Home again!

Oh, my. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long, but two of the motels we stayed at advertised WiFi but didn't deliver. I haven't been able to get onto the Internet in about a week. I have LOTS of pictures to show, LOTS of fun to share, and LOTS of quilting progress to boast about, but not tonight. We're tired, and I still have about an hour's worth of unpacking to do just to get to our jammies. Meanwhile, I have to reintroduce myself to my lovely furred ones. They don't seem to be speaking to me currently. I guess I'm in the dog house for being gone for so long!

I'll post myself up-tp-date tomorrow.
'Til then,
Debbi

Day at the zoo...

Welcome to the Tyler, TX, zoo. I'm a bit of a loner, so I was looking forward to a day of solitude wondering through the zoo at my own pace, but I actually made friends with some other wives (okay, so I got ambushed and absorbed into the group) and had an even better time wandering around at someone else's pace! I must say, the day was not what I expected.

I was enjoying looking at the flamingos when we first arrived. The other ladies, however, had found a very large, red, furry ant to inspect. On the sidewalk. By the way, I looked up that ant on the Internet this morning, and it turns out that it's a red velvet ant, also known as a cow ant. It's really a wasp with a sting that is said to be painful enough to kill a cow. Good thing none of the ladies poked it.

The ladies then became absorbed with looking at a blue tailed lizard on the sidewalk. I found this little guy up on one of the exhibit signs.

When I drew the ladies' attention to my lizard, it hopped up onto Lisa's hand. Where it posed for us before it began to climb. And climb. And climb.

Lisa was quite happy to have her little rider until it zipped up her arm and around the back of her neck where it headed straight for the inside of her shirt! I rescued her and returned the little fellow where he belonged.

Well, when we finally stopped browsing the sidewalks and started looking at the actual exhibits, we found three rhinos locked in their inside pens. I'm not sure why they weren't outside, but this fellow wasn't happy. He paced around a lot until he finally turned his back on us and sprayed directly at one of our ladies! She managed to scuttle out of the way, but it was a close call! We did learn not to hang around an unhappy rhino!! : )

The zoo is not large, but most of the displays were nice. Since most of the animals had large, natural habitats, we weren't really close enough for pictures. I tried to get a photo of the anteaters, but they kept moving too fast. With our dry weather, I would have loved to have taken these guys home with me. We have been overrun with ants this summer - especially on our new patio!

Two of the zoo's many macaws. I usually hate to see parrots in a zoo (I used to raise birds, and I hate to see them confined), but all of the macaws were on perches outside of cages. I felt better about that.

And it wouldn't be a Texas zoo without longhorns!

Mom and the cats are not missing me. Mom is spending her time reclining in the sunroom with a good book. The cats are being cats. They love whoever has access to the cat food. *Sigh* In fact, the day we left, we got what was by all reports a very good rain at our house. That would be the first measurable rain for over a month. We may need to stay away just to break the drought!

Well, I'm off to the planetarium in an hour, so I'd better get ready to go. I'm meeting my new friends. Most of us plan to skip the water park tomorrow in favor of doing our own things, so I'll be hitting the quilt shop then. I'm counting the hours!

'Til later,

Debbi

On the road again...

Welcome to Tyler, TX. My husband is enrolled in a series of training courses here, so I came with him. I brought most of my sewing room with me so that I wouldn't be bored sitting in the motel room while he's gone every day. ; ) I found out today that I shouldn't have bothered! Back to the back burner with my owl quilt and the binding on my black and blue quilt. Away with my Q.U.I.L.T. signature quilt blocks. It seems that the training company has outings planned for the families of the trainees.

Tomorrow I get lunch then an afternoon at the zoo. I LOVE zoos! I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Free entry and transportation.

Tuesday we go the the local planetarium and aviation museum. I'm definitely in for the planetarium. Another of my passions! I've been to some of the major aviation museums, so I may skip this little one and hit the mall beside my hotel instead.

Wednesday is the water park. Okay, I think everyone will have seen enough water buffalo at the zoo. They won't want to see me in a bathing suit. I'll pass on this excursion and visit the one and only quilt shop in the area. With 3500 bolts of fabric, they're sure to have something I just HAVE to have!

