THOUGHTS FROM THE COTTAGE.

 So, look at the hanging basket.  Unbelievable for this time of year at our cottage.  We have not had a frost and I am still watering these beauties!

This morning I saw the first junko bird.  That means it will get colder.  They are winter birds and the first has arrived.

Because my quilting days are over for this year, I have been knitting socks, thinking that they would be keeping some tootsies warm!  Not!  I am still without socks at the cottage.   That tells you something about the weather at the lake.

Today, the final windows are going up in the addition to our bedroom.  I will probably not post
anything till spring as it is a huge project for one person to undertake, so the interior walls will be a spring project.

This morning the first of the floating docks were taken to the winter bay where they will be safe from ice flows.  It was a calm day so the trip was uneventful, if one can call three men singing some kind of sailor song going by at 9:30 in the morning uneventful.

Now the wind has come up and it is not safe to be on our docks.  So much for calm seas.  But Derek's floating dock is secure, and hopefully tomorrow most of ours will be over in the little bay too.

Here is just a small sample of Helen's creative
table setting.  The wine glass (dollar store) is filled with legumes, and then a tea light was pressed down
to the brim of the legumes.  Awesome result.

This is what the table looked like in final results.  All for under $10.00 Canadian for a 13 place setting.

No wonder I ask that Helen and Andrea set it every year that we do something special...Thanksgiving is special!

This week, is the Junior Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.  Jeremy our grandson along with his bud and team mate Evan are competing in sprint canoe. (go fast stuff)   We wish them luck in their competition, but most of all wish them to have fun and enjoy the experience of meeting all other athletes.

Jeremy arrived yesterday and it did  not take him long to meet locals on the streets of San Juan.

He is a very gregarious young man and loves people and he says that Spanish speaking people love him for some reason!  It must be the blond hair and smiling face!

LIFE ON THE LAKE.

Our days are winding down at the lake.  This is our last week on the lake.

The weather has been glorious!  Here we are last week in tees going for a ride.  In October in Canada in almost northern Ontario!  

My friend Mary makes these little hats that she has sold to a little boutique store in a town near us!  Baby hats are a big deal for grandmothers, so these sell quite quickly.  Cute or what?

The mornings on the lake can lead to such beautiful skies as the lake is still warmer than the air in the mornings, hence the mists that can be seen as the sun rises.  Such beauty is what makes living here worthwhile.  

We have just had our Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, our neighbours have participated in the second annual Pot Luck Thanksgiving Dinner at our table.  Will post photos later on this week, but oh my the food!

I basically have the turkey in the oven, and the rest is done by the friends and wonderful neighbours.  Helen (resident quilter teacher) makes the pies and she and her darling girl decorate the tables.  Every year she does something different, and this year she went Dollar Store shopping to show what can be done!  Fabulous table.

Kent and Kath did the veggies once again, which included roasted beets, and many root veggies with balsamic vinegar
as the added touch to the finish.  So very very yummy.  And a huge batch of mashed potatoes.

Mary made the gravy, which is so good to finish the plates.

So apple pie and pumpkin pies to finish the meal...what more could we ask for?  And we must not forget that we gave thanks for our blessings.   Ripping conversations with belly laughs were also included in the dinner!

Well daughter brought her boy to us, and we were happy to give thanks to have one grandchild at our table. 

  I finished a shawl to take to Florida for those cool evenings and wish it was her arms about me for the season.

Do you not love the cartoon?

MONDAY AT THE LAKE!

 Found this little photo on Pinterest.  Yes, addicting site for sure.  But the best "sport" I know is quilting.

We are about four weeks from leaving our little island.  It is hard to imagine that summer has passed, and autumn has arrived.  With a vengeance I might add, as it has been quite chilly in the mornings.

I haven't been writing because our master bedroom is getting a much
needed addition.  The original size was 10 ftx10ft square, so adding an 12 x 12 ft addition will be amazing.  We are sitting quite high on a rock, overlooking the lake to the east of us.  So my sweetie has put in two slider doors on one side, and another is being installed today.  



