Friday finishes!

 

This week I finally finished the hearts I made. I tried a different way to sew the first one and messed it up, so just three for now. I use wool for the backs and sew them in reverse, then I cut a slit on the back and turn them right sides back. Then I stitch up the slit and cover it with a wool heart, that I blanket stitch. I kept it simple and made them into bowl fillers.

I also made two new pieces, a kitty doll and a kitty pillow. This time I changed up the pillow to give it a little more character. The little kitty looks bigger since it is in the forefront of the camera.

Today we went for a ride so I could get some more felt. After we drove around. the beach areas. With the snow and ice, we couldn't get into any parking areas and it seemed all the birds are further in the coves, since the inner areas are frozen.

We stopped at the boat launch and I went to the cove side, but it was covered in snow and ice.

I did catch a seagull as it was flying off with a clam.

After we stopped at the breach way and watched, as they piled more rocks along the sides. It is great for protecting the inner areas and the boating passageway, but sad to see the area we used to park out, disappear, along with the dunes. I do hope they clean it up and restore it, when they are done.

At home, I have been visited by a few hawks. This Red-shouldered Hawk was in my big tree, watching the birds at the feeder. Not as many critters out in the yard with the snow, so they start going after the birds.

A fun thing I found last week was an online app, called chatGPT. It is free to use but you can only do a few photos without paying. I hate taking pictures of myself, but this way is fun. since my hair was pulled back, it changed it to pure white. Bill and I are so fair, so it tends to wash out our hair in photos.

I hope you all had a nice week. We had plans with the kids, but as usual, they are sick. So, hopefully we can get out this weekend and enjoy a few nicer days. You know it has been cold, when 40 degrees seems warm.

Friday finish!

 

This week I worked on some new projects and some old. I got a kit to try, so had to do that. Of course, I never follow directions, but mine came pretty close to the original, except for the eyes and I added a tail. It is nice to work from a kit and learn a few new tricks and get ideas for making more, with more details.

I have also been testing kid's kits for bracelets. I finally figured out how to make a Paracord bracelet. Nick likes to make friendship bracelets, so I got a kit for that and to make Paracords, so now I can show him how to make them, when he comes over.

And, I have been working on a block, to balance out the ones I had made, years ago. I was thinking of making it into a long banner style, but not sure if it is too long, so will think that out, the sashing will add to the size, but I can keep that smaller.

Last weekend we rode down to the ocean. A lady informed me, that the waves were over 30 feet, that morning, of course we missed them. But it was still beautiful and a bit rough.

At the wharf, I spotted a bird sitting on a rock, by itself. A first for me, a Razorbill. He didn't seem to mind getting his photo taken.

At home, I have my daily visitors. This Dark-eyed Junco, was enjoying some seed, that he found on the ground.

Today I looked out and spotted this Red-shouldered Hawk. He was sitting above my neighbor's chicken coop. I suspect he was looking for mice and squirrels, that come in for the feed. 

I hope you enjoyed your week. It is a great time of year to put out seed, the birds are more hungry in the winter, since food sources are scarce. It brings me joy to see them every day. 

Friday Finish!

 

I actually made time for stitching this week. I always love getting the new stitchery each month from Kathy Schmitz and this one wasn't my usual like, but I decided, if I reduced the size, it made the perfect tea cup mat. Sadly, this is the last year of the club, she is going to end it, this summer. 

Last weekend we got out for a ride and enjoyed a nice walk on the beach. We watched the sail surfers in the bay, looks like fun, but a bit cold for me, to be on the water.

We also went to the point to look for birds. I saw quite a few and a new looking hawk, flew over head, but I couldn't get a shot in time. We enjoyed walking on the inner beach and seeing the fishing fleet, across the  way.

At home, I am enjoying the birds who are coming to my feeder. The Red-bellied Woodpecker even came to the porch, while I was out. I have gotten a lot more visitors this year, so hopefully I can get photos of the others.

And while I was watching the birds, I noticed, I wasn't the only one watching. The Red Shouldered Hawk, was sitting in a tree, checking them out. I was surprised he stayed so long, usually if I look at him, he takes off. 

