Remember Finn, the dog my friends Bob and Marline recently lost? Meet Finn’s little sister, Molly!
This just happened yesterday – it’s very exciting for me, too, because I get to keep Molly on Thursday when Bob and Marline attend a funeral.
We will introduce her to Telly and then we’ll have a grand time running through the grove. She’ll be a tired girl when she goes home.
This happened last night – I’m having a terrible time with wildlife – the squirrels ate this whole philodendron except for one little piece. Grrrrr.
I’m getting over the shock of losing half my chickens – I’ve tried hard to forget the ones I knew the best. Right now the rest have to stay in the barn for awhile – the predator will soon realize his meal ticket has been discontinued.
Our quilt, 30 Stars, from 2008 – designed for Country Living magazine on their 30th anniversary.
More tomorrow!
The squirrels have eaten my green sweet potato plants all the way to the ground-and left the leaves dead on the ground-never have had this happen! Also, they taken all my coconut planter liners for their nests-geez!
I was so excited to receive my cookbook and started going through and planning several recipes. I am sorry you didn’t have more copies but I will use it often and share the food and recipes. We had a koi pond and a blue heron had a few lunches on us. So all God’s creatures need to eat but wish they didn’t feed on my stuff. After several days of him watching the pond he saw no more and left the area and a few weeks later we saw the fish coming out like the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz. So hope your predator will go away when there are no more dinner delights about.
30 Stars quilt is gorgeous!!
Can’t you build a chicken pen with a top covering it? My friend had to do that when the raccoons got her chickens. Don’t let Hazel out of your sight – they’d get her too. I’m always on coyote watch with my little white dog.
Love Molly and love 30 stars!!! 🤩🤩🤩💕💕💕💕💕
Charlotte – I remember how excited I was getting the phone call from Frances – almost an “out of body” experience! If one of our employees had been the one who answered the phone, I would have missed that! It was the most exciting thing that ever happened to Country Threads!!!!
Nancy TD: Love your dirty dozen quilt. Can you share what pattern you used.
The 30 stars quilt is just beautiful too.
I’d like to know that as well…beautiful!
I bought the 30 stars pattern at your closing up sale such a long time ago, but have no quilt to show for it. The one you are showing is beautiful, and I feel motivated to make it now. These predators are pretty frustrating. A large black bear wandered through our yard tonight as we were having happy hour on the screen porch. While they tend to stay out of the way, it still makes me nervous when I have our Sonny out for the morning walk. Back on the leash for Sonny for awhile. I feel sorry for your poor chickens as they are used to being a lot freer. Molly sure adorable!
Pat Smith – I watch Hazel closely – I almost said “like a hawk” – poor choice of words! Hugs to Sonny! 30 Stars is the best quilt we ever designed in my opinion and it was the most thrilling thing that ever happened to Country Threads! Get that pattern out and start cutting – one round at a time, not the whole thing.
So neat to see Fin’s little sister Molly. So nice you get to have her for a few days! Love the 30th anniversary quilt! Country Threads will always be remembered!
Love the 30 star quilt. Sorry that you have lost your feathered friends. As for the squirrels, they were always digging up my plants, so I buy Irish Spring bar soap and use an old cabbage shredder and shred the soap and sprinkle it on top of the dirt. The squirrels must not like it, so they leave my plants alone.
Cheryl N – what a great idea! I have used mothballs but evidently they don’t care about those anymore
What a cool idea for Irish Spring bar soap. When the grasshoppers come, I spray my flowers with a few drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water. That keeps them away. I’ll tell my city friends about the squirrel repellent.
Molly is adorable, I hope she fits in with the gang.
Love the 30 stars quilt. It’s wonderful! And, also Nancy’s quilt plus the one below it.
With your green thumb, Mary, I bet you could get that piece they left behind rooted. Hope so. They are so mischievous, aren’t they? I like the idea of the Irish Spring soap. Hope I can remember that tip. Can you believe its Aug. 24 already? Where did the summer go? This morning felt like fall.
Sue in Or – yes, I will root the philodendron because I love its sour green color!
Loved the quilt made by Nancy T D. Is it one of yours? Do you know the pattern name? My sister sure would like to make it.
Hi Mary, how much does hazel weigh?hard to imagine a eagle carrying her away!lam enjoying getting to know my grand daughters and buying little boxes of raisins etc treats for the girls and playing hide and seek ,not noticing little legs behind curtains as grandma looks everywhere else for them! Take care everyone, best wishes from sandy
Sandy – oh, how fun! Please have someone take some pictures and send to me. I’m with you – Hazel is a very solid sturdy little dog that probably weighs 18 -20 lbs – I think a hawk wouldn’t try it. “Little legs behind curtains” – and then a giggle for grandma – I am jealous!
