Sunday, March 27, 2011

What I like about spring in Indiana ...

All the shades of green, tulip trees in bloom, droves of robins in the yard, the daily tour of flower beds to see "what's up", daffodils, new calves in the field down the road, windows open and furnace on in the same week.

We went for a drive yesterday.  Our intent was to go to Vincennes and do a (very) little shopping, eat lunch there, then go over into Illinois to the White Owl Winery.  (We need a case of Five Buck Huck!)  But when we got there they were closed!  What a bummer.  So we went on north into Palestine and checked out a few antique stores.  Steve Meadows' is always interesting ... he's really an artist and I recommend this maker of "pot heads".  Makes you want to make your own metal person out of an old coffee pot.  Then we went on to the Brown Dog.  Wendell found some sort of old hacksaw there.  Went over to the new shop across the street from them, which is actually Wonderland Antiques moved a block north; it was really interesting.  Then back of Brown Dog is a new shop called LaMotte Trading that was a pretty good shop.  I found a little jointed person there ... think I'll use it somewhere on this blog to reflect how I'm feeling.

Then we drove on north to Hutsonville and stopped at the Wabash Coffee House & Antiques.  Wendell enjoyed a piece of pie and a cup of coffee while I looked around this small shop.  I sat down with him and enjoyed looking through a pile of old Hutsonville High School yearbooks.  Found one the same year I graduated ('62) and got a good laugh.  On the senior pictures, someone had written "married" and then a little hash mark for how many times!  LOL!  Funny how those year books look all alike except for the faces.  Brought back some memories of good ole P.H.S. ...
Home and enjoyed a cup of soup and grilled cheese dinner on a cold spring night!  Coffee and biscotti later ... I made hazelnut biscotti and it was fun but time-consuming and I don't know if I'll do it again.  But it is good, if I have to say so myself!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Oh, I hurt ...

Monday I spent the day outside and now I'm feeling it!  I cleaned out two small flower beds and one large one.  That included dividing and transplanting some sedum, re-locating some stepping stones, cutting back the butterfly bush, carting away debris ... well, all of the things that go with cleaning up a flower bed.  In addition to that, Wendell started this tree-moving project ... and I had to get in on that, too.  (of course)

He spent the day digging and pulling out (with his Case) this too-tall oak tree that was right on the edge of the woods.  I helped chain and unchain so he wouldn't have to jump off and on the tractor so much.  Overnight we wrapped it in blankets and rugs and soaked them with water.  Then yesterday a.m. together we dug an elephant grave to plant it in.  When we were within about 10 inches of the depth we needed we ran into a big rock so we said, "forget it" and trimmed the roots!  I wonder if this poor tree stands a chance, but in the past we have been successful transplanting two other oaks which are now very good sized!  It has had its roots pruned, its bark skinned, and it's shocked I'm sure.  So we are praying that God will be with this tree.

I made Wendell stand for this picture ...
I told Margo yesterday when we were at the Pepperoni Grill that it was as tall as their ceiling there, but as I look at this picture I think it is taller.  (Wendell is 6'3".)  Anyway ... I told him "never again!" ... no more tree planting unless some nursery does it.  Last night I took some pain relievers.  Actually I don't know how he does this sort of thing day in, day out!  I guess that's what keeps him thin ...  It will be a miracle if I get all of my flower beds cleaned up before it is time to plant the garden!  Have three beds to go ...

Last night I went to UMW; my first meeting since we've been back from Texas.  It was good to get back with the women and hear what is going on with them, and with the state organization as well.  We are lucky to have our local unit president also serving as state secretary this year.  She is one busy lady!  Our home extension club, Jolly Homemakers, is having a baby shower for the crisis pregnancy center in Spencer and I'm going to a committee meeting for that tomorrow.  That should be fun!

Tonight we're taking Steve and Dodie out to dinner as a 'thank you' for looking after our house while we were gone.  This will be fun!  What special neighbors!  No way will a dinner re-pay them for their vigilance.  I suspect Steve drove his gator over here almost every day!  We are blessed!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Spring has sprung ...

[I'm adding more pictures of rugs today.  These are some simple self-designed geometrics, antique reproductions, or by miscellaneous designers.]

