September Is Exciting!

 It"s been a while since I have taken the time to sit down and visit with you so now I will show you the busy treadmill of my senior days this month.

Our grandson Liam, is named after my husband, his grandfather William. The naming was such a wonderful surprise, I cried tears of joy upon seeing him with DIL Nicole & our son, Mitchell, & baby Liam.

Nicole did not have an easy time with the breech birth & the doctor decided that a cesarian was to be scheduled. The three are all doing very well. 

Liam was born September 5th, 2024 weighing 7lbs 1oz Beautiful baby boy!

He is growing daily, and they send pics via messager.

I made Liam this growing mat from a panel by Northcott and I  made four bibs and a vertical hanging growth chart from another panel from the same collection. 

Ok, that was my great news from the Alberta kids and the new branch on the Richardson Family tree!

Now the the terrifying experience I went through with the chickens!

It was 7:30am early morning and Baxter went crazy at the front door & really wanted out.

I opened the door to hear a chicken screaming for its life! I put my boots on & went after Baxter who had got to the chicken area before me & frightened an enormous bird of prey off of Rusty the Rooster. 

OMG, the bird flew over my head & its wing span was huge!! I had adrenaline running through me & I chased it with a rake flaring it in the air as it sat in a tree & watched & listened to me calm the chickens down, my heart pounding and feeling so bad for Rusty who was the gentleman rooster I knew him as but now he was a hero to his girls!

His comb had been yanked and he was bleeding for about 2.5cm but what I saw next made me cry.

There he sat on a log exhausted from the fight of his life & his eyes opening & closing from that exhaustion. The four hens gathered around the log he was on & held him up with their bodies to warm him and be together, the united flock they had become. 

It looks dark when its wings are down but what I saw fly over me looked like the spotting of an owl!

Maybe it is the baby eagle that the parents were teaching to fly a couple of months ago?

Of course, this is all happening when Bill is working away! I told him what had happened & he said that deer netting would go over the open area. He did install it & it looked great & I feel at ease that the chickens are safe from birds of prey. We thought that the trees would have been protected...we thought wrong and it was the raccoon & fox that I was worried about!

 

The same week as the attack, I awoke to find this in my dressing room! That was a downstairs mouse trap that had no food in it?!! Rexton may be 10 years old but she still is playful and a good mouser!

I screamed & Baxter came running & the mouse then moved its feet & I screamed again & the dog was frantic & barking. I ran & got my gloves & an empty bread bag to be rid of it. 

I placed it trap & all in the bag...what to do next. I couldn't kill it so I took it outside & released the trap in the outside firepit, it ran under debris that was already in it. I told it if it lives it is free, if not then a cremation would take place next burning. What a week!!

I wanted to do something with the chickens' empty feed bags & came up with the idea of making outside pillows making something from nothing, I stuffed it with selvage fabric scraps so it had good weight & will not blow away.

Stuffing it with fabric scraps & if they're mine they are truly scraps! LOL

This was their first feed bag when they were chicks. :) I found the wrought iron chair at Open Door Antiques in Chatham & it's perfect for the pillow!

The empty areas are for the planting of thyme but that will be next spring now. The geraniums did great back by the coop!

This was their 2nd feed bag, I put small pompoms on the ends & lined the inside with bubble wrap & brick for a filler.

My girlfriend Debbie sent a wonderful hydrangea wreath idea & I made grapevine wreaths & cut many limelights to dry for this project next year for us to do.

Sitting on the front porch you only see these limelight beauties now! Those are the three bushes that have filled out.

They are starting to change to pink so I cut many to hang & will do the same with some pink ones next week if all this rain doesn't make them have rusty-coloured flowers.

That clipping didn't even put a dent in those large bushes!

We were at Atlantic Auctions Inc. in Loggeville last weekend I got this maple hutch & table with chairs for $35! Yes, thirty-five dollars!!

The hutch is perfect for storing & displaying planting pots & seeds.

This is the limelight hydrangea bush that was moved there two years ago, it too is thriving!

And the one by the flagpole, well just look at it this year!

I placed the loose bits in the metal bird bowl to dry out.

And hung the other full stemmed pieces from the pole to dry out. I hope this works & it was not too early to do this, time will tell. 

Now for the drum roll for the excitement I had this week...

Henny laid an egg!! Her very first egg was on Tuesday but not in the nesting box, then again on Wednesday but again, not in the nesting box. I took two marble eggs and some lavender & placed both in the nesting box. Thursday she laid her egg in the nesting box and a Reba, the Rhode Island reds laid one in the same box that afternoon!! Two hens lying with just two more to go. 

Since May 6th, this is what we've been waiting for!