Putting the doors in was a piece of cake compared to getting them here in a boat, then up on the dock, then up about 50ft to the deck.   Our good neighbours came to the rescue and with the help of a brace built on our elevator, it came up easily.

Honestly, look at this room!  If you look carefully, the separation on the floor just gives you an idea of how big the room will be.

 The photo gives you an idea of our views....long and top of the world feel!

We still have one hummingbird left, or maybe it is a different female every couple of days that passed through.  In any event, as we are alone on the island, on the south side at least, I have put more food out to feed the weary travelers as they pass by.

The mornings (today was 32F) have been chilly, to the point that we have needed the wood stove on.  I love the heat, but it drives the other body who lives here and the dog too, out of the cottage.  It is pretty hard to regulate wood stoves!

Our friends are coming up with helping hands to put some stuff away or at least get things ready for the closing, just after our thanksgiving weekend, October 12th.  Canadian holiday is a month ahead of the Americans.  

This year, again, we are having a potluck dinner with our immediate neighbours to help us celebrate.  What an easy day it is for us all.  I cook a turkey, the neighbours bring the rest of the meal!  We are all looking forward to it as it will signify the end of cottage life as we have known it for the passed six months. 

I am so behind in sewing, although I have made quite a few quilts, but still have something on the go.  But my sewing corner now has a bed and linens lined up right in front of it, so no sewing for me for the next few days.

Monday is wash day.  Do you still do the traditional?

SUNDAY MORNING AT THE COTTAGE

 I just love this photo which was posted on Facebook.  I still get a chuckle out of it. 

For dog lovers of course!  But still funny as those of us with dogs, we know their obsessions
with treats or food!

The grand kids who compete in
sprint canoe/kayak have had the
summer of their lives.  Jeremy, was in Junior Worlds, Canada games, and the Canadian Championships.  

Courtney, on the right photo was in Canada Games and Canadian Championships.  

Representing the province of 
Ontario was a wonderful honour and it was Courtney's second Games to have been chosen.   The outfits they were given for representing their home province were red and white. 

  A lot of trading went on after the games with Alberta being the most popular province as they had these amazing jackets, that were like a light jacket, then there was an added bonus of sleeves and hoodie that slipped over the jacket.   Very very cool.  I must get a photo as I've never seen one like it.

I love nine patch.  I made this for my mom.  She is 94 now, and used it for a couple of years on her nursing bed.  It is "Oh Cherry Oh"  and one of my favourite designer fabrics ever.  I wish it would come back.   

When I made this, I sort of got on  a kick of nine patch and every summer I would make one.  Then, I said, "no more"  I've had enough of this pattern.   Oh, how I have changed my mind.   I love nine patch and every time I've made the pattern I look at how to cut it up and make a variation.   

But "Oh Cherry Oh"  was the perfect colour combinations of bright and combined patterns.  Do you remember it?  Moda should bring it back.

It is Sunday morning at the cottage, we are a bit warmer than the last few days, actually sat out yesterday.  The mid 60s or teen Celsius days are here.  My friend Bev told me she still lives in the Fahrenheit measures, as do many of us beyond the age of change.   So do I mostly.   But I can do the math on 10-20 in Celsius.

A hummingbird is our lone little creature feeding at the window this morning.  I suspect he is a traveler just passing through as the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler.  

It is Sunday morning and I am musing.  Enjoy your day!

THE QUILTS OF SUMMER

It has been a while since I've posted.  Honestly, it isn't that I haven't wanted to, but what to say was the big problem.

How does one say, "oh by the way I pulled a calf muscle which hurt so much that I was laid up for three weeks!"  What a wimp I was.

