Morning Walk

A perfect Summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing,the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent

Summer Discoveries

The bat was found by Slugger in the jungle Gym area, It appears to have bite marks in it as from a cat. We have a fair amount of bats that show themselves at Twilight. They are actually pretty cool as they flit through the air. Ducking and diving as they fill up on that nights dinner.

Last night while setting up a campfire on the last day of school. Yoda found these two neat nature discoveries. The butterfly was found while setting up a tent and the Chrysalis was still on the butterfly's body. Dad helped to get it off. It is very beautiful. We think it is a Black Swallowtail.

Fathers Day at Genesee Country Museum

Love this stretch of farmland that we pass on the way there.

Jugs in the Pioneer cabin, note the corn cob for the cork stopper

Talking to the Tinsmith

Bumblebee on the Comfrey
Comfrey is an herb that has many uses most pioneer farmers would try to have it on their property. We had it for a long time but the deer also love it. The blossoms are wonderful to sugar for decorations. I learned this trip that they sugared flowers as follows: Using a feather and eggwhite gently paint the front and back of each flower, coat them in granulated sugar and place them on a greased plate and let harden 24-48 hours depending on the humidity,

Genesee Country Museum is one of our very favorite places to go. We love to see what is happening where, it is a place of quiet gentleness, the era of hard work and quiet. They were very "green" by necessity it shows just how complacent we have become.

Slugs for Summer

Are slugs just not one of the yuckiest things around? My kids think so and we have an over abundance of them right now. We have had like 4 inches of rain in the last 72 hours. Every tree has slugs crawling up them . . . .Slugger counted 50 on one tree alone. The best killer is a shallow dish of beer and they drown them selves, salt directly on them or a firm and direct squash by ones foot is sufficient.

What is the purpose of slugs besides leaving a gooey mess on pets, ruining plant leaves and the like. This is our quest- the purpose of slugs. For now we will prevail in our vigilance in obstructing them from the garden!

Summer Solistice

Summer Fun begins here!

Never enough Ice Cream

The First of the Lilies

Stacking wood for the fall, hard to imagine when it is 85 and humid but come fall/Winter we will be loving it every minute.

Marvelous watermelon on hot summer days.

Thoughtful Thursday

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast — you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. — Eddie Cantor

Sleep and Beds

So this is a post that posted before I got anything typed. then when I typed it seemed to eat the post - so we'll try again.

This is our bed- looking pretty good as it is either covered with clean clothes, cats or paper/card making/scrapbooking stuff. This is one of my favorite quilts. Very simple but pretty.

We just got Yoda a new bed. His very own Twin, no more Loveseat futon that his feet hung off and was incredibly hard. Last night was his first night in it. It looks so weird to see him in it. It is so much higher off the ground than the futon ever was.

Sleep I think is incredibly important. Getting enough and getting good quality. Fatigue can manifest itself in many ways, forgetfulness, decreased concentration, in attention, anger, we need 8 hours but how often do we get it? The kids need 9-11 hours but that is not all that often either. We need to go back to the days of rising and setting with the sun. I had a college roommate who was one of 9 children. her mom had few injuries with the kids and she said it was attributed to them getting enough rest.

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002

Oh to have enough sleep or the luxury of an afternoon nap. Afternoon nap two of the best words in teh english language.

Weekend Wanderings

Harriet Hollister State Park

Pepsi, hamburgers, pasta salad, Potato salad,watermelon, forgot the Smores

Honeoye Lake

Sunset at the end of a great weekend day in the beginning of summer

April Nature Quilt

Well just to follow March here is April looking outside my door in Nature represented in Fabric. This is again to be seen as what I see not what i think, not what my mind thinks I should see.
April is such a transition month! You can see there was much more green coming into the picture and bits of color showing here and there. There were many sweet violets in the grass this year, Bloodroot and trillium in the forest.
Although the green is returning there is still much tan and green is coming but it is not the dominant color.Skies are more blue. Bits of yellow and purple are the first to appear in the gardens.

March Nature Quilt

This is what Nature looked like in March outside our door. Very brown/tan with little green yet to show its cloaks. There were yellow aconites and some early marsh marigolds at the end of the month as well as Forsythia but in general where I hike it was brown, tan with a little snow peeking out here and there. I did complete this during the said month but for some reason did not get a photo taken until mid-June!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This is a quintessential food of spring.
Alongside asparagus, Fiddleheads and artichokes.

