Saturday, June 1, 2019

Welcome June (and Other Stuff....)

Happy, Happy, June!

It's finally lilac season here....one of my absolute, all-time, favorite flowering shrubs.


At this rate, we might have hollyhocks and foxglove by October.  No...wait....By then there will be snow on the ground again.  😬

I considered boycotting planting annuals this year, but made the mistake of stopping by a greenhouse.  EEEK.  They are one of my major weaknesses.


Now I have bunches boxes (and boxes) of plants to plant.
That was my plan for today...except it rained buckets last night and all my planting receptacles are once again waterlogged.
So you get a blog post from me instead.
 Lucky, lucky, you. 😆

There isn't much new here, other than it is, indeed, GREEN here instead of white.  I did go on a little shopping excursion a few weeks ago with my friend/neighbor, Cathy (of Red Barn Rugs fame).  One of our stops was at a favorite store of mine, The 13th Colony & Elizabeth's Woolery, as Cathy sells some of her patterns and gorgeous hand-dyed wool there and they were in need of more wool. (Aren't we all??)

Among other things, I picked up this little applique pattern.
I haven't appliqued for a while, so it was fun getting back to it.

 (The mat is backed in the sweet Moda bee fabric in the background.)

Hopefully it will get me back in practice enough to tackle some of the more "ambitious" applique projects I have been hoarding neglecting saving.

I have also picked up my hook again.

And not just any hook, but this fun one by Hudson Valley Rugs.  (Thanks, Lauren, for the enticement....)

And, yes, I have started a project.  As you all know, my hooking mojo has been MIA for a while.  I left off in the middle of several projects...a Christmas stocking, a Valentine heart, and the largest project, "Welcome Cats" (an antique adaptation).  Although I dislike having too many WIP's of any one genre going at a time, I was finding it difficult to pick up any of the hooking projects mentioned.  The Christmas stocking is very close to being finished, but the finishing is a challenge (to me). I somehow "misplaced" the wool for the heart...and the "Welcome Cats" had some bizarre horizontal hooking going on that I found less than amusing.

So, I decided to start a completely new project.  It's the Guilford Runner by Edyth O'Neill.  

(If you're a hooker and wondering about the long tails of wool on the front side, it is simply to thwart two mischievous kitties who otherwise come up under my hooking frame and unhook things.... This way, I simply fold the fabric over when I need to leave it unattended.) 

I'm not very far, but I have never been, and never will be, a speed hooker. And, hey, I'm ok with that. 

On a sad note:  A little bird made her nest in my fern inside our cornzebo.  She must have thought herself quite clever:  It was protected from the major elements as it was undercover, but was near the birdbath, and she could come and go between the wires of the structure. 


 But, the little bird must have forgotten she lived in Nod. The storms last night that brought the rain unfortunately also brought strong winds (no surprise there).  And the fern, with the little bird's nest, went down.


And broke the eggs that were in the little bird's nest.





It breaks my heart to see the little bird flitting and walking around looking for her eggs.  😢

*********

That's it for now.  Stay safe and kind...and be careful of where you build your nests.

13 comments:

Saundra said...

So glad you found your mojo and your project is looking delicious. Nature can be so unforgiving and sad at time.

Farm Girl said...

How wonderful you are doing some hooking and its a Edyth O'Neill pattern. I love that hook. I also love your applique. How wonderful you have spring! It makes me so happy that the land of Nod is turning green. Poor little bird. That was how I felt when the hummingbird left because we were out on the porch too much for her comfort. I have never had the heart to look inside in case there were eggs.

I love it when you post. There is always so much going on. Have a wonderful June.

Julie - My Primitive Heart said...

Hi Robin,
So happy to hear you have some "green things" actually growing! Wish you had a "scratch and sniff" button for those lilacs!! I sure do LOVE their smell!!!
Happy you are getting some things done and started, too!!! Always so nice to check off those project!!! So sad about those eggs!! Birds don't seem to be the best judge of location, do they??
Take care and have a great week!!
Heart Hugs, my friend~
Julie xo

marly said...

Oh how sad. Poor momma. I just ordered something from the 13th Colony! I don't know a thing about it or how to do it, but your hooking looks very nice.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, that’s so sad but nature can be cruel, was it a robin? I find robins don’t always pick the best nesting spots, poor thing. I’m so glad you posted, I wait for your posts, I miss them! Your hooking is beautiful, and the appliqué is as well, I love all things bee related except the stings, ya, I can pass on those. Your lilacs look wonderful, it’s still too early here, ours aren’t even near ready, I love that hanging basket, and the green houses are such a temptation, I could spend all day in them!

handfulsofwool said...

Happy to have found your blog.
Our lilacs have gone by here in New England, now it's all the rhododendrons that are in full bloom. Nature is beautiful and sad at the same time isn't it? Your rug hooking is beautiful I love the pattern.

Winnie said...

Robin, it is fun to hear about your new crafting projects in progress or on the docket! You make lovely things and all of them are wonderfully Primitive in pattern! It is good to hear that green has replaced white in the Land of Nod too! You must be so happy shed the woolies and get outside without having to bundle up.

Ohhh, so sad about your little birds fate with the terrible storm! Maybe it isn't too late for the pair to lay another egg and have a family. Keep us posted if that happens

Enjoy those beautiful Lilacs!! I bet they bring such a fragrance to your yard too. Lilacs don't grow down here, but I have seen them once or twice up north and they are so beautiful!

Crow family OK and now even the older siblings are trying to get that baby to hurry up and fend for itself!! Feeding his constant demands is driving everyone crazy!! LOL!!!

Rugs and Pugs said...

Rainy day in Ohio again. I know in August I will be praying for rain. Feast or famine, right?
Hooking looks good! Hope your mojo sticks around for a while!
Behind on everything as usual...sigh.
xoxo
GT

Ronda said...

Love lilacs, my dwarf korean has grown so much, didn't really bloom for me this year, at least not yet. Glad to see you are on a project. Happy June!!!

Prims By The Water said...

Glad you picked up your hook again even if it is to start a new project. I pulled a few loops myself over the weekend. Poor birdie. We had a nest of robins in the back of our porch light and the three chicks just flew the nest last week. Janice

My Colonial Home said...

Good morning Robin
Well it sounds like you had a fun time at 13th Colony - I have only been there once but was in 'heaven' so to speak.
As for rug hooking - I LOVE it but get to do it rarely. Too many other things come first and I really miss doing it.

Poor birdies just don't realize when they build their nest just how precarious they can be. I see this happen too often here when they build on top of our porch light - we always have to take it down and it makes my heart hurt for mama.
LILACS....hmmmm....probably one of the flowers I can not stand - not that they aren't pretty or probably do smell wonderful but they actually hurt my eyes and give me an instant headache. Not sure what chemical they produce but I just can't be near them...but so happy for you that you have them and can enjoy them.

Have a great weekend Robin!!!

Karen

Dicky Bird said...

I enjoy Cathy's patterns and classes and studio and farm....all of it, too! Poor little bird!

custom photo collage blanket said...

Love lilacs, my dwarf korean has grown so much, didn't really bloom for me this year, at least not yet. Glad to see you are on a project. Happy June!!!