My dentist told me that I have a “Princess Pass” ....I am in phase two of recovering from a root canal that “went bad.” My new dentist, I fired the other one and am contemplating a letter to the state licensing board, is wonderful. I am beginning to trust folks with syringes filled with Novocain and high speed drills.
Since I’ve had a Princess Pass, I am finishing the binding of a quilt (pattern is by Peggy Martin) so that it will be off of my UFO list. It’s almost there and I am crossing it off of my UFO list and linking to Susan at Blackberry Creek Home Arts.
I have plenty of dedicated medical support during my Princess Pass weekend - in the form of Ms. Peachy with her Candy Striper outfit.
The last time Peachy wore her little Candy Striper outfit was on Christmas eve when I played the harp for residents of an assisted living center and Peachy “accompanied” me with her charming personality.
This weekend is an anniversary for her - three years ago I drove to the Fayetteville, North Carolina area and adopted her from a fantastic humane society, the Robeson County Humane Society. The members there had treasured her and provided massive amounts of TLC. She had been ill - the Humane Society had “pulled" her from a local “kill” shelter - she was scheduled to be euthanized and no one even recognized her as a poodle because she was in such bad shape. Peachy was lovingly cared for, and she spent most of her time in the office - not the kennels. She became their mascot and office assistant. Being a Candy Striper is second nature with her professional experience as mascot and office assistant.
We had some health challenges when she came to live with us, but that was perfectly fine with us. She was nearly blind when we adopted her but cataract surgery restored her vision. She adores patrolling the yard for squirrels, and it is very clear that restoring her vision enhanced her quality of life immensely. She had a tick born disease which had devastated her immune system, and she was heart worm positive. My incredible vet and the vets and North Carolina State veterinary teaching hospital were responsible for restoring her health. She had just returned from her last medical treatment at NC state when this picture was taken, and the picture became the cover of the Robeson County Humane Society Calendar - Ms. Peachy was also Ms. February - so very appropriate,,,
All that is behind us now - I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to help her overcome those health challenges. This little poodle has given back more love and affection than I could ever imagine. That’s why honoring this weekend is so special for us.
I’m participating in a motivational activity graciously hosted by Susan at Blackberry Creek Home Arts designed to help complete projects that have been languishing.
I can report some “finishes." Two of these “finishes” were never previously written about, which kind of makes them appear like they came from nowhere.
The first was finished late in the fall. Because we had such a warm fall, our begonias and impatiens were still in bloom by Thanksgiving. This quilt now hangs on a wall adjacent to a stairway - a difficult place to photograph it.
I used a New York Beauty block and two block patterns from Carol Doak’s book, Mariner’s Compass Stars I was exploring the use of florals and marbelized fabrics in the round areas inside the New York Beauty blocks.
I was so pleased with how it turned out, that I made another.
This quilt was a gift to my wonderful veterinarian. For the past decade we have been adopting senior, special needs, canine companions - typically the poor souls who are unadoptable. Our vet has gone above and beyond in helping us restore their health. I was racing with time to complete it before Christmas. I did not have time to finish a label, and I believe I want to revisit the bottom of the quilt - the binding looks a bit off. I am hoping that I can “borrow” it from her next week to sew on the label, revisit the binding that needs a little adjustment - and perhaps I can get a better photo! In this photo, the binding was not quite done, and I was holding it!
Friends who saw this quilt in person commented on how “glowy” it is! And again, the mariner’s compass star blocks were the “Africa” and “Belguim” blocks from Carol Doak’s book.
And finally, I think this qualifies as a finish. It’s been languishing since I stopped blogging - about a year and a half ago....
The binding has just a few more inches to go (bottom left) but I think it qualifies as a finish.
Thanks, Susan, for the inspiration and motivation....
"Astronomers at the University of Sheffield have managed to record for the first time the eerie musical harmonies produced by the magnetic field in the outer atmosphere of the sun.
