Kitty in the garden

I woke up this morning and found the bobcat sleeping in our courtyard! I couldn't at first figure out what Sammy was staring at... I thought at first he was absorbed in a lizard but as I got closer to the sliding glass doors I saw this lovely bobcat sprawled fast asleep among my flowers. I went and grabbed my camera and just started shooting pictures. He must have heard us talking but he did not exhibit any fear. He picked his head up and swiveled it and started to clean himself. Sammy started to mew and the bobcat's ears perked up. He got up very slowly to see what the noise was. He was not in hunting mode for sure. He walked over to the glass doors and was nosing the door where Sammy was doing the same thing on the other side. The whole thing was amazing. We have 12" square holes about 7 1/2' off the ground in our courtyard wall. That is how the bobcat eventually left and I assume that is how he got in as well. It is completely enclosed so he was protected from the coyotes.  I will be interested to see if he is there tomorrow as well. I will post a video of some pictures at the end of this post. He looks so cuddly, no?

What's in bloom in my courtyard

The fragrance of Gardenia is  very welcome. After languishing as a small plant, this took off this year and has exploded.

This lovely is a Brugmansia but I cannot recall which one. It is a mini variety.

The Calla Lily has just started to throw up spikes.

And the dwarf Snapdragons add more color.

My back patio has a profusion of Day lilies... hard to catch them. These seem to like it here as they are multiplied.

Up close and personal

DH and I were checking some stuff out this morning in the front of the house and as we walked outside we saw our resident bobcat catch a rodent. I ran back in for my camera and Ned stood still. Bobcat walked and sat down about 20 feet away in the shade to eat her meal. This was the only shot I could get. She started to walk back toward Ned but was in the sun and I could not focus. When she got about 10 feet from Ned he shooed her away. She did not seem to be a all frightened of us, but she could be rabid. Nice to know she is keeping the rodent population down somewhat. She is the size of a medium sized dog and sort of mangy looking. This was the first time I saw her, although all my neighbors saw her last year. Bobcats are pretty much loners so there are not usually more than one in an area.

Yep, I have been very quiet. I have been hit with some major dental issues (they continue) and my back problems have returned neither which is conducive to my creative juices. :-(. I have a piece that is ready for quilting but I haven't been able to do it. I missed a deadline as a result. Bummer.

On the bright side, I bought an ipad 3G and have been having a blast setting it up and getting to know it. If you can be in love with a piece of tech, then I am. I am really looking forward to taking this with me when I travel instead of having to schlep my laptop. No, this will not take the place of a computer, but if I don't have to do serious work, then the ipad will work just fine. You can create and edit documents and excel files, you can read news from all the major players, you can organize your life up the wazoo, and best for me... you can read books. I will no longer have to carry a bunch of heavy books on my trips. It has a 10 hour battery life which will get me through most flights and a screen I can actually read. I put a passcode lock on it in case I lose it or it gets stolen and I registered it at itrackmobile.com which is free. Mobileme will allow me to track it (and my iphone) if it goes missing and will allow a complete data wipe if necessary. Of course it also has my favorite games to wile away the time. Most of the apps are free, but I shelled out a few bucks for a couple. I haven't signed up for the 3G part yet as I have managed to find free wifi locally so far. I am not a fan of AT&T and I am hoping someone else gets the next iphone... but if they don't, I might consider giving up my iphone when my contract is up. I get ZERO reception at my house with AT&T. Verizon works here and with my ipad I will not need all the neat stuff on my iphone. I can go back to just having a simple phone.... of course since I am a tech junkie, I am sure Apple will come out with something fantastic with the next generation and I will want it. Sigh.

Now I just need to figure out how I can go back to playing without killing my back. I suspect a trip to the back doctor is going to be in my not too distant future. What he did 2+ years ago worked... maybe time for it again.

Berry Cobbler/Crisp recipe

I got lots of requests for this recipe so I am posting it here. This is NOT my recipe... I got it 3rd hand so I am not sure of it's original provenance. This serves 4-6. I have made this several times and used peaches one time... it was not memorable. You can cut this recipe in half but remember to put it in a deep dish. Baked on, spilled berry juice is not fun to clean up.. and it smokes.... don't ask me how I know that.

