Random Things

It’s been a mostly rainy day here in the Salt Lake Valley, but it did hold off until I was done working outdoors this morning.  It was finally time to bring in the patio furniture, deadhead the roses one last time, put the garden decorations away until spring, and bring in the hoses.  Among countless other chores that pop up as you begin.

But look at that bouquet of roses (and a single delphinium.... what’s up with that?) that I gleaned from the bushes in the yard.   My garden’s “Last Hurrah” of the year.

I didn’t even put the flowers into a vase, instead preferring to just keep them in the bucket.  

Bruce and I ran a few errands today.  We had a blast at Toys R Us looking through all the toys, LOL.  We decided it was time to update our own toybox for the grandkids.  Winter is coming, so they will be indoors when they come to visit.  Since they’re all over age 1 now, it was time to get some building blocks, plastic animals (good sized ones, not tiny) like farm animals, jungle animals, etc.   We like to play and teach simultaneously.

And then a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some canned pumpkin so I could make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  And it’s a good thing I did, because we ran out of Halloween candy tonight.  The kids witches, princesses, vampires, etc, were out in force tonight.  I ended up giving cookies (after getting permission from the parents who accompanied the kids).  We still eventually had to turn out the lights and retreat downstairs when we ran out of cookies.

I’ll give you that great AND EASY cookie recipe later in the post.

Check out what I bought on Ebay this week.  These vintage rocking chair pin cushions have been all the rage at Crazy Quilting International for the last year or so.

I finally got one on Ebay... $2 is all I paid for it (which is great since the postage was almost $8!!)  It will be really easy to re-cover the chair upholstery with CQ.  I have several finished blocks and pieces to choose from.  Perhaps I’ll save that for a fun little project over the Christmas Holidays...

Let’s see ... so much to share ... DH bought me a new Epson printer this week.  It does a great job on paper, but the “acid test” is when I print on fabric, but the printer has great reviews, so my hopes are high.

I just added a PAGE on the Crazy Quilting International Blog (see link in sidebar) that gives information for 2011 quilting contests and shows.  The reason I mention it is because Blogger’s formatting issues are so prevalent, that it is nearly impossible to get the information to look decent.  GRRRRRR.  It’s hard enough getting a regular blog post to format the way you want.  Eventually you learn the quirks and get it mastered.  HA!  Everything goes out the window on a subsequent page.  All I can say is that it’s a good thing it doesn’t cost anything, because it’s certainly worth what we paid for it.

If anyone is interested, I have several bolts of ruffled lace (yes, the poly stuff. Think 1980’s or dolls or girls clothes).  There are three styles of mint green, some dusty pink and some white.  Full bolts, probably 20+ yards on each.  I really don’t want to unwind them to measure them (to list on Ebay), so if you know anyone who would like to buy these for cheap, please contact me.

And finally - here is that recipe for the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  Sorry I don’t have a picture.





PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1  15 oz. can of pumpkin
1  Spice cake mix
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin and chips into dry cake mix.   Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (for soft, cake-like cookies) or 15 minutes (for more conventional texture).  Makes 48 cookies.   (Or you can make 24 larger ones).  If you’re on Weight Watchers, each small cookie is only 1 point.

I’ll have some pictures tomorrow of my Tea Time wall hanging, and some Autumn CQ blocks.  Happy Halloween!

Floods and Flowers

Here in the Salt Lake Valley, we went from having an unexpected late May snow to temperatures in the mid to high 80's over the last 4 to 5 days.  This has quickly begun to melt the mountain snowpack, sending it crashing down the canyons in record volumes.    We've not had runoff like this since the floods of 1983.

At Wheeler Farm, the historical working farm owned by Salt Lake County where I work, the Little Cottonwood Creek flows through our 76+ acres.  It's usually a bubbling brook, although springtime usually sees a rise in volume.  It's enough of a threat to persons and dogs that Farm employees get annual swift water rescue training.


This year,  the creek is an angry torrent raging down the mountain, bringing logs and all sorts of dangerous debris with it.  Deadly.  For the time being, the logjams are being cleared by County crews and their equipment stationed here and in other locations in Murray City 24/7.   It's helping to keep the creek from straying too far from its banks in most places, but there's only so much that can be done in these conditions.

Several acres of the farm, including the campgrounds, are under water.

Below is a picture of the creek as it usually looks in spring.

This is the exact same spot, pictured this morning as I walked around the farm before work this morning.  It's several feet higher and wider on each side.  It's muddy and loud, and even the geese are staying away.

