Thursday's This and That: October 8, 2026

 

Welcome to another edition of Tuesday's This and That!

How are you?  Did you have a good weekend?

Our weekend was okay.  We are still harvesting tomatoes (much to the delight of our family and friends).  It's been such a weird year.  I pretty much won the battle with squirrels for the tomatoes--thanks to Lucky!  We've learned to ignore the splits happening on our maters.  It was a dry year and even though I watered when we got rain it was a LOT of rain and caused the maters to split.  The drought affected the size of a lot of tomatoes as well.  Many ranged on the same plant from small to large.

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My neighbor had his annual yard sale and I picked up a really neat basket for my sewing room.  It's pretty big!  Lucky didn't know what to make of a basket that is nearly his height!  😄

When I got home, I realized that despite the dust on the outside, it had never been used.  The tags were still on it!  It's now housing my children's novelty fabric.

I'll bet you have had this experience too--I made (literally) husbands hundreds of kids and baby quilts and are a little tired of it.  In 2026, I'll be making some Camp Erin quilts to whittle down what is left.

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Buying at Charlie's yard sale was something I rarely do anymore.  I do enjoy looking at auctions but never bid anymore.  I saw a few quilts coming up for auction that fascinated me.  I think this one was made from upcycling tablecloth fabric or actual kitchen textiles.  I think it is from the 1950s.  You can see it up close here.

I've never seen this pattern before and it fascinates me.  I am fairly certain it is from the 19th century.  You can study it here.

The last one from this auction seems familiar but I don't think I have ever seen this pattern in a completed quilt.  Have you?  It is interesting!  You can see more of it here.  I think it is a cool pattern, what do you think?

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: October 1, 2026

 

Happy Flower Friday!  

I've been walking through the neighborhood admiring all the flowers still blooming.  Most of the leaves here haven't changed color yet or begun to fall.

Mum's the word:  I've been noticing all the chrysanthemums in the neighborhood and was struck.  The plants that have returned from last year are blooming and bushy and seem very healthy.  They are also yellow.  I thought white was the natural color of mums but apparently yellow is very hardy as well!

We have some orange flowers as well.  None of them photographed well this morning because it's been so cloudy.

Trumpet vine

An orange cone flower that is showing as yellow.  

We also saw this rose colored sedum on our walks:

What's blooming in your world?

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Thursday's This and That: October 1, 2026

 

How are you doing this week?  Sorry I've been AWOL but I've been busy.  This week I'll start with quilting news.

Have you seen the Stolen Neighbors Quilt?  It was made in Minnesota and is quite impressive.  It took about 28 people to carry and featured 11,000 squares--one for each Minnesota immigrant who was stolen.  The quilt was initiated and worked on by 150 (or more) quilters.  I believe it was supported by an  interfaith coalition and some humanitarian groups.  You can see the video here.

***

My husband's cluster headaches have faded...for now.  I've been doing most of the work around here since he retired because he has been sick.   Once the headaches ceased, he complained of a toothache.  I handed him a phone and told him to call the dentist.  

I've also been cooking a lot so that there is food in the freezer for after my hand surgery (in 19 days).  This weekend I made  Tarragon Chicken which I hadn't made for 15 years or so.  Hubby and my mom loved it and I had enough to freeze some for later.  A recipe for it is here.  I didn't have the lemon on hand and used dried tarragon (about 2 T) but it was really good.  I served mine over rice.

***

On Monday I was at Mom's--making her breakfast and getting her pills ready.  Lucky went into the family room and I thought he was getting one of his toys.  He started growling and doing the "danger" bark.  I went into the family room right away and there he was barking at the window.  It was weird because he can't really see out the window because it is higher than his height.

Then I realized what he was warning us about:

This cheeky squirrel kept walking on the outdoor window sill.  I have no idea why.  My mom doesn't have a bird feeder or anything. 

I told Lucky he was good watch dog and he seemed pleased with himself.

***

My great niece Remi loves cats and has been bugging her parents for one for years.  She's 4.  Maggie (her mom) finally broke down and now Remi has Shadow a nice boy cat that she adores.  Maggie sent me lots of photos of them together but I think this one says the most.  Shadow clearly loves and trusts her as well.

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

Nor'ester

 

How did you make during the Nor'easter?

We are in Eastern Pennsylvania so we did get a lot of rain and wind but not nearly the flooding problems the east coast experienced.  We had a power outage for 5 hours on Saturday but otherwise, we made out pretty well.

Lucky hates this weather.  When we first got him, he went out in all weather.  Now he's become a full fledged poodle.  He loves toys, treats and sunny weather.  Like most of my poodles he doesn't want to step out in the rain.   He literally tries to drag me back into the house.  

I am hoping that you all are doing okay and haven't had flooding or other weather related problems.  Keep safe!

A Weird Flower Friday

 

Apologies.  

Normally I take photos or receive them and then transfer them to the computer.  This week, only one transferred and the rest... I have no idea where they went.

The only one that seems to have transferred and not disappeared is this one full of salvia and zinnias and very blurry. 😟

The rest of the photos seemed to have drifted off to space...

I'll try to do better next week.  We don't have that long until the first frost!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Happy Autumn!

 

Autumn begins tonight and I think most of us are relieved.  It seems like everyone is dealing with hot and dry conditions this year.

Brad is beginning to recover from the round of cluster headaches he experienced.  Some days he had up to 7 headaches in 24 hours.  Fortunately, our GP had an impressive knowledge of this.  She readjusted his medication and he seems to be getting better.  He still can't drive and is hesitant to go anywhere (the headaches come on super fast).  But some progress is better than none!

I'm hoping to get some work done in the sewing room because the temperature has dropped (for now).  It's a nice 55 degrees (Farenheit) out.  

I hope you are all doing well and I hope to catch up on blogs and everything else soon.  

Have a safe and happy day! 

Flower Friday: September 18,2026

 

Autumn is quickly approaching and one can see it in the gardens.  Many flowers have faded but the ones that are shining right now are very vibrant! 

And there are always surprises!  Sue was surprised by this late blooming gladiola!

Here's a flower Sue said she calls a "False Sunflower"; she said AI called it a sunflower.

Thanks Sue!  💗💗

Marigolds are everywhere right now and catch my eye each time Lucky and I walk.  

We've also been noticing a lot of Morning Glories in the neighborhood.  I don't remember people planting them until this year.

Another great star these days is Celosia:

Have a safe and happy weekend!