I had placed the baking sheet/towel with cherry tomatoes on top of the cat tower, she wasn't using it until yesterday and what a mess I had to pick up. I heard a noise when vacuuming but couldn't find anything that would cause it, and then I saw Rexton playing & chasing something, a mouse again?

No, it was a tomato!

Oh my, it seems my days have such excitement in them these days. What was I thinking placing those tomatoes on the cat tower? Well, last year it was the cranberries & she had them everywhere, so I thought high & out of sight. Wrong. LOL

I also made two grapevine orbs, this one is quite large & I had Bill nail a stake to hold it from the wind as it will sit outside all year to keep the gargoyle company.

It is hard on my arthritic hands to clamp the hog clamper but I had an easier time this year than last so I hope my hands are getting stronger but I was told it is only going to get worse. So I really keep my hands busy! I love seeing artistic sculptures done with nature, it so belongs there and warms the area with interest.

This is the second one, I think I will wrap it some more with the grapevines.

This is the one that I made last year & you can see how the colour of the vine lightens with age.

The paper-pieced dragon was a lot of work but so worth it when it came together!

I plan on putting his name on the bottom & making it a wall hanging for Liam's room as he ages. 

I have been working on the garden door insulating quilts & have the Christmas one done! It's called Hanging Stockings by Lori Holt.

The colour looks drained from my phone photo. I plan on rug hooking small stockings for the presents that will be wrapped in brown paper this year. I want an old Christmas feel to the house, it will also mean less work! 

This pic from my phone is so washed out from the light in the foyer. I will take a proper photo when I have the border on it. It is called Crows In The Corn by Lori Holt. 

You can see that I'm working with bright colours these days to lift my mood. I do feel more comfortable with the darker natural colours that will probably come out through the winter to ground me.

I am so happy you have stayed til the end, it was a long blog and much has gone on this month with highs & lows in my daily living that are moving way too fast for my liking. I think that is why I'm seeing so much about 'Slow Sewing' on Youtube, I like listening to books, and I'm on the second 10-hour tape of Black Ink Heart, one of the Strike series that aired on TV made from the book.

I can sew or prepare meals and listen whilst being read too!

Have a safe weekend this long weekend and I will try to be more proactive with doing my blogs. 

Hugs, Cynthia

Dog Days Of August 2024

 The days are hot and humid, each day in the high 20's Celsius but the humidity pushes us into the 30's making for a scorching & humid day when the sun is out!

Bridget & Baxter are having a sit-down with us under the birch trees.

A favourite sitting spot with our old plastic resin furniture used as living room furniture in the cottage back in 2009, it has been a good purchase from Zellers in London On. 

Back in the day, it was Boris who would have enjoyed a lay down on it on these hot lazy days of August.

 

The limelight hydrangeas are enjoying this humid sunny weather too!

They are bursting out over the wall and enjoying their space with the other two bushes that were moved a couple of years ago. One went to be next to the potting shed and the other is at the base of the flagpole both are doing well also!

The sunporch plants are enjoying the heat in this room too, even with both the garden doors to the kitchen & great room, with its eight windows and full garden door the sun pours through warming this unairconditioned room.

This is the other end of the sunporch, all these plants will have to migrate into the great room for the winter as this room will be closed for the winter season. It is my favourite room come spring to fall!

I pick up my knitting in the evenings & when I can do a row or two, this is for our new grandson, Baby Richardson, who will make his arrival next month. 

His soft pinwheel quilt came out beautiful, Rose did a fantastic job on the quilting of it, she always does such fine work on her longarm quilting frame.

I tried something new with the binding & did it in the cuddle fabric too! I remembered back in the day...yes, I am going old, when it used to be satin trim & the babies loved that soft feel as they were discovering their world through the sense of touch.

I made a sleeping gown & cap for him, I remember changing the diapers in the wee hours of sleep deprivation & found gowns so much easier to get at that task when my eyes did not want the snaps to

align. lol, This gown reminds me of Popeye's Sweetpea. 

 
His room is a soft grey & has Winnie The Pooh black/white photos in it. I had four fat quarters & used them in this design.

It's off to the longarm for quilting, I'll use the soft grey daisies for the binding of it.

I was pleased with how the scraps all came together in the 3-yard quilt design. 

From the leftover fabric from the soft tactile quilt, I made a cot quilt for his wee bed. Rose quilted it together for him as a gift for the baby, thank you, Rose. 

Today I am going to tackle a large dragon paper pieced quilt done in the baby's month colour of the bright blue sapphire colour of his birthstone. He & dad are in the Chinese zodiac, the year of the Dragon, so I thought of this idea for the baby.

It will be a lot of thinking cutting & placing it together & this week is perfect with Bill in Italy on business & Don in Las Vegas with his daughter on holiday. 

