Even tho it hasn’t rained I mowed for hours. How can grass keep growing without rain?
Lots of great photos tonight.
Remember that old saying about corn being knee high on the 4th of July?
Connie made this for a friend – Hiding In Plain Sight from our book Beyond the Battlefield.
Check online for the book or I can copy the pattern for you for $5 and SASE.
Another 90th birthday to post soon!
Mary – We hadn’t had very much rain since April, possibly 2-3 inches total over 2 months – it would rain around us but disappear when it got to us – then Tuesday night we found ourselves under a ‘rain train’ and ended up with nearly 2 inches of much needed rain. Maybe this week it will be your turn! Sherry W
I’m very behind in reading your wonderful posts Mary. I have cried and laughed these past 2+ weeks…We lost our sweet blue heeler (cattle dog). I can feel him all over the house and sometimes I think i hear him. His heart condition came on so quickly but he couldn’t survive the way he was…then I went in to have another tumor taken out of my bladder. I’ve been fighting bladder CA for 12 yrs. (It runs in my family and I was blessed to receive it too). Mary when you mentioned you had to drain the pond as the liner was pulling up I was going to ask you if someone cut it with a sharp object? Is the water real blue as well!?! I’m being nasty here but we have a complete idiot for a President and he just won’t stop…anything to keep our minds off the Epstein files I guess. I hope you don’t knock me off Mary. I know you’re fed up with it as well. So glad to hear that Jeanne is doing so well, yes, your hair will be curly. Corn looks great in IA! The weather has been insane all over the country. We had a storm this wk. that tore a huge branch off our Maple tree. It took over 20 yrs to grow it that tall. Love your sweet animals, esp. those cute crazy goats. Wish I could have them here-no more cutting down weeds! Thank you Mary, for all that you do. I missed what you did to your leg but you better take care of it. My first thot was you should go to a wound clinic and have it dressed weekly. (Old nurse here, I can’t help myself) I want to make “Hiding in plain sight”-I have your book-interesting story of Sarah Emma Edmonds too. God bless all of us, stay strong. We women need each other…
Arlene- oh, I’m so sorry you lost your beloved dog! A sudden heart condition? Oh, what will I do when I have to say goodbye to Hazel and Keeper???? Your life has taken a direct turn around so of course you still feel him nearby. And bladder cancer – oh, I’m sorry.
YES! I’ll bet that’s what happened to the liner in my pond! Of course – I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, he’s the most selfish person I’ve ever known – and stupid besides. We can all see thru his lies for cryin out loud. Yes, let’s hear about the Epstein Files, should we?
The little goats are quite entertaining but the wound on my leg came from Dottie – not on purpose but I was bringing her hay and she wanted it. Then the next one I tore open putting up their fence. The bruise on my arm is from the goose biting me. And today putting up another fence panel for the little darlings, I tore my big toenail. And next week is my pedicure!! Ugh. The first wound is nearly healed but is quite bruised in that area and sore but not infected. I’m fine now – I just have really ugly legs. Haha!
Beautiful quilts today. Such talent in the readers here! Thank you all for sending in the pictures. I have been gardening and not in the sewing room much at all. Have gotten peas, radishes and okra so far. Lots of tomatoes on and the zucchini is starting. They are about 3 inches long and I am watching them carefully so they don’t get too big!!
Happy belated birthday,Jeanne. 🌻
Jeanne my friend’s hair came in thicker and curly and it had been poker straight before the chemo. Peach fuzz to curls. YES We are rooting for you
Hazel looks like she is posing or plotting but still darling
The corn looks way past knee high.
May everyone have a safe and happy 4th. I am fortunate as I have a clear view of the local fireworks from my balcony.
Once again lots of great pictures to look at. Jane a wonderful day everyone. We are having rain here after quite a number of days without any rain and high temps so it is a welcomed relief. The plants need it for sure.
Loved the blog and comments today. Not being a farm girl I’m wondering why you are draining the pond. Is it a maintenance thing or are you getting rid of it? Just wondering.
Ginger – to keep the water in the pond when we dug it, we put a heavy plastic liner in the bottom so the water wouldn’t seep out. The liner has become lifted and the geese can’t even swim in the pond because the liner is floating on the surface. I’m hoping we could remove the liner and still keep the pond – the dirt is a lot of clay which will keep the water in. If that doesn’t work we’ll fill the pond in. I have to run water into the pond by hose nearly every day.
I didn’t. Think about liners for the pond. Of course that makes sense. I guess Ithought they were just natural features possibly spring fed and probably some are. We have them here as well but obviously I just took them for granted . I hope it can be fixed as the geese will miss it.
Lovely quilts today ladies! And Hazel – she is so expressive! Too funny!
Jeanne of CO, happy belated birthday! I hope the rest of your 94th year is healthy!
Mary, all the pictures are so awesome. What does Hazel want? She is giving you the look!
My days and nights are good. Just had a nice nap and so we will have lunch soon.
