Gazebo time!

The week is done - but not quite. I have one Zoom this evening - an odd time, but all that would fit everyone's schedule. Be sure to check it out -- it's all about Free Motion Quilting AND thread painting, and my session is excellent. The store? Sew Productive in Acton! You'll find some valuable tips for those who want to up their game with free motion or just get in the game. 

So, I have almost a free day to do what I want. It's more like playing catchup than getting anything done! I've already tidied up some things in Studio B, making the place look less like a cyclone has hit. I finished one of the ten lecture topics and can put those samples away. Yeah! 

However, this happened yesterday. It was a glorious day outside, and I could NOT help myself. It's all about mental health! 

The gazebo is back in business

It's almost summer! Well, who cares about summer - I just care about the temperature and the sun! I got the lawn chair out, and I'm in my glory. But not before I did a wee bit of yardwork, necessary after a winter with dogs. Almost all our snow is gone, and it's muddy, which makes Murphy very happy. 

As I sat, I watched her take the one-armed bear and proceeded to rip all his stuffing out. Looking closely, you can see bits in the background on the deck and below the little square box on the left. Yep --- she plunked herself down in the flower bed and ripped. It needed to be thrown out anyway, so she had one last day of fun with it. A helicopter was going overhead when I took this picture. Yep -- just like people, she turned to the sky to see where the noise was coming from. 

MOM - there's something in the sky!

Oh boy -- there are a LOT of leaves in the pond. I'll dig out the net and attempt to clear some of it later today. 

Lexi and I ventured into the forest for our morning walk. If we stayed off the main trail, most of the snow is gone, so it was OK and still frozen in the morning. It was above zero all night, so I don't think it'll be frozen this morning, but we'll venture in again. The snow on the main paths is granular but still slippery in spots. That ice just doesn't want to leave, and I noticed a few places, but smaller and fewer, of ice on the sidewalks! 

Lexi enjoying the forest

The tree maintenance people have been around the neighborhood all week cutting down diseased or dying trees, and they were doing the same thing in the forest. While this tree looked healthy on the outside, it wasn't on the inside. So it's gone. 

Not so healthy on the inside

They just left the trees in the forest, although I think they took some of the branches and mulched them. Not sure what indicated mulch worthiness. It's incredible how quickly a tree can disintegrate and turn into - well, what does one call it? It's not ashes, it's not dust, but it's something! It all goes back into the soil, so we'll have lots to watch as these trees disintegrate this summer. Some trees go fast, and others have been around for years! 

Culling the forest

And there's Murphy with her new bear! And NO, Murphy, you are not taking that one outside! Mom said so! 

MOM - PLEASE!!!!!

I even managed to get a bit of work done in Studio B. The last of the half-square triangles are trimmed. Wait - the last of this group! There are still more to trim. I should get them pressed, and then they will be ready for the next few minutes of downtime. Now that I've done a great job trimming them, I must start using them! 

The half-square triangles are trimmed

Then, I needed to join some batting scraps. It's so easy with the fusible tricot interfacing. Yes, I could buy the tape, but I buy this interfacing by the bolt and cut the strips. I use the yardage for T-shirt quilts and have several waiting to be done. 

Joining scraps of batting

I have five placemats to quilt. Remember, these were the ones I did at the December quilt retreat. It's time to quilt them. I had enough backing fabric to cut a piece long enough to position them all side by side. The batting strip is made to fit using leftover bits of black batting. And then I laid the placemats out side by side. It felt like putting babies to bed! 

The placemats are ready to quilt

You can see I'm also in the process of choosing a thread. It's so easy to decide when you see the various colors side by side. Actually, I've unwound a length of thread and run it across the pieces. That makes it so easy. You don't need to decide - the thread color will speak to you. It is NOT the bright green or red, but a toss-up between the two dull colors. This is NOT about the quilting stitches - it's about creating texture on those placemats and holding them together! 

So I have some tidy-up things to accomplish today, a bit of writing (pictures were taken yesterday), and well, I'll find other things to do. And let's not forget about the gazebo. I see it will be a warm, sunny day today, and I would be remiss if I missed the opportunity to nap in the gazebo. Or maybe I'll just sit out there and read. I should take my laptop, and I can do my homework, or I could even write out there! 

This is my easy weekend! There are a total of three Zooms, and all of them are easy to prepare. Next weekend is a bit more work, so I've got to start focusing on that this weekend. Plus, there is the never-ending parade of paperwork, and since I've ignored it for a couple of days, things have to be done today. There's a Virtual Retreat next weekend, so prepare for that! 

On that note, have a super day, get outside, and enjoy the weather if you can. There's heavy rain tomorrow, but how can you trust the weather people. We were supposed to have heavy rain today, and that's not happening. So, it's a good thing I don't waste much time contemplating the weather. Look at the next couple of hours and go for it! 

Ciao!!!!