I was using it to fill in the cinder block holes I looked down & saw this on one of the crowns. A stick was put in by each crown so I could tell where they were located.

Isn't that just the cutest little (& I do mean little) thing?

Had a few minor projects to get done in the barn, like hanging blinds, installing handles & locks on doors, etc. As Greg was walking back & forth from the barn to the house he happened to notice this in the grass right by our steps!

It's a timber/canebreak rattlesnake. He was a young one, just 2 buttons. He was 'relocated'.

The next day this guy came strolling across the field.

Not poisonous but if you get too close he will snap your fingers off. He can reach his neck out several inches, as in 6 or more! He is kind of pretty though. After the photo shoot, we let him meander on his way.

Then also noticed these guys by one of the doors on the house.

Why do they always build their nests in high traffic areas? I let them stay if they are out of the way but these were too close for coming & going comfort. They were 'disposed' of as well.

Sorry this post is such a creepy crawly one but that's sometimes life in the country. Here's a couple of feel good shots to leave you with.

Featherweight(s) & Christmas Gifts

I just realized that I've never posted about my new obsession - Singer Featherweights. My friend Debbie (THE ENABLER) introduced me to them a couple of years ago. Here's the Wikipedia link: Featherweight Sewing Machine. And, here's a pic of one of mine (standard size stapler there for size comparison).

They are the cutest little machines weighing in at about 11 pounds making them the 1st true portable sewing machines. But, what I like best about them is that they are workhorses! I started looking on Craig's List & lo & behold came across a guy selling 2 for a great price last August (2016). I bought them & once I got them home found out that one was made in 1935 & the other in 1950. I stowed them until further notice. Then "The Enabler" decided to host a Featherweight only Retreat this past February so I decided it was time I learned how to use this little gem.

Group Photo

Debbie & another lady taught a session on how to clean, oil & lubricate. I discovered there was a problem with my 1950 but pulled out the 1935 one & it ran just fine. I think it sews so much better than my new (cheaply made) Brother that I bought a few years back. Yes, you have to oil & lube it on occasion but I think it's well worth it. I eventually acquired a 3rd one but I'll post on that later.

While at the FW retreat I decided to go ahead & get a head start on some Christmas gifts. I always plan on making friends small handmade items but always seem to run out of time. I got a few table throw tops made.

These will be quilted & then gifted to former co-workers/girlfriends for Christmas this year. For two of them, I decided to add a few more blocks for a lap quilt for a long time friend who absolutely loves Christmas.

I had started a project several years ago that I am bound & determined to finish this year.

This is one of 3 larger lap tops that I've made (2 for different friends & 1 for me). They are made out of old conference shirts that we all had to wear during shows. 

The shirts were changed out & a new color was introduced for new conferences. They are a heavy twill fabric & very hard to work with. Especially when trying to join seams. I cut up each shirt, then cut them down for piecing the star blocks. I started sewing them on my Brother but finished on the 1935 FW. I sure wish I had that FW when I started these blocks because it sewed through the seams like butter.

I still need to quilt all of these pieces & will start on that next month. We have another retreat coming up at the end of this month & I plan on making a Queen size quilt while there. I'm currently obsessing over fabric choices & placement for that. Will post on that later.