Horses, Quilts, Gardens, Memories Brighten The Long Dull Winter Days

QUILTING GIVES US LOTS OF COLOR IN WINTER

Wedding Ring Quilt all done by hand quilting.  It is King size and took me 10 years to finish.  My son and his wife Carol were married 10 years when they received it.  Good thing they stuck together that long.  it was my first attempt at
making a quilt this large.  

Quilting becomes the mainstream of activities 

as fall recede to winter months ahead.

Below is a baby quilt I made my grandson.

My daughter wanted something fun and colorful.

Pattern came from Colorful Quilts for Kids by Kari Peakson and Friends

Bunny wall hanging I made for my daughter-in-law 

Close up below of one of the blocks 

Bunny baby quilt for the same daughter-in-law.  She loves bunnys.

Lots of machine embroidery and also hand stitching on this quilt

A new season brings change, but this December,  Fall seems to be hanging on.  The winter white makes Wisconsin seem a wonderland especially when the sun is shining. It's as if their a thousands of diamonds twinkling out from the crust of snow.  One's outlook is even brighter.  But........  Central Wisconsin is still brown and dull.  You have to look for color in the crabapple trees red berries, a blue jay sitting at the feeder, in order to brighten your mind.   

 

In November we had the hunters going through our woods and wetland area and the orange shouted out with color.  Now in December the world is at peace again  except for a few spats the Blue Jays have with each other.

     One week away from the most important celebration of the year, Christmas, and still no snow. I am dreaming of a white Christmas   SooooooI will add winter scenes from years ago. 

Huge drifts pile up in a Northeastern blizzard years ago

Grandchildren coming for a day to enjoy the
snow and Ginger the pony

Living on a hill has its advantages for sledding
When you go down you must walk back up.
Kids do not mind.  All they think of when they
are trudging up the hill is the next flying trip down
hoping they do not fall off.

Snow angles seem to appear all over the place as the
grand kids leave their marks. Days after they go  home
again, I will discover them here and there as I walk
up to the house from the horse barn.

 Winter quiets our lives.  What held  our few minutes of rest between weeding in the hot months of summer, now holds the serene setting white marshmallow look with shadows and lite drawing our eyes to its winter wonderland. Walking in the fresh fallen snow with my camera I smile in joy for the beauty of it all.

This statue of our Good Shepherd  in my gardens
reminds me each and every day
who is the Gift Giver.
God's delight in giving us His Kingdom on earth
through His birth and redemption
Christmas is celebrated next Sunday and we all await the great Joy of family and friends.
Lets keep our greatest gift
in mind as we celebrate Christmas Day.

                                                 Blessings and love to you all.......................

                                                                      Kate

MERRY CHRISTMAS

   

November 2011----- Letting Go -- Letting God----- Decadence - A Falling Off, Decline; Decay Harvest Is Done



"I believe in the sun when it's not shinning,

love when I am alone,

and God when he is silent."  author unknown

                                                                                    

Sumac on Hill Behind Our House

Wisconsin was in its full glory starting in September and now almost at its end today.  The trees have shed most of their leaves and the brilliant colors have faded to the dull browns and faded greens.  The Box Elder a good seed tree for the birds but humans frown on  because it brings with its fall look a bug called Box Elder bug.  A nuisance but does not bite or hurt us in any way except for the fact it tries to winter in our homes so comes in abundance between windows, doors with us trying to vacuum it up and caulking it out. The Box Elder hangs on to its leaves somewhat longer than the other trees but has only the faded brown leaves dropping.  It is a good shade tree and so far is hardy compared to the great Elm we lost years ago and now our woods are being stripped of the Ash tree with the Ash borer killing them off.  It is so sad to see the dead branches starting to show up on the Ash which shares our woods with the Beautiful Oak, Hickory, and Maple trees. 


Another picture of the Sumac in September.  Now in November all the leaves of these trees are just about gone.  The evergreens will give us color as the Autumn slips away into winter months ahead. 
The sky is often gray and giving us lots of rainy days.  It is a quieting time of letting go of the fast moving months of summer and the brilliant goodbye in fall with nature closing up shop for the season and going dormant as the winter numbs it with colder days ahead.  Decadence in full swing.....





