Retreat

All packed for retreat!

Looks like I'm heading for Australia and Chooky's Scrub Stitchin' or Susan's stay at home Clayton's Scrub Stitchin' but alas, just going about Michigan. 
 

Ours is a smaller group.  There are just six of us but we can match you in smiles.

Fondle

 After reading Chookie's post about her trip to Libertyville and at the end finding myself green with envy I thought I would look to see what I've got stashed and what I've done with mine (it was just an excuse to fondle my Liberty of London fabrics.)

I'm one of those that doesn't want to use something that's a favorite because, well, if I use it, it will be gone. Our first trip to England was a couple of years before covid and I bought just a little of the Liberty fabric.  And I didn't want to use it because it had to be used for something special and I didn't want to waste a single thread. So it sat.

Then we went back to the Liberty of London store during each of our four trips and I bought a little more.  Then I found a place here in Michigan that sold it only through mail order.  Then JoAnn's started selling it.  Finally, I had a stash. 

The circle quilt was just finished a couple of weeks ago, at first I didn't dare start something like this because I would have waste from cutting circles.   But the flying geese did not.  I love flying geese and I like the peasant look of just lining up four of them and putting them together in rows.  That four at a time way of cutting flying geese is a favorite.

 No rhyme or reason to placement.  I don't have a design wall or curtain nor the wall space to put one so I just wing it.  

Like here.  This was my first peasant look flying geese quilt and LOVED it.  It was so much fun finding quirky put togethers from my stash, the only thing I was concerned about was strong contrasts. Everything else was a free for all. This is a favorite.

And this one.  Honestly?  I don 't even remember making this top.  It was folded up in a basket and when I unfolded it thinking "what's this?" I was very surprised.  I love it.  I must have made it after the peasant one above because it really was fun and a stash buster for sure. I bought some batting and am trying to find enough in the stash for a backing.

But back to Liberty. 

I gathered all my Liberties from the different pouches they were stored in and now I know I have lots. More than I thought and enough to do something with.

This last visit to England in January I had soft colors in mind because I think I'm going to stick to the 'don't waste a single thread' philosophy and do simple squares, like a charm quilt but not a charm. The squares will be bigger than charm.

These are the bigger pieces, truly fondle worthy, and there is a pouch with small bits and bobs that came from Friend Barb and leftovers from my projects.

I felt better after seeing what's here because if I'd been to the Liberty Lollapalooza that Chooky was at I'd probably have ended up in a corner sucking my thumb from envy, lack of money to buy it all and the realization of how old I am and big plans have to be carefully made.  

Easter

 However you celebrated yesterday, whether alone and quietly or on spring break somewhere warm, or with friends or with family I hope it was a good day and didn't include snow. 

This year we were at our daughter's with SIL's mom and brother and two nephews.  There were nine of us and as usual daughter outdid herself to make the day memorable for all of us.  It's a lot of work having big dinners AND making it special.  I know. PH and I usually hosted Easter and had about 22 people.  This year Easter was during spring break from schools so most of the people who come here were off travelling.  Our daughter stepped up, we shared cooking duties and had a wonderful day.  And it didn't snow.  It was cold enough, and for about 5 minutes in the morning it DID but I think it was just March's way of having the last laugh...even though we are a week into April.

We are a very lucky family.  Our table was full and delicious

This was the centerpiece our daughter made, I didn't get the tulips sticking up out of the top in the photo.  So pretty!

Dessert was a collection of cookies and these little pots filled with pudding dirt, crushed chocolate cookies and strawberries dipped in orange colored white chocolate for carrots sticking up.  Very fun, delicious and who doesn't need a bit of chocolate after a meal?

We had games.  SIL made this tomb from a cardboard box.  You have to give him leeway for his dry but astute sense of humor.  

He put things appropriate to the tomb in the box, one at a time, and we shook the tomb and guessed what was inside. Some things were quiet and some things rattled.

We each took a turn and guessed.