But life on the farm continues.  Today was just a gorgeous day for the kids attending summer camp and the persons out walking with friends or dogs.  Lots of visitors and activity.   When I finished my walk and was heading to the Activity Barn to clock in, some people passed me, asking if I'd gotten any good pictures.  I replied that I had, but now it was time to get to work.  They said "Aw, that's too bad", probably feeling sorry for me, thinking I'd be hopping into a car and driving to some office somewhere.  But I said to them, "No, it's really great.  I work HERE at the Farm!"  They laughed and went from being sorry for me to being envious!   :-)

But I digress..... my walk was relaxing and just plain wonderful.  As I walked, I drank in the fresh morning air and snapped pictures of my "home away from home".  This is the Activity Barn.  It's where our office is.  We also rent it out for company parties, wedding receptions and the like.   The field in the foreground is plowed and ready for planting the corn.

Below is the same view of the activity barn from a slightly different angle.  Here I was standing in the front lawn area of the historic farmhouse.   I love the farm early in the morning.   I love to walk around and feel as though I own it; my farm.  My farmhouse.  My ducks and cows and flowers and trees.....

More flowers in the front lawn of the farmhouse.  In the background you can see the milking barn.  Yep, we milk the cows there twice a day - 6 in the morning and 5 in the evening.   Every.  Single.  Day.    Besides the Activity Barn and the milking barn, we have a machinery barn

But there are flowers that ARE mine, and the roses below are among them.  I love the color of these roses and chose this grandiflora bush for their color and scent.  No, I don't remember what they're called, but the tag is still there at the base.  Only I'm NOT going to crawl under it now to read it.   (Note to self: why not remember to do it in spring before it blooms?  And write it down!)   Part of my California poppy bush is visible on the right and an iris on the left.  This area needs to be thinned out!

And my front rosebush by the driveway.  Same story; the tag is there but I can't remember the name of it....

Front of the house with my two rose trees by the front porch (Double Delight and Mr. Lincoln!  HA!  I do remember SOME of them!)   Then there are irises - I definitely do NOT know their names.  We bought the rhizomes a few years ago at an iris society show.  They're all local hybrids, but I had a "cheat sheet" with their names on them and where I planted what.  Unfortunately, I left the sheet outside on the patio, and Mother Nature decided to destroy it with wind and rain.

Still have more annuals to plant, but everything is pretty well weeded, hoed, trimmed, fed, etc.  Summer is right around the corner, and I'm ready to relax.  BRING IT ON!!

Estate Sales, Garden and Stuff

Yesterday (Saturday the 22nd) was a cool and cloudy day in the Salt Lake Valley, with scattered rainshowers as had been predicted all week.  So, there were not a lot of yard sales and estate sales.  However, there were some, and I made it my morning priority to get to two of them.  Neither were great for for me, but there were some little things here and there that I picked up.

In the first sale, I found a sewing box with some trim in it and some old silver.  As I accumulate this silver, I still can't decide if I want to use the bowls and plates I get for display or to sell.  Either way, I will polish them up a LITTLE.  The tarnish adds character (at least to me) and I'll have to leave some for that wonderfully shabby look.

The second estate sale was held in the wonderful old (and pricey) Harvard-Yale area of Salt Lake City.  The home itself was like a French cottage and had just sold.  It was just a treat to go in and see parts of the home.  Much of it was blocked off, and all the furniture and goods were in the main floor rooms.  In fact, the living room and its massive fireplace were set up like a bedroom, with sunlight streaming in the French doors onto the bed.  Wish I'd taken a picture!  

Anyway, I fell in love with this chest of drawers - a former jewelry box? - when I saw it.

It's about 18" tall and wide and about 6" deep.  Probably not more than 20-30 years old, but OH!  I brought it home and moved my bias tapes into the drawers, by  colors.  It all fit except my pinks, which you can see in a ziploc bag on top of the chest in the first picture.   But that's OK, once I get sewing again on aprons this spring, I'll use up a lot of it.

The floral motifs that cover it are hand painted.   And they wrap around to the sides and top.

I paid $35 for it, and another few dollars for a vintage iron (you know, the heavy old irons that you heated on the stove?!?  Didn't get a picture of that). But here's how nicely the bias tape fits:

So it was not a bad day for The Hunt.  

And now for some miscellaneous things.  Earlier this week I was cleaning out my sewing desk and ran across one of those big ol' store-bought tomato pin cushions.  You know the ones with the attached emery strawberry for sharpening needles.  Well, I often stick my sewing needles into the pincushion itself, with or without thread, and they've been known to get lost inside the sawdust of the pincushion.

I was about to throw away the pincushion (very, very hole-y) when I felt the prick of a needle.  So, I thought "what the heck".  I've always wanted to tear one of those babies apart  disassemble one in a very ladylike manner.  (ADMIT IT - you have too, right?!?)   

Well, guess how many needles I found inside?  Thirty-nine!  

Sorry for the bad picture (but honestly, how exciting is a pile of needles, anyway?).   I was just totally blown away when I kept finding a needle, then another, then two more......  And yes, they're mostly sharp, useable and will be put back into use!  

