Spring Sunday after Easter

I had a wonderful Easter! Both Deb and Emily drove to my house, we feasted, drank wine, talked, walked Brownie next door and had a lovely afternoon!

 And, yes, I have remembered to water my violas. Thanks, Girls!!

Wikipedia says pansies and violas are a sign that spring has arrived. It certainly has in my yard!

There are now fully open tulips, but I'm too lazy/tired to take another picture. I just spread 3 fifty pound bags of mulch. That reminds me: take ibuprophen. As you might be able to tell from the photo below, the azalea has opened more.

No, nobody is standing on the porch humming -- it's the BEES! Above are two separate bees. They kept moving so I wanted to be sure I got at least one good shot!

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You know that last picture of lunches and breakfasts all stacked up in the fridge? Yup, I did it again. I think I'm becoming obsessed ...

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I've been doing a bit of quilting. Actually, I'm only at the designing/piecing stage. I think I will send these out to be machine quilted by my friend, Jeanne. She can use the business. Repairs on her long arm machine were astronomical (although, now that I think of it, it was what I paid for one crown on a tooth. Ugh.).

 

I did something I had never done before and bought two charm packs of 5 inch pre-cut squares of fabric. (There's a quarter inch seam on each side so if you really want to know how big these are, you'll have to do some math.) These are the backs (so far) of two baby quilts. I figure the front will be really baby-like and when they get older, they can flip it over! Ohhh ... that reminds me: I should get some satin binding for the ends. Some babies love to feel that between their fingers. (Some adults too.)

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I procrastinated today watching a documentary on Josh Simpson making 100 pound Planets. He is my favorite glass worker-artist. Years ago, I bought one of his Planets for Mom and I asked for one for Christmas. They are very tiny (it was all I could afford). I think he was making this large one for the Corning Museum and there were all kinds of engineering challenges that he and his team faced. They even had to design their own tools for turning such a heavy hunk of molten glass in the furnace. If you get a chance to see it on PBS, it really was fascinating. Josh Simpson and his wife (an astronaut) live in Shelburne Falls inWestern Mass. (I live a few miles away in the sticks).

Josh Simpson and his huge planet (from his web site).

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Speaking of sticks, the next show was a sculptor who works entirely with sticks. He makes buildings and huge shapes, enlisting local volunteers. He puts up a scaffolding to make two story edifices. They are very interesting, but not my passion for sure.

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I have completely finished Shetland on Netflix and that makes me sad. I wanted more episodes. The island is a character itself. I just loved the shots of the sea and the cliffs. I have to go to the ocean soon. I really miss it.

I have to admit, though, it took me a long time to get used to their accents. It's lovely to the ear, but I'll be darned if I understood but half!

Ann visited yesterday and we tried Hell on Wheels while she did some hand sewing and I machine sewed. It begins in 1865 and concerns the construction of the railroad right after the Civil War. Ann turned to me and said, "I can't understand what they are saying!" It was a cross between a southern and western accent on the main character and there were many immigrants with various accents.  The ones who spoke really clear English were "the Indians." Maybe we were supposed to think they were speaking their own language.

I can't recommend it because it's very brutal and bloody in spots, but it seemed to be fairly authentic with the mud and disgustingly dirty "line" workers. They were digging ditches all day. I could just smell the sweat and mud. It was interesting to me to see that the workers lived in tents. I'm not sure if they moved them daily or weekly, but they seemed to move along with the track that was laid.

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I'm thinking of doing some baking, but I don't know if I'll get to it. If you think of it, check back -- might be more pictures. Cheers!

10 p.m. Addendum.  Look what I have to go with some coffee and Elementary!

Kristie's Peanut Butter Hero Cookies

Woo hoo!