Halloween Stitching and Walking

I thought that I'd have a finish to share.

Instead I worked on a couple of different things.

I worked on this Prairie Schooler owl.

And I worked on this owl sampler.

As October comes to an end, the natural world mimics the eeriness of Halloween.  Let's take a walk.

We have a couple of Oaks covered in the lichen Methuselah's Beard.

For some reason there are not many rose hips - this is by far the best clump along my mile-long walk. 

And yet the Hawthorns are covered with berries.  I cannot remember ever seeing them so festooned before.

This Apple has lost most of its leaves, but the fruit remains on the tree. 

I've mentioned the many wilding Apple trees I see along my walk, well now I've found a Pear tree to keep them company.

With the return of Autumn rains, the mosses and lichens are renewed and refreshed and vibrant green. 

A Big Leaf Maple leaf.  Beauty and structural complexity all in one.

We are having a polite family argument over this tree.  It appears to be a cherry, and yet every other cherry (wild and cultivated) in the area fruited months ago and the leaves are now turning yellow and red.  So what is it?  Further research is needed. 

Here's the Big Creek. 

We've had enough moisture now that it is once again quietly flowing.

We'll end our walk with another late October atmospheric vignette!

Happy Halloween!

Night Night Owl! Night Night Garden!

So what's next?  How about "Little Owl Sampler" by the Knotted Tree? 

After a marathon six hour session Friday morning, I'm happy to report that my Front Porch is ready for Winter.

I planted ornamental Kale in large clay pots on either side of the front door.

I have the two picnic benches dressed with Pansies and Violas.  This color scheme is red, orange, yellow, with some white.

This bench features a blue and purple pallet.

You can see the Hostas are now tucked under the benches.  While some plants still have their leaves, others have died back already.  I'll continue removing the dying Hosta leaves for the next little while. 

Most of Friday was spent trimming back over 30 Fuchsias and getting them ready to live in the greenhouse.  My little greenhouse is now full of tender plants.  I've used the space most efficiently.  I have shelves along the two ends and flush against the back.

Here's the view to the left.  Shelving full of Fuchsias.

The center.

The top shelf has over 20 small pots of tender succulents.  The 2nd shelf as Auriculas and Hostas and a Strawberry pot with Echeverias and Sedums.  The bottom two shelves have more Fuchsias.   

The view to the right shows three shelves of Fuchsias.  The bottom shelf has more Strawberry pots of tender succulents.  I counted 20 pots on the top center shelf, and a further 46 on the remaining shelves.

Part of winterizing includes putting away all my Garden Art.  We have a long narrow room under the stairwell of the shop.  That's where I store extra birdhouses, bird feeders, garden art, glazed pots, and the like.

There is also room to store dried onions and garlic along with organic fertilizers and sprays. 

Lastly some of the the plants reside in the Shop.  The ferns for example.

I also stored all the begonias in a cool, dry room in the shop.  This is a new to me way of over-wintering them, so we'll see how it plays out.

Lastly, I tucked in some Cyclamen and Pansies in a nook on the Back Patio.

It will be nice to have some color to enjoy during the Winter months.



An Owl and a Nursery or Two and a Give Away Winner

Design - "Vintage Halloween Owl"

Designer - Hinzeit

Fabric - 28 count Natural Light Jobelan

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 18 October 2012

Completed - 28 October 2012

Interesting use of color - I like the bright lime green used to outline the letters.

On Thursday my Mom and I went to a couple of plant nurseries.

We admired all the wonderful glazed pots at Gray's Garden Center. 

We ended up buying a couple of ornamental kale...

...and some more Pansies and Violas.

I was really taken with the simple straw hat on the pumpkin!  Charming!

It being late October, I had to buy these three sets of salt and pepper shakers.

Then it was on to Down to Earth.

They had a display of darling metal goats.  Here are Mama and Papa Goat.

And here are the twins - Kid and Kiddaletta Goat.

I had a 20% off coupon and ended up buying the dragonfly whirligig on the right. 


We Have a Winner!
There were 25 entries for the Maryjo Koch book and the winner was entry #19: Melissa D. of Central Valley, California.
Melissa you need to contact me and provide your email address so that I can get postal information from you.  Congratulations!  It is a lovely book. 

Lazy Rainy Days Sun 10/28

The Activity Level drops dramatically on rainy days.

I usually have a companion in the Craft Room.  Often it is Solomon in this wicker basket.

Parvati prefers to sleep atop the Pottery Barn Stitching Chair in my bedroom (thus the towel draped across it).

Tom-Cat has a favorite tube in the Family Room.

While Padma prefers the comfort of a water bed.

I hope you too have a restful and comfortable Sunday!



300 Followers Give Away - Part 2

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I'm a bit nutty about birds.

"Bird Egg Feather Nest" by Maryjo Koch is a wonderful book that celebrates all things Avian.   

The drawings are lovely.  Each page demands a lingering perusal.

Maryjo's style reminds me of Marjolein Bastin's work.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of this out of print book, leave me a comment on this post by 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Savings Time Sunday 10/28.  I will announce the name of the winner on either Monday 10/29 or Tuesday 10/30.  If your Google account is set up so that I can, I will contact you.  So many people, however, are set up on Google as "No Reply", so please please please read my posts on Monday and Tuesday to see if you are the winner.  I have thus far been unable to contact Suze the winner of last Saturday's Give-Away.  I'll wait a few more days, and if I do not hear from her directly or via a comment with her email address included, I will draw again.      

The Third and Final Bunny Themed Friday Finish

You might remember I stitched "Random Thoughts of Spring" by Erica Michaels beginning in May and finishing up in June.  It used WDW 'Scuppernong' to great effect. 

I chose to have a simple green frame with a metallic shine to it.  

I think it is well done.

Here's a photo of the three Framed Bunnies.

From left to right:

"Random Thoughts of Spring, "Bunny Sampler", and "Blue Mountain Bunny".

I think the three 'play well together'.

This should inspire me to return to working on JBW Design's "The Rabbit Alphabet".  It has been sitting idle for a couple of weeks now.

Further Owl Stitches

I've been working on a couple of small owl stitches.

This is a Hinzeit chart called "Vintage Halloween Owl".

  This is a Prairie Schooler ornament from a JCS Magazine. And yes, an owl will appear sooner or later! Both pieces are taking longer than I'd originally thought.

Lately we've had a little bit of everything weather-wise.

A lovely sunset.

Raindrops on Douglas Fir boughs.

Dewy cobwebs on a foggy morning.

Somethings have remained constant.

This duo comes by each morning.

And each morning Tom-Cat watches from a 'safe' distance.

Better he watch the deer than this bunny!