A lot of rain this week, but a nicer weekend, even if it is cold again. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and can enjoy some crafting time, in the winter months.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished two more hot pads with a design by Kathy Schmitz. This was a fun one, with hearts and bunnies, I can use them for both holidays. I decided to color it in for fun and since these are for me, if they fade, I can always recolor them. They are also nice since I can hang them and enjoy them as decorations, as well.

We were able to get out last weekend, even though it as cold. This time I bundled up and we were able to get a couple of miles in, at the beach. I spent some time watching the Snow Buntings, which were too far away to get close ups, so I caught them as they took flight.

They were constantly on the move, all taking off at once and landing together.

I also enjoy watching the birds from my porch. The other day I heard a lot of calling from the hawk and finally spotted him, a Red Shouldered Hawk. Of course he took off and flew up into the sky, as soon as I got my camera out. I watched him as he circled higher, then was joined by another. I am assuming he is mating, since he did a little dance and was very vocal.

On a sad not, Bill lost his older brother this week. He has been in long term care since he was injured when he was in the Air Force. He had been kicked in the head by a mean sergeant and wasn't right after that. We havn't seen him since he moved out of state but talked to him on the phone. He died peacefully this week, so it is sad that he is gone but a blessing that he is no longer suffering.

I made this photo with an old photo, of him and superimposed him into one of my photos. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some time out this weekend. We will be having a nice day tomorrow, so time for another adventure to see what I can find.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week has gone by and a few more weeks for Christmas. I have gotten out my packages and most cards, so I can relax now.  I finally got a change to do the stitchery of the month, by Kathy Schmitz. I decided to use up the last of my balsam and making a pillow for my neighbor. 

I used glitter yellow thread on the stars and ties, to give it a fun pop.

At home I am still able to get out, even though the days are cooler, but the fresh brisk air, does wonders for my energy levels. We went to the docks to see what was going on and stumbled onto an event. They were doing a 24 hour polar plunge for Special Olympics. Every hour for 24 hours, they jumped in. Way too cold for me.

While waiting, I caught this guy.  He was trying to break it by dropping it in the sand, but he finally figured out, he had to drop it on the nearby rocks to crack it open.

Then we sat and watched the boats come in. The parking is at the entrance, so we can sit in the warm car and enjoy watching them.

The next day we went to Moonstone Beach. I haven't been in ages and wanted to see what it was like and do some birding. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed, I thought that was just during breeding season, so we couldn't stay. I got out to take a few picts of the beach and actually found a green piece of glass, laying on the ground. 

We drove down the back road and followed the coastline till we found a private beach that is open to all, off season. If you look at the photo above, you can see the house in the distance, that is where the other beach starts. 

And this is the beach we ended up going to. The tide was the lowest, I have ever seen, so we enjoyed looking through the rock piles for treasures. Not as much glass, but what we found was nice and a few large pieces. The house you could see in the last photo, is at the end of this beach.

And this is the house, it has been through a few hurricanes and been moved a few times. The original area was grassy with a lot of summer homes, but the ocean has claimed all but 3. The one next to it, was a carriage house and all that remained of the main house. 

Today I was out walking Bean and spied a hawk, scouting the area. Once he was gone, my feathered friends came back for the food I had put out. I hope you all had a wonderful week and can find your own ways to get out and explore your area.

The big guy is a Red Shouldered Hawk. Then a Dark Eyed Junco, White Breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse and another nuthatch.

Friday Finish!

 I want to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers. Bill finally came home and he didn't even last a day, he was back in the hospital. In the short time he was gone, they were out of beds, so he was put in the basement, which didn't make me happy. The good news is he is back and doing well so far. He is on lots of meds for now and next week we will start the office visit for his knee and then back to his regular heart doctor for some new problems that need to be addressed. 

It seems this year has not been good for most of us with Covid, missing family and health issues, so we can only take one day at a time and enjoy each moment we have. Yesterday my body finally gave out, my arm is messed up and that threw my back off more, so the added work load is a bit too much. But, I am good enough today to do a few things and hopefully I can get out for a bit tomorrow,  I do need my outdoor time.

Since I was stuck on the bed most of the day, I decided to finish my needle felting project. I decided to make an egg and decorate it with a little scene. Of course what I had in my mind, is not what came about, but it was still fun to do and I learn, what not to do, next time. 

The photo isn't great, it always makes the wool look grainy, but is is much softer looking in person. I didn't want to waste roving, so I made an egg shape form with wool batting and stuffed it with some stuffing, so not a perfect egg shape.