They found that huge magnetic loops that have been observed coiling away from the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as coronal loops, vibrate like strings on a musical instrument.” (Full article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7840201/Music-of-the-sun-recorded-by-scientists.html )
Speaking of musical instruments, I have been spending my time preparing harp music to play at an event that was scheduled for last week. I found that I needed to practice five hours a day, every day, in order to be able to play well for an hour and a half....
Good grief it has been hot here.
The hottest spring and the hottest June that I can remember.
The heat index is 105 today. I’ve been out since the early morning working in the yard. At 11AM I just couldn’t take it any longer. In fact, I was feeling a little sick. We have three acres and I am responsible for taking care of it all...and the worst thing that can happen is to get behind - any farmer would know that.
It is not my imagination that it is this hot - crepe myrtles which are typically in bloom in the last week of June have been in bloom since June 1. I have never seen that. I have some white Natchez crepe myrtles - they always bloom first and blooms last for about three months. In the winter they lose their leaves but have a very interesting shape.
The watermelon colored crepe myrtles lag behind in blooming - but they have started to bloom also. I usually do not see blooms on these until the fourth of July.
Some Before and Afters:
While cleaning out a flower bed I discovered that a tree looked like something from the Enchanted Forest.
Yep, you could see right through it. But I did not notice it until I was cleaning out the bed - there are azalea bushes in front of the tree and a fence directly in back of the tree.
From the azalea side, the side that I see all the time, the tree looked pretty good - branches and leaves. The azaleas hid the hollowness. Yes, it did have a “bird condo” on top but it wasn’t until I was cleaning out the bed from the fence side that I discovered the "enchanted tree.” Dwarves or elves could live there but it was a safety hazard that I am glad I discovered. Here’s the before:
A tree service did a great job with the tree - no damage to the fence or the azaleas. It was really a tight space. Here’s the after:
Since the tree service was out, we had another tree taken down that I’ve been worried about. It had a real bird condo at the top.
Once again, they did a great job - they were able to leave the two scrub trees growing around the dead tree.
And finally. They took down the wild rose bush from hell. I spent a lot of time cutting it back this winter - but it now has more sunlight because we removed a tree last summer which shaded it. I felt it was a danger to the dogs - worried about one running into a branch. And it was also growing into a camellia.
Here’s the before:
Here’s the after:
The tree service just whacked the rose bush - I did the rest...
Another before - Happy Father’s Day to Mr. Blue Bird (before the second clutch):
And the after: FIVE babies hatched two days ago (Picture taken looking into box from the viewing side - there is a reflection from the plexiglass barrier which reduces the possibility of a baby fledging when you check on them)
And in the Kitchen a before and after:
It’s from the book,
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Bakingby Jeff Hertzberg, MD, and Zoe Francois
The basic bread was very successful - and it is true - it takes five minutes a day. No proofing, no kneading. The cost per loaf is about thirty cents. There are about a hundred recipes in the book. We also tried the pumpkin bread - it was outstanding as well.
Here’s a video:
"With bread all sorrows are less” (Sancho Panza speaking to Dapple, his donkey in "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes)
Last Memorial Day weekend Peachy was recovering from her cataract surgery that was performed on the Friday before the holiday weekend.
There were complications, but the final result is fantastic. The quality of her life has been improved exponentially now that her sight has been restored...
Last year at this time our little Poupon was not doing well. Although she is at the Bridge now, her memory lives on. We donated agility equipment in her honor to the New Leash on Life program. The program is a partnership between the Robeson County Humane Society and a correctional center. The inmate trainers do obedience training with three dogs for an eight week period. Now agility has been added to their repertoire. It’s a win-win situation. Almost all of the dogs in the program have been adopted prior to their graduation date. A recent graduate is now in his forever home in Hawaii. The program provides positive elements for the trainers as well. The rate of recidivism for inmates who participate in the program is less than one per cent.
I recently received the links to videos of the three dogs, Buster, Laci and Cody, who are currently in the program. Already Buster and Laci have forever homes to go to, and there is quite a bit of interest in Cody.
