I have been working on a big project this summer.

It is a very large drawing of my granddaughter, Shea, in buckskin astride her horse, Biscuit.  It is kind of a narrative drawing and tells a story.  Many years ago my family took a trip to Colorado and we spent the night in Oakley, Kansas.  While there, we went to their wonderful museum where I was captivated by a story about 2 young girls that had been kidnapped by Indians.  They were finally released to tell their story.  I have been reading about my county's history this summer, which spurred my interest in Native American Indians.  I found a site of hundreds of photographs of American Indians and I was inspired to make this huge drawing.  I may eventually do a painting in oil, or I may end up doing a quilt.......  but I have to finish it first.  I got bogged down on the horse and making the proportions between Shea and the horse correct.  It is difficult to draw a very large drawing!  Anyway.................here's a peek.

These are the two photos I am using for reference.  The funny thing about this is that when I went to take photos of Shea riding on Biscuit, she had put feathers in her hair.  Do you see them?  She had no idea I was making a drawing of her as an Indian girl.

Jason's Birthday

Today is Jason's birthday.  He really doesn't want to be reminded, but I fixed dinner for him and his family, Andrew and Stuart, and my dear friend and neighbor, Marilyn.  Today is Marilyn's birthday as well as Mamie's Dad's birthday............................lots of great people born on April 18.  It is hard to  believe that I have adult children.  It was such a wonderful time, having our first baby.   He was so exceptionally cute and still is.  He has become a wonderful son, husband and father and I am so proud of him.

I took some photos of my lilacs................they are the old fashion lilacs and they smell heavenly.  The bush is about 6 feet tall and has really spread out.  Mamie expressed a desire to move some of it to her house.  The old fashioned lilacs are so wonderful because of their fragrance and I would rather have them then the new hybrids that don't have that wonderful frangrance.

Raccoon, Cows, and Flesh Colored Hand Dyes.....................

Yesterday I took some trash to the dumpster which sits beside the shop.  I knew the men were working at Jason's farm, so I decided to close up the shop for the night.  When I walked out I saw a raccoon just sitting next to the shop wall.  He seemed stunned or sick................I always worry about  Rabies this time of year.  He sat there for a long time just looking at me.  I decided to get my camera from the house and when I got back he was still there.  The minute I whipped out my camera, he started walking away from me.  We played hide and seek around the shop for about 5 minutes and this is all I could get of him.  They are so cute, but he wasn't acting quite right.  I believe they are nocturnal....................perhaps I woke him from his nap.

Later  I decided to take a ride and I saw this wonderful view of the cattle grazing in the pastures...........it made me think of the Biblical phrase,  "cattle on a thousand hills", a symbol of God's blessings.

This is my stash of flesh colored hand dyes I have been making for my Ruth quilt.  Dyeing is really fun.............you never really know what you are going to get until it dries.

I think I was getting cabin fever,

so I bundled up and went outside.  I was able to walk through my yard in the tire trucks Jason left from the road to my door yesterday.  That made traversing the ice and drifts much easier.  I delivered 2 trash bags to the dumpster and talked with Jason and Laine a little.  Jason wanted to get his 18 wheeler out so he could take a load of corn to St. Louis, so he made a single lane down our county road all the way to the blacktop. ................ Snow plowing courtesy of Smith AgriServices.  Jason said I could drive my SUV to my mailbox, so I thought I would give it a try.  When I got to the end of our lane, there was Andrew in the loader tractor.

He told me to follow him and he would dig out my mail box for me.  I didn't think the mailman would deliver my mail if he couldn't pull up to my box, but when I opened my mailbox, it was full of mail.  He must have delivered it at least twice this week.  I had a nice surprise---my new American Quilter Magazine had arrived!

This is our county road now, courtesy of Jason.  Thank you Jason!

Along our county road, the drifts have all but covered up the fences.

Jason was on the way to St. Louis with a load of corn.  Laine was going with him.

I hope they get through our county road. I drove out to the blacktop and it is fairly clear, so they should make it if they get to the blacktop.  I am so glad I got out.  Even though the temperature is cold, it seemed warm outside with the sun shining and no wind blowing.  The snow is such a sensual experience.  The air is cold and pure and the snow has made everything clean.  If you get a chance, get out in it for a little while.  It breathes new life into the soul.  Petting Ghost also makes me happy.................as well as Ghost.

