Spring Flowers and Quilty Projects Update

Turkey Tracks: April 22, 2022

Spring Flowers and Quilty Projects Update

My daffodils are up and some are blooming. I picked this bunch Tuesday in the pouring rain after running an errand. They are still beautiful and fresh today, Friday. And I have so many daffs that I will have flowers in the kitchen for some time now.

And—local peep—right up the hill from me is Golden Brook Flower Farm where the greenhouses are full of gorgeous flowers. This sweet bunch of tulips came to my house Wednesday and are also still just gorgeous today. Look at that beautiful tulip color. They came with very long stems, too, so I could have used a tall vase for them if I had wanted to.

http://www.goldenbrookfarmcamden.com

Yesterday I cooked two lamb shanks and leeks in the Instant Pot—and increased the cooking time to 40 minutes this time. The shanks were tender to the bone with the addition of 5 minutes. And the meal was delicious and produced leftovers.

I cooked the carrots separately, drained them, and added them to a bowl big enough to hold the whole recipe when ready to be combined. I added the garlicky green beans (see earlier posts) I had on hand to the carrots while the lamb and leeks cooked. I browned the shanks in the Instant Pot in beef tallow while the 2 large leeks, with some chopped garlic and salt, cooked in lamb fat in a pan on the stove—lamb fat saved from an earlier lamb dish. When the leeks were golden, I added some water that would pick up all the browned (not burned) goodness in the pan. When the shanks were brown, I added the leeks and garlic, about 3 cups of water, herbs (a dried Provence mixture that includes some rosemary and lavender), salt, and several tablespoons of sprouted brown rice flour to thicken (you could use flour), and cooked for 40 minutes. I let the pot sit for 15 minutes after the 40 minutes were up before releasing the steam. I always turn off the ”keep warm” button as there is no need for it.

Then I just combine all the ingredients and enjoy my meal. I’ll have enough for one more meal with the second shank—and I’ll reserve the extra broth and make a soup with it and some fresh lamb meat pieces I had in the freezer. I’ll sauté those with savories and more veggies and will have a nice soup for at the very least another day. Or, two.

I’m hand sewing binding on the last baby quilt and will mail two quilts to a niece soon now. The larger one will be for her little girl toddler. Pictures will follow receipt of these two quilts.

And now I’m making fun Churn Dash blocks from all those strips I cut. It’s a good thing I’m happy making these blocks as there are A LOT of cut strips in the two sizes I need—along with a lot of cut center squares and fabrics reserved for more of those. These are all Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society fabrics from my stash—and the goal is to use them up and/or combine the remnants with the rest of the stash.

It is just so fun to combine these fabrics to make cute 7 1/2 inch finished blocks. I’m thinking 90 blocks, or 9 rows by 10, which will make a good lap-size quilt. Of course blocks will be moved around a lot along the way.

There is actually a lot to look at to figure out block placement. The color, dark and light placement, the centers, the intensity (or not) of the block.

Creative fun is happening!

Spring Creeks Are So Fun

Turkey Tracks: April 11, 2022

Spring Creeks Are So Fun

On Saturday, AC doggie and I made a trip over to Barrett’s Cove to see if he could chase his ball there. The Snow Bowl field is being ”fixed” and is looking so much better—but it’s roped off until the seeded grass gets established—which will take some time as grass seed needs consistent 65 degree weather to sprout and grow.

We’ve had so much rain recently, and the lake is really high at Barrett’s Cove. Much of the grass there has huge puddles, but we did find some dry ground next to the little creek which was running really fast. Deep pools lay along its length that were way over AC’s head.

And wouldn’t you know, AC dropped his ball into the creek above the bridge, and it bounced along faster than AC could manage.

There was great carrying on to retrieve the ball as AC won’t go over his head into the creek’s pools, and I couldn’t quite reach the ball in time while I tried to negotiate the steep creek banks.

We finally got it just below the bridge when it ran up against bushes at the creek’s edge and AC could reach it while keeping his back legs firmly on ground.

Will he drop it again into creek water?

