Let’s start with the projects:
Yesterday Hazel got rats #51 and 52! This morning I got 4 guineas who are known to kill rats. Just one more possible solution to my problem.
This is my pretty barn.
This is the southwest corner where the wind has blown off the fascia board. The construction company was here early this morning to take pictures of what they’ll need to fix it. Always something.
Tim’s corn is up!
Around the barn this morning-
Here’s another project – the pond needs to be dug out again – ugh.
Has anyone seen this aerial farm picture? I know I’ve seen this before and really studied it but I don’t know where. When I saw it at the thrift store for $5.00 I had to buy it. Any info is appreciated.
Here are two more $5.00 patterns – several patriotic holidays coming up.
Star pincushion
Flag tablerunner
Send cash or check to Country Threads, 2345 Palm Ave. Garner, IA 50438. Each pattern is $5.00 and I would so appreciate a SASE or at the very least an address label so I don’t have to write out the envelope. These are simple one sheet patterns with no color photo – you should save the color photos posted here. Please make note of these patterns now – save them or put them in a folder – whatever – because I won’t necessarily post them again and they are not in the online store.
I’m off to the cemetery with flowers to put on Mom and Dad’s graves. I’ll bet you’re doing the same.
Nothing is more beautiful than corn poking out of the ground. In all those perfect rows. Beans sprouting, my second fav.
My neighbors have guinneas- they’re hillarious to watch. Were thinking it’s their eggs we found in our mulched garden one year. Hope they do the trick for you.
Could someone share the pattern source for the scrappy diamond quilt? Love it!
Missouri Star BLOCK magazine, Vol. 5, issue 5
Where do you see a scrappy diamond quilt? There’s isn’t a diamond quilt that I see in this post.
I’m probably all wet in what I’m calling it. Reminds me of a diamond in a diamond….. 3rd quilt down, has what looks like a thin brown border, then a golden outside border.
I see the diamonds too, big ones, like you say a diamond in a diamond. It is a Missouri Star quilt pattern called Summer Camp. Thanks to Linda above for giving the volume and issue of their Block magazine where it is found. You can go to their website and order a digital download of the pattern or can also get it by mail. Hope this helps. Pat from Iowa City
Ahhh, Memorial Day weekend. The start of summer. Time to reflect. I always love the flags at military cemeteries. I have not yet gotten out my Uncle Sam and Small Flag Houses quilts—time to do that this afternoon!!
Good luck with the guineas. I haven’t seen that particular farm picture before, but we have a similar one taken of my grandparents farm southwest of Iowa City. I believe someone had a business of taking those overhead shots of the farms, (this would have been many, many years ago) for people.
Karen
Saw a scary statistic on a PBS special- 2 rats can multiply into 1500 in a year if not stopped. Hope your guinea hens are fast workers! Have a safe Memorial Day.
Love the aerial photo. Somewhere we have a photo like that of our old house. How I miss it.
Don’t know about guineas and rats but my mom always said they were the best watchdogs you could have. They are loud and proud.
Yes, we will be decorating family graves tomorrow. We have lots of beautiful rhododendrons and azaleas blooming in the yard, but the forecast is for rain all weekend. At least the bouquets will last longer. We finally had a dry spell this week and I was able to plant tomatoes.
The projects are wonderful. I love the blue and yellow star. Is it for Ukraine?
Those guineas are such interesting-looking birds. I sure hope they do their job. Never heard before that they are rat killers. Will you allow them to roam the barn with the chickens?
Wishing you a lovely Memorial Weekend.
The guinea fowl will be your loudest protectors. Nothing moves on the farm that they don’t squawk loudly! I am decorating my dad’s grave with violets. He is buried in a pioneer cemetery and there is very little grass, so violets and corsican mint will cover his spot. We have strategically placed 4 owl houses to help with gophers and rats as they work thru the night. In the 20 years we’ve had them, I’ve only found 1 rat (in the last 5 years). Our first aerial photo was black and white, painted over with oils. The artist painted our bull green!
Farmgirl- a green bull! Hilarious!!
Oh, my. If PBS was right, you could have a million rats????? I hope not. And guineas. My Gramma in Clarion was always raising something she could eat. One year it was guineas. They were comical and always let you know if something was going on. I don’t remember anything about rats, but Gramma had mice in her basement. She got a cat, who promptly pooped on the floor, she threw him out and he was never seen again. You could do a lot of things, but don’t poop on her floor! I don’t remember her ever having a house pet. My memories of Gramma are golden.
We’re supposed to have rain today thru the weekend and we really need it. Even the trees are slow in leafing out. We will all probably be out standing in the rain. We can hope.
And Mary, I love the new rooster in your kitchen. He is one fine fellow! I can just hear him crow.
Have a nice weekend, no matter the weather. Take care. Betty in Rapid City
Hi Mary, guinea fowl! I was imagining guinea pigs!LOL! The goat looks very happy with his harem of chickens, love all the quilts. Have a great weekend everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Great post today…thanks Mary, and all those projects.
Sounds like Guinea’s are very entertaining.
