Out and About

Hi! Happy Friday! I am breathing sighs of relief because Hurricane Matthew is NOT supposed to head to north to NY. Instead of doing hurricane evacuation prep, yesterday my friend and I went out for a bit of a shopping day. Our goal was to find a Halloween costume for Mo. I wasn't  planning on dressing Mo up because I can't maybe take him out trick or treating, but my kids want Mo to have a costume. Sad to say, the only outfit left on the rack at Home Goods was a XXXL hot dog costume that would fit a great Dane.

I did find a sweet little Fall jacket for Mo, very soft red corduroy with an even softer plush lining. Mo looks cute in red!

Gotta give HG credit, they did still have pumpkin-y decor and the Christmas things are not yet out on the shelves.

We popped into TJ Maxx too.

Lovely cozy-looking sweaters, but it was just toooo hot to think about buying sweaters.

Inspired me to want to knit something though. Maybe:? This?  or This I'd make the sleeves long and put thumbholes!

..........

We had the most fun at Trader Joe's as usual.
Fall tulips!

Adorable baby mums, in fancy styles.

I love the little stripey button mums.

This year I did them in my spatterware/ graniteware buckets instead of in crocks.

Good food ideas too. Look at these tiny butternut squashes, what a great idea.

Actually called Honeynut squash. Did not try mine yet, I'll let you know if they're tasty.

And I couldn't resist this pasta and sauce.  Usually I don't buy premade sauce in a jar, bu this looked so different and good.

And these tiny pumpkin shaped pastas!

Perfect for a fast meal some fall evening. I got another pasta that is tiny beggar's purses, like crimped tortellini, filled with prosciutto and cheese. Yum!

Hope you have a good weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Goldenrod Days

Hi! Good news, my doctor has stopped my physical therapy for now and instead he is in favor of daily short walks. I was so thrilled and of course all I heard was ''walking is a good plan'' and off I went to the beach. I had not been to the beach since late April, maybe the longest no-beach period in my life since I moved here. It wasn't the most beautiful day, quiet and grey, but oooh, the air! All my cares, worries, aches and pains just roll off my shoulders, I can feel myself relaxing, as I walk.

I was careful, did not go far. The beach is huge right now and I didn't go all the way to the water's edge. It's probably a little more than a half mile from my house to the low tide line, I think.

Let's look, anything new and interesting?
Some smart person has marked the dune path entrance. In the winter it can be hard to find from the beach side.

Boardwalk looks good! It is being taken up though now, to save it from winter storms.

The dunes are high and covered with rolling green and amber grasses.

The goldenrod is just starting to bloom.

The dark line in the sand is the high tide mark from last week's flood tides. [No treasure!]

The summer shorebirds are gone except for the gulls,

and the tiny footprints left in the sand.

Back home I put out a couple of my favvorite Autumn quilts. Just to, you know--get things started.

And yes today, my hip joints hurt, but not terribly! So worth it.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

a small PS about the Oystercatchers: It seems they fly south to Florida and the Caribbean. I hope my birds safely weather H Matthew as they fly south.

And remember I mentioned that they seem to live in birdie ménages à trois? This is from the Audubon webpage. See I don't make this stuff up! LOL.

my threesome that nest to the west edge of my beach.
they've been coming for maybe 10 years?

still courting each spring

Nesting/ American Oystercatcher

First breeds at age of 3-4 years. Sometimes may mate for life. In areas with high populations, may form trios, with one male and two females attending one nest or two nearby nests.

30 Dots Has September ~ Dottie 365 plus Nature Notes

"The days go so slow but the years, they go too fast."

Hi! Today is the last day of September.  How come March and April don't fly by like these late summer, early Fall months do?
I have all my Dotty 365 blocks finished for the month, hooray! September 30 block is block 330 only 35 [36, it's Leap Year//  50 to even the rows] more to go! The year has gone too fast.

I continue to enjoy this project, I find it relaxing, yet interesting. I'm excited now to see the final textile that will result from my year's efforts. This month I tried to use darker toned Dot fabrics to increase the graphic impact and contrast in my Dots.

Mostly the choices were things to remember, or references to old times, fun times. A few are scraps from current projects, especially P2, which was my main sewing focus this month.
Morning glories, Monarch butterfly migration...

Full moon and a  medical appointment day.

A sad day, a beach day...

Hydrangeas, P2 flowers, shells....

 Dragonfly migration days....

P2, first day of School, Kitties visited, Cape Cod blueberry memories...

a Mo day or two...and more Cape Cod days, butterflies on the late roses.

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A nature note, for those who don't visit here for endless quilt quandaries and musings! [and for me.] As I sit each day sewing on my deck I am now seeing  flocks of birds filling the skies. The migrating birds follow the coastline west, then south. The empty saltmarshes here provide safe resting territory and abundant food, plus I imagine the coast makes a good sight map for their travels. Lately I've been seeing small flocks of oystercatchers. They are easily recognized by their odd awkward flight. In the spring they arrive in small groups of two or three, often nesting as threesomes once they arrive. This is an oystercatcher decoy or carving.

But in the fall they form larger flocks of perhaps eight or ten birds. Maybe they are the parents and babies from summer? In late September they begin their practice flights, round and round the beach. Tomorrow they will stll be here, stalking small somethings yummy along the tideline. But Sunday they will be gone. Just as they arrive always on St Patrick's Day, they leave for their winter homes on October 2nd. I've lived here many years. Some things never change....Have you ever kept a birding journal or nature journal?

PS Finding ''madders'', red-brown prints, once created by a vegetable dye called madder...for Lori's new sewalong. So excited, i's again a mystery quilt.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach....

365 Project at Qulty Folk :HERE