This morning Jason called me while he was feeding silage.  There were two huge Bald Eagles perched side by side in the top of a tree overlooking our irrigation lake.  They were watching the geese that were on the lake.  I got my binoculars and had a good look at them.  Soon they took flight and soared south.  We have been seeing Bald Eagles for perhaps 5 years now.  They are magnificent!

When I went out to my car to get the mail.....................

I saw this little rabbit in the machine shed.  He looked cold and hungry...........and scared.  He ran toward the
grain wagon and stopped.

I moved closer to get a better picture and he just sat there

He really looks cold and hungry.  Snow is so hard on wildlife because it covers up their food.

This shows some of the drifts along our county road.  Going to the mailbox is all I wanted to do..............nothing worse than getting stuck in the snow............and I had forgotten my cell phone.  It would have been a long cold walk home.

Such a Beautiful Day!

Even though it was cold today, the sun was shining brightly and the snow was melting off the roofs of the farm buildings.  We had frost on all the trees and I got this picture of a branch against one of our machine sheds.  Simply beautiful!

I hadn't turned on my sewing machine since I finished my little Amish Flying Geese quilt earlier this month, so when I sat down to do some sewing it was so nice..............I really miss sewing when I set it aside for awhile.  I put borders on this little quilt and made a backing for it.  Shea "made" this several years ago.  AGAIN...................I used some leftovers from my Joy quilt.  She took the leftover pieces that were already backed with wonder under and ironed them onto the pink background fabric.  She had a great time doing it....in fact, she worked on it numerous times to get it in it's present random pattern.  I'm ashamed I haven't finished it for her, but it has come in handy.  Dawn Heese will be giving a workshop at our Guild next Monday, teaching us how to make scalloped edges on quilts.  I think this would look nice with a scalloped edge.  I need to quilt it this week, so it will be ready for the workshop.  She will be excited to get it done. I am anxious to get started on it because I want to try a new machine quilting pattern.  I need to spread my wings and learn something new.

Shea's quilt

Closeup of Shea's design

The Mystery of Light

Light is that mystical element that allows us to see----and changes the way we see things.  This evening the sunset was very red and bright and cast its charm on our metal grain bins.....................beauty is everywhere if we would just take the time to see.

Mamie's Zinnas

Wouldn't it be nice to see these outside of your kitchen windows?  Mamie planted Zinnas around her house and they are really pretty.

Turkey Vultures

 

Pokeberry

This is one of my favorite things to see in the fall.  This Pokeberry plant came up outside my laundry room window and I thought it was so beautiful that I allowed it to flourish there.  Some years it got almost 10 feet tall.  I love this plant so much because of the beautiful colors.  The stalk and branches are a rich deep red/purple and the berries are a beautiful blue/purple.  This plant is toxic to mammals, so don't eat the berries or the stalk.  Some people have eaten the new leaves ........................have you heard of poke salad?   However, I wouldn't eat any of it.  The birds love the berries and if you crush them, they make a beautiful reddish purple dye.  Hope you get to enjoy seeing a pokeberry plant this fall.

Mum Time

Look at the expressions............

if cats can have expressions...................................funny!

And look at the color of their eyes......they are the same.  Laine got his green eyes from me, but I don't know where the kitty got his..................................I hope that kitty can breathe.  Have you ever noticed how little kids always hold a kitty by the neck?

Lovely Ferns

Each summer I buy ferns...................they just do something for me.  I buy at least 2 ferns and sometimes as many as 4---depending on how expensive they are.  For the past 8 years I have been putting my ferns in these plant stands.  They are made for outside use and I liked having my ferns raised up, off the patio.
     When I bought them I just loved them. They weren't very heavy, so I replanted the ferns in terra cotta pots.  The first storm that came through tipped them over and broke my beautiful terra cotta pots.................so I tried again..............and broke some more pots.
     The next year, I decided there would be no more terra cotta pots in the stands, and I just put the plastic pots in the stands..............................and they blew over everytime it got windy.  I tried rotating the stands so they could withstand the wind.....................they blew over.  And that's how it was for 8 years.  Everytime a storm blew I would hear the sound of stands hitting the concrete.  I got so tired of picking them up, I almost threw them away.................................until I noticed the chains from an old swing in a tree near my patio.

Next year I will put all my ferns in the trees.

Look what I saw yesterday morning

Can you see the spots on his back?  He is so cute.................................darn little bugger will be eating my flowers and trees, not to mention the corn and soybeans.

beauty of this day