I'm really trying to amuse myself through this winter but there is so much snow! Here are some of my amusements...
Feeding the birds & enjoying the cardinal visits, that shock of red when you look out into the aviary, I just love it. The sparrows, chickadees, juncos, & the occasional blue jay, are putting in an appearance too. Squirrels swing from the bird feeder daily & I've not seen the rabbit...maybe the fox got it.
Those darn squirrels have chewed the pine silhouette off, trying to get the birds goodies. I feed the birds/critters, loads before the weekend storms that went through here & with so much snow no one is out & about, the 60km winds may have something to do with that too!
I'm still working on the border of my hooked rug. I think I'll have enough Briggs & Little wool in red to finish it, so far that was two skeins & I've three skeins left. I'm doing the binding in a whip stitch, over nylon cord, in black. I still have the crewel rug runner to do too! Oh the fun of UFO's. lol
Mr. Squirrel is really getting snowed in. I gave him a load more batting & flannel scraps for his nest. I'm thawing his drink water daily & he's got quiet the appetite for my dried grainy toast that I save for him, with a spread of crunchy peanut butter.
I'm procrastinating about doing more shoveling, those are the steps buried under all that snow. I've shoveled for 2 hours already today & the back of the house is all that's left to do.
I've dug my studio out, you can see me in the window all bundled up, it's a chill factor of -23C today. The sun is really nice though, but my legs are cold, even wearing flannel lined Eddie Bauer pants! I go out for one hour, then come in to thaw my legs out.
My Guardian Gargoyle looks like he has had enough snow too! lol
I faced my Escape to the south thinking that the snow would blow over it! Thought that one wrong.
I can barely reach the shovel over the banks, as I shoveled the laneway out.
I've already shoveled this laneway & front deck off, that was the other hour of my workout today.
I was talking to my Alberta Bound son, Mitch & he reassured me that if I move out to Alberta, he'll keep me shoveled out...sounding pretty good Mitchell!
Oh the snow this winter.
I found my laneway.
As I was taking these photos my thumb was going numb from the cold.
Looking at the pics now...there's really more snow than it looks here.
My neighbour Peter, does a great job shoveling, the ice damning is starting on my roof again.Grrrrrrr
You can see just how close our homes are here, just a car fits between them. Next year they'll all be 'Century Homes', circa 1916.
Enough cold, let's go inside to sew!
I've been busy with my Vintage Tin quilt. These blocks finish at 9" x 9".
This was a difficult block, so much embroidery work. I finished it last fall when I was taking Nicholas to his daily intravenous antibiotics in Miramichi NB, for his cellulitis infection.
After returning to London in the late fall & talking to others about this, I've found that it is a very common type of infection that is happening. So common that the out patient hospital at St. Joesph's has opened up a clinic to treat just that! What is happening, why are we becoming so immured to oral antibiotics, that we need higher doses done through intravenous.
There's still a lot of embroidery work to be done on this project. I love the look of it, it reminds me of the "Over The River" quilt that I did a few years back. I enjoy having stitch work to pick up & do if I'm watching TV or waiting at appointments.
I've been spending time cleaning & organizing my studio. I came across this pattern that I wanted to do years back. Yes Elizabeth the 'Scottie' when finished will be for you & Boris for me. lol
Tom Cat has the right idea all cuddled up in Namama's velvet antique chair.
Boris just keeps following me around, trying to get me to turn the fireplace on but I'm still warm from all that shoveling. Soon Boris, you can have your way.
This is The StormAt Sea wallhanging that now has been attached to the batting & is waiting to have the back added then be quilted together. The binding, in the same fabric as the border, has been cut & pressed & will be added after the quilting is done.
The wind is picking up & we've an Alberta Clipper coming our way. At that time the wind will make it bitter cold, so I'm off to finish the last of my shoveling then I'm back in the house to work on one of my many projects that I've got on the go. Some house keeping is in order too as Bill will be leaving Taiwan & heading home to Canada in a couple of days. And oh my...Creative Minds Are Seldom Tidy!
Stay warm & thanks for stopping by for a visit. :-)
