Oh dear, over half way through April already! Time, slow down!  After days of rain, yesterday was a glorious sunny day and I spent time down by the pond watching the ducks float about. As usual they alarm very easily so this was taken from far away. I wonder if they could be the same ones we see there every year. I identified (with help from some of you) American Black Ducks for the first time visiting us last year.  This has been a good week on many levels. For instance, I've learned from so many of you how to cook squash and eggplant. Thank you for taking the time to share your id ..read more

My second Odd Bunch box has arrived and I've been very pleased with both of them. For $20 a box, I think they are a good deal. All of the items have been fresh, nothing even close to spoiling or odd.  I am enjoying the variety of items included, a nice selection of vegetables and fruit.  I got blackberries in the first box, a fruit I never buy so it was neat to try them. It also had a butternut squash in the first and an eggplant in this one. Two things I haven't cooked before. I cut up the eggplant and roasted it in the oven last night following a recipe online. I didn't find it ..read more

 The storm is past and power has been restored for everyone. Then it was really cold like we had dialed back a season back to winter.  However today, spring hopes are revived as it is going up to 15C.  I did pick up my seed packets while out and about yesterday. I found out last year that these are classified seasonal and only available on the shelves for a brief time, so have to get them early. I bought more of the Zinnia packets because I had good luck growing those last year and they stayed in bloom so long.  I'll be setting up my makeshift green house in the large back ..read more

 Mother Nature had a surprise in store for us. A winter snowstorm began last night and is continuing this morning. Woke up to this... Hopefully winter 2024's very last blast. I'm not at all upset as I've been worried about the lack of ground water the very early spring might cause. Perhaps this will help. And we have not lost the power, which they were warning us about, so fingers and toes crossed... Deanna at Dreamworthy Quilts chose #9 for our Chookshed Stitchers Challenge this month. I was so happy to get out my #9 which is this project, the oldest I think of the WIPs I chose for ..read more

 I get sad sometimes when I see how many folks have stopped blogging; several I had quite a nice email friendship with so I miss them. I guess Instagram is gradually getting more popular, but to me, it doesn't offer quite the same level of communication or connection. I'm going to carry on blogging for as long as I enjoy it. You, my blogging friends, have become an important part of my life!  And it is good for my brain too keeping up with all the little bits and pieces of writing a blog...the linking up, searching, cutting and pasting as we called it in the old days, etc.  We h ..read more

 I thought of some of my blogging friends on Sunday...those who spend time in arenas with the children involved in one sport or another. This is where I was this Sunday...the Kingston Invista Centre, watching Robbie with his team at the final tournament of the year. They'd won all their games right down to the very last one which they lost and there were tears. Life lessons of course, but much satisfaction that the boys had certainly come a long way skill wise. Overall, a wonderful season of hockey.  On my To Do List this week... I've sewed more of the Crossroads quilt blocks. Tryin ..read more

A recap of some things here at the Wooden House I enjoyed this week... I can always pick this one out of a scurry of squirrels because of its' outstanding tail! Learned a new word...scurry. No, not a spring animal which is LeeAnna's prompt this week but a regular year round visitor. Here is a mug rug I just stitched for someone I love and am so grateful she is in my life. Don't paint my nails often but when I do I usually use clear nail polish and this one has shiny flecks in it that I like.  Here is my latest lunch out, Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, something I ..read more

Our trails have dried up and there is no ice on the pond. The geese have been floating around on it.  MUCH earlier than usual and such a welcome sign of spring. LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week is if we have a favourite flower of spring. Truthfully any of the early blooming flowers are a welcome sight for me, I really can't pick just one. But I do especially love to see the Lilac tree bloom which is brief but showy. What about you? Robbie spent part of his March break here with us and it was fun to have a 10 year old in the house. Children really have their own uniqu ..read more

We are kind of holding our breaths re the weather. Still no snow. Is it possible we could slip into April without another snowfall. Here is the backyard view this morning; not a flake in sight, and sunshine streaming in.  I'm playing again with the Bramble Blooms Improv project...more to be found here at Quilty Folk.  I need to nail down what I am doing with this next border. With that in mind, I began embellishing petals. Fun stitching of an evening. Weekend machine stitching and the Blue Courthouse Steps blocks are together. Much larger than I thought it would be. I really s ..read more

You know you're living in the country when a heading in the local forum reads..." Do Not Approach: Bobcat Sighted". It was noted to look healthy and was not aggressive. One time people did not have to to be told to stay away from such a wild animal. Once Tony showed me a clip of a man and woman being chased by a buffalo...they thought they could pet it or some such nonsense. But perhaps it is not new. Just that with our impressive social networks we are hearing about it. I read the phrase "common sense is not so common anymore" dates back to the 18th century. So folks must have been getting up ..read more