WHEN NOT QUILTING.....

 I work on my flower beds...well my son helps a lot with that.  At the moment the Iris is blooming.

We just added some Lupine's and Calla Lillie's to the front garden.  It's still a work in progress.  Haven't quite got it all organized yet.

On the quilting front...still working on several projects.  I've got a bag full of odds and ends scraps.  I can't stand to throw them away.  They aren't big enough to use, but still I can't throw the away.  Sooooo, I decided to make a Tiny Tile Quilt with them.  The blocks are 3 1/2".

It will take a lot of these to make a quilt, but I have lots of scraps to work with.  Don't we all!  Do you save your tiny scraps?

I'm linking up with:

Nature Notes

Monday Making

Have a wonderful....

ISN'T NATURE AWESOME.....

 I've had a garden for 20 or so years...it always amazes me that you put a seed in the ground and it will grow...tomatoes, corn, radishes, onions, carrots...well you get the idea.  

I don't do the gardening now, but my son does...he planted tomatoes, peppers, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries this year.  

He's gathering the ripe tomatoes...we several of them planted around the yard...his version of gardening is dig a hole, put soil...the kind you buy in bags...mound it up into a hill and put your seeds or plants in it.  It sounds weird, but it works!  We have already been eating tomatoes from the plants  and picked our first green beans...only a hand full this time...but I'm sure we'll have lots later...

We have also been getting strawberries...but they never make it to the house...my son eats them as soon as they ripen.  But the plants are making lots of blooms.

I'm linking to:

Nature Notes

Have an awesome....

AS IF I NEED ANOTHER ONE.......

What is my title about?  Do I really need another project to work on...ummm, not really, but I saw a temperature quilt made of hexies and I really like it...sooooo...yea I goggled a hexie, got a pattern....

So now I'm going to be working on a hexie temperature quilt....can't wait to get started on this. 

I went looking through some of my old pictures for this, it's for Nature Notes over at Rambling Woods....

A few years ago me and the hubby went to our park to see if they had any new "critters" there.  They have a small animal zoo...so not too many "critters".  But they did have a....

Yes that's a peacock...he's up on the roof of one of the buildings....the sky was cloudy...so the picture looks like it's black and white.  But he is in color.

I'm linking to:
Nature Notes
Main Crush Monday

Have a wonderful....

FOLLOWING A TREE....

Have a tree you want to show off?  Head over to The Squirrel Basket to check out what everyone is sharing about their tree. 

This is my tree...a maple...

I took some pictures this month of happenings in and around the tree.  Remember this hole...

my son told me it's a Squirrel Nest...not sure about that one...it seems to close to the ground.  So I went to google to find out about Squirrel Nests...this is what I found....

• Tree Cavity Den – A tree cavity den is often first created by a woodpecker, abandoned by that bird and later claimed by a squirrel. Other tree cavity dens are created through the natural processes that can hollow out an old tree. These homes are squirrel favorites because they provide the best protection from rain, wind and snow.

So I guess it could be a nest...I've seen the squirrels sitting in this hole while eating.  but not sleeping..it must be a stop over while hunting for food.

I also got some pictures of what is at the base of the tree.  Mostly weeds

this is a dandelion growing at the base of the tree.  And I'm not sure what this is, but it has some pretty little yellow blooms...

The Brown and Black Squirrels were at it again...chasing each other up and down the tree.

You can't see too much of them....just a leg of the black squirrel.  Well, that's it for now.

Linky up with...

Nature Notes
I'm Following a Tree

Have a great.....

SPRING OR SUMMER.......

We are having a mix of Spring and Summer weather here.  It has rained everyday for the last 2 weeks.  Several of those days were downpours.......the rest were just rain a little and then stop....continuing like this all day.  So everything is wet...wet...wet. 
The last couple of days it has been in the low 60's and 70's, with high humidity.  According to the calendar it is still spring....but it feels a lot like summer. 
Everything is blooming or about to bloom around here.  The grass is growing really fast.

The Rose Bush I planted two years ago is loaded with blooms...

The front garden is a little bare....haven't planted anything new this spring.  The Hosta's and lillies are doing good. Thinking about some petunias and marigolds to keep the flamingos and gnomes company.

 This is what I call a "Lost Cause Garden".  I've planted lots of stuff here, but nothing seems to grow, except the weeds and grass.  Right now it's a collection of garden pots and other decorations.

Hope everyone has a wonderful.....

Linking up with....

Nature Notes

NATURE......

What do you see outside your back door?  I was watching a couple Fox Squirrels playing in the big Maple.  They were scampering up and down the tree..

I know the pictures aren't very good, but just click on the picture and you'll see a larger version.  And then came along a Black Squirrel......we have 1 Black Squirrel that shows up once in a while. 

