Seen on Heirloom Meadows Farm

The ancient apple trees on the property didn't do much last year, but this year they are resplendent in blossoms, thanks to a very wet spring.

One of their beautiful chickens. I love the black and white varieties. Many of them have names, but I don't remember who this is.

Now they have a rooster, this gorgeous guy. He's very protective of the hens, but not obnoxiously so.

The goose from across the street often comes over to visit.

There is a bunch of new chicks in the brooder.

Their booth at the farmer's market in Hamilton is thriving.

Ever heard of ramp? It's an oniony, garlicky plant that grows wild. We went up the hill to the woods, where patches of it grow this time of year. They had it for sale at market, and we had some with the dinners that our daughter cooked for us.

A piece of freshly-cut rhubarb, one of several which went into a rhubarb pie.

Here's Sammy sitting in front of the rhubarb patch.

Ready to put in the oven.

It really was tasty.

I had brought a small bag of kumquats from our back yard in Irvine, and Martine is making candied kumquats here.

She sliced and cooked the kumquats in a sugary syrup, and then rolled them in sugar. Yum. She was thinking of putting them in her scones.

Samantha, May 2011

We were back in Upstate New York last week visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. This post will focus on Samantha, aka Sammy-Cakes.

Here's the only pic with me. I need to remember not to have pix taken from below.

She looks pretty in lavender.

Swinging Sammy under the apple tree was on my bucket list. She loved it, and so did I. You can see their pond in the background, with pasture and woods behind that.

Sammy looks great in her new yellow dress on her dad's lap.

She has a 1st birthday on June 16; since we can't be there then we had a small celebration early. Ripping up gift wrap is still the best part.

One of the gifts that we gave her was this outfit made by Grandma Cindy.

I made this Noro sweater and hat. Looks like she'll have to grow into the sweater, maybe by early fall.
More pix to share in the coming days.

"The Space Between" news

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jennison were interviewed for the on-line newsletter "Friends at Festival" by Quilts, Inc. all about their upcoming exhibit, "The Space Between." I am happy to have a quilt included in the exhibit. You can see the interview here.

 http://www.friendsatfestival.com/Newsletter/Spring_2011_THE_SPACE_BETWEEN.html

We just returned from another trip to Upstate NY to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. I'm itching to share photos, but I'm pretty busy with other things. I'm powering away working on award ribbons for the Flying Geese Quilt Show in October. I have help, but it's still a lot of work. I have a pile of dirty laundry from our trip. Also, I have a quilt idea that I'm dying to start. Plus we have a new addition to our household. I will introduce her as soon as I can.

Quilt back from travels, & Projects

My Beneath the Surface quilt is back home after touring Quilt Festivals in Long Beach, Houston, and Cincinnati. It's called "It's Your Fault."

I added outer covers to the felt book that I'd started at the retreat. It's hard to read in this photo, but it says, "When We Were Children." I substituted a raw strip of fabric for the ribbon binding. The fabric of the book cover was hand-dyed by my friend, Anne Copeland. Thanks, Annie!

This is what the back looks like. The Circle of Life? It's all very loose and deconstructed.

I wanted to add photos of siblings, but I didn't have room in the main part of the book. So I've put them in the back in this little attachment. It's still a work in progress....

I whipped up this ruffled halter in the past few days. I used an oliver & s pattern from an old Stitch magazine (Spring 2010). It may not fit her for a while. We'll see!

This is what it looks like in back. It's raining in NY, so she won't be able to wear it anyway for a while.

new granddaughter images

I couldn't resist sharing this jubilant photo of my granddaughter. I am told she is eating a bit of ice cream, which she is mad for. Look at those big eyes! 

Here she is in her new swing, another thing she loves. The fields behind her are yellow from dandelions, and you can see heifers in the background. This is Midstate NY.

Last but not least, here is the latest video. Samantha is being swung by her Grandma Lynn. It's short but cute.

A Dance to Spring

As promised, here is the whole quilt of "A Dance to Spring." It is on the front page of my website. Man, do I need to get that place updated.

May update

The cats' old condo was looking worn, so we got rid of it and bought this spiffy new one. The cats wouldn't have anything to do with it until I sprayed it with catnip spray.

I still haven't seen Olive on it, but Matilda seems to like it.

I went to a retreat at Casa de Maria in Montecito last week. There were various fiber workshops, and one of them was a felt heirloom book. Mine isn't done yet, but here is a peek at it, in progress. My theme is, "When We Were Children." It has photos of some of my relatives when they were children, from my grandparents down to my grandchild.

We did Zentangles, too. Again, mine isn't finished yet. We painted, then drew on MPC (Multi-Purpose Cloth), available at Joanne in the home dec department. I'd like to eventually use it somehow - maybe as a pocket for a tote bag?

We did our own projects, too. I started this cute little sundress for Samantha.

We saw this fabulous primitive red and white quilt on the drive home. This was in Summerland? I think. What is it about red and white quilts that is so appealing?

Man, I can't believe it's already May 9. I gave a mini-workshop on Saturday afternoon, teaching English paper piecing to 5 willing Flying Geese quilters. It went well, I thought.

A Passing

Today I reflect on the life of my father-in-law, Paul Cooksey, who passed away on Wednesday. He was a navy pilot and a successful attorney, who finally lost his battle with diabetes and Alzheimer's. We will miss his smile and distinctive laugh.

Otherwise, it's been a very busy time. I enjoyed speaking at the Orange Blossom Guild in Visalia on Thursday last week, then we hi-tailed it home so that I could get ready for a retreat in Santa Barbara. Now I'm home making final preparations for a mini-workshop tomorrow afternoon in Tustin through Flying Geese Quilters.

I promise lots of photos when I catch my breath.

happy may day!

This is a detail from "A Dance to Spring," which was inspired by a photo of my mom as a little girl, dressed up for May Day. The full-sized quilt photo is not at my fingertips right now, so this will have to do.

This traveled around in 2009 as part of the Noble Seasons/Spring special exhibit.