Who knows. He’s a pretty quick learner actually. He remembers his encounter with our local porcupine when he was a little over 6 months old. It was late at night, and there was no way I was going to be able to take him to the emergency vet clinic on my own as he was frantically pawing his face. I sat on the floor and pulled out the quills, one by one, which is horribly painful for a dog. And he let me. He just seemed to know. In fact, it took several days as some had broken off with his frantic pawing at them—and it took some days to find those and to ease them out.

Porcupine is currently wreaking havoc in the emerging plants in my garden. And AC saw him the other night but did not charge him. And now I go out with him on his last trip out at night—after reminding him about how BAD AND SCARY porcupine is.

Sunday was beautiful and sunny. As is this Monday morning which will start a new week.

A Rainy Day

Turkey Tracks: April 9, 2022

A Rainy Day

It poured rain all day yesterday. All day.

It was the kind of heavy rain where flooding happens, and the intermittent creek on the woods side of my house was ”booking” all day.

I hunkered down and made do with food I had on hand and just enjoyed the peacefulness of a rainy day.

AC, who hates rainy days, was ever hopeful that I would play with him with his ball.

To amuse him, I cut his toenails, which he HATES, and cleaned his teeth, which he LOVES. I clean his teeth with some double-wrapped gauze that I put over my finger and rub on his teeth. Then I used the Furminator on his coat. I have not “Furminatored” him in about a month—and he is starting to shed his winter coat. Using this tool weekly really helps the dog-hair-in-the-house problem.

Good Heavens! I had to get out the vacuum to clean up the rug and me when I was done. The Furminator excels in getting out the loose undercoat in a dog. For AC, I got the short-hair medium-size dog version—and I highly recommend this tool as it has made a big difference in the amount of dog hair in my house.

I also spent some time looking at John Steele’s web site. John is a retired pharmacist from Utah, and he is a wildlife photographer. I met him at the Snow Bowl field as he takes his two older dogs there to walk, and one of them, Miss Daisy, loves to chase AC’s ball with AC. Miss Daisy is the black dog in this screenshot of a photo John took of Daisy and Jamie jumping from the float into Hosmer Pond—which I took from his web site: johnsteelephotography.com

John’s web site also has some beautiful and interesting pictures of mustangs out west. He’s currently working on a photography book that he hopes will educate more people about these horses. And there are really nice photos of Maine and Maine wildlife—and more photos of these two dogs who love to swim.

Enjoy!

Today is sunny, so AC and I will be out and about to make up for the rainy day yesterday.

The grass is…GROWING…and turning quite green. The lawn crew that helps me is coming next Wednesday to take up the wooden, winter snow boardwalk and to help me with some of the needed spring clean-up. And AC has not heard any flying squirrels in the house for about a week now.

A Welcome Visitor

Turkey Tracks: April 7, 2022

A Welcome Visitor

Betsy Maislen, from Vermont, came to visit for a few days.

And to pick up a sewing machine she bought from a friend here. Her old machine, with which she started quilting, finally died.

Going from a very old machine to the Janome 8900 has been like going from a Model T car to a space ship for Betsy. It was so fun to watch her delight as she began to sew on her new machine.

We set up a sewing station for her downstairs:

And she went home with this top for a baby quilt—Wendy Sheppard’s ”Whirlygigs,” found in Simply Moderne magazine, No. 26.

I really like how the white squares are forming a very interesting pattern in the center of this baby-sized quilt. There are just so many geometric shapes that titillate the eye in this pattern: x’s, o’s, paddles.

I worked on the longarm while Betsy was here—and finished quilting and trimming ”Pot-Pourri 3.” The binding went on after Betsy left on Tuesday and after I had done my weekly cleaning/laundry tasks. So I now have hand sewing for night tv watching.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the Churn Dash blocks for ”Eye Candy 3.”

Some days before Betsy came, I got really hungry for a pasta salad. I have to use rice pasta, but I’ve gotten used to it over the years. It is softer and if overcooked can get gummy. I love to use crisp veggies in a pasta salad: celery, onions, carrots, colored peppers (red, orange, or yellow). I add some roasted meat, like chicken. And those tiny organic green peas that are in the freezer section. And lots of herbs—with good olive oil. Sometimes I add some grated mozzarella cheese.

