Turkey Tracks: Diva Update and Winter Pleasures

Turkey Tracks: February 10, 2014

DIVA UPDATE and WINTER PLEASURES

The Diva Queenie continues to heal and hang out. She is picking up weight not and is noticeably heavier when I pick her up.

If I’m going to be in the kitchen at all, I let her out, and she strolls around investigating, flying up to the counters (where she is immediately removed), and following my shoes and picking at the buckles. I’ve almost stepped on her at least twice.

Here she is with the straw basket that is driving her crazy.

Winter pleasures include pulling a bag of frozen tomatoes out of the freezer so a few can grace a lamb stew. What a treat in mid-winter. I also put in some of my dried zucchini and frozen green beans.

AND, winter pleasures include a bunch of flowers. These did double duty–at the Coastal Quilters Meeting last Saturday and, now, in my dining room–with all the snow outside.

Actually, that picture shows a line of turkeys coming into the yard. I have about twenty to thirty around the house most days–which is another winter pleasure. This morning they all talked to me as I let out the chickens.

Turkey Tracks: Snowy Owls in Maine

Turkey Tracks: February 6, 2014

Snowy Owls in Maine

We’ve had Snowy Owls in Maine this winter.

We don’t usually see them in the “lower 48.” They are more present in Canada.

One was rescued off the end of the airport runway in Portland, fed, and released.

Their wing span is HUGE.

And of course, they are so dramatic.

Best of all, we have some very near Camden.

Friend and internationally recognized, amazing quilter Sarah Ann Smith took at artist trip, camera in hand, this week out to where Snowy Owls had been spotted.

This picture is from her very-good blog:

As her blog story tells, there are about three of these owls wintering right near each other.

I think you can get to Sarah’s blog post with this url. If not she’s easy to google. The entry was made on Feb. 4th and has lots of pictures of the owls.

http://www.sarahannsmith.com/weblog/?p=9029

So enjoy Sarah’s blog. She is extraordinarily generous with her time, help, and talents. We are so lucky to have her as a fellow member of Coastal Quilters. And, I am lucky to have her as a friend.

Sarah is primarily an art quilter, but she can make a wonderful bed/lap quilt, too. Her book and DVD are about machine quilting, of which she is a master.

I wonder if an owl quilt is in her future?

I hope so.

Turkey Tracks: Snow Day and Diva Update

Turkey Tracks: February 5, 2014

Snow Day and Diva Update

It’s snowing today. Hard.

I’m glad and am enjoying a “snow day.”

The old snow was grey and dirty, so it’s good to have a fresh, white coating of snow.

Diva Queenie has become very tame and very vocal. Whenever she hears me coming, she sets up squawking at the top of her lungs as she tries to tell me things.

When Linda McKinney was here on Monday, Queenie “talked” at the top of her lungs the entire time. Linda: “That chicken has cabin fever.”

And she does…

She adores getting OUT of her box.

She is especially interested in the straw basket at the back door where I pile newspapers and my boots and gloves. She gets in it and turns all around before hopping out. She is also interested in some bowls and bits of pottery I have in an open set of shelves at the end of the counter. She pecks them until she has them all ringing/singing/rattling and until I stop her.

Can you see what she has done to the INSIDE of the box? And WHY?

This shredding of everything began about five days ago. And, the constant turning over of her water and food dishes.

One answer is hidden in the layers of newspaper she has shredded and lies up next to the back, right-hand side of the box.

Here’s a better picture:

And here’s a picture against the other hens’ eggs–all but Rosie’s egg which is a BIG, dark brown egg:

This little white egg is Queenie’s first since…November?…I think.

She has now laid two more, each bigger than the last.

All the hens are laying again as the days are increasingly longer–up to 45 minutes more daylight now.

I thought long and hard about putting Queenie outside over the past few days when our temps were in the 30s and the other chickens were outside the coop.

But, our temps over the next few nights will dip to sub zero numbers, and Queenie will not be able to take more cold. I don’t know if she will ever grow feathers on parts of her neck again.

Plus, the other chickens have not seen her in weeks, which means she will have to endure some pecking and meanness from them–which will not be good for her. She still has one place on her neck that has a large, deep scab. Best to let it heal fully before putting her out again.

If we get more days with warmer temps, I will let her get out in the yard, but will try to retrieve her at night.

Otherwise, Queenie and I will just have to cope with the fact that she is feeling so much better and wants OUT.

Turkey Tracks: “Sails Up & Flys Flying” Quilt

Turkey Tracks: February 2, 2014

Sails Up and Flags Flying Quilt

This little beauty got mailed last Tuesday and is now in its new home–with a beautiful and healthy baby boy–Giovanna McCarthy’s first grandchild!