Sumac up close with seed pods which will stay on until spring
feeding Blue birds and Robins and other wildlife

 
Just the other day our neighbor farmer came down our driveway that leads to the barn and back field with his big harvester combine.  It was time to release the earth of the corn that grew all summer and now was dried and ready. 



No time at all and the field was left with just stubby edges of the
once high reaching corn.  It is so exciting to see this huge
machine. Made by man to gather the corn made by
our great creator who nourished the seed
throughout the hot summer to
become the fruit of the earth. 



The hot summer sun is no longer present but gray days will fill our days more often. 

I use to hate the days that brought less sunshine, but now relish the time as a rest period in my year of life.  The rush of Christmas is not quite near yet with November to get through, and there still are crisp sunny days fitted in between the rain and drizzle.  Time to sew up those Christmas projects, finish things that could not be done in the merry merry sunshine of summer fun.  Now time to reflect, dream a little, pull things together like fall cleaning, baking, taking a slow walk kicking the crisp leaves hiding paths, and covering what use to be our trimmed lawns.  Dick put out the bird feeder for our future winter.  Too early to fill it, the raccoons are still not bedded down for winter so could rip it apart yet looking for those sunflowers.  Squirrels are scurrying past our windows with large walnuts in their mouths, burying them into the ground.  Some they will find, others will turn into our spring seedlings for future trees in the woods. A time of letting go, letting God work through our nature.

      Quilting will take a more prominent place as November pokes it head up on my calendar.  Finishing projects will be done faster.  Summer rainy days seem to be the only days I can squeeze in my stitching.  I hand quilted this table runner pictured below for my daughter Katie.  Many, many days passed as I worked on it and during that time I contemplate what all took place this past year, as I stitch away the minutes, hours, days until the quilting is done. 


 



The table runner pattern is one I bought through e-PatternsCentral.com

and is called Lilies of the Field.  I use to get most of my patterns

by mail but found this great web sight where I can download

and buy through the computer.  Wow!  It is cheaper and I

get my pattern right away.

Gilly and Luke



Up date on Gilly (front and Luke in back of picture)  Gilly who was

terribly ill is now well and back to her old self (10 years).

Luke is now 1 year and just full of the dickens but

learning fast.  He got his winter hair cut by Stephanie

Sanderfoot who does a marvelous job on Airedales.

She is from Kaukauna Wisconsin, and can be reached by

swankefoot@gmail.com.  Gilly is scheduled for next week,

so will look just as pretty as our Luke who got his hair cut last week. 

Dick and I go shopping or I go to a sewing lesson at Sew and Sew out of Appleton which is a neat quilting and sewing shop.  We usually catch a lunch somewhere in Appleton before we go back and pick up our Airedale.  It is a fun day for all of us.  Luke will stay home this trip and spend it in his kennel.  Our daughter will come over and let him out for a runaround in his outside pen and then back in the kennel he will go until we are home.  He is still learning his manners so cannot be trusted running free in the house while we are gone like our older dog Gilly.  Gilly is so well behaved and such a dear sweet dog.  As we cope with Luke's shenanigans we keep in mind this is only temporary and he too will be as nice as our Gilly when he is about two.  A terrier is so full of zip, they need lots of tender love and firm training before they get all that robust energy under control.  Stephanie the Airedale Stylist's,  parents are the ones who bred our Airedales, always trying to bring out a gentle and loving trait.  They can be reached at http://www.joannesinc.com/ They only breed the best Airedales, our Luke has champion blood in him from both the mother and father's pedigree.  We do not do the shows just keep our Airedales as pets. 

Our old cat seems to know it is time to find a nice warm spot with the tempatures in the low 40-50's
It is also a secure place by me while I work on my sewing or computer.





Allen our old cat snuggles into quilt material hoping I do not see him.



