Our Life in Maine, My Craft Projects, Quilting, Recipes, Book and Media Reviews
Turkey Tracks: March 21, 2013
They’re Still Making Fairy Houses
When John and I were in Charleston last spring, we brought the children a book on Maine fairy houses.
We all made fairy houses all over the yard–after collecting flotsam and jetsam from the neighborhood.
Tami sent me this picture last fall, I think.
It’s a work of art.
I love the imagination!
Turkey Tracks: March 21, 2013
The Scarf Came!
With the recent snow, I left our mail in the mailbox for a day.
When I retrieved it yesterday, there was a fat, small envelope that mystified me.
When I opened it, out fell this beautiful blue and white scarf!
My niece Nancy Howser Gardner had mailed me the scarf she had made for me as part of our bargain–red hand-knitted socks for her, a scarf for me.
It’s beautiful, and look what it goes with–my spring vest, which also has mittens and a hat of this same blue:
I might even be able to wear all of this regalia soon as we are now into our spring warming trend. Now, my neck will be toasty warm.
Thanks, Nancy!!! It’s beautiful, I love it, I love that you made it for me, and I love the colors. (How did you know?)
Turkey Tracks: March 18, 2013
Georgia, the Goat
So now that I can put up videos, I have one that I’ve saved for about two years.
Some background:
My friend Tara Derr Webb lives in Charleston, SC, very near my sons. She grew up with them, and they are all like brothers and sister. They were thrilled when she and Leighton moved back to the East Coast from the West Coast and abodes abroad and settled near them.
Two years ago, Tara read Kristin Kimball’s THE DIRTY LIFE and started on a journey toward farming. She visited a farm in the Atlanta, Georgia, area first. There, a tiny baby goat was born and abandoned by her mother. The farm family could not expand resources to manage a baby goat, so Tara put her into her car, brought her home, named her Georgia, and raised her with the help of husband Leighton and two nursemaid dogs, Milo, a Great Dane, and Eloise, a charming female of indeterminate age.
Here’s Georgia goat when she’s about 9 months or younger:
Tara and Leighton have gone on to start a farm (Deux Puces, or Two Fleas), a goat herd, vegetable crops, and a soon-to-be restaurant called “The Farmbar” made from a repurposed Spartan Landcraft. You can read all about it, and them, and see videos of the tiny goat they just adopted on The Farmbar web site, linked on the right-hand sidebar of this blog.
Turkey Tracks: March 18, 2013
Shine On
A year before John died, my quilting chapter, Coastal Quilters, of Camden, Maine, brought us the most beautiful quilt.
“We are bringing you lots of hugs,” they said.
And, we felt each and every one of those hugs over the next year. Some, many times over.
I called the quilt “Shine On” because it is a heritage quilt that will be passed on to a grandchild and will carry with it all the hugs and love that reside in its depths. This quilt glows with light and warmth and will always “Shine On” down through the years with its beautiful colors and memories.
Here is a picture I took of it on my bed upstairs, where I take a picture of all the quilts.
Here is a close-up of two of the many beautiful blocks that so many in the Coastal Quilters chapter made.
Here is a picture of the border fabric and the binding, each put on by Sarah Ann Smith, whose blog link is on the right sidebar. Sarah designed the quilt; bought, washed, and ironed the fabrics; made kits for each interested quilter; squared up the blocks; and assembled the quilt. The quilting was done by Marge Hallowell’s Mainely Quilting in Nobleboro and is beautiful. Marge also donated the batting for the quilt.
Here is a picture of the label, made by Barb Melchiskey:
And here is a picture of the downstairs room that son Mike and I put together for John for the day when he could not manage the stairs any more. This room was formerly John’s office, so we thought he would be close to his computer as well.
John never made it to this bed, choosing instead to die in his own bed and in his own time. And now I spend a lot of time in this room. I’ve moved my computer down here. And my quilting and research books. And my quilting supplies are now in this closet.
The quilt speaks to me as I pass it many times each day, reminding me of all the love and the many hugs it holds. For it “shines on.”
Turkey Tracks: March 18, 2013
Garden Promises
We are getting “plowable” snow tonight and all day tomorrow.
You’d never know it as it is a sunshiny day today.
Last summer I went around the yard and took pictures of all our garden decorations. We have way more than I would have thought as neither I nor John like overly decorated yard stuff.
Anyway, I’ve saved the pics for a day just like today, when we are expecting a big snow storm and can’t quite imagine what the yard looks like during summer.
For instance, this porch now has two feet of snow on it–which was melting away until we got our present cold snap.
I love wind chimes and have them hanging all over the place. They sing to us all summer. This hanging plant was so beautiful this past summer. At dusk, in the quiet heat, it perfumed the whole porch. John loved sitting on this porch the most of all.
John and I both say the dragonfly one day in Renys, and without a word between us, it went into the basket to come home. The dragonfly is my artistic sign. Were I to start selling quilts, they would be “Lovey Dragonfly Quilts.”
The rock woman came from our hillside. She was waiting to be showcased in this place where she now lives.
Bedo was a present to John from me back in Virginia. The story is that the real Bedo was made by a little girl for the Notre Dame cathedral roof in Paris. He keeps watch over our driveway all summer.
