No More Whining

.....about the snow. Yes, more overnight and my little garden is buried once again. But I did cheer myself up with pulling a few loops while sitting at the kitchen window trying not to watch P push tons of snow out the driveway!

Anyway, that's enough of that. If you don't let it bother, guess what? It won't bother you!

Please, No More...

Snow!


True to fashion, it ain't over yet in the west coast of NL. Overnight, we received a nice big dump of the white stuff. Must be my fault for having the winter tires taken off too soon.

P has been out plowing for over two hours and still not finished as you can see. Oh well, I am at the "who cares!" stage of spring!

Spring has Sprung!

Well, after a short, but very hard winter, we have signs of spring. No, no robins yet but I did have had the snow tires taken off. Perhaps, a bit too soon but I am willing to chance it.

I have been taking a small break from hooking but have continued cutting up tee shirts. I am still not sure if I like using this type of fabric but I will continue to plod along.

Last Day of Winter 2011

Can it be here already? The last day of winter 2011. Considering our winter didn't even get started until January 15th, we certainly had a tough one. On the west coast of NL, we had over 10 feet of snow in only a few weeks.

Today, it is cold but sunny and bright. I am cutting up tee shirts for the new project and even pulled a few. I find using tee shirt material quite different. It has more texture in a way, but you can't control the stitches. They go every which way but adds some interest.

Supermoon and spring equinox, let's hope that is a good omen for a calm future!

Before and ......

Maddy is a broken coat Jack Russell which really means her coat grows extremely thick in some spots and shorter in other areas. She has been quite warm lately, not wanting to bury herself in the covers at night. So this morning, while the idea was as fresh as the little bit of snow we got last night, P dug out the clippers and the rest is...




After.....





Maddy still won't talk to anyone as she is in a bit of a snit but I am sure that won't last too long.

Shiela Gets to Laugh Last!

In weather legend, Newfoundland recognizes a winter storm that falls near St. Patrick's Day as Sheila's Brush.

Sheila is related to Patrick in some way. Now mystery has it, it's his wife or sister or mother or mistress or housekeeper.

The idea is that the storm is one of winter's last, and that Sheila is brushing the season away.

The legend is about the fact that after St.Patrick's Day, so from March 18th on, there is usually a sort of winter's last hur'rah.

True to legend, we are in for Sheila's Brush Friday into Saturday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Here's to good Irish friends
Never above you
Never below you
Always beside you.

May you be in heaven a half hour
Before the Devil knows your dead!

New Project!

I haven't posted any news in awhile and it's not because that anything has been wrong. I just haven't had much to say which may be abit unusual but sometimes, it does happen.

I have been working on two projects that will be awhile in completing. Here is the project that I am preparing for our rug hooking group at work. We decided as a group on the size (roughly 14 x 24), common elements of a building, tree, flowers and an animal. We also decided to do something different in our borders. Either incorporating the border into the picture or adding a design.

My project as you can see is a view from a window and the window framing the view as a border. Another part of the design is we must use at least 50% tee shirt material. We liked the idea of working on new elements as a group for support and input.

And Another

This is Maureen's third mat which I haven't posted before. She has completed four mats now since we started our rug hooking group in October 2010. During our lunch time meeting yesterday, we discussed our next project. We are working on our own patterns but will include highlighted topics we decided we need to develop such as trees, animals and flowers. Should be lots of fun.

I better get busy this weekend with my own design so that it is ready for our group next week.

More Mats Please!

This absolutely gorgeous mat is another one by Maureen in my rug hooking group at work. It is from a picture that was taken of her cabin. I love the perspective and how she has framed only a part of the cabin and incorporated it into a beautiful mat.

The fibre is mixed including wool strips, wool yarn and tee shirt material. The small bush with flowers in the lower section is done in proddy and also, high hooking of yarn. The photograph doesn't really do justice to such a piece.

Maureen really wanted to match the colour of the cabin and sent samples to Deanne Fitzpatrick who came through with a custom dying order.

How High?

Normally, when I look out from the rec room in the basement, I have a nice view of woods and the bay. After Saturday's storm which included rain, snow, wind and more snow, we have almost no place to put the snow.

