16 Year Aussie Quilt

I must admit that this fabric has been sitting in my stash for, well, 16 years. FINALLY, my buddy Cindy Phillips found the pattern, I copied it, and now my Aussie Quilt is almost done - after a wonderful four day quilting weekend with my dearest friends. It's not my finest, but there IS so much meaning packed into the cockatoos, lizards, parrots, wattle, Aboriginal art, fish, kangaroos, koalas, kookaburras, wombats, echidnas, and emus living on this fabric which was purchased during our two family trips to Australia!

A Moby Memory...

Came across this sweet memory of our dear Moby in his later years - probably because Sydney has her heart set on getting a Golden Retriever pup this spring (and I am secretly excited!) We're not going to get another dog YET...but when we do, it will be a Golden :) Just a big hunk of love he was.

Our History on Methow Valley Trails

We started coming to the Methow Valley to ski when Sydney was 3 and Adam 7, usually staying in the awesome Wolf Hollow Cabin near Winthrop. That first year, Syd rode in a "pulk" sled which was pulled behind skis. Once, Vern took a spectacular spill at the bottom of a long hill, and of course the pulk stayed upright while he dove into the snow. She just kept saying "Again!  Again!" We skiied by that run yesterday and smiled. So many friends and family and dogs and adventures over the years... It's a bit different now with the two of us, but still such a sweet time in our little Eagle Chalet Cabin.

Oh to Have a Dog's Nose...

This gorgeous photo was part of a "local favorite pet" display in a Winthrop Art Gallery this weekend. So perfect. We humans have 5 million scent receptors in our snouts, Dachshunds have 125 million, Beagles and German Shepherds have about 225 million, and the legendary Bloodhound has about 300 million! Can you IMAGINE smelling what a Bloodhound smells?  Me neither...but I bet you will love this quote from my Dog Calendar:  "Have Confidence:  If I can sniff, I mean really sniff a dog's butt for upwards of ten minutes only to realize I have the wrong guy and still walk away as if nothing were wrong, then no human should ever feel awkward about anything ever again."

one room haven...heaven

Last year at this time we planned to stay at this little cabin in Winthrop. Dad's condition deteriorated quickly and I rushed back to Iowa. Arrived in time to cuddle up with him for his last hour...so fast forward a year and here we are at that same little cabin. Reflecting on his good long life tonight.

My Four Little Ol' Maidens...

From the four baby chicks hatched last spring, THREE turned out to be roosters. And very noisy roosters at that - too noisy and nasty for Owl Moon Meadow. Quick post on Craigslist and - voila - they go home with a sweet Russian lady. Now the girls are quietly roving around the garden, happy as clams, with no one is telling them where to go or what to do! At night, in the fairly large chicken coop, they snuggle together on the top perch - slumber party style. LOL!

My YouTube Morris Footstool Cushions!!!

Well, Vern builds these gorgeous Morris Rocking Chairs and then he wants me to make cushions so we can sit on them.  I decided making the REAL cushions were way out of my comfort zone...plus the wait list for the upholstery class in Spokane is three years long. So we had them done professionally. BUT the footstool cushions seemed manageable and after a few instructional YouTubes from a sweet little Russian Lady named Evelyn Beuma...VIOLA!!  The first one is in the living room and the second coming later tonight!

Air BnB's are Always...Interesting!?! :)

We love to stay in Air BnB's in Portland...and everywhere else for that matter!  We reserve a "whole house" so Vern does not have to share anyone's bathroom (lol!) and we can invite folks over. Last week, we spent three days in the wonderful "Mississippi" neighborhood, in a very cool, completely renovated retro home with a refrigerator and stove just like my grandmothers, espresso machine, stocked pantry, claw footed tub, and taxidermy trophies all over the walls. The antlers stared right down on us in bed, and the squirrel sat atop the toilet bowl. Only in Portland... :)

Tiny Babies...BIG Lives...

What a joy it is to rock these itty bitty babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I write each one's name on my closet wall with a permanent marker so I see them every day :)  Here is a onesie compared with my hand today.

Trial and Error: Finding Little Balls

Trying to figure out what will work inside the fabric for the Nepal Necklaces. Something readily available and affordable for the women volunteers who will make them.  Wooden beads?  Very expensive to buy...  Salt dough beads?  Might be eaten by critters...  Little wooden dowels?  Too much trouble to find and sand...  Acorns or Buckeyes?  Probably would not be able to cross international borders...  So the search goes on!   Any ideas???  :)

When My Man Wants a Cherry Pie...

Vern's only wish for his birthday is ALWAYS a cherry pie - and I refuse to make one with canned cherries. I'm actually not that great of a pie maker, BUT if you have the best cherries, it is wonderfully good. One year, I actually drove an hour clear out to one of the farms, knocked on their door and bought frozen cherries out of their personal freezer - much to Vern's embarrassment! (I love the Greenbluff Farmers) This year, my Greenbluff Farms stash of cherries - a gift from my good friend Barb Ifft - was depleted, so I began emailing the farmers on the bluff to see if anyone had a stash leftover in their freezers. Two sweet people emailed me back and offered a pint here and a pint there. At last I discovered a 30 pound, five gallon bucket of pie cherries at our local URM Store!!  Brought it home, broke up the cherries and placed them in 11, one-gallon storage bags with 6-7 cups each and made a big PIE tonight with 8 cups of cherries. It is supposed to be for his birthday tomorrow, but we had to sample it! Yum... You will see his happy face at the bottom :)

Winter Wonderland Still...

I am amazed at how easily we can be "transported" to a Winter Wonderland only 50 minutes away - even when the snow is gray slush and grass is shooting up at home. Vern snowshoed today and I skied my typical loop for about two hours. Even with the parking lot half full, one can go an hour without seeing anyone on the trails. I stop occasionally, hear my heart pound, stare at the snowblasted trees, listen to the strange gurgling sound two crows make overhead, and experience what could only be described as deafening silence.

Upholstery 101??????

Vern has trusted me to put the pad/cushion on his matching footstool for the Morris Chair he made. Hmmmm...give me a week and a few YouTubes, and we'll see what happens...

Bye Bye Mr. Doodle

Put my little guy on Craigslist tonight and already have a taker!  I've always told my roosters that if they are nice, they can stay. Well, this guy got a little too noisy and full of himself for peace-loving Owl Moon Meadow. Now he will get to have a flock all to himself at someone else's farm!

Sari Necklace Experimentation Begins!

I feel honored that this March, I get to to teach some Nepalese women how to make a craft with recycled sari fabric, which they can sell in the markets. Michelle, from the HealthEd Connect staff told me to make up a few ideas and these were my first two. They are ROUGH, but very simple and easy to assemble. I'm trying to imagine the next setting I'll be in when teaching this idea. Bet THEY will turn them into exquisite adornments. Can't wait!!  :)