Here is the recipe that I like to use: It is from this book
I believe that the book is out of print but it has been well used in my house for the past almost 20 years- published in 1990

I have modified the recipe over the years and therefore I can post it here.




Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
3 cups fresh or frozen un sweetened strawberries
1 1/4 cup sugar
3T quick cooking tapioca
2 cups fresh or frozen un sweetened Rhubarb
1 double Pie crust from scratch or buy in the refrigerated section at the grocer.

Partially thaw strawberries if frozen, do not drain. Slice fresh strawberries into bowl, mix with Rhubarb, add sugar and tapioca. Toss fruit til coated and let sit at least 15 min for fresh and 45-60 min for frozen. ( sometimes at this point the frozen will have to much juice)
Pour mixture in to pie shell.
Put top Pastry over fruit mixture. Crimp edges of pastry and trim off excess pastry crust from edge of Pie pan. Cut vents for steam to escape in top crust.

Bake 375 degrees for 25-50 minutes for fresh- it should be bubbling and pastry should be nicely brown,tan in color. 50-75 min for frozen. I often put a pan underneath it as it can be messy while baking in the oven. If crust browns to much, cover with foil.

Watch for another Rhubarb favorite soon.
Strawberries are here though so yum yum my favorite!!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

"I think the character that you learn in Scouting—working together, being honest with each other, being close knit ... and depending on one another, on our camping trips and doing things—all these things build character in a young man that he takes with him into adulthood and makes him a much better citizen. And that's why Scouting to me has always been an organization I've always wanted to help. I think it's one of the best youth organizations that we ... have in this country."

James A. Lovell Jr., President, Lovell Communications, and Mission Astronaut, Apollo 13

GVQC Quilt Show

Attended this event. WOW in the past it has never been this big. it was held at a new venue this year. RIT Field House. It certainly held it up to a new dimension, much more like the national quilt shows. It was fun to run into some old friends, some quilting friends and mom. I only had a few hours and there was so much I know I missed some. It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Very inspiring and stimulating.

New Fabric and new Quilt

These are the new fabrics that i just got. Love the Amy Butler in the back. The next one looks sweet and Asian all at the same time. The 2 smaller pieces scream vintage cottage to me. I am looking forward to using them all shortly. I have to many projects under the needle right now but it keeps life interesting. I need to stitch "Nature in May" and then upload it. I have been knitting this Baseball season instead of sewing binding on . Fabric is like paint for the Fiber Artist. There are so many possibilities that can be done with it. Snip it, Stitch it, fuse it, cut it, glue it, Love it!!!

First Friday

First Friday of the Month I gather with about 4-6 other women to chat, share creations projects techniques and of course delicious food. We all bring a card or project to share, usually made while we are there. We have a potluck lunch with yummy food and good conversation. We gather in Penn Yan coming from Rochester and Syracuse. This is a very special creative time that I look forward to each month.
I am thankful to have this be a part of my life!

Almost Summer

This is what almost summer looks like here in Western NY peony's, snakes sunning themselves, early strawberries, Portulaca in the sun.

Daily Hiking

Thoughtful Thursday

New Shiny Oak leaves

Lovely sweet Locust blossoms

New colored pencils to inspire, record, reflect with

The Meadow- wish the picture was clearer and that you could smell the sweet scents of early summer or late spring depending on how you view your calender.

Volunteer

Even if it's a little thing, do something for those who need help, something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.

~~Albert Schweitzer

Where do you volunteer your time and talents?
My list:

• Church - Teaching children, mission work, Creative offereings
• Scouting- Girl and Boy Scouts
• Ronald Mc Donald House
• PTA
• School Classrooms
• Youth Baseball
• School Musicals
• Local Library
• Foodlink
• Community Gardening
• Cards for Soldiers

As the Quote says do it for the Privilege of doing it, You will feel great!!!

On the Needles

Currently I am knitting a Swing Jacket by Noro. Noro is a yarn made in Japan. It is beautifully dyed wool in very natural colors. My choice is quite representative of the spring colors herein Western NY
When it is finished I will post a finished picture. I am on the yoke and then I need to do the collar and sew up the seams. I have not made a knitted garment in a very long time. It has been very enjoyable.