It sprinkled her a little, but concerned about the Sunday and Monday forecasts with high 90s and wind!
I would not like bears in my back yard! Jay brings in our feeders every evening because of the coons! But the coons wouldn’t attack me!
Sandy in NZ stay warm! Brr.
Have a great day everyone!
I was absolutely stunned when I came to the patriotic sampler quilt!! It’s so beautiful and perfect. I studied it for a long time before I could move on to all the other great quilts this am. And, Connie’s quilt is sure a dazzler. I think I will dig out my copy of Beyond The Battlefield and put that on my To Make list.
We woke up to a wet word today and it looks as though we will get more wet stuff. Hope so. We were so dry here so early. Maybe the 4th of July campers will have a dry vacation this year. It usually likes to wait until they come and fill the beach parks and then rain.
Earlier I tried to post. I got this message I was posting too fast. Not kidding. I see it didn’t post so here it is.
Love the look Hazell is giving you in her photo. And all the photos were great.
Oh that look from Hazel!
Enjoyed the photos today!
Lovely blog post to read this morning snuggled up with my little dog – mixed breed rat terrier and chihuahua- named Pepe who is a rescue transported with 30 others who were dropped off in Miami many years ago. We’ve had him for 10 years. He’s our love bug and yesterday had a three hour procedure to extract all his teeth which many were decayed. He had an overbite too. So will be diligent about his meds and keep him comfortable as I have hand embroidery I can work on and read too. I’m glad the procedure was this week and not into next week with 90’s for temperatures.
Well wishes for Joy, Diane’s husband in Ohio and Jeanne as they recover from surgery too. Stay strong.
I was disgusted with the player who decided to crush Caitlin’s neck. I guess it is how some people in our country have become. The punishment might deter others from doing something similar. On a better note, I love all patriotic and red/white/blue quilts. These are fun. I have been off commenting for a while b/c of my husband’s surgeries and I am cleaning out my sewing room for the Guild yard sale tomorrow–set up today. I still have more to do, but it is a start:) We saw higher than knee high corn here yesterday. Wow. It will be taller than I am soon. My husband does not have to have the left hand Carpal Tunnel for a while. Whew.
Better go set up for the yard sale. As always, Mary, thanks for the BLOG:)
Diane, I agree with you that was a terrible shot #25 did to Caitlin. She should be kicked out of the sport. Pressing on someone’s carotid can absolutely kill them.
Barbara – I read it takes only 12 seconds to crush a trachea
Mary, Putting any type of pressure on a major blood vessel, especially in the neck, can quickly cause a blood clot, stroke, and/or sudden death. I saw it so many times in the Emergency Room happen. We lost a number of those patients we tried to save but it was just too late. I nearly threw up when I saw what happened to Catlin. I hope she was seen immediately by a MD because a clot can take a few days or even longer to develop, break loose, obstruct and kill. This is really serious. The NBA should suspend that whole team, coach, and whoever didn’t react immediately.
Barbara – my thoughts exactly. I read it takes only 12 seconds to crush a trachea. I can only hope she’s not hurt and out for the season.
I love all the pictures today, but I especially like the first quilt with the squares. I like any quilt made from scrappy squares. I will have to remember that one.
Happy belated birthday to Jeanne in CO. God certainly has been good to you.
Have a great day today, everyone. We Iowans are not looking forward to over 90* in the coming week. At least most of us are not excited about it!
Looking forward to the Birthday post. I have been waiting to dive into my BIG box of birthday cards I bought.
Great quilts as always. Especially cute picture of Hazel too. You’re going to have to establish a video cam for your chickens so those of us without any can watch chickens as well! Ha! Connie’s version of Hidden in Plain Site is wonderful, all those deep saturated colors. I’ll have to dig out my copy of the book and get sewing. I see the WNBA was finally shamed into doing something about the fist on Caitlin’s neck after a video of it was all over the national news. Maybe one might understand the jealousy of those longer time players but they just got a new contract worth millions to them largely due to the presence of Caitlin Clark. How sickening. The league better do something more drastic before she really gets hurt. Your mowing looks so neat. Surely the July weather will slow the growth some.
Karen C.
MD
Karen – the black lesbian WNBA players just hate Clark because she’s straight and white yet if they’d just stop and remember how much she’s has changed their lives with pay especially they surely would try to protect her rather than attack her. I wonder how Caitlyn is today –
Actually, #25 should be charged with Attempted Murder. Pressing on someone’s carotid is no joke and it was very deliberate. These acts of violence absolutely need to stop. This is a sport !!!!! If black lesbian players can’t control their jealousy and hatred, get rid of them !!!!
Barbara – yes,
I agree, Barbara! This kind of violence doesn’t belong in any sport. Throwing her out of one game is barely a slap on the wrist!
Great blog today! Can’t wait for Elliott to get here to show him Hazel’s new portrait!