The parents wanted BRIGHT–and when I saw this bright boat sails fabric, I knew what I wanted to do with it.

And the parents didn’t want to know the sex, so I could not use pink in case the baby was a boy…

The neutral fabric with the flags begin to solidify the quilt in my mind.

Even though I grew up living land bound, we had sayings in the family about “flags flying”–to indicate excitement, anticipation, happiness…

Here’s a close-up of the blocks:

And, of the corner block–I like how this fabric is working in the quilt.

Here you can see the pantograph pattern and the yellow thread a bit better.

I was a bit stumped as to what color thread to use to quilt–and settled on this very nice yellow. I might have been able to make pale blue work, but what if the baby were a girl??

The pantograph is Denise’s Spirals, and I ordered it from Urban Elementz, which has the most amazing selection of pantos.

(I love the binding on this quilt–it’s just perfect.)

I had originally thought to use this muted blue stripe as the binding, but it found its way to the quilt’s back instead–interspersed with the sails fabric as I didn’t have enough of the blue. Again, the yellow thread is working just fine on the back of the quilt.

I think the backing works nicely with the front:

Finally, here’s where the quilt lived for the nights it took me to bind it. You can see how BRIGHT it is in contrast to its surroundings.

I had so much fun making this quilt, and you can expect to see more versions of it as it really lends itself to fun interpretations.

Indeed, I have two versions in mind already…

And it’s a good thing as I have THREE family babies coming into this world soon.

The idea for this kind of setting came, for me, from Bonnie Hunter’s first book, LEADERS AND ENDERS, and the first quilt in the book: “Sisters’ Nine Patch.” This setting is traditional, but it’s always good to be reminded how something will look. Bonnie used cheddar orange blocks with red and neutral nine patches.

Turkey Tracks: This Is So Fun: Separating Egg Yolks

Turkey Tracks: February 2, 2014

THIS IS SO FUN!

Separating EGG Yolks

Oh, you’re going to love this one.

Friend and quilter Roxanne Wells forwarded this U-Tube video.

At first I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It took me a few days to actually buy a water bottle–you all know that’s a philosophical no-no for me.

But, But, this method works, is amazing, and so much fun.

I had to stop myself from breaking any more eggs–as it was, No No Penny got two egg whites out of the deal. The yolks went into a yogurt, fruit smoothie–made with lots of coconut oil.

Enjoy!!!

Very cool way to separate egg yolk – YouTube.

Turkey Tracks: Learning to Love Liver: A Simple Chicken Liver Pate

Turkey Tracks: January 28, 2014

Learning to Love Liver: A Simple Chicken Liver Pate

I like the Radiant Life Company.

I order Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil from them on a regular basis. It’s the ONLY cod liver oil that has not been overly processed and had its vitamins added back–making those oils a human concoction based on guesswork.

Anyway, the Radiant Life Company has a blog now that is putting up some good recipes.

I love liver!

But chicken livers are probably my favorite. Maybe followed by lamb’s liver. And then, cow liver. The cow liver I cook with onions and bacon and add in swirls of cream at the end to help make a sauce. It’s important not to overcook liver.

And chicken liver pate—-for me, it’s divine if made right.

Unfortunately, my generation is probably the last one that actually eats liver. It’s been so demonized. And that is a real loss as we are no longer eating nose to tail with animals. We’re eating their muscle meat, a habit which has its own set of problems. Liver is so chock full of good things for the human body. But, of course, you want the livers of animals that have been pastured and grass fed, etc.

If all else fails, put dessicated liver tablets–found in any supplement store–into your diet.

But, take a chance and try this recipe and see if you don’t like it…

Radient Life Company: Learning to Love Liver: A Simple Chicken Liver Pate.

http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/69319/Learning-to-Love-Liver-A-Simple-Chicken-Liver-Pate

Turkey Tracks: Quilting Celtic Solstice and UNBROKEN

Turkey Tracks: July 26, 2014

Quilting “Celtic Solstice” and Unbroken

I spent most of Friday and Saturday quilting “Celtic Solstice.”

On Friday I had a perfect storm of problems with thread breaking and tired and discouraged, I walked away and wrote to the long-arm quilters on the Facebook site dedicated to quilters making this 2013 mystery quilt designed by Bonnie Hunter. (See earlier posts on this whole process. Bonnie releases a mystery quilt design every year the day after Thanksgiving, and I’ve had such fun making this quilt that I suspect I’ll make this quilting with Bonnie every year.)