These are my colour choices for the dragon & the soft blue for the background. I have been procrastinating on this project long enough, let the day begin as I start to play with the idea in my head & make it appear...photos to follow in the next blog.

Thank you for stopping in for a visit on this hot sunny August day, with three weeks & 5 days until Autumn makes its appearance. Enjoy your summer!

Hugs,

Cynthia

Just the eight pets to look after & the day is mine!

Quiet Summer So Far...

 It has been a hot quiet summer with little rain & no hurricanes so far...

This weekend will not be easy for Novia Scotia with Ernesto coming close for a visit. Weather is so unpredictable and Mother Nature has a mind of her own, so I'll be watching this weekend to make sure that she doesn't change her mind & swerve our way. Arthur did just that in 2012, fooling me once, we were without power for 10 days, so unprepared. 

There was so much humidity this summer that the plants just flourished, this was the view out the the dining room window of the daylilies.

The hummingbirds are so plentiful this year & territorial to the feeders, the Emeralds & the Ruby Red Throats are darting at one another as each tries to drink. A lot of movement for Rexton the cat to watch from the window. lol

The Roosters Crows but the Hen Delivers was a surprise gift from my girlfriend Rose, it makes me laugh looking & reading it. Henny should be giving us eggs soon, her crown & eyes have turned red.

Henny needs to look more mature here and has grown into a good healthy-sized chicken.

Bill has opened the nesting box of one of the nests & placed marble eggs inside, Henny has no interest right now but I hope she uses it when needed. This is the view from the outside when collecting eggs.

This is the inside view where the nesting boxes are on the left & the roost bars on the right.

They are enjoying the fences in the area outside the Chicken Chalet. 

The small Red Island with Henny in the outside yard.

Rusty with his three Reba reds, enjoyed the shade under the trees in their area. Bill cut the stumps down further as one of the reds got up & outside their area & was happy when we opened the gate to put her back with the others.

Henny lay in the dirt relaxing & I was upset that something had happened to her, I'm still learning the ways of chickens. lol

The chickens enjoy their outside exploration area.

The nesting/roosting area has the screened door open until dust, they enjoy the view from there too!

Rusty has grown into a handsome rooster with a wonderful personality & makes noise the whole time like he is complaining about being outnumbered by the hens. lol

Henny & Rusty are inseparable and the Reds all stick together but together they are a clan.

Sewing And Repurposing Old Jeans

Leslie had given me old jeans to repurpose & I cut them apart & then made 3/4" strips from the fabric.

I made 'Jean Yarn' to crochet with.

I used a large hook & here is one pair of jeans, it could also be a hot plate or if made larger a seat pad.

Here are three pairs put together. The jeans have a stretch, so pulling is easier on your hands but the project to hold becomes heavy.

And here it is with all six jeans & it measures 28" in diameter. It's weighted so it's not a trip hazard, I love the denim-colour variation throughout it! Thank you, Leslie!

The pond is quiet with the cement frog giving life to it. You can see frogs jumping around if you are very quiet & still.

The service road at the pond has been so handy this year to get into the back of the woods.

The installation of Edison lights the main path through the woods it starts at the bridge & ends at the bunkie.

Remember this sweet gift from Mike & Carrie last May? I changed the hats and made a hat holder for the year of hats!

It is double-sided with zipper openings for each month! January to June.

July to December, what a fun thoughtful gift for years to come! 

It will be stored hanging in the closet, I used the wall divider from the glass cupboard to the coffee bar for this photo shoot.

Canning of Zucchini Relish & Laby Ashburn Pickles

Dorice & I were out & about Monday & stopped at the Tottie's Roadside Vegetable Stand. I picked up fresh locally grown zucchini & cucumbers for some tasty relish this winter.

I dusted & washed the pots & got started!

13 jars total were made & ready to store for the winter.

How To Build A Scarecrow is finished & off to the longarm for some quilting!

It was a fun Lori Holt pattern and a great introduction to Autumn, my favourite time of year!

I made another quilt for our grandson who will make his duet next month. I used minky & Moda cotton, two fabrics that don't want to work together as one is very stretchy!

I wanted the grey pinwheels to accent the new room that Nicole & Mitch have prepared for him & to have a tactile soft piece in his crib quilt. I'm doing the binding with the minky fabric, a new twist on cotton quilting. lol

Thank you for stopping into Beaver Moon, our homestead here on the northeast coast of New Brunswick, I hope you stop by again to see what is new here & if we have eggs yet!!

Wishing you a safe & healthy summer with 37 days left until gorgeous beautiful Autumn arrives!

And our wonderful summer will end with a beautiful baby grandson!!! 

Hugs, Cynthia xXx