"Heart Gifts"  by Helen Steiner Rice found in a little book called "Just for You"

It's not the things that can be bought

that are life's richest treasure,

It's just the little "heart gifts"

that money cannot measure...

A cheerful smile, a friendly word,

a sympathetic nod

Are priceless little treasures

from the storehouse of our God...

They are the things that can't be bought

with silver or with gold,

For thoughtfulness and kindness

and love are never sold...

They are the priceless things in life

for which no one can pay,

And the giver finds rich recompense

in giving them away.

Picture below was sent to me,  unknown author of the print

BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL AND MAY YOUR DAYS BE

FILLED WITH JOYFUL MOMENTS AS

YOU WALK YOUR PATH TODAY.

Kate

CHALENGES OF CHANGE August 12, 2011

Mid August brings us cool mornings and mist swirling out of the wetlands
out in the back of our propriety. 

Going from the high 90's down now into the 70 is giving Wisconsin a feel of what is to come in a few short weeks.  Seems the long lazy hot days of summer have become a thing of the past.  School is right around the corner.  My grand kids are coming next week for their last tea party and outside games.  We started this quit a few years ago so the cousins could spend time with gramma and their other cousins. We have craft time, tea time and then outside races and games.  They dress up in costumes left over from my last two daughters growing up days that are stuffed away in plastic bins.  Boys protest  but finely consent with the promise they can enjoy the treats later.

Christie dressed like a frontier girl and Jon in a graduation costume race neck to neck with fresh eggs in a spoon. 

Brett disguised in a sailor suit originally from world war 2 made over by his great grandmother and given to my daughters for Halloween costume.  Stephanie in a dance costume from one of my daughters dance recitals when she was little.They too struggled to keep the eggs in the spoons but managed to drop a couple.  I can still remember the giggles and the eggs being stepped on at the next race of wheelbarrow. 



Gosh, I can remember doing this when I was a kid.  Summer was so full of fun!



Being young at heart, not a worry in the world.  Children are our treasures in this troublesome world.  To live like a child in innocence, and wonder!  They say laughter is the best medicine and being a grandma has kept me young at heart.  My world becomes brighter, my mind sharper and my heart warmer watching the antics of my grand kids.



Victorian Gaxing Globes from Baker's Lawn Ornament 570 Berlin Plank Road, Somerset, Pa. 15501

I bought this many years ago because I heard how exquisite the glass was and the colors are outstanding. 

In the above picture you can see my reflection in it taking the picture.  It reflects what ever is blooming around it. 

Our minds are like a reflection ball......the pictures we remember of our past reflect what we went through.  What we pull into our memory is almost like living it again.  As I experience joy, love, tender moments I tuck them away in my memory to be pulled out later like this picture of the reflection ball.  All I have to do is think about a happy thought and it is there being relived, enjoyed, enveloping me with that joy, love and tenderness.  With the world news, pouring disasters onto our somewhat quiet life our tendency is to think about it.  Trouble ourselves about what could happen, is happening but a world away.  I do what I can and then reflect back to a warmer memory that fills my world with light, not troubled waters.  Even with all the tragedy in my own life this past year, I do what I can, remind myself over and over, "This is only temporary"  Pull up memories that bring me to the present happenings,  good things that release peace in my soul, not stress in my body.  A trick of the mind.  Filling it with another thought.  Quite a while ago they showed hands surrounding that plane that landed on the river out by New York.  I do that too, think of our great Creator's hands surrounding my world.  Bringing me peace again and a stillness of my soul so I can enjoy the present.



Luke Skywalker 10 months now, spending time with me in the computer - sewing room. 
Dick put the grate in front of my files because Luke likes to rip off labels and chew on them.
Luke has put such laughter and joy into my life.  He is typically the naughty boy puppy sometimes,
but most times he he just a big lovable Airedale that fills my day with surprises and smiles. 