Here’s Buster, Laci and Cody:
Our bluebirds are doing well. The babies fledged about three weeks ago and there is now a bluebird couple building a nest in another bluebird house. It is not unusual for them to build a second nest in a different house. I am pretty sure that this is the same bluebird couple who had the first clutch. I tried to encourage them to stay by feeding lots and lots of meal worms. I put them on a tray, and then whistle for the bluebirds. It is funny how they make an appearance right after the whistle. They land on the tray for their meal even though I am about six feet away.
The house that they selected for this next brood can be seen from our kitchen table. It’s been quite interesting to watch the nest building project during breakfast - they seem to be busiest in the morning.
And impatients which reseeded themselves are now appearing every where - including in the driveway. Every year I debate whether I should leave them - it looks a little messy. Every year I just don’t have the heart to pull them up. And this year isn’t any different.
I have a quilt that will be ready to go to the quilter on Tuesday and yarn is on its way to knit acardigandesigned by Louisa Harding (Ravelry link).. I have not knitted in several months. I needed to take a break due to pain in my left thumb. I really am ready to knit again, but there will be no more marathon knitting sessions in my future....
Last week when Jo Ann and I went to visit some gardens during Virginia Historic Garden week, we noticed the absence of birds. It was quite strange.
In the past month we have had two families of birds appear, and they have taken residence in our bird houses. Additionally, a hummingbird is visiting our feeder. We are delighted!
A family of Carolina Chickadees lived here since March 19. They started building a nest right after the cold, snowy weather left the area.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch the babies fledge.
And we have a bluebird couple whose babies hatched just the other day. They live in this house:
Both houses have raccoon baffles which will keep all predators out. And I’ve cut back the camellia near it so that a predator cannot get any leverage up and over the baffle.
We are feeding the bluebirds lots and lots of meal worms.
Meal worms are fillet mignon for a bluebird. I feed the meal worms potato and oatmeal (that’s what is visible in the “serving” dish). We replenished the bluebirds' dish four or five times today. As an aside, the picture shows how well our moss lawn is doing - more about that later!
And in the mean time, I’ve been working on another mariner’s compass quilt.
I had some problems with one particular block. There were two fabrics that I wanted to use, and tried three different times to make it work. The fabrics were simply poor choices for this particular quilt.
I know that there are dogs who can detect drugs, bombs and even cancer. Our companions search out and identify bad quilt blocks. When Maizy finds a bad block, she lays down and ponders over it.
Maizy is right - that block with the red is a little off.
When Cassidy detects a bad block, she stands on it.
They both were right, so I changed it. I tried three times to make that red work, but it was just too intense. So it was eliminated. I substituted a dark rust, which is reading a little dark on my monitor. But it is a change for the better.
As a thoroughly trained bad block detection dog, when I get it right, Maizy nods her head in approval.
Through all this bad block detection and correction, Luci does what she does best, napping on stack of fabric. But that’s okay, as I had all the help I needed.
I met Lady Banks today during the Virginia Historic Garden Week Tour of gardens in Norfolk. I caught of glimpse of her on the porch of a charming carriage house.
She has double, miniature petals, and at first doesn’t even look like a rose. Essentially there were NO THORNS. And then I realized that this was a cutting, and that she actually originally lived here, climbing up the tree...
Or possibly here, lounging by the potting shed
I am captivated by this rose.
She blooms for about three weeks annually;
Has a light, delightful scent;
Is disease and drought resisitant;
and was named after the wife of the botanist, Sir Joseph Banks.
But I also understand that Lady Banks is not for the faint of heart. Her growth is very, very vigorous.
Here she is in white, in another location, pretty much doing what she does best...
The fact that she is thornless encourages me to overlook the “growth” flaw... And I love the sound of her laughter.
I’ve just returned from a trip to the Blue Ridge mountains.
The timing was perfect as it is Virginia’s Historic Garden Week and
I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the home of the ultimate gardener (and
foodie),Thomas Jefferson.