Thursday is Tyler's famous rose garden. Could they find anything closer to my heart? Okay, you're right. Cats would have been nice. Anyway, the rose garden will be followed by a visit to the children's science center for the families or the town square for us childless visitors. There are museums and antique shops around the square. I can handle this. All we have to pay for is our lunches Tuesday-Thursday and any items we wish to purchase. It doesn't get better than that! What fun. : )

What about my furry babies? Mom's caring for the furs and feathers while we're gone. Since she has proven that she knows how to open food cans, she has been readily accepted by all! In fact, Ladybug has already brought her some food options of her own - a dead rat and the head of a baby rabbit. I don't mind the rat, but I love rabbits! Alive! Oh well, Bug is a cat, and this is what cats do.

Sinbad, my love.

Callie, the patient.

Maxie, the mischievous.

Tessie, the beautiful.

Ladybug, the provider.

The dogs are too hard to get photos of standing still and the chickens are too numerous. Mom has her hands full with our loved ones. Thanks yet again, Mom.

I want to put in at least a few stitches on my binding before bed time, so I'm away. I'll let you know how tomorrow's zoo visit goes. Until then...

Debbi

Finished quilt top

Well, I finished another quilt top this evening. It was too dark to take a photo of it, but here is the picture from the unfinished projects page. This is the same Turning Twenty Mystery Quilt pattern as the Harvest Quilt that I finished last month. All this quilt needed was some borders. Now I need a back for it, and I can send it to Mom for quilting.  When I get a chance, I will take a photo of the finished top and post it. I'll be traveling for a while, so I'm not sure if I will get that photo before I leave or not. Right now it's hard to take a quilt outside to photograph because of all of the ants. With this hot, very dry weather, the ant population has exploded. So has the grasshopper population, but not on our property - chickens, remember? Chickens are great for keeping down the grasshoppers, but not so great at sucking up ants. They're too small to peck! : )

I'll catch you later!

Debbi

New material and a surprise from Ladybug...

I'm sitting here in my darkened sunroom, listening to Phil Collins and trying to remember where all of the keys are on my keyboard so that I don't have to turn on a light. I've been preparing lots of photos to show you, but suddenly I hear a noise outside and go to investigate...

Ugh! My thoughts are now completely scattered. I have to tell you about Ladybug before I can get back on track.

As you know we just added a rather eclectic patio outside of our sunroom (Yes, I know it's still dirty. We're in a drought, and I don't want to wash it.). Well, Ladybug firmly believes that we built it just for her comfort.

Bug (I know. You'd think we'd call her Lady for short, but there it is.) has taken over my garden cart for her bedroom. Well, every day since we built the patio, Bug has brought us one and sometimes two "presents" to express her DEEP appreciation for her new quarters. Remember, folks, we live out in the country. Rats and voles are in plentiful supply. We've been thanking her very politely, then throwing the dead bodies into the field. Okay, my husband has been throwing them. You don't think I'm going to touch them do you?

A few minutes ago, I heard Bug crying loudly outside of the door. I thought the  stray cat we saw the other night had come back, so I went outside with some extra food so that Bug wouldn't have to share. Huh, no cat. Just as I was about to turn back to the house, Bug popped out at my feet and meowed at me. Unfortunately, her mouth was full at the time, and she dropped something that scampered under the garden cart. Bug frantically went dashing after it. After some minutes of dashing back and forth, she chased her prey into the corner by the water dish. She pounced and then came trotting proudly back to me. So here's me thinking she learned her lesson and would hold onto her dinner this time. What I didn't understand was that she had originally been crying to get me to come out while her present was still fresh and full of life and energy! For the second time she tried dropping her offering at my feet. This time the darn, scampering thing ran straight for my feet!!! It's after dark...I'm squinting in the light coming from the house to try to see what's happening...you get the picture. My husband didn't hear my scream since he had the TV turned up too loudly to try to drown out my Phil Collins, but I'm quite certain the neighbors wondered if my husband had finally given in to temptation and was murdering me!

You know, I appreciate love, I really do. And I love the fact that my pets want to show how much they love me too, but....aaaauuuuggghhhh!!!! Oh now wait a minute. I can't believe you're thinking that... You want to know what the scampering little creature was, don't you? Did I mention it was after dark?? Bare feet?? Do you really think I stopped to ask it its NAME???