Then I fell on my face...oh yeah, summer would not be complete, I hurt my wrist, damaged the temporary tooth that was there before the implant went in...Luck heh?  Yes, that was a blessing as that little partial cracked under the impact.  The lips were a mighty mess.  Had to 
almost drink wine through a straw!

So, crazy glue repaired the partial, then the implant went in and the stiffness of the joints finally made it easier for me to walk without a moan...used a cane for a bit too.  Just for sympathy.

Anyway enough about me!  Here are the quilts of summer.  The first one is my favourite.  I love the yellows in it, and it is a nine patch variation.


The second is my little flip flop quilt with umbrellas to make it a bit different.  I doubled the  batting which I will not do again.  It is heavier, but used up a lot of thread.

Then, I did another nine patch variation...none of them are the same.  It is amazing what one can do with nine patch.   I had bright blues and greens which are not my favourite colours, but it worked with the red on the sashings.  It isn't in my normal comfort zone, but what the heh, It is cute.

I must say this summer was wonderful in that we had hummingbirds to feed.  Eight of them so we had to make sure we had lots of sugar.  One cup of sugar every couple of days, and that is only 30% of their food intake.  The other 70% is protein.  Spiders, and little bugs that fly around.  Lots of mosquitoes.  So we don't mind the feedings.

I know that one of the things the birds love are the flower baskets that have succulents.  So we get baskets that will attract them.  I now have three left, all females who get along a lot better than the pesky males.  

We are about seven weeks from closing up and leaving for Florida.  Can you believe it?  

CROHN'S DISEASE.

 One of my granddaughters has been diagnosed with this diseas.  Gosh here we are with her at the hospital, she is in isolation because of severe infection. 

There is now much learning to deal with this for her and us the rest of her life.  She is trying very hard to be brave but at 21 yrs old, she is still so young I think, to deal with this.

Do you know anyone who has it?  Can you advise us a bit of the day to day life of this illness?

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FLIP FLOP QUILTS AND MORE!

I love the look of flip flop quilts.  They say "happy" without too much thinking.   I usually just like to make the square with a pair of flip flops, but this year, I used a charm pack and made umbrellas to add to the square.

Each time I make this block, I
think of summer which we haven't  had yet!   Really!  One week does not say "summer!

The quilt is almost done and I will post it later, I made this one heavier than usual by using double batting (bamboo) which has made it quite heavy.  I'm not sure I would do this again, but what the heh, it looks good. 

The bigger quilt is a nine patch variation.  Once again, I cut into the squares and came up with something of the idea I got from Moda.  Goodness what would I do without the recipes from the creative people that Moda chooses.

I am in the city once again, this time to visit my granddaughter in the hospital.  She has Crohn's disease and has had a hard time of it for the passed year.   Coping with this is a long term situation and for the young and carefree, the disease sure puts a damper on cottage weekends it seems.

I have a windows 8 computer program.  Hate the fact that I do not have the start window on my left, and have been unable to use the picture format due to the 8 program which does not download directly.

I have used the old computer, then made a disc and only then do I transfer to my photo file.  OMG!  who planned this program?  Sure does not make it easy for people like me!  Microsoft needs to ask the users how do they like it!  Seriously!

SEVENTH IN THE WORLD AIN'T BAD FOR A COUPLE OF CANADIAN BOYS!

 Our grandson who is a sprint paddler, which means he goes fast qualified for Canada to go to the Junior World Competition which this year took place in Welland Ontario.

We were there.  Their first race
they placed third, which put them straight to the finals. 

It was a huge success for the boys, and lots of photos were taken and we asked for their autographs to put on our program.  You never know when they will be this excited again.

The grounds in Welland were fabulous!  It looked like medieval times with each country, about 70 nations were there getting one of the tents for their athletes.  Flags were everywhere and no matter who won, we cheered as this was a big deal for Canada to host.   So we showed our good spirit.

Hard to believe, but the little Mexican team drove all the way from Mexico city with their kayaks and canoes and the team did quite well.  Very very friendly kids.