You can just see his tail and hind leg.  The brown squirrels don't get along with the black squirrels...they chased each other up and down the tree.  There are several black squirrels around our town, we have one.  What are you seeing in nature?

Black Squirrel

Black squirrels are a melanistic subgroup of squirrels with black coloration on their fur. The phenomenon occurs with several species of squirrels, although it is most frequent with the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Black morphs of the eastern gray and fox squirrels are the result of a faulty pigment gene. Several theories have surfaced as to why the black morph occurs, with some suggesting that the black morph is a selective advantage for squirrels inhabiting the northern ranges of the species, with the black-fur providing a thermal advantage over its non-melanistic counterpart.
Black squirrels share the same natural range as their non-melanistic counterparts. However, black morphs of eastern gray squirrels are more common in the northern portion of its range around the Great Lakes Basin. They occur with the highest frequency in the Canadian province of Ontario, and the U.S. state of Michigan, forming the majority of the species population in those areas. In addition to their natural range, black morphs of eastern gray squirrels were also introduced into other areas of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. Conversely, black morphs of fox squirrels typically occur with the highest frequency in the southeastern portions of the species' natural range.(Wikipedia)

Linking to Nature Notes

WHAT IS THIS?????

While on a stroll around our yard I came across this plant...I've seen these plants pop up around the place, but have no idea what they are.  If someone can help with information, it would be greatly appreciated....

While I was out strolling I came across Spade, our cat.  He seemed very interested in this patch of grass.  He was rubbing his chin all over it.

I'm linking up with Rambling Woods 2 for Nature Notes.  Hop over and see what everyone is sharing in nature.

NATURE NOTES.......

Spring is trying to come here in North Eastern Indiana....but Winter seems to want to linger around.  We have had some cold days and warm days.  The trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I saw the bees are out and busy.  I even saw a mosquito.  And for me Spring means the Tree Frogs are back.  I heard them singing a few nights ago.

I was blog hopping and found this site...The Squirrelbasket.....they have something called I'm Following A Tree...you can get all info on this here.....

I've decided to join in with them.  I'm surrounded by Maple Trees here at my home.  Don't know how long they have been here, but I've lived here since July of 1981.  They are big, strong trees and they are beautiful when in full leaf.  In the Fall they have some beautiful colors.  I have picked out a tree among the many around here and will be reporting on this tree every month.  This is my tree....

The tree was topped a few years ago....so it has lots of new growth.  At this time it is starting to get it's leaves.  Lots of critters visit this tree, sitting, scampering up it, or just crawling up it.  I'll keep you posted on what's going on with my tree.

Also a sign of spring around here is the Violets....they grow wild in our yard, flower beds and gardens.  They are considered a pest  around here...but they are so pretty in the spring.

This one is growing in one of my flower beds.....I think I'll leave it there and see what happens to it over the season.

I'm linking up with.....

Nature Notes

NATURE NOTES.....

The trees are getting leaves, the grass is really green and growing, some of my spring flowers are up.   And one lone Dandelion is growing in the crack of our back step.

 Dandelion is a plant with yellow flowers.Taraxacum officinale is the most common variety of this plant, and it grows in many parts of the world. Botanists consider dandelions to be herbs. People use the leaves, stem, flower, and root of the dandelion for medicinal purposes.

I took these photos last spring.....the life of a Dandelion....

Our back yard, back by the barn, looks like this...

And my grand kids have a wonderful time picking these and blowing....

Thus insuring next years Dandelion.....I am linking up with Rambling Woods for Nature Notes.
 
 

WHAT'S BLOOMING AT HOME.....

I love this time of the year.  The Honeysuckle starts climbing and seems to burst into bloom overnight.  And I love the smell.  Walk past a patch of Honeysuckle and your this awesome burst of fragrance.  Our Honeysuckle is in full bloom right now. 

This is a close up of the Honeysuckle Blooms.....

The area where this honeysuckle is, is it's own eco system.  You have Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine and Pokeberry all growing in this same spot.  The Trumpet Vine and Honeysuckle have grown up the side of the house.

The poor Pokeberry has gotten bent down with all the weight of the vines.  The wind will also knock it down if it blows hard enough.  This is the base of the Pokeberry.

These are the berries hanging on the stems.

I'm linking up with Michelle for Nature Notes.

GOOD, RANDOM, FUN......

Tamar over at Random-osity is the host for The Good, The Random and The Fun...hop over and check out what everyone is sharing.

THE GOOD:
I finally finished up the Sunbonnet Sue Blocks....

This weekend I started the Overall Sam blocks....

 THE RANDOM:
Found this little guy hanging on the kitchen window the other night.  What is it???  It's a Tree Frog, they hang around all over our yard. You can hear them of a night singing to each other.  He's in the upper right corner of the window.  If you want to see a bigger picture, just click on the picture....

THE FUN:
My Nephews carving pumpkins....

Also linking up with Nature Notes......