Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Bee Skeps and Filbert Husks


I Hope you noticed that "Free Bird" was on my 2011 Stitching Goals List.  I actually finished something on the list for the first time since May 3rd.  So to celebrate that accomplishment, I've kitted up my August Goal - Chessie & Me's "Quaker Bee Sampler" (it's still August after all!).  As I did so I noticed that Quaker Bee has the dreaded stitching over one for some of the motifs!
  
It's the last day of August, and the colors outside are hinting at Fall.

Tom-Cat says it's a fine day to Take a Walk!

The big old Cottonwoods have begun to turn color...

And someone, Steller's Jays perhaps, have found and eaten all the ripe Hazelnuts.  The path to our driveway was littered with empty husks.

There are plenty of ripe blackberries.  My sister has already picked and frozen over 10lbs worth.  

I recently notice a new variety of Oak. I think it is a California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii).  The leaves are much larger than those of our Oregon White Oak.

I walked to the quarry pond in hopes of seeing some turtles.  No turtles, but oodles and oodles of frogs. We think maybe they were bullfrogs because they "yelled" as they hopped into the water.  In Oregon, bullfrogs were introduced in the early 1900s, and were probably brought here as a food item.  The males have a booming call; juveniles give a chirping call when startled—often as they retreat into water.  I went to this website to listen to "Alarm Calls" and it sounded just like what we heard!    

The thistle seeds make lovely clouds before the wind carries them off one by one.

The wild honeysuckle is still blooming.

We'll end our walk today at my sister's garden gate.  This glass art dragonfly decorates the bright blue gate entrance to her Dahlia Garden.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Before and After (Now)

Design - "Free Bird"
Designer - Plum Street Samplers
Fabric - 36 count Vintage Basketweave Lakeside linen
Fibers - Crescent Colors - one strand over two threads
Started - July 2011
Completed - 30 August 2011

If you've been following my "Free Bird" Saga, you'll know that I ended up "personalizing" this piece through error and intention.  The alphabet is alternates navy and red letters, and the tails of the peacocks have been modified so that each is unique.

I'm always surprised when I look through photos of May and June, so see the changes that late August / early September brings to my gardening efforts.
For this Tuesday Garden Party, I thought I'd share some "before" and "after" shots.   

May 23, 2011
My large glazed pots over-wintered pretty well.

August 30, 2011
I added a few annuals and now they are beyond lush!

May 19, 2011
My begonias and fuchsias started out compact and tidy!

August 30, 2011
Now they are rambunctious and profuse!

May 13, 2011
The front of the house - clean and ready for a new gardening year

August 30, 2011
The front with - yes I counted - 186 pots!

May 23, 2011
Hostas and Ferns...

August 30, 2011
Hostas and Ferns...plugging along...

May 23, 2011
Fuchsias potted up and set out...

August 30, 2011
Now it's a lush hummingbird heaven!

May 27, 2011
Over-wintered and newly potted fuchsias.

August 30, 2011
Fuchsias exploding in bloom.

May 23, 2011
A second look...

August 30, 2011
I love all the different blossom colors and shapes.

May 22, 2011
The Sedum Theatre

August 30, 2011
The Sedum Theatre

May 24, 2011
Note the two begonias on the middle shelf and the fuchsias on the top shelf...

August 30, 2011
Note the monstrous begonias on the top shelf!

August 30, 2011
And the fuchsia now cascading down the woodpile.

I hope you've enjoyed the Garden Tour - I certainly have loved spending time with my plants this spring and summer.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Eugene Celebration 2011


I took some cross stitch in to be framed in mid-July. 
This is Cedar Hill's "March Bouquet" and I'm very pleased with the finished product.  Capper's (a local frame shop) does a wonderful job suggesting mats and frames, and they excell at stretching stitched pieces so the lines are tight and true.  It was worth the wait!
   
No weather worries to impact a truly Eugene day on Saturday!

Everyone was in a festive mood as the Eugene Celebration Parade began!

We had Bagpipers....
  
and SMART Readers...

and Storm Troopers...

and our Reigning Slug Queen!

The Knotty Knitters knit as they walked the parade route...
  
The 100 Hen March was well represented!

I liked Greenhill Humane Society's entry! 

We had Belly-dancers...

and Hoe-Dads!

and Marching Bands...

Something for Everyone!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Cats of Clos du Bois

Design - "Love My Cat" Snippet
Designer - Lizzie Kate
Fabric - 28 count Wichelt Lambswool linen
Floss - WDW & GAST & DMC
Started - 15 June 2001
Completed - 1 July 2001

Several people (including Ann @ Beadlework!) have asked about the cats who show up regularly on my blog...

So why, you might wonder am I posting a photo of a dog?  This guy, Black Dog, showed up out of the blue about 8:30am Friday morning.  After calling several neighbors (to no avail), I decided to post a FOUND DOG (no tags) on Craig's List.  Within 30 minutes the owner had called me...

But while we all waited for the owner to arrive, Black Dog provided much interest to the denizens of this house...some of whom were braver than others!

At Clos du Bois, our current Cat Story begins in April of 2001...

A small apricot feral cat, we first named Leo, and upon further examination, then renamed Cleo, showed up at our house...and stayed... 

...and on May 30, 2001 gave birth to five kittens (on the floor in my closet!)

The kittens grew apace!

And not long after their birth, this handsome fellow showed up - looking remarkably like some of the kittens! Tom-Cat!

We kept all five kittens until they were weaned, and after they'd had their first shots, two of the kittens were adopted out.  Cleo, Tom-Cat, and the remaining three kittens all had vet visits which included vaccinations, and spaying and neutering, and flea medication! 

Cleo at head, Parvati in middle, Solomon on bottom left, Padma on bottom right
The kittens grew and grew and grew - until they far out weighed their mother.  But Cleo remained Queen of the Cattery.

The kittens (with the advise from our vet) were raised as "Indoor Cats" so as to prolong their health and life-spans.  Cleo and Tom-Cat, both originally feral, stayed on as "Indoor/Outdoor" Cats.

Parvati Patel, one of the kittens, should be a 100% indoor cat, but upon further review (she has an extremely loud, Siamese-style voice!), she is allowed outside with supervision!  

Sadly, we lost our Cleo-Cat one night early last August (I blogged about it here).  She demanded to spend the night outside (not unusual), but did not appear for breakfast the next morning.  After several weeks of fruitless searching which included calls, door-to-door, posters, and the like, we had to think that she'd met her match with another nocturnal predator of some sort. 

So we still have Tom-Cat (Daddy-Cat), and his twins:

Padma and Parvati
...Padma and Parvati Patel.  They are named for a set of twins in the Harry Potter series.  Padma is our Big Boy (20 lbs or more).  He is a sweetheart, totally purrlicious, looks most like his mother, and has a small high voice. He is an Indoor Cat, and happy to be so as he finds the outdoors to be a bit overwhelming.

And we have Solomon, our Handsome Boy - a truly lovely Red Tiger.  He too is an Indoor Cat, though he is willing to dash out and explore if a door is not closed properly...and seems to be a be jealous of his sister's Outdoor Adventures.        

Parvati and Tom on the look-out

And that is the story of The Cats of Clos du Bois!