Hungary with a population of less than ten million was amazing in their athletes.  Imagine a country like this which prides itself on amateur sports and the funding is about three times what we get in North America. 

Anyway, we lost our voices from the shouting "Go Canada Go" and the cheering of close races was such fun.

Am now sewing like nobody's  business, and tomorrow I am posting quilting stuff!

NINE PATCH QUILT VARIATIONS, AND WHY I LOVE THEM

I know I used to say, no more
nine patch quilts for me, but that
was before I discovered cutting them up and making new blocks.

I do not have a photo to show of the new one I have in progress since we are travelling a bit to see grandson race this week, so this one I show is from Moda Recipe which I found this spring.  So fun to make and the results after making the cuts show a totally different block.

The next one is cut on the diagonal which I made using lots of white in the blocks, so it looks so different doesn't it?

I have a third one on the go with totally different looking results which I shall post next week.

In Canada, this is our August long weekend.  I cannot remember why it is, but we have it and as Canadians, any long weekend in the summer is bliss!

We are in the city, moving to another city to see our grandson race in the Junior Worlds, in Canoe Sprint racing.  And honour he says to just have qualified to represent his country.  And wonder of wonders, he qualified direct to the finals without having to battle the tough semi finals that sure take the wind out of the energies of the young.

So, we now have two days to wait, so I am going to shop for fabrics as I contemplate another flip flop quilt, this one will have beach umbrellas on it too.  Each year I enjoy the flip flops as they are so fun to make and everyone ooohs and aaaaws over them.  Of course if one doesn't know how to quilt, it's awesome looking!

This summer is full of lists, with lots of work loads on it.  The addition to our 10 x 10 is coming along, I have three tops ready to quilt myself, and two, an Ohio Star, and the 1930 print is ready to go to the quilter as they are both too big for me to do.

I fell on my face, hurt my ribs, and pulled a calf muscle which was as painful as anything I had experienced in recent years, that took about three weeks to heal, the implant of the tooth is in, but I thank the luck stars that I had not had the implant in when I fell on my face.  

My lip is still numb from the crash...Lots of blood, but thankfully there were no broken bones. 

Getting old is certainly not for sissies as they say, and I am now pretty tough.   A girlfriend told me to tell the sweetie that she has all original body parts if he is interested.  

Enjoy the weekend, see you next week.  We are off to the races!

 

MEMORIES OF QUILTING.

 This is one of the first quilts I made.  It actually, I thought was lost till I saw it at my daughter's house the other day.

She had saved it from the packing of one of the boys who was moving and loved the colours.  Using it on her little patio has given it a new life.

We celebrated our Fourth Annual Pot Luck supper this passed Saturday with about 60 people in attendance.

My friend Helen contributed the "best dish" prize of this beautiful quilt.  Won by a guy who made killer ribs.  But, the competition was fierce as you can imagine with a beauty like this up for grabs.

Each year the best dish gets a quilt.  It is quite the feast as  you can imagine.  Me?  I would have chosen the chicken wings, or the desert which was blueberry cheese cake.

Lots of stuff is going on here at the cottage, we are adding a new addition to our bedroom.  Having a spacious 10 X 10 bedroom is not without restrictions, ie, no cupboards, little room for a dresser or storage, so an addition 144 sq. feet is going to be amazing.

As we live here now, warm seasons of course, we need space to put stuff, and a closet would be wonderful.

It has been a slow process, with the sweetie getting older and vowing to now only build boats in a bottle after this room is finished.   We have had some help from friends and neighbours, but it is the grunt work that has been so helpful, you know carry the lumber, move saws etc.

Much more will be done, but we are off to the Junior World Championships this weekend to watch grandson race as he represents Canada.  The honor of representing his country has been graciously accepted by our lad, and he has thanked many people who have helped him along the way, the first being his mom who made many sacrifices for her boy.

See you next week.

NO BLOGLOVIN FOR ME!