I try to spend my quiet time on the porch, a few minutes of fresh air and a few visitors, always lift my spirits. One day a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk was soaring above the field, behind us, and I caught him just as he dove down, into the field.

I was also able to get out for a little shopping therapy. I found a rustic bird house for my yard.

And a sparrow has taken over the tin house, so hoping the others will be occupied soon. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and may health and joy, be with you and your family.

Friday Finishes!

This week I was lazy and I am also working on a larger project, so I made up some lavender pillows to work on, while I watched tv. The designs came from my booklets and I had fun doing some of my old ones.

This one is from the booklet, Spring Flock. I used art markers and colored pencil, to give it some color.

This design is from the booklet, For the Birds. I do miss designing and hopefully I can find more time to work on some new ideas, that I have been thinking about.

I also have been enjoying our little adventures and getting to use my new zoom. On Saturday I wanted to stay close to home and not worry about hunting for eagles, but on the way to the store, a hawk flew by, so we stopped and backed up to where he landed.

I hope this doesn't offend you, but to catch a shot of a hawk with prey, is not something I Have been able to do, so I was thrilled to catch him in action. Even with the zoom, I am still not sharp, it is hard to keep it still, but great quality for a hand held shot. This is a red tailed hawk.

On Sunday we headed into Connecticut. I always look for new places to visit and this time we stopped at a park along the river, and enjoyed a quick, brisk walk along the boardwalk. I can't wait to go back in the spring, when the shore birds come back to nest. There was.a flock of Cedar Waxwings in the parking lot area, but they wouldn't stay still for.a clear shot. We also visited a new cemetery, with stone designs that I have not seen before, so more design ideas.

And since I didn't expect to see any eagles, what did we find? Eagles! While at the cemetery I started scanning the far banks and spotted an eagle, and when we stopped at Eagle landing, I scanned again and at the far side, across the river, I spotted one in a nest. Too far for good shots, but it was still a thrill to see them.

And this week, it seems the hawks are hunting more in my yard. I keep spotting them, but they tend to take off when I spot them. This guy was being harassed by the crows, so he sat still long enough for a shot. He or she, is a red shouldered hawk.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Friday (Almost) Finish!

It seems the holidays took up a lot of time with cooking and cleaning and spending time with the boys, but it was all worth it. I worked on several projects that are larger, so they are still in the works.

One project I was eager to try and finish was a pattern by Kathy Schmitz. She had a sale, so I treated myself to a pattern I had my eyes on. This one was so fun to do, that I am making another in a different color scheme.

I used Dmc blue for this one and for a pop of color, I used the new DMC sparkle thread. It comes in different colors and shades, so I know I will be trying it with my punched pieces too. I went when they had a big coupon sale and got a supply to try out, it does look better in person, so hopefully when I make it into a pillow, it will show up better.

We did a lot of drives and explored some old places and some new places. I took this photo from the middle of the bridge. The river runs through a good portion of Rhode Island and ends at the ocean. It is a dividing line for Rhode Island and Connecticut, so I am in two states at the same time.

We enjoyed some. walks through some old cemeteries. This one had some beautiful old stones and lots of history with the founding families of Wakefield.

I also wanted to see a waterfall at a dam in the upper half of RI. Sadly, it is also a reservoir, so the signs said no trespassing, but. you could park and view from the top or take a walk on the old road, that goes along the pond. Too cold that day, but we will go back for a walk with Bean.

I noticed a road on the other side, so we tried that and I was able to get a partial view of the falls. As you can see, the guy in the white truck is there to patrol the area.

The fun thing about old back roads is, you never know what you will find. There were three old cemeteries, overlooking the pond.

This day we were on the hunt for eagles, but not one sighting. Later I saw that there is an area below where we went, that is also a hatchery, so a place to take the boys. But, I found a wonderful old cemetery with some unique stones, for future patterns. This is a portion of the cemetery, which was on a river, so a nice walk to end the day.

At home I have been relaxing and catching up with the house. I love watching the birds in the winter and it is easier to spot them with the bare trees. I noticed this guy sitting in my neighbor's yard and was lucky enough to get closer for a better shot. It is a red shouldered Hawk.

I hope the New Year brings many blessings to you all.