Garden Peeping. Again.

Hi everyone! Have you been enjoying all the little quilts from our swap? So fun! Today is grey and dismal and for some reason I decided that Mo is being so naughty because he needs MORE exercise. So off we went for an extra extra long lunchtime walk.

Hahaha. Mo is tired. A mile  or more from home.

I coaxed him along with treats, we loitered in the back walkways peeking at people's yards and gardens. Mel has asked me if folks use the big clams shells for garden edgings, and of course I can't see that when I just peek over their fences. But lining the sidewalk with shells is very popular.

June is very lush this year, what a change from barren February.

June is roses...

Even the public greenery plantings are beautiful, with their varied leaves and textures.

We visited a friend's garden to do some much needed weeding. Our work is paying off, the garden is looking good.

Does anyone know: Is this a weed or what? I didn't pull it yet and it's getting big. [the yellow flower in the bottom left is a daylily, not a part of this weed.] edit: I have discovered this plant is jimson weed or Datura. Highly toxic! Gotta get it out of the garden before Mo eats it. I ll show you the picture of its blue trumpet flower next post.

The koi have floating plants now! Water hyacinth? I'm sure it gives them lovely shade on hot days but makes it much harder to see them.

And we went by to visit the plastic yard geese. From afar I thought, Huh. Surgeon and pilgrim? What?  Up close I see they are dressed as a baseball player, of indeterminate team affiliation[I bet they could fins a Yankees uni if they tried!]. And a graduate. Can't wait to see them dressed up for 4th of July.

We cut through a back alley to get home. Mo was determined to sniff all the fascinating dumpsters. We turned the corner and...show down!
High Noon.

A nemesis awaited. Is it Stripey? So far from home? He didn't want to share his dumpster-dived finds and he hissed at Mo.

Later we found the real Stripey napping on a neighbor's patio chair, all curled up on a soggy cushion. I think the other kitty is a new guy.

Hot and sunny tomorrow. After I weekend grocery shop I am off to the beach! How about you? Plans?

half price, free shipping! Cute.
The Peach Bellini smells best though.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach.

Oh so---PS. I decided to forgive Mo for eating his favorite bed last week. When we got home from our walk I sat down and carefully hand sewed, with very strong thread, all the tears and holes. I put it all back together for him. I set it on the floor to show Mo.

It's a goner.

More Doll Quilts!

Hi! Lori has her Linky up here for the show and tell of all the tiny quilts sent and received by participants in her Doll Quilt Swap 2015.

I'm writing this post for my friend BJ / Beverly who was the very lucky recipient of this adorable quilt from Lori herself.

Lori calls it Time for T. [I always think of this as the Temperance block, because it was supposedly used by the ladies of the Women's Temperance [anti-alcohol] Society in the late 1800s and early 1900s.]

And this was the quilt that Beverly made and sent on. Beverly specializes in Civil War fabrics and doll quilts; this was her first quiltalong / swap.

Such a beauty, look at this backing!

The design is from "The Civil War Sewing Circle" by Kathleen Tracy. BJ also has made for me the very useful sewing needfuls from this book---a needle case and scissors envelope both of which I use daily.

Beverly's quilt went to Valerie Langue in Winfield IL. Valerie has an online quilt shop called The Quilt Merchant.
Coincidentally just now a box arrived from BJ. Filled with pieces from her extensive indigo blues collection. I'm thrilled.

Aren't quilters just the best!

Thanks for a fun swap, Lori! Thanks for playing, Beverly!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

Back to the Beach

Hello! It's mid-June and old man winter has finally lost its grip on the beach. Yesterday summer arrived with a bang. One day we're shivering in our fleece jackets, the next day it's 85 freakin' degrees.

I thought I'd melt! Poor MO,in his fur coat!

There's people on my beach. Huh. Our version of a busy summer weekend.

I suppose there is room for all without it looking like Coney Island.

The winter storms and winds did an excellent job of rebuilding the outer dunes. This area was flattened just 2 and a half years ago.

The fake dunes are compacting and leveling. Grasses are starting to grow.

Sadly the show of the endangered birds is very scanty this year. I don't know if they were killed off by the harsh winter?  [they do fly south and should have missed it.] Or if they were put off by the aggressive shore leveling and sand raking by the giant trucks which invade each April, just when the birds are arriving and nest locale hunting.

Only 4 plover cages on the entire many miles of beach. Down from 17 nests maybe 8 years ago.

3 sets of oystercatchers only. That makes me sad as they're my favorites.
No terns! Which is --well, I hate them and they hate me, they're attack birds...but they're endangered and tiny and beautiful. In their own mean ways. [Arctic terns, least terns]

And on the beach, no black skimmers.  At one point, again 8 -10 years ago, they came in flocks numbering in the thousands. Oddly I found this little flock of them, plus a couple OCs [far right], huddled on the blacktop at the dog park. And I saw a couple of the tiny mean Arctic terns in a pond there too, along with a few black ducks.

Not what they once were. I hope in years to come the birds' numbers recover.

PS Mo is enjoying his little quilt. But he ate his best bed. :-(

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.

PPS on a quilty note: Today was Flag Day! I stuck out all my little flags on the deck rail.

Temecula Quilt Company has the cutest little patchwork flag , a free pattern. here

I'd love to get one made by Fourth of July. [or wouldn't it make a sweet little patriotic mini quilt, maybe 6 of the little flags?]