Wendy and Elsa took full advantage of the beautiful weather this week.
Soon the blacktop will be too hot for their pretty little feet, but we have plans for that, too.
We are getting estimates to have the blacktop removed and a concrete driveway poured.
Stay tuned....
Lois
Here's another sign of Spring that some people don't necessarily want in their gardens.
We don't use chemicals to get rid of weeds in our yard because of the dogs. It makes life very interesting to see what grows and what doesn't. If a plant is unusually annoying or even dangerous, we manually dig it out.
So, the "Dandy Lions" stay. They're pretty! And, the pups love to go out and sniff each one.
;),
Lois
OK, it was a shopping trip, but it was fun to think we finally could have a road trip. :)
The wood store is 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic one way North of us. Kjell has a few projects in mind and needed to get a variety of different types of wood to make them.
So here is today's haul all loaded in the back of the car.
And, now the fun begins!
;),
Lois
There are signs of life in the flower pots on our front porch.
These mums are relative newcomers to our garden - I believe they've only been here five or six years now. I'm so impressed that they survive winters that include several days up to three weeks of below freezing temperatures.
Expect to see a large spray of beautiful yellow flowers in each of the two flower pots in the late summer.
:),
Lois
The White Iris are in bloom this week.
Each of the flowers in our garden has a story. These Iris were a gift from a friend many years ago when bulbs were being thinned in her garden. My friend passed a few years ago so having these lovely flowers each spring are such a wonderful remembrance of her. It's as if she comes to visit me again every spring.
Lois
This is a peek inside my needlework studio. Kjell had shelving built to the ceiling for my yarn stash that rotates constantly. There are all types of yarn here: wool, acrylic, cotton, bamboo, silk, and so many blends....
I use all different types of yarn depending on the item I am knitting or crocheting. I just came across this video of how yarn is produced from sheep to yarn in Norway. After watching it, you will know why wool is so very expensive! Take a look here:
That was fun, wasn't it!
Lois
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Wendy: May I have a menu, please?
What are your specials today?
The chair backstory: Wendy gets into chairs herself, but sometimes has to ask for help to get down. Lawn chairs tend to fall over when she jumps out alone so she "calls" for her human to come outside and hold the chair while she descends. I was in the kitchen when I heard, "bark," pause "bark," pause.... I went outside to find her sitting here as if waiting for the server to arrive to take her order.
It is so much fun to have Labs!
;),
Lois
The Peace Lily in my indoor garden is in bloom so I am sharing its beauty.
Lovely!
Lois
Here's what is on the hook today. I'm now making a scarf with this stitch to see how I like it to use to make something bigger. I like it!
I think I'll make a hat to match, too.
Below the crochet hook is the front side of the work. I have the scarf folded over so you can see the back side of the work above the crochet hook. I like the reversible stitch for a scarf. Nice!
What are you making, baking, growing today?
Lois
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There's a saying here on the South Coast of Ohio: If you don't like the weather, just hang around for ten minutes. It will change.
I took the picture above last night just before going to bed.
Yep. Snow. I'm sure it will be gone before Noon.
Lois
I love this pattern stitch so here's another blanket I'm working on this week. These colors would be great for a man or a woman. I have a couple more rows to go and it will be a generous size lap blanket or a crib blanket. These are also wonderful to have in the car.
You are seeing it draped over the back of my recliner where I work on it in the living room. When finished, I'll photograph the blanket and list it in our Etsy Shop where I have similar blankets in other colors available already.
What are you making, baking, growing this week?
All the best,
Lois
Update: It's finished! More images of the finished project here. :)
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We enjoyed this high calorie energy breakfast recently.
That's french toast made with my home made bread and covered with real maple syrup, thick bacon, and goetta. For those who aren't familiar with goetta, it is a German sausage made with oats, pork, and spices. It's a specialty in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Yum!
Lois
When we pulled into our driveway and I got out to open the gate I heard a tremendous noise from the treetop at the bottom of our driveway.
There at the top of the tree, about 70 feet in the air was a huge hawk screaming. I don't know if it was a mating call or for some other reason. Does anyone know why a hawk would do this?
