Good News For Once

It seems like so much of my blog has been bad news lately, with family illnesses and so many struggling with cancer.  So I wanted to share my good news.....

Mammo time: 

Spring is finally trying to poke it's head around the corner and take a peek at us.  Although this morning it is bitterly cold, complete with sleet pellets.  Brrrrrr We had high winds last night that shook the house, but the weathermen are promising that we WILL get up in the mid fifties by the weekend.  Hmmmmm


Three years ago we planted this weeping cherry tree as my Mother's Day present.  The first two years we some had blossoms on it and even some small cherries.  This year, despite a cracked trunk from the winter cold, we have an abundance of blossoms!

The cascading blooms are so thick on the branches,

and the tree is just buzzing with honeybees! 

On the topic of Steve's new cuckoo clock hobby, well---- he has one completely working already and is awaiting some ordered parts on the other one. So much for waiting for retirement to work on them??? He has this one proudly displayed in the front porch. It can stay out there for the spring, summer and fall months.  In the winter months we will relocate it back inside to a spot on the landing of the staircase in the foyer.

This one chimes on the half hour with one bong and one cuckoo.  But then on the full hour it will sound off with the cuckoos and the bongs for the number of the hour.  Then as a special surprise, a music box kicks in with a lovely tune while four little dancing couples come out and twirl around!  It's delightful and I can not wait until the grandkids come to see it!

Steve figures we will keep rotating cuckoo clocks as he finds them, fixes them, and then sells them again.  Someday we will inherit my mother's cuckoo clock that she brought back from Germany.  That will have a permanent place in our home.


I am working on five different rug orders here...  some are in multi colors with random striping. I achieve this look by weaving in two strands of thin rags in the same opening, with starting and stopping various patterns and colors mid stream.

I like using a multi-colored weft (string) that matches with any rug I choose to weave.  Since I wind on enough string for 50 rugs at a time, it's nice to have an all-purpose colorway.  Next, I am going to sew up the red, white and blue rags today for the last rug on the order list.

I picked up new sash cord the auction loom I bought last weekend. I have not had time yet to tie it all on and snug everything up. Perhaps next week.  For now it's fully assembled in the loom room in front of the window, kinda blocking up the open area.  Once I weave on it, I will decide to keep it, relocate it, or sell it as a fully functional weaving rug loom. 

In between the other stuff, I have been working on a quilt for the front porch.  It's all together now, I sandwich quilted each square, then joined the blocks and sewed in between rows called sashing.  All of it is free motion quilted and completed except for the border.  When finished, it will be queen/king sized.  But I want it to cuddle up on the front porch together.  Maybe later today I can get to that part and finish it up?

Oh... on the RVing front:  the motorhome water pump repair, Steve and I are heading to the Cat dealer in Green Bay after work today to pick up the new gasket and O rings.  Hopefully that will fix it up and we can be ready to roll in 2 weeks for Mother's Day weekend. We are heading down to my friend Juanita's Vavning Studio in Shopiere and then to our friends Jim and Norma's wedding anniversary party in Beloit.  Nice to have the motorhome as our mobile hotel room, a place to keep the doggies, and have comfort in travelling there and back without hotels, restaurants and all that hassle.

Here's to hoping we don't get any more

 **S*N*O*W**