Adelaide guessed the shroud.  SIL being who he is, added blood colored paint.

There were other things, too, keys (to open the rock door,) crown of thorns, you get the picture. 

And the egg toss.  Honestly, we could have done this game inside the house.  We don't know what these eggs were made of but they would NOT break!  You toss, step back, toss, step back, etc. But we actually ran out of yard and were throwing the eggs like a baseball (instead of gently lobbing them) and one of the eggs had grass stains on it but STILL didn't break.  Craziest thing I've ever seen. 

We came home with warm memories and leftovers for another meal, just like Thanksgiving! 

 

Active Syrup

 Not much quilting happening, it's been very busy around here but I can add a bit to the maple syrup post.

The other day PH asked if any of the trees around here (see background for trees!) were syrup trees and I pointed to two I knew of.  Yesterday I was filling the suet feeders and right at nose level I noticed something move.

The dark strip on this tree is a line of sap running out of the tree.  It's wet.

You can't see it very well, I could only get the camera to focus from this distance but what I saw moving was sap dripping from the tree like a drippy faucet that needed a new washer. Quite an active drip. Just about midway on this photo you can see the next drop forming, ready for the dive.

See that dark blob?  It's an active run.  

I tasted it.  Not like the squirrels do, putting my mouth to the tree and licking, but put my finger out to catch a drip.  It's sweet water. Doesn't taste maple, just sweet.

At the ground where the crumbs from the suet lay for the ground feeding birds they aren't consciously choosing the wet spot. I thought they would.  Then I remembered birds don't really 'taste' like the squirrels do. 

Next year I might just get a bucket and spigot. 

Maple Syrup Time

 It's maple syrup time in Michigan. When the days are what we consider warm but the nights still are cold the sap flows back up to feed the trees.  If a tree is particularly juicy it will seep out of the space where the branches meet the tree. Always in March but sometimes in late February.  

When our daughter moved into their house one spring they noticed squirrels laying on those branches and licking the dark spaces at the junctures.  

The next year she found a place that sold spigots and buckets and watched the squirrels. 

It tastes, straight from the tree, like water with a "what's that?" background.  I think you can taste the tree if you wait for it. The sap drips drip by drop into the bucket.  Somedays the bucket will be quite full, other days not so much.

Then you cook it down.  Those two pots in the background are used up and dead to the chore. The propane goes fast, the little stove wore out.  She's been doing this for years.  With the new open cook pot more will evaporate quicker.  You can see it's starting to change color as the sap boils down.  

It takes about forty gallons of sap to get one gallon of syrup. This is the real thing, no additives, preservatives, sugars, nothing but cooked down sap.  And better eating you won't find! 

Finally, Finally

 This is finally a finish!!  I started the Liberty circles during Covid when Friend Barb and I decided to do a circle quilt "together."  Since then I believe she said she has done seven circle quilts.  

I did this one. O  N  E.  I got bored so easily appliqueing circle after circle after circle and I do believe if I wasn't using the Liberty of London fabric, I would have quit long ago.  But not wanting to waste a single thread, I kept going.  I am glad I did, it's very pretty.

Finally, finally it's done, I love it and it's already been claimed by my daughter. 

Will I do another one?  Seven?  No. No. No. 

Please notice the sun is shining.

Sunshine

 

This weekend the high school's musical production of Chicago: Teen Edition played.  Our Adelaide was Mary Sunshine, a very appropriate character for her to play because she IS sunshine.

The play was wonderful, by the way.  The talent in these kids is incredible.

We were all excited that our son and Ceci and Charlie came in for the performance.  They live two hours away and with three kids involved in everything, this was, according to Ceci, the only free day they have in two months.  We were excited they were here and gave that free day to Adelaide.

This is how we see the girls when they are together.  They are always forehead to forehead tucked into some corner catching up, sharing, and just excited to be together for however long that is.  

She loves the theater, the acting, the everything about it.  And proud daddy, too.

It was a fun, fun day to be sure.