Wordless Wednesday (Patagonia, AZ)

Cooper's Hawk

What is a White-Nose Coatimundi? (Patagonia, AZ)

A month ago, I had never heard of a Coatimundi until our manager said they had seen a group of them recently on the Preserve.  Dan and I had to look them up so we could recognize them.  The Coati is raccoon-like, climbs trees, and digs for insects.  Everyday, we would walk through the area of the last sighting with hopes of seeing just one.  No luck.

The other day, we had some time off from our volunteering and decide to get in our 2-mile walk.  Dan spotted the White-nose Coati first.  He was on the trail in front of us.  He just stood there on the path staring at us.  We think this is a male since males travel alone.  We did not see or hear any others nearby.

I'm so happy I brought my camera..  Yep, can you believe I almost left it behind for this walk!  The rest of my walk would have been banging my head against trees while chanting "Never Ever Leave the Camera Behind!"

Okay, back to my story....After taking some photos, moving closer and taking more, he started moving very slowly down the path.  We are not sure if he was being very careful and trying not to alert us or if he just wasn't that worried about us.  It almost felt like he was as curious about us as we were about him.

So he would walk a little ways down the trail.......

And he would stop..........strike a pose....

Great photo of his paws - good for digging and climbing

Close-up of his paws

He looked back and froze again for several seconds. 

He turned around the other direction to get a different view? of us again...and froze. 

so cute

This encounter must have gone on for 10 minutes!  It was great!  I was so excited about this encounter that I  took over 200 photos of him.  Don't worry, I don't plan to post all of them.

Check out his turned-up nose!

I think this is when he realized we were going to keep following him and he took off running.

Such an adorable face!  I hope we see more before we leave here.

Working On the Delighted! Fabric (Patagonia, AZ)

And the Final Decision is.....

I made a decision to use the Cake Mix pattern from Layer Cake Recipe.  I'm making the blocks half the size so I will have more of the quilt pattern shown below.  Instead of 10 inch blocks.  I will make 5 1/2 inch blocks for a lap-size quilt.

I took a chance and cut some blocks up and did a quick test to see how the blocks would look.  So far, so good.

Sewed one together.  There are 3 color variations of each pattern, so I am going to have 3 different blocks to give it a more uniformed look.  I'm still a little worried that this quilt will be too busy.

Now that I have made that decision, my mission at the Squirrel's Nest quilt shop was to find a matching border and backing.  I was having a very hard time.  They did not carry a lot of this kind of design fabric and I certainly could not find any Riley Blake fabric.  They are more of a Thimbleberries quilt shop which I like...a lot. I did find 3 shades of green that was not too busy, but I could not decide.  I was about ready to give up when Dan came in.  I asked for his opinion and he thought this fabric would work without making it too busy.

What do you think?  I think I should get hubby's opinion more often, don't you?

**I would have asked one of the employees, but no one even bothered to say hello when I walked into the store or ask if I needed help.  Why ask an opinion from someone who can't be bothered to say hello?  Despite the unwelcome feeling, I still enjoyed looking through the fabrics and notions.

A Surprise Visitor

This photo is from the wildlife camera taken on 11 Nov 11 - the same day we arrived.  This Mountain Lion crossed the creek a couple of hundred yards behind our motorhome.  Our manager, Matt has found signs of the cat in the area recently so now I carry Pepper Spray....just in case.  Considering he has been here all month, I'm hoping he likes to stay hidden during the day and does his hunting at night.  I would not mind seeing him at a distance...a very long distance or from the car.

Some more photos from the Preserve...

My favorite Gnarly Tree

Red-tail Hawk

Red-tail Hawk

Female Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinal Family) hiding

Happy Quilting!

"The Wedding Quilt" by Jennifer Chiaverini

I just finished listening to “The Wedding Quilt” by Jennifer Chiaverini and narrated by Christina Moore.  Listening to Christina now is like listening to an old friend tell a story.

I was surprised to have the book start out 25 years later as in 2028.  Sarah and Matt’s twins are now grown.  One is working at Elm Creek and the other one is getting married and going to medical school.  Sarah has become a well-known author on the history of quilts and proprietress of Elm Creek.

At first, I was a little disappointed and sad because I knew right away that many of the older quilters like Sylvia and Agnes would not be around for the wedding.  I know it is part of life and it does go fast, but why did the series have to make such a leap?

Then I realized as Sarah started reminiscing that I would still hear all about my favorite quilters.   In Jennifer’s style of storytelling, "The Wedding Quilt" covered the past and the present as family and friends reunited to celebrate at Elm Creek.  I feel like Jennifer was tying up loose ends from past stories.   There’s more than one wedding in this book, but I’m not telling who gets married.

I learned about Sylvia finding more information on her Cousin Elizabeth’s family, and what Bonnie decided to do after she came back from Hawaii.  I caught up with Gwen and Summer along with Diane’s family.  I heard more about the new members - Anne and Maggie.  I even learned more about the Civil War quilters and their Union Hall.  I would have liked to have heard more about Gretchen and her husband along with Andrew.  They are mentioned, but not as much as the others.