I have your 30 stars pattern as well, I ordered it when it was first available. I still haven’t made it but now that I’m retired maybe I can! Sorry about your chickens. We have a run that is fenced in right up to the roof, so nothing can get in, though we still worry when we let them free range in our yard. We are chicken sitting for a friend that had a bear get into her coop and kill all the chickens but one. They will rebuild a stronger coop and run.
Teresa – how sad! Think how terrified that last chicken must have been just waiting for her turn. So sad.
What is the pattern for the house and star quilt? Would love to know. Beautiful!
My houseplants have been meal tickets for the rabbits and squirrels, it was especially bad this year. Annoyingly – most of the time they just bit off the stem near the soil and left the rest. I guess they thought my plants needed to be restarted from the root, We will see how that works out. I think you’ve made a wise plan with keeping the chickens in the barn for a while; maybe the predator will focus on other wildlife again – like those squirrels (chickens are much easier to catch than squirrels) that are preying on tasty, easy houseplants.
Sherry Whalen – I said the very same thing! We are overrun with squirrels – how about the hawk thinning them out!!!
When it is so dry, wildlife will struggle to stay hydrated too. They will eat anything they find that will provide some kind of fluid. My husband has put out several dishes (big plant saucers) of water all around the yard. There is some type of critter or fowl using them to drink and to bath almost constantly. He is also feeding them as again, mother nature is struggling to provide food when it is so dry too.
Linda – your husband sounds like a very caring fellow!
Beautiful quilts today!!! I made the 30 Star quilt but need to do the binding…..think i will do that today and then send my photo!!
Last Saturday my son Ron found out he has Covid 19..and asking for prayers on his behalf. Thanks
Sally J – hope Ron is not too sick with Covid – we will join you in prayer!
Sally J – so sorry to hear about your son! Could you please keep us updated on his condition? We may not know each other personally but we all do care!
Molly is such a cutie! Makes me want a dog again, but our two cats are enough for now.
I think Nancy’s quilt is from Miss Rosie’s Farmhouse Favorites book. I knew it looked familiar, and sure enough, there it is in the book. Nancy did a beautiful job, I like hers with the solid colors for the houses.
Mary! That house quilt. Just wonderful. Can we get the pattern?
Oh I just noticed that the house quilt was made by Nancy TD. Nancy can you share the pattern info? That quilt is just lovely.
Good Morning ~ I feel for your loss with your chickens, we have had a couple of cats disappear as well, we have great horned owls that are always sitting on the road when I leave for work at 5:20 am, this morning I fear he had a cat. I try not to look.
I continue to enjoy all the beautiful quilts that you show us, it is such an inspiration, I am looking forward to retirement so I can get more done without interruptions.
Do you have a release date for your next quilt book?
Take care, loving the rain and looking forward to warm (not hot), less humid days and cooler evenings. Tired of running the AC!
Donna Wyatt – book won’t come out for another year – September 2022
I’m going to try a squirrel repellent I heard about. They eat my avocados, persimmons and oranges. I’m going to spray vinegar water on the trees and ground. Even the fence top they walk down. Supposed to repel rats that like my trees too. Ah, living with wildlife!
That’s my 30 stars done in shades of teal. I loved doing it and it is one of my favorites.
Polly Perkins- thank you for telling us! You did a fabulous job!! It’s lots of piecing.
Connie R. and everyone who wants to know about the house quilt. From the book Miss Rosie’s FARMHOUSE FAVORITES. The quilt is Come On-My House on page 31. I used prints for the quilt. Just tried to use up as many scraps as I could. Thanks for all the compliments.
Irish Spring soap in an old sock tied to something is supposed to keep the deer and rabbits from eating in the garden. Sounded better than grating it up. Then I laugh because I could hang them all over the yard. That would be quite a sight!
Hope all your pets are staying safe,Mary.
Hi Mary
I had a friend whose chickens lived in her bedroom. When they went out only a few hours per day. She also had a possum living in her house. I liked her🤩
Anyway I love the quilt underneath them on the couch. I have made a few. Fun to make👍
Have a great week💙
Bea knight
Bea Knight- I wish that lady was my friend, too! I raised Susannah the goat in my house for 18 months and loved every day of it!
Molly is a beautiful dog. The quiits are also beautiful. I am so sorry to hear about all the trouble you have had with your chickens and Sally. A hawk was in the neighborhood the other day, and I noticed how quiet it was by the feeder. My son-in-law took pictures of a bald eagle flying over the farm. We finally had some rain today and am waiting for another storm to come. I did make the chocolate cream pie from your recipe book. I bought my copy at Rosemont back in 2008. If I recall correctly, there were free samples of the caramels from the recipe in the book. They were very good and so was the pie.Take care.
Diane in WI – I cannot believe we made caramels and gave them away! There weren’t many things we wouldn’t try at least once – ha!!