My dear hubby Bruce and I have a running joke about his vitamins.  I take regular women's vitamins.  He takes the Costco brand of "mature vitamins".  One morning he was being his usual humorous (and slightly silly) self - a trait that has added a lot of fun to our marriage.  Anyway, we were taking our vitamins when I saw his "Mature Vitamins" container and told him they obviously weren't working!   We got a good chuckle over that, and now, every time he buys a new container of vitamins, the label is "corrected" to read:

And last but not least (which you'll probably agree with after reading the previous....), here are a few snapshots of my garden.  THEY ARE SAD.  It's been such a cold, wet spring and I've had neck and shoulder issues for which I'm doing physical therapy.  But slowly, very slowly, I'm getting to one bed after another to get it cleaned up, trimmed, weeded. mulched, planted.  Warning:  not all things pictured have had their "spring cleaning" yet!  

Case in point:  Our Snowball bush really well, snowballed this year!  It's beautiful, but needs it's feet cleared of overzealous lavender (and weeds, I admit it).  And it needs a good trimming and shaping.  It's on my list for this season.

 

On the left, the planter bed under the north-facing front window (with spent daffodils) is just about to bloom with several varieties of iris.  More pictures in a week or two.  Meantime, on the east side of the house, our champagne irises are just beginning their show.

I have some of the front porch planters planted; there are another 3-4 left to do.   Some of the tulips are still blooming, and I have mulched a couple of the front beds.  And the porch posts are slated for filling and sanding and painting this year.  

  

Here you can barely see my favorite garden serpent hiding behind the bleeding heart.   To the left (front) of it is a small daylily variety and the bark is my Double Delight rose tree.    In that same bed are other daylilies, a hosta, some russian sage and a few annuals.   The calla lily died and was pulled.

We have a hole in the front perennial bed where the golden chain tree was.  I think we may plant another.  Down at the end of the bed (where the house ends, past the birdbath and rose) is where we had the #@&*! holly bush.  It's gone, praise the Lord, and in its place I'm thinking of either a burning bush OR an arbor to further extend the front facade of the house.   Wisteria?  Climbing Roses?  Still thinking on that one.  Meantime, I need to do more weeding and mulching here, and that's on the agenda for this week.  

A friend and neighbor of ours came by this week and tilled our garden for us.  We own a tiller, and let him borrow it to till his garden, too.  Win-win, since Bruce's outdoor activities are limited from his winter back surgery.  He did manage to replace all the outdoor security light fixtures, however.   So, I'll plant the garden this week.  We're also getting bids on having our front parking strip dug out & soil-treated, the sprinklers capped, landscape barrier put down and decorative gravel delivered and installed.  

Well, I think I've rambled long enough.  Hope I haven't put you to sleep!!

Have You Any Wool?

I finished another block in our Crazy Quilting International Wool "Do Your Block" Round Robin.  This one was Hideko's block.  She asked for stitching only - mostly seams, but some small stitched motifs were OK.  So..... this is what I came up with.

It's basically just embroidery.  And it was relatively quick and oh so fun!  This round robin has been a really nice change of pace - a sort of "back to basics".

Bruce and I went to Home Depot today and spent a pretty penny on the yards.  We got flowers for my front porch pots, weed & feed, mulch, bark, a compost bin, a new gas barbecue, and rocks for an area I need to get some control over, LOL.

We also bought a red maple to plant in the front yard where we
had our old pine tree cut out last year (see this post).    Originally we had planned to put in a flower/vegetable garden there in the front because our neighbor had an ugly Siberian Elm (a junk tree) that grew nearly overnight to shade our vegetable garden in the backyard.   We asked them if they would consider trimming it, and they were so kind and removed it altogether (they didn't like it either).  So, we had our garden back last year.

Today we decided to plant a maple and have the front area sodded where the old tree had been.  We contacted a local landscape contractor for a bid today.  These contractors, who gave us a reasonable bid early this afternoon, were out here in force an hour later working their fannies off.   Wow, people must really be in need of work!  I don't know whether to be sad about the situation, or happy that we can help them as they help us!  Anyway, the maple tree and sod are in.  They're digging up our parking strip sod.  We'll cap the sprinklers there and do some xeriscaping along the parking strip, since it never seems to look nice anyway.  And they're removing my d*@% holly bush that I've wanted out for years, but could never dig up myself.  And they're removing a dead tree stump of my beautiful golden chain tree (see picture above) that died last year.  We think it got poisoned when the contractors who removed the pine tree were poisoning the roots of the removed tree.

I've planted 3 colorful flowerpots for my front steps and have several to go.  I'll share pictures soon; the snowball bush and my irises are getting ready to bloom, so I should be able to take some good pictures next week.

I'm way behind on my commitments to CQI (posting about the June Challenge, which is Dimensional Embroidery).  So that is what I'm off to take care of now.    I'll continue with the purse-making posts early next week!