Lois
This is called a Black Tulip, but it is actually a very deep purple.
I received quite a few bulbs from a friend who received them from the city when they were raising the tulip bulbs from a display to replace them with other flowers many years ago. These lovely blooms continue to bring joy to us year after year.
Happy Spring!
Lois
Our lilac is just beginning to bloom. I wish I could share the lovely aroma with you.
:),
Lois
Elsa is in one of her favorite spots watching the world go by. The pups can go in and out of the back of the house to the fenced back yard through the dog door whenever they wish, but also enjoy sitting by the front window.
We definitely have a very effective alarm system if anyone comes close to the house.
;),
Lois
That's our sweet Wendy sound asleep with one of her toys.
The same as human children, she likes to cuddle with a toy as she falls asleep. Well, actually the toy is in her mouth so there is no chance it will get away.
;),
Lois
I planted these large white tulips 35 or so years ago and had to move them once when we had a water line break. I had just an hour to run out to the front garden and save what I could. Fortunately, I was able to lift, thus save these beauties and many more like them.
It's amusing that there are a few in the middle of the yard where they got placed when soil was filled into the trench after the water line repair. Those were ones I didn't find to lift, but managed to survive anyway. Catherine carefully cuts around them when she mows the grass early in the season (she'll laugh when she sees this.) It's fun to see them out in the middle of the lawn.
:),
Lois
I only have one of these left after thirty years. I guess I could raise the bulb at the end of the season and check to see if there are any new bulbs I could separate, but I don't want to risk losing this one.
I call this my Candy Stripe Tulip, but I'm sure there is a different official name for it.
There was a period many years ago when I attempted to plant as many different varieties of tulips and daffodils as I could find. I found quite a few, that's for sure!
Happy Spring!
Lois
A few weeks ago I showed you the center of this crochet piece. I was working with a pattern stitch design trying to decide if I wanted to make something with it and, if so, what.
I really liked what I saw so have continued adding rows of pink and grey to this one. A couple of days ago I thought it might be a baby blanket and I'd add a toy to go with it, but now the blanket has grown into a large lap or even recliner blanket. Stand by for what I decide it will be when finished. I'm having fun with this stitch!
In the meantime, I made a lap blanket in the same stitch, but different colors. It is in the shop here if you'd like to see how it looks finished.
What are you making, baking, growing this week?
All the best,
Lois
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The new blossoms in the garden today are yet another type of daffodil. These are the same height - 12 to 15 inches - as the common King Alfred yellow daffodils, but the flowers are clusters of multiple blossoms on the top of each stem. The blossoms are extremely fragrant.
Each day something different is blooming.
I love it!
Happy Spring,
Lois
A few days ago our Tulip Magnolia bloomed outside our dining room doors.
This week our Red Bud Trees are in bloom outside our living room doors.
I absolutely LOVE Spring!
Enjoy!
Lois
The parade of color continues in our garden.
It is so much fun to go outside and see what is newly blooming in the garden each morning.
I'm so glad I spent so much time in the garden years ago because we are still reaping the benefits of bulbs, trees, and shrubs that continue to bloom year after year.
What is blooming now where you live?
Happy Spring!
Lois
It is amazing how just a few Daffodils can fill a room with the sweet fragrance of Spring.
Happy Spring!
Lois
The Easter Bunny Came! Those were the words we heard from the kids every year as they were growing up. It seems the Easter bunny has remembered where we live all these years. ;)
We hope you all had as an enjoyable Easter as we all had.
All the very best,
Lois
Our Erik will be 12 years old tomorrow on Easter Sunday.
Of course, there will be a party. But, ssssh, please don't tell him.
;),
Lois
Welcome to this month's Needlework and Wood Working Update.
Above is a new carving from Kjell, "Faces of Love." What a lovely Wedding or Anniversary gift. It is to be mounted on the wall without a frame. The depth of the carving provides movement and texture as you move around the room. $83. More images and information here.
We sincerely appreciate your encouragement, comments, shares, likes, favorites, and purchases, too!
All the very best,
Lois
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