Anyway, the long-arm quilters came back with a host of suggestions–some I knew, some were new and very helpful. And, on Saturday, with renewed energy, rested, and ready to go, I started again. I did not have one bit of trouble and finished the quilt, trimmed it up, sewed on the binding, and cheered.

Here I am starting out–before the perfect storm. I listen to music while quilting as I can’t always hear words over the noise of the long arm

Here are a few blocks quilted–with a medium green. I didn’t want a thread color that took away from the quilt itself.

Above you can see the two blocks that make up the quilt. Bonnie designed the one on the left, and it’s in a book of 100 blocks published, I think, by Quiltmaker magazine.

While piecing or cutting, I am now listening to Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken. It’s the story of an Olympic runner (1938 in Germany) who is a bombardier on a B24 (flying coffin) in the Pacific theater. I’ve learned so much about this plane and about running in the 1930s in the opening chapters. And about Pacific sharks and the men’s terror of being captured by the Japanese. I’m pretty sure both of these “guns on the wall” are going to make their appearance shortly.

My father–Jammie Mendall Philpott– flew B17s over Germany and was a decorated pilot. These men were so brave… And, often, such sitting ducks against enemy fighter planes or ground fire. The crew loss in the Pacific–just to accidents or plane failure, not the enemy–was a shock. And unlike Europe, the vast stretches of open ocean and little tiny islands made finding a downed crew a miracle.

Turkey Tracks: Diva Update

Turkey Tracks: January 26, 2014

Diva Update

Today has been bright and sunny, if cold. It was 18º when I cleaned out the chicken coop around noon. After I had emptied the coop of old bedding, I discovered that the bench top where I store birdseed and chicken bedding was frozen shut–but I was able to pry it open with the trusty trowel that I keep at hand. Fortunately I had an extra bale of chicken bedding in the garage if I had not been able to get the bench top open. But, I had not thought of testing that bench top before emptying the coop…

Before going out, I cleaned out Diva Queenie’s kitchen box while she strolled around the kitchen. This is a daily task, and I wash the towels every two days with hot water, good soap, and bleach.

Here’s a little video–you can see her feet have healed nicely and that her neck and head are healing and that she is quite perky:

Here’s Queenie’s kitchen box all clean for the day:

I put a clean towel in the box each day, over the newspaper layers, as it gives some traction for her feet.

Do you know what all the chickens love best in this whole world?

Mealy worms are full of fat and protein.

Here’s Queenie back in her kitchen box with the window screen holding her inside:

Turkey Tracks: Thats Nuts! A Complete Guide to Soaking Nuts and Seeds

Turkey Tracks: January 26, 2014

That’s Nuts!

A Complete Guide to Soaking Nuts and Seeds

This posting from Radiant Life came in on my email a few days ago, and I thought I’d pass it along.

Soaking nuts and seeds is very important as these foods contain chemical elements (phytates) that can seriously hinder your body’s ability to absorb much-needed nutrients.

This “recipe” uses the oven to dry out soaked seeds. I use a dehydrator–less chance to burn delicate nuts and seeds.

http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/69542/That-s-Nuts-A-Complete-Guide-to-Soaking-Nuts-and-Seeds

Turkey Tracks: “Clamlicious” Quilt

Turkey Tracks: January 24, 2014

“Clamlicious” Quilt

This little quilt has been my hand project for months, over the course of, literally, hundreds of hours, so there is a bittersweetness to the moment of finishing it.

I started the quilt back in July. The clamshells were hand-sewn. And the quilt is hand-quilted (something I have not done for some years). I did put the borders and binding on with the machine.

I outlined each clam shell–and didn’t worry to much about the perfection of my quilting. This quilt is still meant to be used and loved.

The fabric was collected by Susan Barry, who was an amazing, wonderful quilter. When she died some years back now, her fabric stash was sold at Coastal Quilters and the money made was donated to our local hospital’s cancer wing. Susan, herself, put together this little collection of fabrics, and they drew my eye as being really nice for a baby quilt.

Here are the inner and outer borders. I got carried away with the pleasure of hand-sewing on the pink rose trellis border and quilted the whole grid. Mercy!

What to do for binding? I finally went back to the blue to bring the center of the quilt out to the edges…

The backing was from my stash and chosen to be forgiving to my quilting–you can’t see it at all on the backing unless you catch the backing in a certain light that shows the stitches. I might do the backing over in order to show the stitching as it turned out to be pretty good after so many years. It’s like riding a bicycle. And I use a quilting spoon and very short needles.

This quilt is as soft as butter to the touch.

It’s No. 93, so I am homing in on my 100th quilt.

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