I didn’t have green peas or roasted chicken on hand, so I fried a small cube steak and but it up. I put the salad on a bed of mixed lettuce, and it was delicious.

For the leftovers, and after a trip to the grocery store, I added a hamburger patty and the little peas.

And while she was here, Betsy got roasted lamb, baked potatoes with raw butter, tiny new asparagus, and baked apples with vanilla ice cream. (Haagen-Dazs vanilla is the only ice cream I can find that has real ingredients and not a lot of fillers meant to substitute for actual cream.) And, for lunch before she left, we had a big green and veggie salad with meat from a just-cooked spatchcocked chicken.

The First Grill of 2022

Turkey Tracks: March 31, 2022

The First Grill of 2022

Today is rainy, as will tomorrow be.

But yesterday, if cooler, was sunny and beautiful. AC and I had a very nice outing at the Snow Bowl area, where despite the colder temps and wind, he ran and swam in all his ”spots” again.

I had two lamb chops to cook and put on my noon meal, which yesterday was a BIG salad. Lunch has involved over the winter into my main meal, with a snack and fruit for dinner.

I dragged the grill out on to the open deck area and unwrapped its winter cover. (See AC on the rock wall hunting for chipmunks?)

AC was hopeful, but there was no mouse nest inside the grill.

After letting the grill heat up—which took some time as the wind was cold—and on went the lamb chops.

The resulting salad was…DELICIOUS. And I always add some cooked green veggies—in this case broccoli and little green peas. The red pepper, I’ve read, has more vitamin C than an orange. The raw onion contains sulphur—an ingredient now lacking in human diets and one that is crucial for health.

Often, I save some of the salad for my supper snack, but not today. I ate every bite with relish.

The snowdrops along the front path and ”boardwalk” are blooming, and the daffodils are up about 3-4 inches. That ”monster” boardwalk, which is so hard to put down and pick up, is going to be replaced by a concrete path this spring.

The lettuce has sprouted in its cold frame—seeded last fall. Soon I’ll start taking the lid off during warm days to harden off these new plants. I think the raspberry leaf buds are swelling.

The house is clean for the week. The laundry is done. And friend Betsy from Vermont is coming on Sunday for a quick visit and to pick up a fantastic sewing machine she bought from a friend here.

AC hates rainy days, but I enjoy the slower pace they bring. There is time for reading and sewing and posting to the blog when all the other tasks are done for the week.

Cotton+Steel Stash Project Cutting Done!

Turkey Tracks: March 28, 2022

Cotton+Steel Stash Project Cutting Done!

Yesterday morning, Sunday, was another beautiful spring morning.

AC and I went to the Snow Bowl again, and there was running, walking, chasing the ball, and swimming in all the watery places.

Then, the promised weather started rolling in as we got ready to go home for lunch.

How dramatic are those clouds? We got a little snow during the night—just a coating—when the temps dropped. This week is meant to be fairly clear at the moment, but will be a bit cooler than last week.

Last week I ironed the last of the Cotton+Steel stash and those pieces into squares and strips. I kept out bigger pieces to use for backings and bindings. And I didn’t cut into several big pieces that were low volume, as I may need them as I move through this big project to augment the low volume pieces already cut. If I don’t, they will go into the regular stash.

Anyway, here are the last fabrics I cut. The fabrics on the upper longarm roller bar are meant for fussy cutting centers for the Churn Dash blocks or for the backing for the ”warm” ”Pot-Pourri 3” quilt—and I laid out that backing yesterday after sewing that top together.

The table with strips for Churn Dash blocks is overflowing—especially after this last big cutting.

And I now have two bins of color-sorted squares ready to be used for more of the scrappy ”Pot-Pourri” quilts:

Indeed, the whole project has more or less been moved to the bed next door to the quilt room so I can use the longarm. The basket of solids is another scrappy project I’ll get back to some day. And the strips and squares on the right are smaller pieces that evolved from the major cutting project. They will be used down the road.

And, here’s a sneak peek at the next Churn Dash quilt blocks and their sashings and corner stones, which are all cut. I think a binding I cut will also work for this new ”Eye Candy 3” quilt.