The new director of Monticello has been exercising a new entrepreneurial spirit. New events are being made available to the public. For the first time, Monticello participated in Virginia’s Historic Garden Week program. “Meet the Gardeners” was a special tour at Monticello where individuals could meet the four gardners (there’s only FOUR) and take a tour with them. We also had an opportunity to have lunch on the west lawn with the gardeners. (As an aside, it is my understanding that Monticello is now hosting private events such as weddings on the west lawn- my guess is that this might be a strategy to deal with tougher economic times as well as reduced funding.) This is the closest picture I have that included the luncheon on the lawn (far right):
What’s notable about this photo is that this is one of the winding paths that Jefferson designed - he was interested in designing a garden that was open and relaxed, not the traditional garden rooms that were formal and rigid. Five thousand tulips were planted along the winding path.
The gardens included hundreds of different of varieties of flowers, vegetables and trees. The selection was diverse - it including many plants that were not native to Virginia. Many selections were experimental.
I took a tour with Pat who is the vegetable gardener. Meet Pat, and my mother in law, Jo Ann, on the right.
It is amazing that Pat is responsible for this entire vegetable garden. Every attempt is made to grow the same type of plants that Jefferson grew - it is an interpretation of the original. The garden is mostly organic.
The small structure is the pavillion that Jefferson built as a garden retreat. According to the Monticello web site, “it was used by Jefferson as a quiet retreat where he could read in the evening. It was reputedly blown down in a violent wind storm in the late 1820’s. The pavillion was reconstructed in 1984 based on Jefferson’s notes and archaeological excavations. It overlooks an eight acre orchard of 300 trees, a vineyard, and Monticello’s berry squares, which are pltos of figs, currants, gooseberries and raspberries.”
The position of the garden allowed Jefferson to extend the growing season into the winter months and provides the proper environment for vegetables such as the French artichoke.
This is Pat’s favorite - Sea Kale: Behind the first plant is a blanching pot. In spring the shoots are covered with a blanching pot to encourage growth. When the leaves get six inches high, they are harvested and prepared like asparagus. Two brilliant Australian shepherds are responsible for the garden as well.
The dogs work at night ensuring that deer do not feast on the veggies. The dogs are kept in the area by an underground electric fence. I loved meeting Pat, but I would have loved to meet the dogs.
The harvest from the gardens is given to the employees of Monticello. What a wonderful perk. Some of the harvest is also made available at the Visitor’s Center.
An orchard and a vineyard are below the vegetable garden.
Speaking of vineyards, my husband and mother in law attended a wine blending class at the King Family Vineyards.
They had an opportunity to taste all the wines and then blend them. They needed a designated driver - that was me. While they blended, I finished the binding on my last quilt. The poodle girls kept me company -
We stayed at the Iris Inn. It was perfect in every way. The Inn keepers, Heidi and Dave, are fantastic. Heidi is an incredible cook and Dave was a wonderful host. Katie, the border collie, lives at the Iris Inn. She was delightful. Hands down, this is the best, pet friendly place we have EVER stayed. Our room was surrounded by woods, and it was so much fun to finish the quilt on such a lovely day. I remembered to bring the iron but forgot the ironing board - but it wasn’t a problem...
When we arrived home, we found azaleas in full bloom, the loropetalum doing beautifully and roses beginning bloom...
I’m about 80% done with cleaning out flower beds - hope to finish this week...and do a little drawing a painting - and start a new quilt.
Chong Kropik quilted the Mariner’s Compass Quilt. Her work is spectacular, and I am very pleased. It just needs a binding, then it is done!
The quilt is paper pieced and I hand appliqued the compasses onto the background. I believe all of the fabrics are Moda from the Portobello Market, Peace on Earth and Collection for a Cause - Heritage fabric lines. I decided to do a little different configuration than the last audition when they were lined up like soldiers. They still are a little...
The fabric on the back is quite different. It is not what I originally intended.
