Cherrywood Challenge 2023

At last year's International Quilt Festival in Houston,  my daughter talked me into purchasing one of the Cherrywood fabric bundles for their yearly challenge.

The theme was Monarchs, and I had previously done a fragmented monarch butterfly.

The rules are pretty involved.  This is my submitted entry.

Sadly, there were 475 entries for the 200 available spaces, and mine was not selected.

Can't wait to see the display at the Festival in November.

Climate change? Or just strange weather?

This year my Iris plants didn't bloom at all.

But my Columbine did.

Don't know what's going on here....

Abstracted Monarch

Finished this wall hanging last night.   It will go into the quilt show in Georgetown this next weekend.

It was based on a photograph by Steve Schwartzman

https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2017/11/11/relentless-relenting/

and used techniques learned in a workshop by Katie Pasquini Masopust.


Basically, it's just a fancy log cabin. 

Victoria, B.C.

My friend Karen and I went to Canada for a couple of days getaway.  Her husband drove us up to the ferry, then we had about a two hour cruise up to Victoria.

Our first excursion was to Butchart Gardens, which was really incredible.

Mr. Bun was delighted to experience the heliotrope!




The Sunken Gardens were especially stunning.
It was just amazing to me to see such greenery and blooms in mid-August.

The beds were interplanted with several kinds of flowers each, often bordered with dusty miller.



The colors were just spectacular.

The fountain in the Sunken Garden was fabulous.  Beautifully configured to dance and play.


Very short video of the fountain below ------

After a good seafood dinner and a good nights sleep, we visited the Parliment buildings and enjoyed the stained glass windows.                            

 We walked around the town, especially enjoying the arts and crafts booths at the inner harbor.  There are some great houses in the area.

In the afternoon, we had tea at the Empress hotel. Lovely tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  A most attentive waiter, Bradley.

June Flowers

Here are the flowers I found in my yard this week.

The five petaled purple/pink one is about 3/4 inches across.  It's a volunteer weed, actually.

The five petaled pink one with the yellow 3D center is a Rock Rose.   Maybe two inches across?

This little yellow one will grow in pure granite chips and is very, very small.  And very, very persistant.






There's a rat-tail cactus blooming in a four-inch pot.  This one is a really striking red-orange.

By the west fence, a volunteer horsemint peeks out from the iris foliage.

And in the garden a squash plant blooms.











And way out back there are Indian Blankets hugging the gas meter and tall blue sage blooming away behind them.

Spring is here

I've never seen ajuga blooming so well.  Must be all that attention I give it.  Yeah, right .

I found the chair out by the trashcans in the alley and nabbed it.

I have purple iris along the west fence; this yellow one is next to the garage wall, as is this poppy.




I planted some herbs in a pot - hoping that at least the basil will do well.

Spring is here

 My sister gave me some Irises this winter.  I planted them alongside my white fence in hopes that they would like it there.
The setting reminds me of my Mother's flowerbeds, which were almost all lined in Irises.

A white one bloomed a couple of weeks ago.  Now there are three purple ones blooming up a storm.  A very pretty color combination, pale lavendar standards, deep purple falls, and great orange-yellow beards.

It's going to be interesting to see if there are any other colors out there.

A Good Start

Resolution progress:

Paid Jollie Landscapes to put in a veggie garden
Expressed pleasure at quality of his work
Created and registered Texas Bluebonnet for AAQI
Had Carmen, Martha and Scott over for black-eyed peas.
Called Alice K and talked about LLI classes. Talked to Maxine W. about Christmas party.
Walked in neighborhood 1/2/12. Went to end of street and back for a total of one mile.

Eight down, 136 to go.....

Summer Doldrums

I've been technically challenged lately, so I haven't posted. This summer has been a hard one for the yard and I've been digging up dead shrubs and contemplating what to replace them with. It's still too hot to plant, anyway.
I love my granite backyard patio and may expand it, but I think the neighborhood HOA would have a conniption fit if I duplicated it in front. Have to deal with the slope up to the house, too.

I'm thinking Lantana and Esperanza. Prune the Ligustrum to about 2 feet tall. Keep watering the live oak and fruitless pears. Maybe replace the Bermuda grass in the "hell strip" with granite.
Put a limestone border around the bed by the house.

Phew, just thinking about it makes me tired.