Bind On!

The day didn't go exactly as expected yesterday, but I still got the things done I hoped to...scaling Mt. Laundry for one. We had to take Mike's truck into town for some service covered under his warranty. He was impressed with their COVID measures. They had the plexiglass shields we've seen in grocery stores, but they also wiped down the pen he used to sign the service estimate both before and after he'd used it. There were some other things he mentioned too, but I've forgotten them now. Mind like a steel trap, you know. Also, we made a quick trip into the grocery store for some coffee and some meat, and then home.

When we got home, I noticed an ad on Facebook from our local produce stand. I'm always on the lookout for their hanging baskets this time of the year. They are beautiful...and cheap. When we got home, I saw the ad, and so we hurried back into town to get two of them. They hang on either side of our greenhouse window. I chose this one because I loved all the color, and because it was big and beautiful.

This next one I chose for the purple petunias, which are fragrant. It's hanging close to the catio. The hummingbirds like the petunias, and so they'll keep the kitties entertained as an added bonus.

Our weather has been so nice the kitties are spending a lot of their time on their catio. Smitty especially loves the corner shelf.

While he's out there sunbathing, Sadie likes to take advantage of unfettered access to the top shelf of the scratching post...always keeping an eye and an ear out for the return of Himself.

It was late afternoon before I finished up the quilting for the Pansy Mosaic. There were just the green leaf sections left to do, and they were pretty simple. Just some veins in the leaves, and it was finished.

Then, I took it downstairs to the domestic machine to sew on the binding. I chose a dark purple for this one. I like the way it looks next to the narrow yellow border.

The hand-sewing is yet to be started, but it's all pinned and clipped and ready to go. I'll start on that first thing this morning.

Sorry for the lens flares in this next picture. I took it to remind you about the bird houses Mike built last fall. We're hoping to attract some of the violet-green swallows that have just recently returned to our area. There was a time when they nested under the eaves of the house, but the starlings bullied them away. So Mike built these four bird houses and hung them on the garage wall before we left on our last trip. Yesterday, we saw a pair flying in and out of one of the houses, and so we're really hoping they'll move in and stay awhile.

The dark house at the tippy top of the roof is a bat house, and yes, there are bats living there. And yes, I do have a small barn quilt block too. You can read about that from this post written when we hung it.

Okay, so I thought I'd get out and work in my culinary herb garden this morning, but the weather isn't all that nice. I'd rather do it while the sun is shining, and it's overcast right now. It might clear up a little later. I have one housekeeping chore to do, and I want to get going on hand sewing the binding for the Pansy Mosaic. There's always plenty to do, even if there is no plan.