There wasn’t much labor happening on my Labor Day. I read, entertained the dogs along with all my every day chores. I took Hazel and Keeper to the hay field and took these pictures of the spectacular blue sky and white fluffy clouds.
And I started cleaning and de-bugging my houseplants to move them back inside. I use Dawn and water in a one gallon sprayer. I clean the leaves top and bottom, the dirt, the pot and the bottom side of the pot where bugs can easily get in. Sometimes they get a rinse but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. My front room will be very full as I’ve acquired quite a few new plants this summer – about 6-8 new varieties of philodendron alone. You know how I like Walmart plants when they’re new. And you also know I can’t throw a cutting away – I propagate them all.🫤
Tonight I worked on more “plus” blocks.
Tomorrow it’s back to mowing, trimming and weeding.
Born and raised on west central Iowa family farm, I have lived from D.C. to California and now live in Tennessee. There are three things I miss most about Iowa and I have found nowhere else: sweet corn, vine-ripe tomatoes, and those incredible expanses of blue skies with the brilliant white clouds. Love, love, love your sky pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Marlene – I’ll remember that and take pictures again when they’re especially pretty – I watch the clouds a lot! It hasn’t been a good tomato year at all – we can’t understand it – the Big Boys aren’t big and they won’t ripen so we are very disappointed
Mary your picture of the barn, field and blue sky is so beautiful. What a lovely view from the hay field. 10 days till move in. I’m so excited. We can’t wait. Best of luck with your surgery. Hope it all goes smoothly. I’ll be thinking about you.
That’s just what our sky looked like yesterday, bright blue with big fluffy clouds. I’m also getting ready to bring my house plants in too. Normally wait till mid October, but fall is coming early, most perennials bloomed early. I put my plants in a tub and wash plant and pot in water and lemon joy and run the soapy water thru the dirt. Been repotting first. I also like Walmart for houseplants, reasonable price. I also can’t kill plants, have starts along the window sill.
Love the plus quilt, have most of your patterns and just bought your book “Beyond the Battlefield”.
Love your blog
Toni – I agree that it seems too early to bring them in but I don’t want to get caught with an early freeze – and my succulents are not fond of temps in the 40s and 50s
Mary,
I has hopingthe succulents would do better than the houseplants, guess I better get a move on!
Such a glorious sky! Beautiful photos!
I love the barn and sky picture. It is serene and reminds me of my time on the farm. It looks “serene”, but anyone who has lived on a farm knows there is so much activity. Yet serenity, whether on a porch, riding a mower, or playing with pets, is there as exclamation points to all the activity. Thank you for sharing.
Doing yard work here, with beautiful fall like weather and the temperatures are to become even more fall-like starting tomorrow. I look forward to that. Take care.
I honestly don’t know what I would do without your blog Mary! I’m a midwestern girl at heart and love the outdoor pictures of your life. Love you pups as well. We’re on our 3rd cattle dog (half border collie). Talk about attitude and spunk! Max barks at anything that goes down the street, thinks he owns us and at night he settles down to snuggle on the sofa. They MUST have a job or else!!!
Mary, could you kindly tell me the measurements of your “plus block” or if you have a pattern I could purchase. When is your surgery date, if you have one scheduled. I know your last surgery was one from hell and I’m praying all will be easier this time. Also, what is your ratio on water to Dawn. My husband brought home new plants from Home Depot I think and now I have knats? flying around!!! I just want to sew and not chase bugs! How I wish I’d had the chance to visit your quilt shop, I just know it would have been my favorite stop going home to Wisconsin…Take care of yourself!
Arlene – I just put a big squirt of Dawn into my one gallon sprayer and fill it with water. I don’t have a tub big enough for some of my plants but it’s a good idea to water each pot with soapy water. Gnats! There are gnat traps that I’ve used before – would a good spray with a hose get rid of them?
I will certainly post measurements for the plus blocks but I have the other block to make first. It will cause too much confusion and way too many questions for me to post measurements now. Yes, cattle dogs definitely need a job! Hazel needs one, too, I think
Hazel is definitely the leader and poor Keeper just seems to follow along to see what’s going to happen next. What fun.
I never heard about using Dawn and water to prepping your house plants. What ratio do you use? Yeah for Dawn soap!
Becky – a big squirt in my one gallon sprayer – very scientific.
Mary, your farm is beautiful. I always enjoy the pictures you share. Your house plants look so healthy. I wouldn’t dare put mine outside (tried that, didn’t work) so they look pretty scraggly right now.