The fabric is a “reprint” of an English toile, printed about 1785, entitled, "America Presenting at the Altar of Liberty Medallions of Her Illustrious Sons.” It is a scene of George Washington being guided by Peace and crowned by a trumpeting Fame. Other figures include Liberty, Minerva, and Commerce. (I love this fabric so much that I am planning the next quilt - some of the fabric already arrived - and it is likely that I will use this again.) The red is a wonderful red that works so well with other reds.
Conveniently Windham has another collection of nautical themes that will work wonderfully in the next mariner’s compass quilt. And I discovered that Windham also has a beautiful collection with a toille print of SHEEP, it comes in three colorways and I absolutely love it. It’s from the Clarissa collection
What do you think the little girl on the left has in her basket? Could it be roving to go spin and knit?
I’ve been thinking a great deal about “play” lately. My mother once proclaimed that I am too serious. And I believe she was right. I am trying to fix that - it is a new direction for me.
Mariner’s Compass Quilt Under Construstion (Moda fabrics - Portobello Market, Heritage and Peace on Earth)
I have a story about play and how it saved a life.
About six months ago a young sheltie was homeless in Charlottesville, Virginia. The local animal control officer finally captured her using a humane trap. A sheltie rescue fostered her and provided medical care incuding heartworm treatment. Five months later she was adopted by a Washington DC family. They called her Gigi and she had a sheltie sister, Lucy. Three days after moving to her new home she slipped out the door and was gone. It was February and the frigid winter storms had just moved into the area, and Gigi reverted back into survival mode - terrified of people.
Her family and the sheltie rescue began a unrelenting search for her using some very high tech methods. Such intervention was necessary given the weather conditions as well as the very urban elements of the neighborhood. They began a blog with many frequent updates of sightings, they had an aggressive campaign of fliers throughout the neighborhood, they used a robot dialing service which called every neighbor in their area and provided information about Gigi; a scent dog tracked her; a humane trap was positioned in the area that she was frequenting that also had cameras and motion detectors; her foster mom from Charlottesville returned twice to try to lure her and people were holding night long vigils throughout the night near the trap.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is that what saved Gigi’s life was the desire to play.It wasn’t the fried chicken (a favorite of dogs on the lam) in the humane trap that lured her, it was play. And It is pure serendipity that Gigi’s new Dad is the vice president of a non-profit organization which helps communities build playgrounds -Kaboom. If you would like to read how the desire to play saved Gigi’s life, the story can be foundhere -links for each part of the story, part one through six, are found on the right.
I’ve been reflecting on Gigi’s story and the importance of play. And I also must say that Gigi’s story is very different than the life stories of the little companions who now reside with me. Probably the greatest constrast is Poupon’s story-a little gray, senior poodle who was brought into animal control. It was reported that she was living under someone’s porch. It was February and it was very cold.
She was deaf with very little sight remaining. How far could a dog like that travel? No one began a blog for her, no tracking dog was employed, humane traps baited with fried chicken were not set out for her, there were no fliers or motion detectors or cameras. There were no all night vigils for her.
She was taken to animal control, put in a cage in the coldest part of the facility - the area where they frequently keep the door open so that trucks can pull right up to the building. She was cold and wet. My friend, Tammie, pulled her from that hell, groomed her, and provided the best possible care for her. She was in horrible, horrible shape.
She then came to live with us. Dr. Jones did a dental and told me that the tartar came off in big chunks and you could pick up a chunk and rap it against the counter and it would not break.
She settled in. She began to feel better. She ran and played a bit, more than what I would expect of a dog with such limited sight.
Her blood work looked very good and we decided to try to save her sight sight via cataract surgery on one eye - sight in the other eye was not possible. Unfortunately the cataract surgery was not successful. Shortly after the surgery her health began to decline. She was treated for kidney disease (most likely caused by the amount of bacteria that had been in her mouth for the longest time). Last summer her health began to decline further. Her quality of life was marginal, and she did not respond to medications.
She was my constant companion - she always wanted to sit next to me - whether it was a desk chair or an easy chair. She cried if she wasn’t sitting with me. She sat next to me for every stitch I knitted, and while I was teaching, for every paper I graded, every bit of preparation before class.