Halfway through I began to wonder if this was the last of the Elm Creek series.  It sort of felt like the end since a lot of unfinished stories were being given an ending.   I did some quick research and found that some of the reviewers were making the same comment that this was the last of the series.  I know that Sonoma Rose will be available soon, but that will be more about the past in California and not about the Elm Creek Quilters.

Fear not!  I went to Jennifer’s blog and in her FAQs she answered that very question.  Here’s her answer:

That's not going to be the end of the series, though, is it?!?

Sonoma Rose is the last book of my current contract, but I have a verbal agreement with Dutton for a new three-book deal. At the present time, it looks like a contemporary Elm Creek Quilts novel titled The Giving Quilt will be published in October 2012 as the first book of that contract. I will keep you posted!

At least, we know she plans to publish three more.  I’ve got my fingers crossed for more than three books.

Mr. Cardinal

Jack Frost came for a visit in Patagonia, AZ

55 years! (Patagonia, AZ)

Yesterday, I turned 55 years old.   Yep, I have been around for awhile now...well, not as long as some people, but longer than most of the people I know.  Do I sound senile?  I hope not!

I took assessment of how I feel about turning 55.  Except for quite a few extra pounds that I would like to get rid of and lots of grey hair which I am happy to keep, I think I am doing pretty good.  Not too many aches in the morning although my knees are starting to creak and my shoulders are popping more often which makes my Sun Salutes a lot slower.  I am very thankful for my health.  I walk two to three miles every day and I am trying to stay limber with my yoga practice.

For me, celebrating 55 years isn't about "so far so good".  I worked hard at being here today to celebrate being 55 years old and feeling good about what I have done and where I am today.  No regrets.  I feel great about practicing good eating habits and exercise routines.  I don't deprive myself of sweets.  I do eat them quite often. My weight can certainly testify to that! I am enjoying life my way by being as healthy as possible.  My overall goal is to grow old and still be aware of my surroundings.  In other words - to have a better quality of life as I get older.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I do have my Senior moments.  Exercising my brain can be quite a challenge at times, but it is very important to keep the brain cells active.   There are days when I think my poor brain is about to shut down for good from information overload.  It gets back at me by forgetting why I went to the closet.....umm, I know I was going to get something...well, I'll remember later....maybe....probably in the middle of the night....

Yesterday was wonderful.  We woke to a frosty low 20s morning.  Dan & I took an early walk around the Preserve (closed Monday & Tuesday).

We visited Mr. Owl, saw one or more hawks, and one deer.  I got some great photos of the hawk(s).  We are not sure we were seeing the same hawk or different ones.

Always stretch and warm up before flying

Fluff once a day

It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Excellent view!

What a great way to start a day!

Good Morning!

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the motorhome just catching up on different items, watching birds, quilting...just relaxing and enjoying the moment.

Hey you! Yea You!  Got any birdseed?

Today, we are going out for lunch at the German Cafe in Sierra Vista for a second day of celebrating.  

I also plan to stop by the Squirrel's Nest for a little fabric shopping.  I'm hoping to find some matching fabric for my prize of 10-inch squares - Delighted!  I have been to this quilt shop before - many years ago.  I was amazed to see that they also carry supplies for spinning, weaving, and knitting.   There were the large weaving looms and yarns hanging from the walls.  Oh my!  The colors were amazing!  Just what I need - temptations to start a new hobby...It's a good thing I don't have any extra storage space.   Oh, and I love their url address:  fibernuts.com.  LOL!

I also did a little cyber shopping on Etsy.  I see so many wonderful things that I like, but of course, I have no room for more stuff.  So here is my Happy Birthday to Me - Tuesday Treasury:

Did you noticed that I slipped some fabric into my shopping?  ;0)

I Can't Believe I Won!

And the winner is......ME?

Remember in October, I entered one of my quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival?

Well, I won a prize!  With over 600 entries, I really did not think I would win any of the giveaways. (and I'm still visiting the other quilt sites) So, now I have a new project.  This isn't the kind of fabric I would pick out for myself.  I'm more into the novelty, hand-dyed Batiks, or southwest, but I'm starting to like this design fabric.

2 packs of 10-inch "Delighted!" squares by Riley Blake 

21 squares in each pack

What to do with these 10-inch squares....hmmm, I'll have to get back to you on this project.  This is a good challenge for me and I do have a couple of ideas.

Wet Feather Woes

It rained most of Thursday night and part of Friday.  We could use more, but we will take what we can get, right?

I never gave much thought to the wild birds until I started watching this little one trying to clean and dry its feathers.

Boy! Am I wet!

Let's see if fluffing out the feathers will dry me out..

Okay, maybe cleaning them will work...

Not fast enough - let's shake some feathers........

and don't forget the tail...

Oops! forgot to air out this wing

Wait!  was that a raindrop?

Well, I guess I'll wait until the sun comes out.....