Our excitement of the week - this blue heron showed up in our yard. I
have no idea what drew him to the yard (although I know we have frogs).
He strolled around for a while, then flew off into the trees. Very
odd!
We had our regular visitors, too.
A day late and a dollar short? Well, this is a whole month late. But there's progress!
I spent some time on the roof this week. First was cleaning out the gutters - I found it best to walk softly and carry a big stick. The new back gutter had stopped up completely; I'm surprised the gallons of standing water didn't pull it down. Impressive. It was mostly gummed up from the moss coming off the roof - I need to remember to inspect that regularly. I have to say, it was deeply satisfying listening to the water drain out.
I was sent back onto the roof two days later after I discovered a damp spot
near the bathroom ceiling. The flashing around the vent pipe had
cracked, and all this pounding rain was coming in. Turned out to be a
very easy fix.
I made the first three blocks of Ice Waters as my April OMG. These are the darkest blocks in the whole quilt. But they didn't feel right. So the project languished for the last couple of months (a house full of guinea pigs didn't help, either).
This week I went back through my fabric, pulled a few new ones and rearranged what I had. I've just finished redoing the first three blocks. The newer ones are on top, the old ones on the bottom. It doesn't look that different, but it just feels better. My failed June goal was to do 10 more blocks, which I'm now aiming to get done by the end of July. Fingers crossed for some traction in this project!
Saturday afternoon was the time to hang out in the yard (quick! before it pours rain again!). The buns and the deer were out together.
Alas, the girls are gone. Packed up and returned on Tuesday
morning.
But before they went, I snapped a few last photos.
We get to hold onto the gals for two more days.
We've had them since early May. It's been quite a stretch! They've been here long enough that Bolt had a baby, wean him and send him off with a buddy. They've lived here long enough to be fully comfortable with our routine and learn what type of begging is most effective to get treats (but not get picked up and snuggled). They don't shy away when I come near the cage and sleep out in the open. They've been here so long they've had to endure nail clipping (which was put off an extra day or two because I couldn't find the nail clippers).
I'm ready for a break from the hay and the constant cage cleaning (three pigs in that cage with the heat and humidity means lots of pig laundry). But boy, I'm going to miss them. I've never had a herd that gets along so well. Each of their personalities are so different (maybe that's the secret of their success). They've been delightful guests. I hope they are happy in their new home.
I like that the fawn that was hit last summer is still alive and kicking. Turns out he's a buck - he's sporting a pair of points this year. His right hind leg is a lumpy mess, but he puts full weight on it. Impressive!
I finally replaced my old ironing board. It needed a new cover and
it was set up in the living room all the time - so I wanted to replace it with
a real piece of furniture. This has been my goal for many, many
months. A little over two weeks ago we picked up a console table that
was much too short, although it looked like I could modify it. Some wood, varnish, batting and fabric and voila!
Too damn hot this week. Thunderstorms moved through last night, which was a lovely break. Yay for rain.
Mom visited over the weekend so I could set up her smartphone (I've got a cute photo of that... but I won't embarrass her by posting it). I've now been using my smartphone long enough (2 years?) that I forgot how overwhelming it was to learn it all.
Mom brought a ton of fabric for me to take to Swanson's - lots of wool. I hope someone likes making rugs! She also brought this cool pelican to hang out with my other metals birds. I love it!