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten (if you live at high elevations you may need another 1/2 an egg beaten)

5-6 cups of Berries ( I use Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries. I am allergic to Strawberries)
1/2 -3/4 cup sugar to sweeten fruit to taste
2 tsp flour
1 stick (1/4 lb) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Generously butter a baking dish about 8"x8"x2" (deeper is better).
2. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg. Stir mixture with a fork until it gets crumbly... the consistency of cornmeal. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more of another beaten egg.
3. Transfer berries into another large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining sugar and flour together. Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit and carefully toss until it coats the berries thoroughly.
4. Pour the berries into the buttered baking dish and spread evenly.
5. Sprinkle the crumbly flour mixture over the top of the fruit. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over it. Place it in the oven and bake about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden.
6. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. At room temperature the crust will have absorbed more of the berry juices. CAVEAT... this can be addictive!

On another note... I got my ipad 3G yesterday. This is an awesome toy. I have discovered a free piece of software called Dropbox that allows you to upload any file and see it on all your toys (computer, iphone, ipad, etc)... or even on any other computer as long as you have internet access. This really gives you the freedom of leaving your computer at home but gives you access to files you might need. I have not tried out the 3G part yet but the regular wifi works great. I bought a spiffy red case for it.

Yummy

For mothers day, my wonderful DD got me a cobbler pan with accessories (like a blackberry candle). DH followed my recipe and made it this evening... My back is not wonderful and I cannot stand that long.  It looks so yummy. I even have lactose free vanilla ice cream to go with it! We just have to wait till it cools down a bit. Yum yum.

Jasmine in my courtyard

The Jasmine is in full bloom in my courtyard and the scent is divine. Some other assorted plants shown here as well.

I know I haven't posted in a while... been down with some health issues... not life threatening but just a pain in the butt. Had to have a tooth extracted last week and this week my back went out. I have not been working on much of anything... just whining.  The weather is perfect for gardening but I cannot do it... rats.

Hoping next week is better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Paducah, day 2

I was so tired last night that I slept 12 hours!!! The temperatures were heating up today and the humidity was higher than I like.... one of the reasons I moved to Arizona. I find the humidity saps my energy.

I went over to the Yeiser Art Center today and saw a wonderful exhibit called Fibers 2010. There were pieces there from many of the artists on the Quilt Art list. It is nice to know there is something other than traditional quilts here in Paducah. In my meanderings in that part of  town I came across one of the arcades that hold a number of different vendors including an online friend who has now become a real friend. She was selling some gorgeous carved wood stamps that I am going to use when I play with the soy wax I finally found.

I had my ego stroked twice today.... On Tuesday night at the awards ceremony 2 ladies were admiring a jacket I wore and wanted to take pictures of it... They saw that I was wearing an identification tag that stated that I was a contestant in the show and they asked about my piece. I ran into them this morning and they stopped me to say how much they liked my quilt. They could have easily just walked by me and not said a thing. I thought my day was made. Fast forward to the late afternoon. I was spending some time with Justin in Ricky Tims booth and we were discussing quilting... and how I really don't like doing it. In comes one of the quilt judges (no I am not going to tell you which one) and I was introduced. She saw my tag and asked me which quilt was mine. I told her the name and she said... Oh, I remember that one. We were all discussing how elegant those ladies were! I said, thank you, and I know my quilting stinks. She laughed. I was really surprised that with the hundreds of quilts they looked at she could remember mine by name only. I never described the quilt. She definitely made my day.
To end the day, I found my way over to Helen Davis's new digs. Awesome place. Unfortunately, she was not there but her hubby was. I passed on the hello's I was asked to and broke down and bought a piece of her beautiful fabric.

I am ready to come home tomorrow. All in all, I had a good time. I felt I was on a whirlwind tour (I was) but I got to see and do everything I planned. I met lovely people and saw beautiful quilts. I wish there were more vendors of surface design products but I guess this is not the place for it. Strange because there is a very active fiber arts group here.

Report from Paducah

... I'm exhausted and my feet hurt! I got to see a preview of all the quilts last night. They are stunning, although most of them seem to be more traditional in style. No, I did not win anything but I wasn't expecting too. I am really surprised my quilt even got in. The majority of quilts are quilted to within and inch of their lives.... not my style and never will be. I really wish there were shows that showcased the art, design, and style rather than the quilting. Wishful thinking on my part. I will never do that type of quilting. It was suggested to me that I should get someone else to do the quilting for me. Somehow, to me it no longer is my quilt. Oh well. Such is life.  The honor was getting in.
I have managed to hook up with some online buddies but not all yet... not enough hours in the day. Tomorrow is another day. I was hoping to stock up on supplies that I cannot find locally but I will have to say that I am mostly disappointed in the selection of vendors. Most of them are selling quilt kits and very traditional fabrics or just a bunch of commercial fabrics. I will be saving a lot of money.