 I have done everything possible to get on bloglovin but to no avail.  Did everyone pay to get a domain that would be recognized I wonder?  I just cannot do it!  I get an RSS feed and it disappears.  Any suggestions?

Then, of course who is seeing the blog
if everyone has gone to bloglovin...
yuck!


I have been laid up with my calf
strain, although it is getting better.  Saw my favourite doctor on the lake today who gave me more advice....stay off it and wear the heal splint he made for me...free of charge too....and he said his advice was that too as he didn't think I would follow it.

I am!  I now have the splint attached to my shoe.  Walking
funny, but it does help.

I went fabric shopping on Thursday, the shop had a 50% sale, but no fabric called my name although I did what the ladies in the photos are doing...I ended up buying batting which was part of the sale.  I now have enough for the next couple of years.   So I better get sewing.

A tragedy on this lake, for the first time in I think six years we have had a drowning on the lake.  A young woman, eighteen years old.  Very tragic as she refused help from a couple, who even though they thought she needed it could do no more than offer assistance. 

They did call the police as they were very worried about her, but the police did not find her until it was too late.  So very sad for us all in such a small community that we are.

We have had the most terrible of springs!  Honestly, I do not complain of the weather at the lake, because it doesn't matter, I sew, I do not sit out that much, but for the people that do go out....namely my sweetie,  the rain has been awful, but the black flies worse.  The last couple of days have been pretty good, and our deck is ready for staining, but the deck must be dry.   Of course rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, again.

Our resident robin with the babies is having the time of her life feeding her young and the hummingbirds are getting fat from my feeders and the bugs (black flies) that are here.   The dragon flies have arrived too, so those pesky bugs are going to be gone!

Enjoy the weekend.  Such as it is.

I'M AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!

I haven't been here for ages due to my body taking one ache after another!

Honestly, the plans in my head have not materialized to the hands working it all out!

I was in the city to get the implant of the tooth done, when the dentist said that that implant would not fit properly, and that I had to go back to the surgeon to have more work done.  It has been since November 2011, that I have had the front tooth out, the partial done, the surgery, and here I am 2013, still without perfect teeth!

I hate going to the dentist, palette needles make me whine, cry and basically send my heart racing.   It had to be done, so that is where I am now.  Healing once again, then the final work done.

Not to be outdone, the legs decided to do their work and pull a calf muscle just as I was getting out of the car on the last sunny day we had eight days ago!  I nearly fainted with the pain, and practically had to be carried to the boat!

So, just so I can moan a bit more, the leg swelled, the ankle turned black, (I thought it was the black sock sweating colour) so, I have been resting (R) icing (I) compressing (C) elevated (E) for the past week.   Today is day 10, there is an elevated pad in my shoe so that I don't strain it.

This has been a spring gone by, no sunshine, the bugs are horrendous to the point that one cannot emerge from a building without being surrounded by black flies (almost like no seeums) so we stay in the cottage.

Rain has been flowing and it has been very cool.

The good news, we have eight hummingbirds, who are eating like crazy, a robin that is nesting at our cabin (photos to follow when I can go out) the loons are happy with all the fish near our docks and last night we noticed the fireflies out and beaming their lights for us to see from our window.

Feel sorry for me.  I have things to do and time is wasting.

The flip flop in the photo is a big hit this year!  Mine would say "Bring Whine"...lol

LET THE SEASON BEGIN!

This is the official BBQ season opener at cottages in Ontario.

This dog just loves it all! I am sure many of you have already begun with the BBQ thing, but here at the cottage, this is it.

On Monday afternoon, I shall feel like this bear.  Poofed from
entertaining.  We are expecting that there will be no vacancies in any of the rooms at this inn.   Bliss for us who have been alone, almost, for the passed couple of weeks.

The photos are from Cottage Life, which is the premier cottage magazine here in Canada.