We were "flooded in" for 6 days this time.  That is the longest time marooned here that we've experienced since we moved here, and the first time this has happened in almost 3 years.  It was almost unbelievable to us that we were stuck here longer than we were for the terrible flood of 2008!  On the plus side I got LOTS of hooking done!  Also, got the house pretty clean after being gone for awhile this winter.  Now I will feel free to work outside when it gets dry enough.  The flower beds need to be cleaned of winter debris because I can see lots of green peeking through the dead leaves!  That is exciting, isn't it?  I have lots of perennials that need to be divided and rearranged, and will tackle as much of that as I can.

This week promises to be a busy one.  Am catching up on laundry today.  Yesterday did nothing but go to church, read, computer stuff, and watch the tube.  That is a good thing to do on a Sunday ... nothing!  Tomorrow I'm going to Sullivan for an extension homemaker district meeting with some other "Jolly" gals for an all-day event.  Wednesday I'm devoting the afternoon to making meatloaf for 40 -- Wendell's masonic lodge is having degree work and I'm doing the main course.  I've done this before so I feel pretty confident about that meatloaf thing.  Thursday we are taking a day off to go to Indy to the Flower & Patio Show at the fairgrounds.  Always have other errands to do when we go to the city.  Friday I hope to get some lunch out time with a friend.  I'll try to sneak some hooking time in there somewhere! 

Watching the pictures of the disaster in Japan on TV & computer news certainly makes me feel little and helpless.  I think what I can do the best in this case is to pray.  I'm glad that my church gives faithfully to UMCOR!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Look what I saw today ...




I have daffodils coming up!  Yeah!  Now I gotta go look around in the yard and flower beds; there is sure to be more!  Can spring be far behind?

Friday, March 4, 2011

Blog remodel day ...


(PICTURE ABOVE IS LOOKING THROUGH THE SCREENED PORCH AT THE FLOODING BELOW OUR HOUSE.  THIS IS NORMALLY A FIELD.  ROAD IN FOREGROUND.)

Today I'm doing some housekeeping here.  The pictures from Texas will all be at the bottom of the blog until those posts pertaining to TX drop off, then I'll just remove them or add the appropriate pictures to the posts so they'll be "out there" somewhere, together.  I'm going to add some things at the right side, such as what I'm working on right now, antique finds, things I collect, etc.  I may just add to my book list to keep a list for 2011 (?).  Who knows what else.  Hope you enjoy the slide show, too.

I especially want to add some pictures of some of the rug's I've hooked.  I think I'll begin with a group of rugs that I hooked from Margo White designs.

Yesterday was sort of an eye-opening day.  We had a power outage.  Now this is nothing unusual.  This happens ... it will go off just long enough that you have to go around and re-set all of the clocks, microwave, answering machine, etc.  But I finally put together what had happened (and it was actually a problem on our road this time) with the fact that we are now flooded in here.  So ......... what would happen if the power company couldn't get here for a week or so let's say?  Well, it wouldn't be fun.  Of course, we could walk out on the railroad tracks and get someone to take us to a motel.  We've walked out in the past in AWFUL weather.  But if it was cold enough we might have a frozen water pipe problem.  We could loose everything in our frig & freezer.  Those are the two main things I can think of right now.  But you know, neither of these are the "end of the world" ... we could live through that.  It just wouldn't be fun.  If some health issue might happen while we're flooded in here I think I know someone who already has a plan in mind.  So I have actually always felt sort of at peace and "free" while we are unable to drive wherever, whenever we want.  I can just say "sorry, I can't make it right now".  LOL!

More later ...  yours from flooded southwestern Indiana.  Judy

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Hooking tonight ...

To say I'm diving right back into the fray would be an understatement!  Only been home a couple days and feel like I've never been away.  Yesterday I picked up a quilt that a sweet lady hand-quilted for me while I was gone, and today, besides preparing two beginner rug hooking kits for hooking tonight, I trimmed the edge of that quilt.  I'd like to have it bound by the end of the week.  Seems like I am now equally divided by both the hooking and the quilting!  I wish I had more hours in the day!  And I know that soon the yard work will be calling.  I enjoy that, too.

The Holy Hookers meet the first Tuesday of each month at the Library in Worthington.  Tonight I'm going to have at least one newbie so wanted to show you the kit I'm using now (below).  I used to use a kit called "Two Little Stars" but honestly I got tired of it myself.  So I changed to this kit about a year ago.  The sample is hooked in this way to show beginners a couple of the variations they could do with the two hit n' miss blocks.  Honestly I've been surprised at how many have hooked this EXACTLY like this, which I never intended to have them do!  But they were happy with it.  I think this kit would make up as a good pillow.  More later in the week ...