Home - Safe and Sound

Nebraska March snow storms are not to be taken lightly. As I left Michelle's yesterday I could see the sandhills with a dusting of snow and what appeared to be sunlight. I was optimistic about my next four hours of road travel. I always fill up at Ogallala as I can make it all the way home on half a tank. County pavement between her house and gas station was pretty much snow packed ... but manageable.

As I headed east on I-80 it became abundantly clear that Mother Nature was in charge! Maintainers were doing their best to keep roads passable - so much of the travel through to North Platte was right lane only. Fortunately everyone on the road was driving cautiously. As I neared Kearney you could tell that much of the storm was centered there as roads were snow covered.

Road into town was miserable - had to put it in four-wheel drive to maneuver through snow. Drive thru for a Runza burger/drink and back on the road again. Getting to GI was also an "adventure" ... but again maintainers were out in full force. At one point I was following a Seward County pick up with crop-duster (broken down of course) on flatbed trailer -- so as I drove through blowing snow from passing semi's I had the planes tail fin to focus on ... how often does one have that as a guide?

Road finally became clear and drier as I drove into York. A stop there to fill up for gas and I was home free.

Other than the tail fin the highlight of my day was upon leaving Michelle's. Beth had brought her bedding up to be laundered -- it was in a basket in laundry room. Trixie took the opportunity to snuggle in for her morning nap...

Chenille Project - Completed!

This quilt was quite a challenge. Five layers of flannel can be very difficult to manage. Laying the fabrics out and keeping them entact became taxing at times. My shoulders and arms became tense and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat. Once everything is sewn together, cutting done, and binding on - you wash and dry. That's when the fun begins. A 42" square made up of five layers of flannel takes forever to dry!!! But, I like the way the quilt finished up and already know what I would do differently next time!!!

Before

After

Thank goodness this is finished and I can move on to another "challenge"!!!

Lazy Saturday morning

This morning, although it was a Saturday and I intended to sleep in, Champ and Trixie had other ideas. I'd left my bedroom door open last night so they could roam around during the night. With "mommy and daddy" gone they might get really lonely in the empty master suite! It was around 6:30 when I rolled over -- causing a little stir -- which let them know I was semi-conscious. Within a nano-second they were in my face breathing on me with their morning doggy breath...nothing else to do but to get up and let them out!

It was a beautiful morning and I think they really enjoyed the time outside to bask in the early morning sun.

Now that they are inside -- this is what they will do the rest of the day until the next trip outside. I was watching them and it appears as though they breathe in unison when lying close to each other, interesting.

Champ and Trixie

Chenille Quilt

Nothing like being away from home to accomplish unfinished projects~ I'm even using a sewing machine that does not have all of the bells and whistles that mine has and I'm really making progress!!! I'm so impressed.

Yesterday I cut flannel pieces 42" square to "create" a chenille baby blanket. It's for a baby boy born mid-February and I am quite confident that I will be able to finish it before he starts college!

I already had the blue train fabric so purchased additional to compliment it. By layering correctly it should, after washing and drying, have a nice "color hue" and be cuddly soft. It will also be very warm!!!

Doing chenille is a laborious process. I looked through mags, books, patterns and online quilting sites. All described similar preparation process ~ so I know I am on the right track.

You might be able to see where stitching rows are - 1/2 " apart - that's the laborious part. But I've got two beautiful chocolate labs and HGTV to keep me company.

I sure like my big brudder...

Larry and I help the "carp" teachers on Tuesday nights by watching "dah boyz". We get to pick Noah up from school and Cooper from day care. Anyway caught a rare moment when Coop was really watching his big brudder ver-r-ry closely...

The boys just light up when they see each other.

Brown Bear...Brown Bear

I love to project, I like to create "stuff". I enjoy the solitude when knitting, doing needlework, or sewing. Now that the hip is working right and I have full mobility I have particularly enjoyed spending time in the sewing room. Most recently I completed a quilt for granddaughter Esmé. It is titled "Brown Bear" from an Eric Carle book.

There was enough fabric to make her a pillow case for her big girl bed.

Esmé is now three years old, where did that time go?

Road to Ogallala

Had the opportunity today to see a multitude of birds. I had heard and read that the Sandhills Cranes were on their migratory route early and was hoping I would get to see them. They did not disappoint...there they were west of Grand Island - had to be tens of thousands of the buggers. They are so beautiful to watch -- they make flight look so easy. Of course being the solo driver this trip I was careful not to become to distracted. In the Kearney area there were thousands of Canadian Geese and Snow Geese -- many stay in the area but it sure looked like more than usual. Either way I got the feeling that we would be seeing some spring like weather soon, right?

We make several trips to Ogallala every year and each trip we always see small flocks of turkeys. This trip was no different. Near Brady - in an open field - there looked to be three families of at least 8-12 birds each. Very interesting.

While it would have been nice to be able to post personal pictures: 1.) I didn't have the camera and camera phone would not have done them justice and 2.) I was solo - and I've tried the click while driving - very distorted pictures. So downloading on-line will have to do --