Hydrangeas as "Hair"

I love Facebook! I recently posted a photo of Hydrangeas used as "hair," an idea from an Australian magazine owned by a friend. As a gift, my friend located the same type of vase used in the decorator's set-up and sent it to me. The vase looks like a lady with closed eyelashes and a pretty mouth with lipstick.

Notice that the stuffed cat has the same closed eyelids:  a total coincidence that I noticed after the photo was taken

My Hydrangea had already dried on the bushes when the vase arrived but we cut some anyhow and used them for this photo. Hydrangeas come in many colors. These were white originally. I wish I had a blue or pink Hydrangea bush or a place to put same. The bushes really expand, in time, so I would need a big space to plant a new bush.

I thought I would try to bring a smile to your day. The folks on Facebook on the Garden n country's site seemed to love this photo. Hope you do, too!

Lupines! A Trip to the North Country

Lupines enjoy cool, mountain air such as that found in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, Lupine capitol of the world. We have tried growing them in Concord, New Hampshire on several occasions but it was a no-go. They just would not cooperate. We figured it was too hot for them. So, every year we make a trek to the north country to see Lupines growing with wild abandon. We drive through the White Mountains, Franconia Notch, near where the "Old Man of the Mountains" once stood proudly, and follow back roads up a steep hill to Sugar Hill.

Lupines near the side of the road across from Pearl Lake (photo by James Cummings)

Sugar Hill has three good destinations:  Polly's Pancake Parlor, the Sampler gift shop, and Harman's Country Store (bring along a cooler to bring home their famous cheese). There may be other places to attract others and certainly special events on weekends but for us old folks who no longer enjoy crowds and prefer to go places during the week, those are our choices. Of course, one has to know the best roads to travel to see the Lupines in their glory, blooming in fields and by the sides of the roads. Our favorite destination is Pearl Lake.

Today, the small lake was peaceful with a few kayak and canoe enthusiasts. Yellow frittilaries (butterflies) flitted about on the banking, landing now on an Indian Paintbrush, then on a Buttercup plant, and lastly, on the Lupines. They seem to move faster than the speed of light so it is hard to catch a photo of them.

One of two beaver dams on this small body of water (photo by James Cummings)

Jim spotted a swampy area that has two beaver dams and took several pictures. None of the occupants were in sight. One year we saw a turtle sunning itself on an old log in Pearl Lake. It is so peaceful in this part of the countryside. Part of the road turns into a dirt road for a time and one wonders when a moose or deer will appear!

The Pink and the White Lupines are more rare than the Purple and Lavender ones (photo by James Cummings)

The Sampler gift shop sells Lupine seeds. We did see some Lupines blooming along the highway on the way up (I-93), planted by someone, no doubt. So, I know they will thrive in other places than just the mountains but, as I said, we had no luck. The packet of seeds costs only $2.50 so if one is so inclined to try one's luck, there will be no large financial loss.

Who knew that Lupines could be so remunerative? At Polly's Pancake Parlor, there were table runners for sale that have a Lupine theme. The price was about $35. dollars each, if I remember correctly. And then, there are postcards and note cards featuring Lupines galore. Once a year, (right now), the world celebrates the glory of this wildflower. The event was always called the "Lupine Festival" in the past until someone decided to change the name to something else. To us, it will always be the former name. If you like home-grown excitement that is just a little bit off the beaten path, it is time to head to this event, no matter what you call it!

Working on a UFO

Hand quilting can be tedious as I am finding out while quilting a bed quilt. It is especially time-consuming when one is trying to make fine, tiny hand stitches! I started this twin size quilt a few years ago now and have set it aside from time to time while working on other projects, projects that are now finished due to the fact that I sent them out for machine-quilting! The quilt I am speaking of is a Sampler quilt that has some quilt blocks with a political association which were published in The Quilter magazine (the second row down has Landon's Sunflower, Old Tippecanoe Block, and the Harrison Rose). Other blocks were ones I made to try a technique or pattern or to re-create an antique quilt block in my collection.

Quirky quilt in progress. My "Maple Leaves" have a mind of their own!

I have skipped around while quilting, doing a little bit of quilting in each block and some stitch in the ditch along some quilt block border sides, so far no quilting in the two main borders. I am tempted to tie those as I don't think I have the stamina to hand quilt them. Maybe I'll just hand quilt a motif in the corner border squares.

In the meantime, I realize just how quirky this quilt is. I did not cut one of the borders the correct length so added in a strip of fabric and wrote on it, "Die Gedanken Sind Frei" - the name of a German song that means "Thoughts are Free" or "One can think what one wants!" It was a song that was popular with German youth groups at one point in time.

I like the quilt because it is colorful and has a batting that would make it a warm bed covering. I've yet to cut the separate binding which will be a brown print.

There is a reason that UFOs remain that way. I am trying to finish this one, as best I can, but I am also eager to move on to my next project, even if it is another UFO (unfinished object). At one point, I even resorted to trying to machine quilt along one border but was not pleased with the result. No, I guess I will just stick to what I know and either finish it by hand quilting or tying - probably both. Wish me luck!