I did get over to the National Quilt  Museum today and saw Holis Chatelaine's exhibit. She does awesome work. I also found my way over to Carol Bryer Fallert's Studio and got the tour. It is a lovely place to take a class and Carol is very gracious about answering questions.
Tomorrow is another day with a list of things to do and people to see. The shuttle bus drivers are fantastic and very helpful. The venues are all over the place and some pretty far apart. I am glad I am here but I am not sure I will be back.
Early to bed for me tonight. I am still on another time zone.

Spring is sprung

My roses are starting to bloom... ah, spring has officially arrived.

Miscelaneous pictures

These are called "Red Bud" trees. We saw them all over the place on the drive from Nashville to Knoxville. Not sure why they are called Red bud since they are really hot pink!

And these 3 handsome dudes are my stepsons! Mark on the left, John (groom) in the center, and Evan on the right.

Stephanie and John making it official on Facebook.

Home from our latest adventure

We spent the past few days in Knoxville, Tennessee, attending the wedding of my oldest stepson John to my newest DIL Stephanie. I wish them the very best and hope the love they have for each other never fades. This was my first time in Tennessee.



In under the wire.. I got my Quiltart Quinceañero piece finished and sent off!

Now I can recover and plan for my trip next week to Paducah!

Pets

How is it that we get so attached to our pets that we go into meltdown mode when we are loosing them? Sammy, my 16 1/2 year old Tonkinese  kitty is in stage 3 renal failure and I am a mess. He is in no obvious pain or distress but I am. He is having problems keeping food down and doesn't seem to want to eat. You can see him wasting away. No one thinks it is time to put him down but knowing the end is near is causing me severe mental anguish. This fur baby has gotten me through so much trauma in my life that I am having great problems letting go. He was there for me when I went through a divorce. He was my companion when I went through my cancer and treatment and had moved cross country and had no one else. He was cuddling up when I was alone. Sammy is a lover. He has a wonderful disposition and a talker. He loves everyone. It is almost impossible for me think that he will not be around much longer. For the last 2 days he was throwing up everything he ate. I thought last night that it was the end and I had a major meltdown. My wonderful and loving husband has been propping me up even though he is not fond of cats. He has gone out of his way to make sure Sammy has everything and anything that might help him. We got a reprieve today. Sammy ate some turkey and some baby food and has managed to keep it all down. If he eats we buy time... how much I have no idea. I don't think I am ever going to be ready for this one.

Relaxing day

Today I met up with some friends and we headed over to the local Japanese gardens.. I didn't even know we had one. We went with the intention of seeing a fiber (banner) exhibit by 3 local fiber artists except I didn't read the fine print. Apparently they only do the fiber on weekends.... I didn't have my reading glasses on and didn't see that part.... that is my story and I am sticking to it! The gardens are gorgeous and the day was perfect... sunny and comfortable. We bought food to feed the Koi and watched as they fought themselves and the ducks for it. Sometimes it is fun acting like a kid. The Cherry trees were starting to bloom and the air was fragrant. We had a wonderful stroll. They have a Tea House and they do demonstrations once a month. We are going to try to sign up for next month.
We topped the day off by going to a fabulous Japanese restaurant. The sashimi was delicious. Now I need a nap.

Ego boost

Everyone needs an ego boost from time to time. I got mine this morning totally accidentally. I was catching up on my email and followed a link posted by someone else. Imagine my surprise at finding my quilt "The Path Not Taken" picked as one of their favorites from the Arizona Quilt Show Sol y Sombre. I was out of town and could not get to see the show. For more of their favorites and other interesting postings check out http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/.

I am off today to the local Japanese Gardens where there is an exhibit of banners from local fiber artists. The sun is shining and I am hoping to take some pictures.

Alive

Just a heads up... this post is not quilt related!
Ned and I got back from 10 days in Reno for a bridge tournament. It was the worst bridge either of us have played in 10 years.. and to top it off I came down with bronchitis and sinusitis. I am finally feeling somewhat human again as I managed to sleep last night. Sleeping sitting up is not restful. That is the good news. When we go away, our neighbor usually takes care of our kitty, Sammy. This time it coincided with her kids spring break and they weren't going to be around either. Sammy went to the vet to be boarded and we found out the really bad news. He is 16 1/2 years old and still pretty spry, but he has one kidney that is non functional and one that is only partially working. He lost 2 lbs in the past year. We have changed his diet to try to keep him hydrated and take some of the stress off his somewhat working kidney. We have to give him an antacid and off course he is not cooperative on that score. We are hoping to buy some time here. He is not currently in any distress and as long as it stays that way we will continue to do what we can to help him along. There is nothing else wrong with him.