All across New England, people hang stars of various sizes and colors on barns and houses. For no message or reason that we’ve ever been able to discern. Everyone just likes them. And, they are happy, aren’t they? That’s a metal butterfly to the left of the left garage door. I forget what is usually on the right side and will remember when I start bringing out the decorations in the spring.
The children gave John this bench one father’s day. We would often have a mug of tea together while sitting on this bench and admiring the garden in all its stages of development. This past year we planted all kinds of winter squash in the blue tubs, and they fed us well into the winter. You can see them just sprouting in this early summer picture.
June Derr sculpted this Indian, and Charlie Derr worked on it as well. Skywatcher. He likes Maine a lot a there is no ambient light to keep one from seeing ALL the stars. The garden is fenced temporarily to keep the chickens out as they are still loose in the yard.
St. Francis sits in the river birches amidst the Lady’s Mantle.
That’s our well pump with the bird bath on top. Putting the bird bath on the well pump was John’s very clever idea. The Smoke Tree (purple plant) was planted just after we came nine years ago in June. Beyond the pump are wild woods going up the hill.
John built the two fences to shield my compost holders, the generator, the propane tanks, and the clothes line. The red climbing roses are doing very well in this spot we carved out of the gravel and fill dirt. The blue pot stops the eye from plunging on down the rock wall just beyond it. And, hopefully, any young grandchild unaware of the drop. Later I planted nasturtiums in the beds at the foot of the fences.
Bowen, Kelly, Talula, and Wilhelmina made me this rock for my birthday the year after we moved to Maine. I love it.
So there you have it, a garden pictorial essay when, in Maine, we are yet far from spring.
Turkey Tracks: March 6, 2013
Wild Turkeys and Chicken Bedding
With all the snow, I’ve had wild turkeys around the house a lot this winter.
There has been a group of males, from five to seven in number, almost every day. They are hungry.
There was so much snow that I had to put discarded chicken bedding in piles on top of the snow several times this winter. The snow was just too deep for me to carry the pails further into the edge of the woods where I have a passive compost pile.
That bedding is filled with food that the chickens have “billed out” of their dish. And, you know what else.
I cleaned out the coop a few days back, and the turkeys were ecstatic. They will pick at the bedding until there it is pretty much all gone, even the wood shavings.
I took this video this morning. It isn’t great as the turkeys start to leave the moment they see me. But, you’ll get some idea. And you can see how often the snow does not hold their weight. You will hear my chickens fussing in the background.
Later, the hens came, and the males came with them. One male spent quite a lot of time fully displaying all his charms. I will try to get a picture of that one of these days. It’s actually pretty spectacular. My knitting group was fascinated, especially with the way the tom’s head turned bright, cobalt blue.
Turkey Tracks: March 3, 2013
First Video, Snow at Dusk
Camden, Maine
I’ve upgraded this blog so that it has its own domain: http://louisaenright.com.
I’ve added the ability to add videos, and I’ve added more memory.
I’ve also been trying to learn how to take a video–on what was John’s fancy android phone, on his bigger camera.
It’s been snowing for the past three or four days, but not sticking.
So, here’s my first video!
Turkey Tracks: March 2, 2013
Braided Rug Using Sheets
Not long ago I replaced old sheets.
But I couldn’t bear to throw away the old sheets.
What about a braided rug for the front door? The rug I have there to catch wet, muddy boots is getting very thin and worn.
I cut the sheets into 2 1/2 to 3-inch strips using the pinking blade on a rotary cutter.
They made A LOT of strips. Two packed grocery bags full.
Weeks ago, I dragged out the hand loom and set up the woof strips using the sheet strips. That sat around for a bit before about 10 days ago.
Here’s the work of one night. You can see the FULL brown bags.
Here’s a close-up of the braiding. The sheets are packing in tightly, which is nice.
I got bored with the plain colors and rummaged around and found some pre-cut strips left over from using them in one of the crocheted rugs. Aha! The addition of color made me smile. These rugs, or placemats, get worked from both ends until you meet in the middle. Note that the strips in the bags are not diminishing very fast…
A little more progress. Here it is a few nights later.
Here’s the rug finished:
It looks so nice at the front door. And, it’s sturdy and will wash well. The sheet strips are not going to fray much.
But, I still have A LOT of strips:
So, here I go again…
If I have strips after this second rug, I’ll make some placemats on the smaller loom…
Turkey Tracks: March 2, 2013
New Knitting Project
Maryann Enright picked out this yarn.
I think it’s going to be a bit wilder than she thought.
So, past the cuff and leg, I’m going to knit it stocking knit which might render it less bulky and able to go to work on her feet.
Turkey Tracks: March 2, 2013
Organic Soy-Free Chicken Feed
Green Mountain is now making an organic SOY-FREE pellet for laying hens.
I am ecstatic!!!
Best of all, Rankins, a store here in Camden, Maine, is carrying it.
Here’s the url so you can see the components: http://www.greenmountainfeeds.com/products/poultry/organic-soy-free-layer-pellets/
It has 1 percent less protein than other mixes, but I give my chickens meat and milk on a regular basis, so that should be ok for me.
Louisa Enright's Blog 