The deck above the pictures is more than eight feet high, so it gives you an idea of the height of the snow which has piled up from shovelling the deck above. Needless to say, I feel like a gopher this time of year, living in my snow cave and peeping out once in awhile for a breath of fresh air.

Thanks!

I took this picture this morning of some of the finch that my birdfeeder has been attracting. For the past two days, I have had many eating at Chez Julie. So much that I had to fill the feeder twice yesterday.

I use a type of a sock and fill it with niger seed (thistle). I have found this seed to be expensive but the birds don't waste it. It also only attracts finch and juncos, so bluejays and other larger birds stay away. I also put out some suet in a cage for the chickadees.

I love looking at the birds and during yesterday's storm, an odd sight caught my eye. I could see a finch upside down and oddly seemed to be moving with the feeding sock. OMG, I noticed it was attached. Somehow, the bird got its toenail in a long piece of thread from the sock. I hurried and dressed to see if it was still alive and it was.

I pulled in the clothesline and took the bird in my hand. I couldn't get its toenail out but I could snap the thread as close to its foot as I could. The little finch flew away, and I thought that was that. In a second or two, it landed right beside me on the clothesline as if to say thanks!

Pottering Along!

I am working on Harry mostly now and then. The picture doesn't do his cloak justice. I used a black and gold ribbon for the folds of his cloak and it shimmers when you look at it.

I am also working on my new larger project on the Cheticamp frame and when I have the bottom border completed, I will post some pictures.

Yesterday, our rug hooking group decided on a project which we will all work on next. The size was decided at 14 x 24, it must be at least 50% tee shirt material, contained a building, a tree, flowers and at least, one animal. It is made up of all elements that we would like to practise on and it should be fun to work on a similar project together.

Parallel worlds, polar shifts!

Even main stream media is now talking about parallel worlds, polar shifts and preparedness and that frightens me. A couple of us stood in the hall this morning talking about the strange weather, earthquakes, and the unsettling they have in their souls.

I worry about the future sometimes in the quiet of night or while pulling wool in my latest project. But as my Mom says, the future will take care of itself.

I am thinking of a theme for our rug hooking group at work. A small project that we can all work on together and bring out our own level of uniqueness.

Do you have any ideas that might be fun! Let me know! More fun thinking of rug hooking than polar shifts!

Bound!

I don't believe my rug hooking projects are completely finished until they are bound and steamed. So this week, I completed the yarn binding on both projects and steamed them this morning. I can finally declare both bound and finished!

No more talk about the weather but I can finally say that after receiving 265 cm or 9 feet of snow since January 16th, 2011, we have had a break and hopefully, the end to winter!

Signs of Spring?

Or has this poor, lonely robin been caught in a wind and blown to the West Coast? This weekend was spent in long hours of snowshovelling, plowing and cursing at the weather we have been having.

Since the sacrifice to Url in January on Marble Mountain around the 9th of January, we have had non stop snow events. I wonder if there is a snow cessation sacrifice to some sort of obscure Viking diety?

On a brighter note, I noticed a couple of chickadees scoping out my birdhouse for a little love nest, so indeed, we are on the downside of winter!

Happy Valentine's Day, dear Hearts!

To all the wonderful people in my life, a moment to reflect how loved we all are and how special, not just today but everyday!

Holy Cow, Batman....

it's Harry Potter and the Holy Crapper! This another one of my crazy ideas for a gift to a Harry Potter fan. A toilet seat cover with none other, than Harry Potter pointing his wand!

I think that I have learned that there is nothing you can't hook!

Nowhere to Go but UP!

Well, I am sure that everyone is tired of snow stories but here are some more pictures. In about 16 days, we have gone from none to lots. My inukshuk, Gabrielle is holding up snow on her shoulders. The garden buried under a mountain of snow.

Most of the weekend was spent on snow removal but I did get my new project outlined and on my wonderful Cheticamp frame. It is going to be quite large and hopefully, I will have some pictures soon and less on the snow front.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Ground Hog Day is an annual event to predict whether or not, there will be six weeks more of winter.




This is a nice picture of Corner Brook looking out towards Seal Head. No visible ground hogs.






Oh wait, I think Mikey spotted one. Hey, Mikey?? Where did the ground hog go??