Moe went home this afternoon – she is the sweetest dog I’ve ever known. She was so happy to see Mom and Dad after 10 days – they went to the Virgin Islands – poor things.
I think Hank may have felt competition when Moe was here – he never really laid down to take a nap and if I was petting anyone, Hank pushed his way to be closest to me.
This was a first – I got a message on Messenger which I just happened to see – I actually hate Messenger. A gal named Rita from a town about 30 minutes away had an old chair that she wondered if I’d like for the barn. I have the BEST readers!!! Of course I said YES! Who else wants living room chairs for their barn but me? Now I can move the office chair out – it wasn’t the best but it filled the bill.
Of course I imagined Barney would love it but here’s Barney earlier today-
Tim showed up again – his head and ear are healing. Sigh. If I could get him to a vet he wouldn’t be fighting with other tomcats.
The weather forecast for Sunday is not sounding good but may I remind you how often the weathermen miss it? They just love the buildup – they finally have something to talk about. They MIGHT be right but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t want to miss church Sunday morning but Margaret lives in town and could probably get there. We NEVER cancel church! My problem would be getting my gate open and then the highway would be snow covered.
I’m not yet over Iowa State’s loss this evening. Arizona hit a buzzer beater to win. Dang.
Well, it’s still early – only 9:30. I’ve still got some sewing time.
Reader photos
Just a few miscellaneous photos around the house.
Thanks for taking the time to write. I enjoy hearing from you and the animals.
Love all the doggo and kitty pictures in today’s post!!! AND all the pictures “around the house.” Your house always looks so cozy and comfortable, Mary. The weather has been on the wild side here in West Michigan, but I do feel like our meteorologists are mostly on the money. We had a wild windstorm a couple days ago – lost the top of a California Spruce in the middle of the night. Could have been worse, so I won’t complain. And I’m grateful we had the two dying oak trees removed or we could have had bigger issues. Still, it’s nothing like all the souls who have to put their lives back together after the recent tornadoes everywhere.
Stay cozy! Hope you can get to church Sunday. – Suzanne
I always love seeing the collections you have around your home–always beautifully displayed and so fun to look at!
I love Becky’s star quilt–gives me an idea. . .
We have had wicked wind the past few days and yesterday had thick smoke in the air from a 435,000 acre fire in Nebraska that had blown in overnight. It is so dry here that we are in Red Flag Warnings almost daily. Fort Collins had a fire on Thursday. Loveland had a fire on Thursday. It’s just very scary, especially with the big winds. One person already died on the Nebraska fire and it’s 0% contained. More wind expected tomorrow.
That Barney! He’s everywhere! I love it!
The little blue cat needs a cactus, a little barrel cactus. I hope Mortie sticks to climbing that little tree and stays away from the tall one! I’m wondering whether Hank has stopped chewing things now that Moe has gone home?
I, too, love the star quilt. I like the way the star floats with its points safely away from the edge of the block. And the points are made with overlapping triangles, so the inner corners are also away from the seam.
For anyone interested, I found two YouTube videos showing how to make it. One is by Lori Holt, who calls it a “Criss-Cross Star”. Another is by Jessica Dayon, who calls it a “No Point Star”. (You can tell I like to look things up!)
I hope the weather cooperates on Sunday, Mary. Spring is starting up around here, with a few blossoms on my forsythia.
Love your rabbit display. And that reminds me that I need to put out my Easter things. I also love the nine patch Star quilt! Nice use of fabric & a great way to use up scraps. I think the hardest thing about being away from home on vacation or a retreat is missing Boots. Being gone to FL for a month & not having him with me was hard. Even though I was sent pictures & video’s, it’s not the same. Now he’s more attached to me than ever, he’s my shadow. Mary, how is your shoulder doing? Better I’m hoping. After my kids started school I started a cleaning business & cleaned homes for many years. That’s how I paid for 90% of the furniture in our home & vacations. Most of my clients didn’t have pets. But I still remember one family with a Great Dane named Trouble. Perfect name for him, such a sweet boy! I sure hope the weather forecast is wrong. I’m about done with winter, but know to always expect false Spring! I do love hearing the chatter of birds & finally being able to take walks with Boots. He really does enjoy all the smells & running off some of that energy. Stay safe everyone.
