Bird watching report – I bought some grape jelly and put it out again and I’ve had many, many Orioles – have they been here all summer just waiting for me to feed them? I feel bad – I thought they had moved on!
When I’m still sitting on the porch at 8 pm, the cardinals show up at the feeder – with the juveniles along, too. I can recognize their “chirp” and I know they’re coming. It’s such deep dusk, I can’t see them very good but they’re there.
The second batch of barn swallows just hatched in the garage – man, that was fast! They make a mess on the floor but now I have a newspaper under their nest. Much easier to clean up!
I’ve got another great bunch of Dirty Dozen quilts to post!
Plus, Tad, the dragon – with the granddaughters. I did not realize he was soooo big!
I actually need to stop playing with fabric and clean tomorrow. I finished this book again – I loved it so much a couple years ago that I reread it. “Finding Gobi” – a marathon runner was competing in the Gobi dessert when this little brown dog showed up and ran with him. Thus the name Gobi.
A small box came in the mail today from Pam in Nebraska. Inside was an antique pincushion, maybe a dog? Very well used and a beautiful antique gold thimble with the initials ME engraved. I love both the dog and the thimble – THANK YOU, PAM! I have the nicest readers! I am blown away by the gift!
I think this is the first grouping of fabrics I’m going to work with and of course the minute I cut into new fabric, I will create more scraps so another scrap quilt is in my future!
I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning!
What another wonderful post, I just love reading them. For icing on the cake…all the pictures. Great quilt show today, thanks to all the readers and do’ers.
Hi Mary,
I’m in west central Illinois and we’ve had a huge jump in the number of orioles at our jelly this week. One day I had to fill mine twice! There seem to be a good number of juveniles, but certainly plenty of those magnificent males! We have lots more hummingbirds, too! Love those little guys!
Susan MM
What do you put the jelly in and where do you put it to attract the Orioles? I’d love to try that in Vermont. Maybe we have them and I just don’t know.
Patty: I just put my grape jelly in a jar lid or any kind of small container. I have a bird feeder on a post, high off the ground (built by my husband) so the squirrels can’t get into it. Maybe there will be other suggestions from the blog readers?
Thanks, Lois Ann!
Orioles will eat fruit and jelly in the spring and then they switch to insects when their babies hatch. They eat insects until the end of summer when they will take the jelly and berries again to build energy to migrate. They will just ignore fruity snacks during the summer so don’t think you neglected them.
What a wonderful post! Beautiful projects…..I love the photo of the Dragon in his new home 🙂
enjoy your weekend,
sandy
Orioles have been eating a jar a jelly a week all summer. I have an oriole feeder with two small dishes for jelly. Also use a tuna can. Just put a tablespoon of jelly at a time. Great show of finishes again.
Mary I can’t wait to see what you will make with your fabric. Enjoy the weekend—the temp and humidity have dropped in SE MN.
Not sure what you mean by sleeping in? For me that would be 10 A.M. but that can not happen because the girls need to go OUT at 6 A.M. LOL..
I so enjoy the projects pictures. I still have not found my mojo. I’m sure it is weather related because when I got up this morning the air is so much cooler. I feel so much better. I am going out to water my flowers. I planted zinnia seed in very large pots and they look wonderful.
I’m so glad that we got to see Tad the Dragon with the kids, wow! he is big and adorable. Wonderful posts with all those finishes, so inspiring to get some of mine off to the long armer. I look forward to seeing what you make with those luscious fabrics. Rain is in our forecast for the weekend so staying inside and sewing is on the agenda and making chili
Tad is huge. We are getting rain this morning.
Much needed.
We tried oranges for the orioles with no luck. I will have to try grape jelly instead!
Love the picture of Tad n his playmates! Great #3 finishes. Our neighbors left for their Houston home yesterday and then when I was trying to cut Sheryl Johnson’s Bygone Browns for the Lottie doll bed quilt from her small pattern booklet two Elk bow hunters stopped in from Minnesota. That season starts this morning.
My area is under red flag fire warnings this morning. Was 40o earlier! Sun will warm up to 70o tho!
Sending prayers for all affected by fires, C19 and hurricane Laura.
Love the fabrics you chose for your next sewing project. Can’t wait to see it. Two hot days coming up!!
hi mary…
thank you for all of your wonderful postings….an absolute joy….
i must say i was SO TAKEN with the beautiful and i do mean beautiful gift you were sent of the antique/vintage dog…..fair warning i may be coming from NC to kidnap him. it is beyond words. can you just imagine the life that pincushion has lived. thank you for posting it…maybe just maybe i will find something so loved at an estate sale or good will. THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
have a wonderful weekend and thank you again
janet
Janet – give me your full name and mailing address so I can put your name on the dog! You never know when he might move to NC after I’ve enjoyed him a bit!
Great pictures of some cute things your readers have finished. It is such a joy in our days to see all these wonderful pictures and posts you put together for us. It’s hard looking at images of LOuisanna (as has been CA wildfires) and all the damages to homes, businesses, and the hard work ahead rebuilding. No way will I complain going out to weed this afternoon…I still have my home, pets and sewing room intact.
Kathy in NY – ditto! I am thankful, too!
Barb P., I love your Bonnie Hunter Leader – Ender Shoo Fly quilt! I have my 144 blocks done – all done as leaders and enders, but I need to cut out for the setting. I am going to steal your idea of the piano keys border. Thanks for posting your finished quilt. I just got Bonnie Hunter’s Checker Board leader and ender quilt (from I think 2017) back from my longarm quilter and got the binding sewn to it this past week after I got my Dirty Dozen project finished. I hand sew the binding down. I have been enjoying the blog so much. You got me following Jo’s Country Junction, too. Tough year personally. I lost my Mom in January and found out I have cancer in February. I find out this week if I am cancer free after radiation therapy treatments. Then yesterday my best friend and her husband were admitted to the hospital with the virus. Did good keeping up with the Dirty Dozen last year until my Mom’s health started failing in November. Nothing more got done. I am ready to start over with another year. Thanks, Mary, for all you do for us. Stay safe everybody!
Prayers for an excellent report Marsha from the doctor. You hang in there.
So very sorry for your best friend now dealing with this virus. My 25 yr old niece had it and recovered but not without some tough days of breathing difficulties so I can only imagine how hard it is for us older folks trying to keep our airwaves moving. I will be thinking of you.
Thank you. My friend and her husband are both doing much better with fluids, antibiotics, and oxygen from her report this morning.
Marsha from KS – what a tough year you’ve had! Wish I loved closer so I could lend you a hand! Please keep us all updated as we will remember you in prayer!
What fabulous quilts! And of course, Tad, the dragon. What is the little pin cushion stuffed with? Almost looks like thread or grass? And are there nails in it? Then there the good things and the bad things, too. At least they have somewhere to voice their good and bad things.
Just got my hard drive back from the doctor. It had malware?? I don’t have much on the computer, nothing that I need to back up, but I sure miss it when it is gone.
We’ve had a couple days of cooler weather, but to turn hot tomorrow. Fall isn’t far away. We have beautiful fall weather. And Custer got down to 31 degrees on Sunday night….. Betty
I too LOVE the dog pincushion, what a treasure! if you ever want to let it go let me know!
Love all the treads on it and old pins.
So enjoy your blog of Iowa country life.