Have fun today everyone
I love that blue sky that goes on forever, we seldom get sky like that here. Of course, the Canadian wildfires are keeping our skies more grayish blue. I had the same type of labor day you did, I didn’t labor other than normal chores and I didn’t fix dinner which made someone in the house upset, but there where leftovers and he assumed right when he asked if he had to get his own.
Do your indoor plants go through any type of trauma when you bring them in? I only have a Christmas cactus outside and I need to be prepared if it goes through any kind of withdraw when I return it inside. I suppose I need to rinse it off, thanks for the advice.
Blessings everyone, we need them
Linda – I’ve learned that what they need most inside is light so this year I have ordered 4 grow lights and I’m transforming my front room into an “almost” greenhouse. It’s overcast today but warm with no wind – I’m going to mow and trim. I grilled ribeyes last night – Rick bought us a new grill and it’s way smarter than me – but I’m learning.
Getting your plants ready to come inside must be so much work. I don’t have as many plants as you but I fill a big trash barrel with water, let it warm in the sun, add dawn and mix it up. I “drown” each plant, let it drain and then bring it in. A regular spray bottle doesn’t’ work well with my arthritic hands.
Name your book “Hazel Butts”.
Saving that photo of your barn.
Suzanne – that’s a great idea – my hands can’t work a spray bottle either. I wonder if I have a clean trash barrel around here, I’d like to try it. Like the book name – maybe Butt Hazel!
The book could be called “Tales of Hazel?”
Dipping the whole plant sounds interesting and it would be a good way of getting rid of the bugs.
And the beautiful red barn and green pasture. Wonderful.
Betty in Rapid City
Great name…playful spelling.
I always have to clean a trash barrel first…Dawn, water and a splash of bleach.
Suzanne – sounds like a great idea until I get to the huge heavy pots. I think I’ll buy a new trash barrel just for cleaning plants!
That is a great idea. Especially for those of us who have arthritis in our hands. Thanks for the tip.
Picture perfect skies for you on Labor Day!
Hazel makes me laugh! Years ago I had an Australian Cattle Dog — boy could that dog aggravate me, so Mary I hear what you are saying. Maybe you should consider writing a children’s book (in your spare time) hahaha. It never ceases to amaze me the different personalities these pups have. All in all, in the end, they do make our lives better and add so much to it.
A bit of a cool down here and I was able to get out into the yard yesterday and do some clean-up.
Enjoy your day today!!!
Love the plus blocks. What a great scrap quilt.
Our weather in SW Ohio has been picturesque. Not a cloud in the sky.
Glad comments are working👍
That Hazel never fails to entertain. The tone of the plus quilt blocks is dreamy. Steamed a couple of batches of asparagus for lots of leftovers and finished a fairly quick very basic quilt top.
Li – I’m thinking about the opposite block that goes with the PLUS blocks – I think I’ll use an entirely different color so I won’t have to worry about identical fabrics ending up side by side. Show us your basic quilt top?
Yes. It should be in your email. Just blue shot cotton and muslin on point.
Li – got it!
WOW! How pretty!! I had to open your blog to see the pix … I was getting nuttin’ here on my end. And I love those “plus blocks” 🙂
I’m planning to order a couple of your patterns … and no hurry if you’re not able to fill the order right away, due to your surgery. I have more going on than I can say grace over anyway.
PS – I’m like that little kid who always wants to know what Hazel is up to … what a great dog!!
Quilting Sister – some time I should write about all the things that Hazel does that make me so mad – there are many. Typical of a terrier! She should almost have her own Instagram page!
My boyfriend’s family had a beautiful little orange pedigreed Pomeranian back in the ’70s. We tried to mate her, but she didn’t care for him. So she went out in the neighborhood on a mystery date & got preggers!! We never knew who he was, but Muffin had 2 puppies by C-section, that I paid for, since no one wanted them except me. I sold the little girl puppy that looked like a black Pom for $80 … same price as the Vet’s bill. And I kept the boy, who looked nothing like a Pom … named him Oliver. Best little dog in the world!! Wish I knew what his father was, bcz everyone wanted my dog. I think he he was some sort of terrier … ? So I understand some of Hazel’s traits. But terriers have great personalities! Oliver was very entertaining, to say the least!!
Quilting Sister – oh, she definitely has a personality – very lively except in the morning. It’s 9:30 and she’s still upstairs in bed. Lazy little bum.
I had to “laugh out loud” at the fact that Hazel is a “lazy little bum”! I never knew that she liked to sleep in! Wish I could do that – been waking at 4:14 am lots of mornings and I cannot get back to sleep for the life of me. Not sure if it’s coyote’s calling that wakes me up or what but it’s always right around 4 to 4:30. I love Quilting Sisters story about Oliver! And I like the Plus Quilt too, especially the fabrics that you are using. Jan in MA