Front and back of each of the four are now assembled.  The next step is to cut pearl cotton to make cording for the outside edge and hanger. 

I need strands of pearl cotton 60 inches long to make the cording.  I am not certain how many strands for each cord- three, maybe four.  To me, this seems like a lot of work; so much so, that it has become a major road block in my progress.  My progress has come to a screeching halt.  I want to regain my forward momentum. 

This little set of ornaments is ready to finish.  I have one mounted front and back and stitched together.  Just three more to go. 

Just a couple hummingbird sightings this week.  It looks like they may have left for the winter.  Their departure is supposed to be triggered by the length of the day.  We all know that in the northern hemisphere it is getting shorter. 

In the morning when I walk, the sun is not up yet when I get to the health club to clean up.  It is not even up when I put my gym bag back in the car.  This morning it was just barely light as we drove back home. 

Pinch Me!!

I must be dreaming.  Please pinch me to see if I am.  

Becky and Julie, In the Company of Friends, have an interesting blog.  Right now, they are exploring topics that are related to things we think about when we think about Halloween.  I enjoy reading the blog and so do a lot of other people.  When they hit 200 Followers, they decided to have a giveaway to celebrate. 

If you have a giveaway, I am very likely to fall for it.  I never am picked in giveaways but I still sign up for them.  This one was no different.  I followed the directions to sign up for it and promptly forgot about it because after all what were the chances my name would be picked??  Probably one in a gazilliion. 

Then Friday I got an e-mail from Becky telling me that my name had been drawn.  You could have heard my jaw clunking on the keyboard as it dropped.  I cannot tell you how much I wanted to give their giveaway gift a good home. 

Just in case you did not follow the link to Becky's and Julie's blog, Becky gave me permission to post the picture here. 

Isn't this just the most gorgeous set you have seen?  I gave one of Becky's and Julie's boxes to a friend in Australia.  My friend is still raving about it.  I am still raving about Becky's and Julie's service as they sent it to Oz for me. 

The Postal Service sent me an e-mail to let me know that Becky popped it into the mail.  I can hardly wait until it is delivered. 

What Kind of Winter Will It Be?

This is the first woolly bear caterpillar we have seen this year.  It is one of the biggest I have seen but will it accurately predict the winter?  

According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. But is it true? 

I am not even certain if this is a wide or a narrow brown band. 

At Last, A Finish

Yesterday I framed this sampler.  I cannot begin to tell you how pleased I am to have it ready to go to its new owner.  Now, her sister will be getting married this coming year.  As soon as Katie has selected her colors, I will get busy on another sampler.  I hope that I can finish the new one before the wedding.  It just never ends.  Would I want it any other way? 

The hummingbirds' vine is really named Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea x multifida) and the hummingbirds love it.  The vine has its idiosyncrasies. It has taken all summer for the vine to produce flowers and they seem to bloom for one day.  Flowers seem to open when the sun is shining but not when it is heavily cloudy.  It could be a temperature related thing as the cloudy days have been cooler than the sunny ones. 


After a series of warm, sunny days, the hummingbirds became accustomed to eating from all of the open flowers.  When the flowers stopped opening on a cloudy, cool, rainy day, the hummingbirds flew all around the vines and then hovered in front of them.  It was as if they were trying to figure out where the flowers went. 

The melons are ripening.  We have now eaten two.  When I bring them into the house, their delicious aroma fills the kitchen.  We always plant at least one melon vine but this is the first time we have produced any fruit. 

Guess Who Paid a Visit Today

It is not so surprising that the bumblebees were in the garden today. 

Over night last night, the temperatures dropped and there was frost in the area.  We were fortunate; there was no frost in the gardens.  Just in case, we covered a lot of the tender plants for the night.  This morning before we removed  the covers, one of the hummingbirds was in the garden checking out the covers.  It went to every one and paused for a little; we assume it was looking at the covers and maybe saying, "This wasn't here yesterday."  

We are beginning to prepare the garden for winter but decided to leave the broccoli because the bumblebees are still in the flowers. 

Just before I went back into the house, I decided to check the nasturtiums and melon a little more closely for a potential picture.  I looked up to see a pair of shiny little eyes looking at me.  The weasel was back in the garden.  We had seen it this morning for the first time since the day we first saw it.  Now, here it was so very close to me and I had the camera out.  As luck would have it, the weasel is quite shy.  Every time I moved even a little bit it scurried away.  Every time I tried to set the camera to take a picture, the small click sent the weasel running for cover.  But, I did get a little picture of it.  Thanks to the miracle of PhotoShop, I was able to make the image a little larger.  Unfortunately, it is also a little grainy.  Yes, the weasel's head is on one side of the shed door and its little furry butt is on the other side.  :-D    And yes, it is under the door.   :-D