When her quality of life reached a low point, we helped her get to the Bridge. That was last fall. I could not write about her life because I could not find a positive perspective. In fact I did not write a post for three weeks. I was looking for a way to honor her life and I was out of ideas. I wrote to a number of people asking for ideas for a memorial and no one had any.
Shortly after Gigi was found, an idea emerged. Peachy’s rescue, the Friends for Life of the Robeson County Humane Society- a NO KILL SHELTER- has begun a fantastic new program - the New Leash on Life and it involves a partnership with the Robeson County Correctional Center. Here’s an excerpt from their web site that describes the program.
"All of the dogs selected for the program are homeless animals and many of them were destined for euthanasia at the local dog pound. By bringing them to the Humane Society, we have saved their lives. And by putting them through the New Leash on Life program, we've made the dogs more adoptable.
Three dogs are selected at a time and paired with an inmate, who housetrains the dog and teaches him/her how to heel without pulling, sit, down, stay and come. They often teach them tricks such as roll over and play dead. The training is done on the Reward system, NEVER punishment. The dogs remain with their inmate trainer for 8 weeks and are also taught to overcome anxiety issues and behavioral problems. At the conclusion of the course, a graduation ceremony is held at Robeson Correctional Center.”
Dogs who have completed this program have been adopted to forever homes in many location - as far away as New Jersey. (A transport can be arranged to the perfect forever home.) What is particularly exciting is that all of the dogs have been adopted prior to graduation - which means that they go to their forever home, not back to the shelter, after graduation. This was especially meaningful for Reba, a German Shepherd mix, who had lived at the shelter for TWO YEARS. Here’s a video of Reba and her trainer, James, going through the paces:
You can see all of the dogs here as well as more videos of the dogs working- (click on Prison Dogs on the left hand menu.)
Recently the Friends for Life newsletter mentioned that the trainers were interested in doing agility with the dogs. I realized that I had some agility equipment that I was no longer using, and I did a little shopping on the web for a tunnel, a ring jump and weave poles. The equipment has been donated to the New Leash on Life program inPoupon’s honor.It is the perfect memorial for her.
Agility is a form of play for dogs - it is a wonderful source to channel energy and provides a challenge for problem solving. It provides a terrific foundation to build partnership, and it is just plain fun. It truly is play. (Thanks Gigi for the reminder of the importance of play!) And a possible new direction for all.
So much to do and I have had some recent discoveries.
I haven’t knitted anything in over a month. I skipped the Ravelolympics and wasn’t tempted by Susan Pandorf’s recent Lord of the Rings / Evenstar Mystery Stole. I was trying to avoid distractions. For the past few months I have been increasing the time that I play the harp, and have been averaging four to five hours a day. An interesting thing occurred - since I put the knitting needles down, the pain in my left thumb that I have become very acquainted with has been absent. For some time I have suspected that knitting was the cause of the pain. But I thought that playing the harp might also be the source of the pain. When I knit I do wear asplint on my thumb to reduce the amount of movement. It helps a great deal but I still experience pain. It is now clear that the pain comes solely from knitting. I do not plan to stop knitting but I need to approach it with a great deal more moderation.
Last week I had the great fortune to take a private harp lesson withFrank Voltz.He is one of my favorite harp composers. I played his composition, Peace Be With You, and learned an incredible amount during the lesson. I would love to take lessons with him via Skype and simply focus on his original compositions. Last week I also attended a fascinating harp work shop with Robbin Gordon-Cartier. She discussed the act of approaching difficult challenges and recommended the book, The Dream Giver, by Bruce Wilkinson. I’ve read the first portion and found it to be a very interesting. On Sunday I played for a small fund raiser, and I think it went pretty well.
There is so much to do outside, but I have been making time to work on a quilt - I did a quick audition of a background fabric with a border fabric and had quite a bit of assistance from two poodle girls. (The bottom mariner’s compass is not sewn together yet.)