Okay. Deep breath. All right, yes, followed by a deep swig from a margarita to steady my nerves. Now, wasn't I going to tell you something about some new fabrics? Yes, I was! Yes. Fabrics.

After the Dogwwod guild meeting Monday, I talked Mom into going with me to one of my favorite quilt shops, Sager Creek Quilts and Yarnworks (visit them here: http://sagercreekquilts.com/). They had posted pictures of some yummy new fabric they had gotten in, and I just had to check it out. Now those of you who have been following me for a while know that I have not bought my usual loads of fabrics in quite a while (as in, more than a week or two - lol). I caved. Big time. But it was worth it! Just look here:

First, some luscious peach batik.

My dear sister is trying not to vomit, but I LOVE this mustard-colored paisley fabric. AND it was half off! I hate to admit that this is the third time I've bought this fabric. I still haven't used the first two purchases, but it was half off!

Now to the reason for my visit to the store in the first place. I HAD to have this black floral with matching border fabric. Isn't it RICH?

The light fabric on the left is a coordinating fabric from the same line. The other two are some of the fabrics that I bought to go along. And yes, there is aubergine in the black fabric; you just can't see it in the photo.

The rest of the fabrics that I bought to go along. The white looking fabric on the left is actually cream. You can get a better idea of the actual color in the next photo.

All of my coordinating fabrics together. Anyone know a good pattern calling for...one, two, three... eight fabrics and a border?

Four fat quarters I picked up a couple months ago.

I'm so totally in love with this pair! Mom bought the same combo, so we're going to have to come up with a competition. How fun!

Whew! My margarita is gone, and I'm out of pictures. I guess that means it's bed time. Goodnight everyone!

Debbi

Well, I enjoyed my day at the Dogwood guild. It was nice to spend time with friends. One of the women found a lost kitten, but I'm sad to say I could not take it home with me. Sinbad is finally improving both physically and mentally (we finally have him off all of his medicine), and I don't want to chance upsetting him and causing a relapse. Someone else is trying to find it a good home. Anyone need a kitten?

Interesting phenomenon - I find that when I'm sewing with friends, I can sew for hours AND GET NOTHING DONE! What is with that? One would think that I would have something to show for about four hours of work, but nope. Nary a thing. I find the same thing happens to me at retreats too. Anyone else have this problem?

Tomorrow my husband and I intend to go to the movies to see Spiderman. Maybe we'll kidnap Mom and take her with us. Either way, I don't anticipate being able to show anything tomorrow either. Maybe the next day.

Until then,
Debbi

Patios, pizza boxes, and butterflies...

What a busy day I've had! Warning, this a picture heavy post...

First, my morning started early with the sight of this gorgeous newly hatched butterfly. I love blue butterflies!

Next, I retired to my sewing room and took out a pizza box block collection from two years ago. I had ten blocks made by ten very special ladies from my Dogwood Quilt Guild. I need more blocks, so I made the top block to add to the others. Aren't they all beautiful?

I was speeding right along until I reached for my fabrics to make some more blocks. Hello, Callie. Okay, that quilt is returned to the back burner. : /

I went to the sunroom to check on the other kitties and found Maxie in high excitement. She was scanning the ceiling for something...

It's a wasp! There it goes! 

Get it Maxie!

Reach for it again! (Don't worry. Maxie was never in any danger. The wasp was well out of reach on the ceiling. She was just paddling the air out of frustration and eternal hope!)

On to the afternoon. The patio team showed up when the temps reached the high nineties. Why didn't they come early in the morning when it was cooler outside? Here they're leveling the ground.

And they're beginning to lay the blocks beginning in the corner under the faucet (lower right of picture).

And they're done! But it's dirty!!! Ewww...

A couple of hours later, I rinsed the blocks off some. They're still really dirty but you can just see the mix of colors and patterns. Hey, we live in the country; the chickens don't care if we've used recycled blocks mixed with a few new ones.

And now I'm off to watch a movie with my beloved before hitting the sack for the night. I have another early morning tomorrow with our monthly Dogwood guild meeting. It's a workshop day. I think I'll take my green and yellow fabrics with me and see if I can sew up a few more blocks - without Callie's help this time!

See ya later -

Debbi