Great photos today! I love the star quilt also, especially that the star points don’t go all the way to the edge and therefore cannot get cut off. Love the colors too. The heart quilt is very pretty and a great use of an assortment of fabrics. I love simple quilts even more than the more complicated ones. They are so cozy and homey looking.
I am preparing for hip replacement surgery in two weeks, getting all my medical clearances and walking aids in place as well as doing pre-surgery physical therapy. I am actually looking forward to it since I have been in a lot of pain and walking and sleeping is difficult.
Sue – please let us know how your surgery goes – the hip pain wears on you, doesn’t it? Just like bad knees.
So much to look at your house. I would love it! I saw a shell tucked in with the horse, goat and dog.
Yes, expecting a storm tomorrow! No stress here as I have no place I have to be other than home. I am hoping for lots of sew time until the end of the month.
Becky in WA had the best assortment of scraps that were perfect for this sawtooth and nine patch quilt. I see many of us share appreciation for such eye-catching work. Is it machine quilted?
Thank you! I quilted it on my long arm with a simple meander.
When my husband and I ran our Bed n Breakfast in Upstate NY, I had a side gig running my own cleaning company. I was it! And my fondest memories were the houses with pups and kitties! My clients were amazed that I wasn’t fearful of the largest ones. And, I wasnt put off by fur cleanup lo! PS….pups and kitties are alot neater than kiddos!
Susan – got any Bed and Breakfast stories? I’ll bet you do – tell us. Angela is very good at not complaining about the pets. That’s worth a lot to me.
I love the quilts. Especially the star one. Such an interesting design and color combination. I too, would like more details about the rabbits in the cabinet. I’ve never seen those before.
We’re predicted to get 24+ inches of snow starting tonight. That’s on top of the 12”+ we got yesterday. I too, hope the weather prediction is totally wrong. I’m ready to put out the white surrender flag on this winter.
Connie – the rabbits are German made paper mache candy containers. I bought them years ago at an estate sale. They are in pretty nice condition showing normal wear and tear. I’ll take them down and picture them again close up.
I have a cat planter just like the one by the canning jar. Here is a possible idea, add a cattail, after breaking off most of the stalk, to the rear planting area.
I look forward to your blog every day.
Could the reader that sent the star quilt picture please comment with the name of the pattern. Love it!
Pam D – I can’t remember the reader’s name but I’m going to take the mystery out of this. It’s a simple star block with 9 patch blocks between. Nothing complicated – I think she said she didn’t plan the colors – just used her scraps.
Thanks so much, Mary. Just trying to figure out the different size start blocks that they all fit together. Love your blog!!!
Thank you! As Mary said, no pattern. I wanted some easy piecing with no points to match so I made the background pieces larger so the star points don’t meet up. Hope that makes sense. It was a little static looking so I threw in some 9 patches. The blocks finish at 7”.
Great pictures! So helpful to get new ideas to mix up my own treasure displays. I have a question about the bunny gang in the box shelf next to the big bird picture. Are they paper mache candy holders? I noticed the “line” around their necks. I have a similar bunny, but he’s next to an open basket where you could put candy etc. Stay safe in our next storm everyone!
Beautiful quilts Becky and Tina. Love the rabbits Mary. Must be Easter soon. Cheers
Great photos. I’m picturing that little blue (ceramic) cat made into a pin cushion.
I guess Hank is jealous and needs your attention. I’m so glad Mortie and Barney are fast friends, they both sound so sweet!
I am at a quilt retreat in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a good 5+ hours from home. I am homesick for my Darrell and my Penny and Lucy. Hard to sleep in a strange bed and I miss them. Going home tomorrow, a day early. 😻
Pamela – I don’t blame you! I’d be homesick, too, and know better than to travel to a retreat! And over 5 hours away???!? No way. Safe travels!!! Let us know you got home
That star quilt is terrific…saved the photo.
Love all the photos – specially the fur babies – and, of course the beautiful quilts!