Surprise Swimmer!

Recently Savannah has discovered a nest of possums living on the other side of our fence.

Every evening she goes right to the fence and listens for the sounds of the possums waking up. One evening, when I heard her barking at the fence, I went out to see a little face peering over the top of the fence. At first I thought it was a rat, but soon realized it was a little baby possum.

(Sorry for the blurry pic; the camera doesn't focus in the dark.)

Apparently the babies are now big enough to go out foraging for food at night. Because this morning, Graham went out to water the plants and found this little guy hanging on to the polaris hose for dear life. There's no telling how long he had been there.

Thank goodness Savannah didn't notice him when she went out earlier. I shudder to think what she would have done to retrieve it. After taking the picture, Graham rescued the little fella with the leaf rake and dropped him back over the fence where his momma was waiting for him!

As Ma Ingalls always said, "All's well that ends well!"

Bath Day

I really don't think it was the bath that wore her out!

Because after the bath we went walking and barked at two doggies and lots of people doing yardwork.

Then we spent an hour or two in the back yard keeping squirrels and other varmints out of the yard.

It's just really hard work being a Westie.

Bluebonnet Time in Fredericksburg

This is what my heart has been longing to embrace, this gorgeous field of bluebonnets. We almost missed it as we were barreling down the highway toward Fredericksburg this morning. Instead of stopping and turning around, we decided to stop on our way home. Which is just what we did.

But I digress...

Our primary destination was the Wildseed Farm, just outside of Fredericksburg. Evidently we hit it on the perfect day, because everything was in glorious bloom today. Before we could even go inside the nursery we had to circle the parking lot and enjoy the "random acts of beauty" that are scattered hither and yon.

Okay, these are all out of order so I'll try to guide you through the area. There are rows and literal fields of flowers at this Farm. Within the fenced area are rows of poppies, verbena, bluebonnets and numerous other plants I can't identify. On the other side of the path is a small field of larkspur.

This field of Red Corn Poppies fronts the highway. It consists of several acres of brilliant red, looking like the "Red" sea as the wind ruffles through it. Absolutely divine.

There are several "islands" throughout the paths that are planted with roses. We fell in love with this coral color and, in fact, purchased one for my rose garden on our way out.

This is a field of pink, white and red poppies at the back side of the parking lot.

And here is one of those random spots of flowers in the parking area. I can almost imagine someone just tossing seed hither and yon.

More poppies. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Just couldn't take enough pictures, but would rather have all of them in my own yard!

The landscapers use a lot of wood and rock to set the scenes for the flowers. This cedar-type fence surrounds all the beds and marks the walking paths.

OK, just one more. This bench is made from two hollowed out rocks (more like boulders!) and a stone ledge set between them. Then the hollows in the rocks are filled with bluebonnets. And it makes the loveliest sitting area, especially with all the other bonnets around it.

Well, that's enough for this blog. I posted 30 of the 160 photos we took today on Facebook. Feel free to look at them there.

The Many Faces of Savannah

My sweet Savannah. She is curiosity wrapped up in white fur! Some time last month she discovered something living in my herb garden, somewhere in the mint or parsley - I never knew exactly what or where. But she knew there was something under there and went about uprooting my plants! When I discovered what she was up to, I rescued the pot of parsley, minus a large handful that made a nice table arrangement in a vase! We tried fencing off the area, but, have you ever tried to fence off a Westie from something she really wants? Ain't gonna happen! We finally had to dismantle the herb garden and rebuild it with less interest to distract our pup. Besides, she has squirrels and possums and soon will have lizards to keep her busy! 

Meanwhile, her curiosity has followed her indoors where she has taken an interest in my quilts. I use my queen size bed to lay out quilt blocks for positioning, and then for measuring the quilt for borders. Finally, the finished quilt is laid out on the bed for pictures. Savannah is getting more involved in the process and finally made her way up to "quilt tester"! Once a quilt passes the Westie test, it goes right into the washing machine to remove all evidence of doggie testing before being sent to a recipient. This is the "mystery" quilt that arrived at the home of my nephew Charles today.

When I am at the computer working on Sunday school curriculum, Savannah often finds a nice spot to take a nap. When I looked over to check on her the other day I had to chuckle at her attempt to occupy not only her chair, but my sewing stool as well! I'm not sure what she was trying to tell me, but I interpret this as a contented Westie, claiming as much of her territory as she can.

I'm looking forward to lots of memorable moments with this funny, sweet dog.

Busy Fingers, Lovely Quilts

In the three months that I spent having my "writer's block." my sewing machine and I were kept quite busy creating quilts. I decided that I wouldn't start a project unless I had a specific recipient in mind and several opportunities have presented themselves to me.

This first one is going to a "mystery" recipient. I have planned it to be a surprise, something totally unexpected. A couple years ago I surprised my niece with a quilt and she and I both got so much pleasure from it. So I'm hoping we'll have the same reaction when this one arrives at its destination. I will say only that I so enjoyed the particular fabric that I chose, as I believe its new owner will also get quite a kick out of it. It should be in the mail in a day or two.

My family on Graham's side of the aisle was blessed this spring with a new arrival. This baby is the latest in a string of grandsons for Richard and Sue. I knew the crib design featured Winnie the Pooh, but had to wait for news of baby's gender to get started. Thinking I had plenty of time before the due date at the end of April, I took the top and materials to Kingsland in late January. Lo and behold, baby Wyman came a month early, just days after I had picked up the quilt. I made a cute little pillow to go with it and popped it in the mail the day after his birth.