I have to finish up the binding on my QA@15 challenge.

Breaking Out

This is going to be my auction piece for SAQA (Studio Art Quilters Association) for this year. Auction will take place next September.  I have titled this "Breaking Out". I decided to play with some of my leftover pieces of the fabrics I dyed last week. It is 12" x 12".

Pass the smelling salts!

My quilt, The Path Not Taken got accepted into Paducah!!! To say I am excited is the understatement of the century. I have not entered many shows and this is the first national caliber show I ever entered. I am honored to be among the stars of the quilt world. You can see it on my website Fields of Color or the January 9, 2010 posting on this blog. Most definitely doing the Happy Dance!

Making a sample piece

I posted a few weeks back about a piece of fabric I had dyed that reminded me of the caves in Lascaux, France. I want to do something with that piece in keeping with the ideas it sparked but I was afraid I would ruin it by just jumping into it. I found another piece of fabric in my stash that sort of comes close and I decided to play on that piece first to see if I could pull it off. Since I cannot draw anything other than stick figures (and no I do not want to take classes) I depended on the photos of a good friend of mine John Blubaugh who has been traveling to some of our national parks and monuments and taking wonderful pictures. I asked him if he had photos of rock and cave paintings and if I could use his photographs as a basis for my piece. He kindly sent me about a dozen. I am happy with the way this one is coming out and my future plan is to make a large piece that incorporates the ancient art of the many areas of the world. The paintings from Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Americas all have similarities yet each retain the flavor of the local flora and fauna. I have used trapunto , layers of paint, and pen on this piece. I have shown here just a small piece of it. It will be 15" x 15" when done.

On a Lark

… pun intended. Several months ago I responded to a request from Lark Books  looking for reviewers for their Art Quilt books. I never heard from them and  I will admit it had slipped my mind. I arrived home yesterday to find a package by my front door… I couldn't recall ordering anything and the return addressee did not ring a bell. Of course I excitedly opened the package! Inside were books… before I pulled them out, I was trying to remember IF I had ordered some books and forgotten about them.. no. I now looked at the titles and knew I hadn't ordered them, although one was on my list. So now I am thinking, maybe I have a secret admirer and they were sending me a gift. Not quite that kind of luck. Inside was a letter from the senior editor at Lark Books hoping I would review the books. I guess they had not forgotten me. The books are "500 Art Quilts: An Inspiring collection of Contemporary Work" and "Pretty Little Mini Quilts".  On to the reviews:

Pretty Little Mini Quilts by Ray Hemachandra
This book contains 30 mini quilt projects from 26 quilt designers. The book is well laid out and has nice photos. This book would be appropriate for those who are very new to quilting or want to step out and try their hand at a simple art quilt. The projects include piecing, applique, hand and machine stitching, and some embellishment. The more advanced projects include printing on fabric (but doesn't tell you how to treat the fabric or which treated fabric to purchase), watercolor painting, and trapunto. Most of the projects are pretty basic and those are very clear. The few more advanced projects really do not explain the techniques very well and unless you are already familiar with them, might be confusing. If you understand these techniques then this book is not geared to you. I think this should have been 2 different books. One on basic mini quilts and another book on basic mini art quilts BUT with more expanded explanations and instructions.

500 Art Quilts: An inspiring Collection of Contemporary Work by Ray Hemachandra and juror Karey Bresenhan

WOW is my first reaction. The photos are spectacular and each artist is given space enough to shine. Some pieces have close up detail shots as well. This is a very diversified and eclectic mix of styles by very talented artists. There are well known names as well as those who are not up in lights and the mix is refreshing. Any technique that you can imagine is used by these artists and there is something to please everyone. The styles range from the more "traditional" art quilts to the totally avant guard. These are truly pieces of art and could easily rival paintings on canvas. Some pieces are representational and some are totally abstract. It is pure eye candy and a must for every library. This is not a book you would ever get tired of looking at.

As an aside... I would like to kick myself. I had an opportunity to submit a piece for this book and felt that my work was not good enough. I do not know if  I would have made the cut or not, but NOT trying was one of the most boneheaded and idiotic decisions I have recently made. Bad on me. Kudos to all who submitted and congratulations to all whose work was accepted.