There is always funny stuff on the web about we Canadians being boring...well we do have a good sense of humour too. Click on the photo...lol

For the first time in years, we are expecting an enjoyable weekend of "abundant" sunshine.  Sounds almost too good to be true!  We shall see.

Enjoy you weekend.  Hope it is as good for you as it will be for me.

NINE PATCH VARIATIONS

 To make up for lost time sewing, due to very cold weather, I've been sewing up a storm!

Nine patch quilts, which I swore a few years ago that I wouldn't do any more, have taken on a totally different aspect with a few cuts here and there.

This one was done with diagonal cuts through the completed 11 1/2" squares, then repositioned to make more nine patch.

The second one has cuts through parts of the blocks, at 1 1/2" around the blocks.  Straight cuts and then repositioned once again, using the same nine patch.

Each is done with just a bit of
creative juices flowing, and Moda Bake shop recipes.

When I was in Florida I bought the fabrics used in both of the quilts shown, and these super duper little binding holders from Missouri Star Quilt Co.  They really are amazing.  99cents to which I thank Quilton who sent
an email saying buy these!  Really
worth the money!

Did I mention that we want to add a 12 x 12 addition to our spacious 9 x 9ft master?

We really need to add cupboard space now that we live here for such a long time.

This beautiful pine, that we have had just outside the bedroom, had to come down to make room for the foundation.  It took about 15 minutes to make our view look like this.

Sadly there was no other way to build or we wouldn't have cut it down.  Pine does not burn well inside, so the tree is being cut into logs for Helen's shore, and the rest will be cut into pieces to eventually mulch in our "forest" area.

The weather has finally become spring like.  Today, not a cloud in the sky, light breezes and the hummingbirds have survived the really awful weather  too.  Life is good.

COTTAGE LIVING

This company called "Yummies in a Jar" is a small but mighty company that makes awesome jams and jellies locally.   The taste is awesome!  Some of the jams have unique names which I will get when next I go to Robinson's General Store, in Dorset. That store is small but had just about anything
one would need from soup to
nuts and bolts! 

Robinson's, was voted the best General Store in Canada one year.  Really a great place to shop and visit and this year,  

they brought in local products, the jams and also local maple syrup.  How lucky are we?

 

I am sewing up a storm.  Still don't have the mojo working on the fingers, but am doing what I want to do...hence the little sign today.  You should
do what makes you happy too!

We have had glorious weather, and yesterday sitting out after dinner, the dog went crazy....sure enough the pesky beaver appeared!  We wondered if the water being so high if the den had survived.  Must have cause the little guy was looking for his small trees to chop down.  Heh!  This is wild country, so he deserves to live free!  Even though he helps himself to lots of saplings.

I have completed a baby quilt, only hand sewing on the binding to do and made blocks for a disappearing nine patch.  It is very very busy, which is my meaning that white needs to be added to finish it.

ONLY THE LOONS ARE NOISY!

 Honestly, this morning around 5:30, I was awakened by the sound of loons!  Now, I must say, because we are so far out on the lake, you know about six miles, we don't get the loons out here too often.  Well, the lake is calm, the sun was rising and so
were the loons.  It sounded like a chorus, till I remembered that the original name for our lake was "Echo Lake".

I am sure that there was only one or two, but the echoes across the lake were loud enough to awaken me.

What with all the flooding and high water levels, I found the photo of this fabulous floating cottage on Cottage Life.  Don't you just love it?

I found this photo somewhere this weekend while looking for quilt patterns.  This is how I feel this morning after using my sewing machine for the first time in six months!   I sure hope my Monday mornings are NOT going to be like this.  I am so rusty from not sewing 1/4" seams.  Not too rusty for picking though!  Imagine that! 

I have taken a rest from the stress of putting little pieces of fabric together to make big fabric.  Small quilts before the big ones are going to be made till I get my fingers used to the idea of sewing once again!

Quilton posted this on the weekend.  So cute, it must be somewhere.... But I wish I had it at my spot at the marina.