I saw this quilt tutorial on the Missouri Quilt site and determined that I would make it for someone, just needed to figure out who, and what fabric to use. I had some precuts in this woodsy, green/blue/brown, little boy type material that would be just perfect for a "big boy" quilt for Andrew. One of the first quilts I made for Adrian is a big boy quilt, but Andrew's were all baby quilts. I had so much fun crafting this one and think it turned out just right for my growing grandson.

I'm throwing this one in "just because" I loved it so much that I kept it for myself! I almost used it several times this winter, but always threw it off the bed because it was so warm! We need to have a really cold winter for it to get the most use. Or.... if I ever get my quilt wall hanger put up, I'll be more than happy to display it on the wall.

This last quilt is one that I sent to my step-daughter at Christmas. This too was one of those surprise gifts that was totally unexpected but deeply appreciated.

I'm hard at work on a new quilt that I think I'll keep for myself. It is a pattern that is very similar to a quilt that belonged to Graham's grandmother. I chose some vintage fabric that gives it an old-fashioned feel. It is really time-consuming, as every block has multiple steps and I will need a whole lot of blocks for the quilt. I just put some risers on my work table legs that will hopefully make the cutting and pressing a little easier on my back. I'll let you know how that's working for me!



Bluebonnets in the Hill country

I had a quilt to pick up today. And the timing was nearly perfect. You see, the lady who quilts my quilts for me has her shop in Kingsland, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. And because of the abundance of rain we have enjoyed this winter, the wildflowers are popping out in all their glory right now. I was thrilled that the call came this week so that Graham and I could take the "scenic" route and enjoy the flowers on the way.

From the pictures I have seen from areas around Fredericksburg, these patches are not nearly as glorious, though we relished every bloom and hue. The skies were overcast, even sprinkling some rain here and there as we drove. Even that was not enough to dampen God's beauty as we made our way to Kingsland.

The back road was relatively deserted. I think we were passed by only four cars. A pity, though, that they were in too big a hurry to slow down and enjoy the art show. In addition to the bluebonnets, there were splashes of red, yellow and white thrown into the mix.

What I was looking for didn't materialize, though. My eyes were searching for "pastures" of blue, but the closest we came to that were these wide areas between the road and the fence lines. Still, it was a lovely sight to behold.

I wish I could identify all the different wildflowers, and in fact, I intend to get a guide that will help me to do just that.

 I had an online purchase that needed to be returned to an Ace Hardware store. While we were in Kingsland, we checked out the Ace store there and found it to be a very charming, albeit hardware place. It was spacious and inviting and while we were inside returning my purchase, the rain came down hard, compelling us to look around the store. We made a note to come back to this store when the next quilt is ready to be picked up!

After lunch at a great seafood restaurant in Marble Falls, we began our drive back home, taking the shorter route on Hwy 281. As we neared Bulverde, the highway separated and the median was celebrating spring with more flowers!

Just to prove that not all beauty is blue, this patch of brilliant yellow appeared for our viewing pleasure. And we were filled again with the goodness of God, who has once again painted our world with His paintbrush.

Next week we want to drive over to Fredericksburg and look for those pastures of bluebonnets. And if I find them, rest assured that they'll be shared here with all who care to see.

Happy Birthday, Savannah!

It seems as though I have been in a writer's fog for a few months. I know I haven't written anything here since Christmas. Whether it was a writer's block or I just had nothing to say, I'll never tell. And besides, Spring is officially here and today is Savannah's Special Day. We adopted her a year ago today from Westie Rescue in Houston. Because she was picked up as a stray, her actual birthday is unknown as is her exact age. She was estimated to be around three when we got her, so I am declaring today her fourth birthday! Let's celebrate!

She saw Dr. Earl yesterday for her annual checkup and he pronounced her "healthy" and "very athletic!" The squirrels in the backyard will attest to the athletic part. I put two squirrel corn feeders on the fence posts and now Savannah sits behind the bushes back there and waits for her chance to pounce and bark and scare the little squirrelies half to death!

Since she already has lots of toys, I found this "Create a Collar" at Petco for her. It's red and matches her new rabies tag! You can buy little charms that slip onto the top of the collar. These are two little flowers and a butterfly. There are several other options, including some pretty fancy bling, to choose from. But Westies being who they are, bling would be wasted. So we'll stick to the outdoors theme.

Dr. Earl was asking how she has adapted to our home over the past year. I guess the most obvious adjustment has been how she has settled into our routine. She was very hyper at first. That may have been due to all the changes she had experienced prior to coming here. And I think she took her time to decide whether she actually liked it here or not! At any rate, she is much calmer, more obedient (as long as I ask her to do what she wants to do!), and much more affectionate. If she has to stay inside (as opposed to stalking the squirrels out back), she will stay up near my sewing machine and watch me sew.

Bear in mind that this is a very dirty Westie who's sitting by my sewing machine! I have to place the binding machine between the dirty dog and what I am working on, so she uses that as a place to hold her head while she snoozes! What a character! She has since had a bath and is due for a hair cut next week. And I must remember to tell the attendant "No bows!" when I leave her.

So happy birthday, Miss Savannah. You have become a most welcome addition to the family!