And off we go into a whole new week.

I intend to enjoy this week, and I hope you enjoy yours as well.

A Beautiful Spring Day!

Turkey Tracks: March 27, 2022

A Beautiful Spring Day!

Yesterday was just a beautiful spring day, and AC and I went for an outing at the Snow Bowl area—where the ruined field has some grass strips between the deep ruts made by parking cars there where he can chase his ball for a bit. The parking lot is also empty now, and the ball flies a long way there and bounces further along in a very satisfying way.

Yesterday was the first day I didn’t need a coat over my knit/fleece sweater/jacket. Or a hat, or gloves.

The ice is almost out of the pond on the Snow Bowl side. You can see what ice remains on the far right, over by the toboggan run.

We walked over there as part of our outing.

AC swam at the edges of the pond here, but I didn’t have the camera ready to take a video.

He swam everywhere we went actually—and there are running creeks and water basins that are part of the drainage in this area and the pond itself. Here he is at the public swimming area.

After lunch, I read for a bit on the couch downstairs with a tired dog at my side. Then I sewed blocks and rows together on ”Pot-Pourri 3.” Only two more rows to sew and attach—then on to the pieced backing. I cut binding yesterday.

I always take a picture of a developing quilt top before I start sewing blocks and rows together—so if I get blocks confused I have a picture of how they are meant to be placed.

The morning is bright and sunny at the moment, but weather is moving in. We might even get a dusting of snow later tonight.

That’s spring in Maine.

Cassandra’s Interesting Blog Post

Turkey Tracks: March 25, 2022

Cassandra’s Interesting Blog Post

Cassandra’s blog, The Not So Dramatic Life, often has interesting posts.

This post takes a close look at 5 modern quilts from this year’s QuiltCon that she especially liked, along with analysis about what it was that she liked.

Taking a Closer Look: 5 Quilts from QuiltCon

Here’s a screenshot of her recent blog offerings to give you an idea—she has been looking closely at different categories of quilts shown at this year’s QuiltCon.

More Baby Quilts Landed

Turkey Tracks: March 24, 2022

More Baby Quilts Landed

Here’s ”Eye Candy 2.”

Isn’t it cute?

To remind: I’m cutting up my Cotton+Steel/Ruby Star Society stash and USING it in a project of making baby quilts for 3 nieces and an Enright cousin. This is the second batch of the ”Eye Candy” and ”Pot-Pourri” quilts.

I’m using larger pieces in the stash to piece backings.

Here’s ”Pot-Pourri 2.” And this time I used more of the darker fabrics as this quilt is for a boy. For these scrappy quilts made from simple blocks, I’m using 9-patches. Here, the block with 5 dark colors is followed by a block with 4 dark colors—so diagonal lines form.

This back was fun to make. AC doggie liked it a lot. Both the tiger fabric and the sheep fabric are longtime favorites of mine. There was a time when I truly could not bear to cut deeply into them. And the horse fabrics have images too big to use with fussy cutting for the most part. The darker grey whimsical fabric also comes in light grey—and I have used both as quilt backings. I never thought they would carry me this far.

Only a deep stash can call on such variety within the blocks—and that is what this quilt is all about as I want a child to see and recognize images—and to learn what the images are that are now retro like the phone in one of the blocks below.

These functional quilts are meant to be used, loved, washed and used, loved, and washed. Until they wear out, which I hope takes many years.

I rejoice, too, that these amazing designers are carrying on with their work via the Ruby Star Society. They are not done, and neither am I—with my love of their work.

Twenty Curved Quilts From Quilt Con 2022

Interesting Information: March 18, 2022

Twenty Curved Quilts From Quilt Con 2022

Cassandra Beaver posted a blog entry featuring 20 curved quilts at this year’s Quilt Con.

They are, of course, awesome.

Cassandra Beaver’s blog is awesome too.

She thinks we should all be making more curves in quilts this coming year.

Trending: Quilts with Curves at QuiltCon

Enjoy!

PS: local peeps—one of the quilts shown was made by Amy Friend, who has taught several workshops for us over the years.