Just like that foggy picture in the beginning, the seasons are changing but I can still fill the decadence of the time back to the bright blue sky with simply a reflection.  (pictures help too "_" )



View of our land out back of our property

Another joy is my collection of books.  A few weeks ago I got my new quilt book called:  quilting those Flirty '30's by Cynthia Tomaszewski.   ah such fun, such color, and such an imagination beyond my own old brain.  But with this new book that gives me step by step instructions I can create what Cynthia has designed for us to buy.  I got mine through amazon.
I also got a new sewing machine a Viking Sapphire 835 which I bought at Sew and Sew a delightful quilt store.  They give me new owner lessons too so I can use all the computerized instructions.  I was there last week and the teacher was so patient with me, so talented in getting all that diffcult information into this old brain.  Now I am ready to zip out some new items and try new things in the cold rainy days ahead.  I love hand sewing and quilting but this is so much fun I just might put the hand stuff away for a while.

Picture of new birdhouse by my new camera the
Canon EOS Rebel Tdi EOS 600D

Now this is the biggest challenge on my mind.  I have spent the past two months playing with it and taking pictures.  It has so many automatic contraptions on it that I probably could spend a life time just using them but I really want to explore all the different settings and views I can.  I read on one of the blogs that the books Digital Photography by Scott Kelby and sent for that from amazon also and Scott Kelby really does make it easy to look up things and settings.

 I can see this long winter ahead is going to be a very challenging one with all these new changes in my life.  Change is very good for us, weather it is a painful one or a surprise filled one it brings fresh air into our lives and gives us a new perspective......
             ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wish I could remember where the below picture came from on the Internet.  Maybe someone out there can give that information for me.....................

thinking of you all

blessings.....

Kate



Entrances Draw You To Excitement

     Entrances in gardens make you want to find out what is beyond them.  The more interesting an entrance the more lure to search what is behind it. These horse pillars made of cement tell you that you can expect horses if you go this way.  You cannot see any horses at the entry but you want to go through this entrance to find the horses.  (Of course, the path the entrance puts you on leads you down to the barn and the pastures where the horses are.






This path brings you toward the barn but first you go
through the gardens in between. 

 On the right side of this path you will see a chicken coop and outside pen.  If it is daytime you might see the chickens scratching, pruning, pecking.  And then you will see the ENTRANCE to the Chickens.  It is different and fun looking so you find yourself going over to it and opening the entrance door.



                                        You will see the long white shelters that keep the chickens in shade or protect them from a cold wind.  The fun looking weeping pine also might let you discover chickens hiding under the graceful limbs, and eventually you walk up to the Chicken coops ENTRANCE. 








This entrance might make you think of fresh healthy eggs
might be inside.  You peak a look but need to step in to find them.





Dotty and the black and white striped Betty are
under the weeping pine tree.



Then again maybe you are not at all interested in chickens and horses come to mind again.  You look around and see beautiful gardens and of course another ENTRANCE...  You walk in and it leads you to the path that goes to the roses.  Now this is getting a little better.



 You lean over and smell and the aroma almost makes you forget about horses all together!  You touch them to see if they are real.  The cool weather this past spring in Wisconsin and all that rain  has been kind to the roses.  Your nose almost bumps into a hornet that is pulling on something almost like a robin does.  It is a little green worm!  He flies off barely able to stay a flight from the weight of his captive.  Gee such fun things to discover in this garden goes through your mind.

Yellow roses are bright and cheerful, giving one a lift in life as you gaze upon them.

There are so many colors and types of flowers to see. 

Yellow lilies mingle with white Campion.  A perennial that is tall and has a small flower on the top of the stem.
It protrudes up through a cluster of another perennial and yells LOOK AT ME!  It gives a grouping a splash of color other than the one like the above yellow lillies. 



Rose Campion nestle nearby with a lily that is not open yet.













Here is Rose Campion which is a
gorgeous flash of rosie pink.  See how the gray leaves add to its zest.  It takes very little growing room.  Here it is mingeling with tall lilies.
Leaving this circle garden to start down the path once more towards the barn which you can see now.  Of course this entrance back onto the main path does not mean you will stay on it .

