Temperature Tree

Thoughts on the tree project: 

In the beginning of my hand work life, over 50 years ago, I started with cross stitch then moved on to needlepoint then quilting. As I progressed from one to the other, the previous activity was put aside. 

SO, it's been a very long time since I've done cross stitch. I 'forgot' how tedious it can be. My eyes are older and not so inclined to teeny anymore.  Neither is my patience. 

This tree would not stand the test of comparing it to the pattern. Certainly not the leaves.  But as I fiddle and struggle while stitching I am pretty much finding space for another leaf and sticking it in. I know nature is more perfect than this but I'm not.

Too late I realized I didn't really have to stick to the color chart and if I had been thinking logically for this hemisphere I would have for these warm green months made the leaves green, not the yellows the chart is using. I would have had some oranges and reds for the coming fall months.  I'd leave the blues for the winter but I'm not loving the yellow for now and looking at the color chart there isn't much room for change.  Maybe.  It IS only May. I could green up the summer maybe. Saying this, I understand it's a temperature chart so the temperatures are represented, not my esthetic desires. 

Maybe the yellows aren't making me happy because I used an oatmeal color for the background and they kind of disappear. 

And yes, there are still days left in May but our weather people are SO precise I can take the projected temps for the rest of the week and finish the month.

Yes, I will finish this, I've gotten almost through half the year and I am happy with my system of collecting temps for a couple of weeks and then stitching.  I could have and would have never made a temperature quilt so this is a good substitute.