Have a great holiday everyone
Good job with the rats, things like that are so awful. Love the picture, I have the original they had taken in 1976 after they moved here, and a beautiful one taken 4 years ago. Husband wanted it. When the man came they had taken pictures of the house across the street from us, just had 2 of our hundred acres. But one was just right. It came on Tuesday, my husband died on Saturday morning. So it was the cover photo for his folders and the thank you notes. It was the first thing I put a nail in the wall for to hang the picture. Husband didn’t want to put holes in the walls, so he was gone, and I went for it! Have a wonderful weekend, my family is rolling in here in a couple hour.
Dee – our home farm picture went to the care center with my mom and my brother got to have it – darn.
Mary, perhaps you could get a copy off your farm picture, there is usually the name of the company who took the aerial photo, you could contact them about the homeless farm picture and ask your brother if the company is still in business that took your family farm picture as well! I am interested in the second photo of the yellow and blue star, would love to make this as well, I have the One hundred thanks pattern already! Love the pinks!
Look on vintageaerial.com for your aerial farm picture in Iowa. Its easy to search by county.
Anne – I did go to vintage aerials but found nothing – I may take it out of the frame and see if anything is written on the back.
Wonderful to see some quilting going on with your readers. I have been outdoors constantly, weeding, planting , decorating front porch in red white and blue, hanging out clothes and rugs and then I sit down and relax on the back patio so have not sewed all week. Just made myself a chocolate milkshake. Warm weekend ahead but we got some much needed rain last night and this morning finally. They are predicting 89 here on Memorial Day- yikes! Way too hot for May. We will attend our local parade the American Legion sponsors and then go to the cemetery to tend to the graves. Flags are on the stones at our village cemetery I noticed.
Is your barn metal sided? Ours has a metal roof. Now we have decided to invest in a metal roof on our house. That work should start soon.
Kathy – yes, the barn has steel siding and roof – after having it painted several times, I said enough of that!!
My mom was always the grave decorator. Now with her mobility issues she can’t. I feel like I should do it, but it would take me a while to find all the graves she tended. I can never remember where in the cemetery they are. Does that make me a bad daughter? I told my family they had better just cremate me when my time comes. Then just sneak me in amongst the family in the cemetery. That’s probably morbid, but I think the funeral industry has gotten a bit out of hand. I am thinking of my family who has served this country, starting with the Revolutionary War. My husband served, my eldest son served in the 2nd Gulf War, and now I have a grandson who is a new Marine in these scary days. We must remain grateful. Blessings.
My parents had a similar ariel picture that was taken of their farm back in the 60s. We lived in a very small town but, someone went around at that time taking pictures and selling them. Love it as it sure gives a different perspective of the farm.
The house in your farm picture is so distinctive I would think if the farm owner saw your picture they would recognize it immediately.
You are too funny to buy a farm picture that is not your farm. My family has a colored pic of the family farm and black and white postcards.
On another note – two nieces have started a web blog and whoever would have imagined that years ago????
Great pictures, Mary! Thanks and have nice weekend.
Received patterns today. Thanks for your persistence With Xerox. It would be great if you could find the rats nest & stop them in their tracks. Hopefully they take the poison back to the nests. Neighbors poison rats & the rats die in my yard which in turn attracts snakes including rattlers. Use a rake with long handle in areas with heavy foliage! Love the quilt show. Enjoy the long weekend
I am also interested in the patten for the scrappy diamond quilt. Think Judy also mentioned it. Hope somebody will share the pattern or source for it. We drove to southwest Iowa today to the cemeteries, such a beautiful drive and perfect day for a road trip. Pat from Iowa City
Pat Williams – what scrappy diamond quilt are you referring to?
3rd quilt down, scrappy with goldish border. Looks like small diamond in a big diamond but the block is half square triangles and strips. It is Missouri Star quilt pattern, Summer Camp. I posted details above in response to Judy A’s question. Kind of depends on how you look at it as to what you see. Pat in Iowa City
Pat Williams – thank you!
Mary, am I allowed to blame you for my bad addiction to Yellowstone? Good grief … 😉
Quilting Sister – haha! How did you know what I’ve been doing all afternoon!!!
Because I was doing the same dang thing all afternoon here in NC, ha!! 🙂 It was a beautiful day, and all I got done was going outside to water my plants.
I’d never heard of Yellowstone until I started reading about it on your blog. It’s so stinkin addictive!!! Good riddance to those awful Beck Bros.
And I read somewhere this week that Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren will be playing his parents in the next prequel, that’s very interesting …
Quilting Sister – I also read that – it will be so good!!!!
So much going on at the farm! I’ve read that you should keep guinea hens in their coop area for at least a week, maybe two before letting them out in the yard. Otherwise they tend to just wander away, never to return! There’s a really good book, “Gardening with Guineas” by Jeannette S. Ferguson that I think you would really enjoy. They are fascinating birds. Love the comments about Yellowstone, lol. Would love to watch it but I’m not sure what channel it’s on? Or is it Netflix? Beautiful weather here this weekend although Monday is supposed to be in the 90’s…way too hot for me! Hoping our East wind keeps us a little cooler than that. Carla cracked me up with her comments about decorating the family gravestones! I laughed out loud… hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day tomorrow! Jan in MA
Jan Hebert – you’re right about the guineas! I will keep them locked up for at least two weeks so they know where home is. When I let them out they will know which door to come thru at night. They’re already laying eggs like crazy!
Jan – Yellowstone is on Paramount which is included on our cable subscription.