To the left again there is a neat setting with an antique
outhouse that holds garden tools and the arbor with
Bless on it leads you into the Fairy Garden.  Peaking over the fence you can see a delight to the eyes!  Shady spots that have lots of flowers growing in them...... and of course Fairies.

Still wanting to see the horses but enticed to wonder into this fairy garden ....  trying to resist the colors, the fun things all over the place.......  maybe I can come back, after I see the horses.  Wow!  There are the horses !  I can see them over the fence from the Fairy garden. 

Pictures of Ginger the pony and Hawk the dark Morgan are sad.  I lost my Refa the 34 year old gray Arabian a couple weeks ago. If you go into my old blog  http://withinnature-chickens-horses.blogspot.com/2009/12/in-wisconsin-winter-has-arrived.html  you can see Refa and also my old blogs.  (for some reason Google would not let me go in with my password so I got a new blog and password for the blog I write now)  Ginger was always at REfa side guiding her around because Refa was partially blind.  The day was so hot.  93 degrees for three days in a row.  The second day of the three she quit eating and drinking water and I called the vet.  He said she was all ready shutting down.  Her system just could not take that heat and she gave up living.  It took Ginger a whole week to stop calling for Refa and looking for her at night.  Ginger and Refa always waited out in the second pasture until the big horses were in then she would lead Refa into the barn.  I not only felt devastated loosing my Refa ( I had her for 19 years) but I could see how confused and sad Ginger was.  I poured lots of affection on her and groomed her every day while trying to let her see she would be ok.  I felt the same way Ginger was acting.  I caught myself looking into Refa's stall though habit, to see if she was ready to go out and then let the tears tumble down my cheeks and blow my wet nose because the stall was empty and my Refa was gone.  Refa was a lot of work the past few years because she could not take care of herself as well as she use to.  I missed that times with her too.  Then came all the "what if's "  Or maybe if I did this or that she would still be here.  Just a week before she died she was trotting up the hill to the upper pasture with the cool wind blowing her tail and main out to the side.    Another thing that I wished I hadn't done was give my Palameno away to a gal that loves to ride.  He was not being used here and he was the perfect riding horse.  I was fearful of the 16 hands high and his big build (part work horse)  so did not ride him.  He is now making this gal happy and I am sure he is happier too.  He did a lot of shows and jumping and winning ribbons for the girl that owned him before me.  My  son found this nice family for him to go to.  I can go over there to visit him if I want because it is just a few miles from here. 

Refa and Ginger

Moose

We are a lot better now that a couple weeks have passed.  Time heals and I have entered into a new part of my life.  Work has been cut in half and also expenses.  There will always be a hole in my soul for those two beautiful horses but i am also glad Refa does not have to suffer anymore in the cold and heat and Moose is tearing around with his new owner with a great big smile on her face.  I firmly believe in providence or what I call God's plan for me and I am anticipating the turn through the next entrance of my experiences.

A trick of the mind helps heal the sad thoughts.  My Aunt Helen who just passed away this past year was a fantastic image for me.  Her attitude and continuance on living a positive life inspite of so many hardships gave me encouragement in my problems and decisions.  She taught me that everytime a sad or negative thought comes to mind, replace it with something you love.  Well many years ago I replaced it with roses.

 I loved Roses, and the smell brought me into smiles and loving feelings.  What I was stammering in my mind about would slip out the back door as I opened the ENTRANCE OF NEW THINKING.  One beautiful thought led to another and soon I forgot what was making me so miserable.  In the begininng I had to use continuance in changing my thoughts to something positive but now after so many years I can be like my Aunt Helen and live a positive life, a joyfilled life.  Amazing what the mind can do to someone.  Train it up right and it will grow healthy and strong. 

Romans 2:7 " Eternal life to those who by patient CONTINUANCE in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. " Bible verse in the New Testement

                                                                              

       Blessings to you all,

 May July bring you lots of giggles and happy memories

as you ENTER  a new month of experiences.

                                                 Let me know how you are doing ...........

                                                                          Kate