green weeds and kitten feeds

The starlings are still out and about...

...but we haven't gotten to see that beautiful iridescent sheen from their feathers much, because it's been pretty rainy and overcast for the past week.  The back pond filled up pretty quickly and is now between 12 - 15 feet deep!

(That's our red barn on the hill overlooking the pond!)

Borga likes getting out to see the progress...

...but hates the inevitable bath that follows.

Those fields are very muddy, and Todd and I are already talking about laying mulch trails down to the pond this year.  We're also going to be laying down paths from the house to the barn, and from the barn to the future chicken coop area.  I'm excited to see how things will look in just 6 months!

Meanwhile, our outdoor cats are staying relatively dry by hanging out on the front porch.  I'm sure the automatic feeder is a big draw, too!

See how tame Leonidas has become?  He was so skittish, and now he's downright cuddly.  Unfortunately, he occasionally sprays to mark his territory, and I can't figure out where his main marking area is.  Setting up the trail camera will help so we can treat the spot and take preventative action.  But it's hard to stay angry with this face!

One other issue with the warm temperatures and frequent rain...WEEDS.  The garden was nearly completely cleared, and now weeds are growing and spreading like crazy!

I spend DAYS pulling this "false mint" weed up last spring and am seriously annoyed that it's gotten such a foothold in these mild temperatures, but I guess I can pull it  up again this spring.  I may have a problem with the evening primrose I planted last year, too.  It's spreading insanely fast this winter and volunteers are coming up all over.  Oh, well, that's a problem for another day!

I've been working on some sewing projects...with a little bit of help, of course!

I made my first yellow and white log cabin square this week.  It's made with scraps, and I've got a special ruler that allows me to use any piece, as long as it's over 1.25", and still square everything up to the exact same width.

See?

It doesn't look too exciting on its own, but I'm hoping it will make a nice impact when I have a few squares to put together.  I love yellow so I'm really interested to see how this will turn out!

I also made a tiny pincushion for practice.  I still struggle with color choices, so I'm hoping that working out some samples on smaller projects will be helpful.  I'm not too pleased with this one, so I'm going to try some other combinations later (hole in top where I pushed in the stuffing not yet sewn up in this photo!). 

During these sleepy days of mid-winter...

...I'm hoping to get a lot more done.

Have a great week!

the dispatch of a nine patch...

We've just had our first 'big blow' of the season!

Three inches of snow was just the right amount for a beautiful blanket on the fields, and the bright sun made it extra pretty!

Lots of mysterious animal tracks...

...and the not-so-mysterious.  Here's Leonidas, coming in from the fields for his morning treat.

I love seeing the birds...

...and the horses.

The skies have been gorgeous!

It was the perfect time to finish a quilt, and I did...although the top was completed when we still lived in South Carolina.  It's a very simple nine patch called HOPSCOTCH with a slightly updated version of 1930s fabric.

It's quilted with a simple diagonal.

This is the best job I've ever done with finishing a quilt, and it's all thanks to my new sewing machine.  It's so much easier to work in 11 inches of space, rather than 5.  My shoulders are very grateful!

The cats have been staying warm, too, in their very own beds...

...or anywhere else where they can snuggle in.

Total opportunists.  :)  

Have a great week!