Random Ramblings

 Spring has definitely arrived here, and the roses have been very pleased about it! Lots of blooms. I've begun trying to tackle a little pruning of the jungle, but it's slow (and prickly) going.

Oh well, I know it would have been better to have done it when they were semi-dormant, but it's too late for that now. I can only work in the yard when the body is cooperative, and I can't push it. Once it starts complaining, it's already too late to stop.

Not complaining. Getting old, while it's not for wimps, certainly beats the alternative!

 Have I shared any pictures of my pretty girl-cat lately? 

She's adopted the guest room bed (the one with the down comforter and very soft mattress) for her own napping spot. She doesn't even bother to guard her floofy tummy--I've caught her more than once with all the paws up in the air, so relaxed and purry.

Does my little black heart good to see her settling in. There's a lot less growling when "that other cat" is around, too. Bits of progress, all the time!

 Here's a couple of views of Anne's Log Cabin quilt.

The funny story behind this quilt starts when Louise and I were at Asilomar, in Judy Niemeyer's class.  Judy did a demo of a really nifty way to cut the blocks for her Split Log Cabin quilt, and we were both enamored enough of the result and the method to buy the pattern. Trying to explain to Anne and Sandy one Monday, the conversation degenerated (as it always does when  you get this group together) into a challenge for making a Log Cabin.

Anne is the original Speedy McSpeederson, so she set to work immediately. And here's her finished quilt top!

The light fabrics are all the same print, but the darks are a wonderful variety of prints. If you look closely, there's a black and gold batik zebra, some butterflies...all kinds of interesting things!

 I think that was one of the reasons why our charity quilts were almost always Log Cabins--pretty easy to assemble, look good with all kinds of fabrics, and if you're making them for sick kids or sick people, there are lots of little bits of color and pattern and design to intrigue and amuse, even for someone who doesn't feel very good.

So kudos to Anne! She won this challenge hands down. I'm still scouting out fabrics for mine, and Louise's fabrics got repurposed into a quilt for a friend of hers.

 The prize, of course, was bragging rights. Anne gets them, in spades!!

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Paperwork. Filing. Organizing. Sorting, purging, shredding,

Still not done. Been interspersing this with a little yarn purging, laundry, and an attempt or two to sew.

Yeah, that goes about as well as you can imagine...

But, the cat quilt is coming along, and it shouldn't take too much longer to have it ready to layer and quilt.

Besides, boy-cat wanted equal blog time with the girl-cat. Not to mention, he'd rather have me petting the real live fur cat, than appliqueing calico cats on some silly quilt.

Catch him wearing a cowboy hat!

My HitchHiker has been getting a fair amount of time put into it lately, since it's great group and class and waiting-room knitting.

Just wish the colors had come out more true to their real, vivid selves. Oh well, once it's done I'll try again.

This picture was my Photo-A-Day for May 8, "a shape." Nice shape, huh?