Mother on a Broomstick: It's Spring Again!

N     Time goes by so much faster than it used to.  I didn't believe it when my grandmother said it, but now that I'm somebody's grandmother, I get it.  I do enjoy sitting down and writing, even if there's not much of an audience.  But I tend to think of it in the middle of something else and put it off until tomorrow.  Perhaps if I put it on my list, it'll actually get done in a timely manner.  

    February granted us some beautiful days warm enough to be outside.  March came in like a lamb for about a day, which Barb and I loved because it made our drive to Empty Spools at Asilomar, California much easier than last year when it rained nearly the whole way. This year, it was still winter and we cherished the couple of sunny days while we were there and the dry weather for the drive home.  Barbara took a class on free motion quilting so now she can finish her tops with confidence.  I took a class from Pearl Perreira that I've wanted to do for several years to shape up my hand appliqué. It was a wonderful class with fun people.  There were only ten of us, which meant lots of personal attention (and lots of laughing). I haven't finished the little appliqué I started but here is a pic of what it looks like so far. 

                             

     I bought a Jacqueline de Jonge kit at the Houston show about 8 or 10 years ago.  It took me years to get up the nerve to do it as it has a forty-page instruction booklet.  By 2019, I convinced myself that I only had to do one instruction at a time and it went pretty well.  Everything fit together as it should and I was going strong until Covid hit.  I made dozens of masks and finished some other UFO's and after a year or so, my small quilt group was up and running again.  Also, I was a new grandmother and made some receiving blankets, a couple of quilts and knit a couple of sweaters.  All the while, Enchanting Stars stayed pinned to my old design wall, waiting patiently for me to get with the program.  Sweet Husband made me a bigger design wall and I made some other quilts. In January I got back to it and made serious inroads into finishing the top. This is where I am now.  

                     

Clearly, I have a ways to go.

    One of the things that has slowed me down is the fact that I started a wool BOM in February called "Hobby Farm."  The first block came out in February and I just finished it today.  March is cut out and April comes in about a week.  What WAS I thinking? I just finished February this morning.

                                    

    Because of the rainy weather, the weeds are going crazy, the roses need pruning (all two of them), and the hydrangeas need pruning and I'm working on a cunning plan to keep the deer from eating my tulips again,  Last year I tried planting onions and garlic near the tulips and also deer spray.  Neither one made much of a difference.  They ate the tulip flowers and my tomato plants and a few tomatoes.  I had really counted on the deer spray as it smells vile, but apparently the deer just laughed and ate anyway.  I thought the tomato plants would be safe as they're part of the nightshade family and are somewhat poisonous to humans.  So much for that idea.  I'll let you know how the new plan works.  The tulips have come up and are already chewed on, but haven't bloomed yet so I hope I can save them.

    Now I'm back to using this rainy day for sewing.  Happy Spring!

Candy