Love all the quilts, but saving the 9 patch and Connie’s quilt for future projects!
Today the grands and I are going to Union Park for a picnic, carousel rides and visit the rocket slide! They also have a splash pad, so I can see several hours of fun. Better to do it today than next week when it’s supposed to be in the upper 90’s. Yikes!
All the quilts are so beautiful. That patriotic sampler quilt is just amazing. I wonder how long it took to make.
My hummingbird feeder was taken down this morning and than, my husband spotted a mother bear with 3 cubs walking in the woods right behind our home. Guess I’ll be taking the feeders inside tonight.
My washer is on the fritz so, repair man said he may be able to come today to look at it. Hopefully an easy fix as I don’t want to have to buy a new one. Appliances sure don’t last long anymore.
The vegetable garden is at a standstill right now. First, it was too dry and then, a couple weeks of cold weather. Prediction is for near 90 degrees next week so, maybe that will help with the garden but not our comfort level.
Love all these pretty quilts!
The quilts are amazing, that iris is beautiful, and Hazel is adorable!
Thanks for the blog Mary 🥰
The patriotic quilts have all been wonderful, but the patriotic sampler quilt is a work of art. Kudos to whoever is the designer and maker, it is a keepsake quilt honoring our country’s 250th year.
I haven’t written recently as I’ve been going through the six sessions of chemo infusions and fighting the lymphoma that was diagnosed after my colon surgery and removal of the grapefruit sized tumor last Nov. I lost most of my hair in Jan. and the little that is left is beginning to grow, but I haven’t seen any new hair except a bit of peach fuzz. I’m patiently (?) waiting for new hair to come in, hopefully with curls. Ha. Good news is that my tests 6 weeks following the chemo treatments show that my cancer is in remission for now. My goal was to make it to my 94th birthday, which I celebrated last week on the 17th. God has blessed me and I have been able to continue quilting on afternoons when hand and arm cramping don’t prevent it. When cramping prevents me from sewing, I always have a book ready to read.
After all the health problems of last year, I am praying the remaining months of 2026 will be healthy ones.
Mary, your blog has been a welcome diversion from the chemo and side effects. Thank you and everyone who has sent pictures and comments each day. Also, I have an awesome quilting friend from Iowa who has sent me a text each morning with words of encouragement and usually a Scriptural message. She will never know how much those texts have meant to me.
Jeanne in Co.
Jeanne, You have a winning attitude if anyone has. God bless you. I’ll say a prayer for you as you keep moving forward.
Jeanne – a friend of mine had a brain tumor and went through chemo and radiation. When her hair came back in, it was white and curly! So maybe for you too?
Prayers for comfort as you continue your journey.
Jeanne – wow, you’ve been thru the ringer! I talk to so many people that when I don’t hear from them for awhile, I sorta forget – sadly – that I should be asking about their welfare. You might get curly hair! I hope the treatments keep your cancer in remission – thank you soooo much for writing to update us all!
Jeanne, Mary asked that I comment on my semiquincentennial sampler quilt. It was a kit called Temecula Album from Temecula Quilt Company in California (online store only now). I purchased the kit when it came out in 2019, made a few blocks and then set it aside. I decided to change the center block into the eagle and finish it in time for our 250th celebration. I love the way it turned out!
Happy belated birthday! Good to hear about your remission and hope your hair grows back thick and curly!
Tina – thanks for that info! Such a great quilt! And talk about thinking ahead! It would never have occurred to me
Such lovely quilts ladies, take a bow!
Great, great pictures today. We finally got rain.
Oh such beautiful quilts, that gorgeous iris, funny cartoon and the sweet Hazel!! You made my night enjoyable.
Great patriotic quilts! Grass is like kids…they just keep on growing. Cute cartoon. It reminded me of my girls curling my husband’s hair.
Martha – I believe you asked me about Over the River – thank you but I have several of them . I appreciate the thought!
Stunning quilts, sweet pets, gorgeous blue iris, jokes… what’s not to like! Thank you for the beautiful post, Mary. I hope the goats are treating you nicely now!
Hi Mary, freezing cold and rain direct from the south pole today!Heater on,started quilting a new quilt today, so snug as a bug in a rug! Pumpkin soup for dinner tonight with garlic bread.We could do with some sunshine in New Zealand, but it is winter. Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Great quilts!
I am headed out tomorrow to pick up the tire and wheel I had to order for my mower – I somehow put a gash in the sidewall. I hope I can get the new one on the mower in time to mow tomorrow afternoon because my grass is growing fast and it’s only been a week since I mowed!!! I’ll have to mow it high and then mow again right away – good thing I don’t mind mowing. Such is life…
I think I will take a little time while I’m in town and see if I can find some new pants – had to go to a couple of functions recently and realized I need a few new clothing items. I think cleaning out my closet should be the next rainy day activity… although sewing sounds like more fun… 🙂
Beautiful quilts. I am loving all the patriotic quilts everyone has been showing.