Friday Framed Finish

 

This week I am sharing my prettiest framed finish.

Design - "Free Bird"

Designer - Plum Street Samplers

FAbric - 36 count Vintage Basketweave Lakeside linen

Fibers -

Started - 18 July 2011

Completed - 30 August 2011

Framed - August 2014

My mother likes Americana items so this stitch will be in good company! 

Yesterday we looked at perching birds, today we'll take a look at eating birds.   

The Goldfinches continue to swarm my nyger thistle bag and the two feeders with hulled sunflower seeds.

This feeder with a cylinder of nuts has delighted the jay and the Acorn Woodpeckers. 

See, the Scrub Jay is waiting his turn!

Before and After (Now)

Design - "Free Bird"

Designer - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric - 36 count Vintage Basketweave Lakeside linen

Fibers - Crescent Colors - one strand over two threads

Started - July 2011

Completed - 30 August 2011

If you've been following my "Free Bird" Saga, you'll know that I ended up "personalizing" this piece through error and intention.  The alphabet is alternates navy and red letters, and the tails of the peacocks have been modified so that each is unique.

I'm always surprised when I look through photos of May and June, so see the changes that late August / early September brings to my gardening efforts.

For this Tuesday Garden Party, I thought I'd share some "before" and "after" shots.   

May 23, 2011

My large glazed pots over-wintered pretty well.

August 30, 2011

I added a few annuals and now they are beyond lush!

May 19, 2011

My begonias and fuchsias started out compact and tidy!

August 30, 2011

Now they are rambunctious and profuse!

May 13, 2011

The front of the house - clean and ready for a new gardening year

August 30, 2011

The front with - yes I counted - 186 pots!

May 23, 2011

Hostas and Ferns...

August 30, 2011

Hostas and Ferns...plugging along...

May 23, 2011

Fuchsias potted up and set out...

August 30, 2011

Now it's a lush hummingbird heaven!

May 27, 2011

Over-wintered and newly potted fuchsias.

August 30, 2011

Fuchsias exploding in bloom.

May 23, 2011

A second look...

August 30, 2011

I love all the different blossom colors and shapes.

May 22, 2011

The Sedum Theatre

August 30, 2011

The Sedum Theatre

May 24, 2011

Note the two begonias on the middle shelf and the fuchsias on the top shelf...

August 30, 2011

Note the monstrous begonias on the top shelf!

August 30, 2011

And the fuchsia now cascading down the woodpile.

I hope you've enjoyed the Garden Tour - I certainly have loved spending time with my plants this spring and summer.

Not Quite...

When is a finish not a finish?  When after careful consideration, I've decided that the upper left Navy Peacock must go!  So I'm going to frog it out and make it a Red Peacock as originally charted.  But hey, look at "O Beautiful" - over-one stitching without loss of hair or high blood pressure medication!

Yesterday was yet another hot day - this morning about 3:30am we even had some "heat lightening" and a trace of rain.  It made for a pretty sunrise later on.  As warm as it has been the past few days, I end up watering everyday.  That's okay though as I get to it in the cool of the morning, or wait until late in the evening.  And it does allow me to look, really look at my plants and enjoy foliage color...

The many shades of green contrasting with begonia blossoms!

The coleus have been stellar performers this year...

As have the fuchsias...

Hostas, ferns, and coleus... 

In the last week or so the Goldfinches have begun to perch on my Verbena bonarius...

I think there must be tiny, tiny seeds that they are plucking out.

Oh So Close!

Oh so close!  One more navy Peacock to finish and "O Beautiful" to stitch over one.  It is no surprise that I've left the over one stitching until last.  But soon "Free Bird" will be "Completed Bird".

It's Wednesday once again...let's take a walk!

This is Oregon Boxwood (Paxistima myrsinites).  An Oregon native, it grows in shaded woods, openings, and at edge of meadows at all mid elevations.  I found this small plant at the edge of a meadow.   

...and speaking of meadows...They are now brown with white accents from Queen Anne's Lace.

In the shade, mosses and lichens rule supreme.  This is Bottle Moss (Amphidium lapponicum).  The plants are olive-green to light green and dense, growing in cushions spreading and somewhat curved backward when moist, contorted when dry.  Found on moist rock cliffs and trees.

I spied a couple of cherries - I expect soon a bird will find them too.

Thought it remains Summer for another month, these Douglas Fir cones are a sign of impending Autumn. 

I liked the contrast of the tan Vetch seed pods against the green blackberries leaves.

This is Methuselah's Beard Lichen (Usnea longissima).  It is found over various trees and shrubs in open, well-ventilated forests; infrequent, but locally abundant. We have one Oak tree in particular that is draped in long strands of this lichen.  

I found a few more Filbert or Hazelnut (Filbert Betulaceae) seed pods.  Perhaps we'll have a small nut harvest this year!

That's it for our walk today - it is supposed to be very warm (90F) so I think this virtual walk is as active as I'll be!

Birds and Bucks...and Still More Birds

 

I had a pretty productive weekend and "Free Bird" shows the results: Red Peacock finished, 2nd Navy Peacock good start, several more letters completed, and three small motifs also completed.

Sunday morning as I was watering the plants on the Back Patio, I was joined by this fellow!

Usually Bucks are shy and skittish...

But not this handsome boy.

He had a "hard to get at" itch to scratch...

...and dandelions to munch for breakfast.

Another dandelion afficianado!

I mentioned yesterday that the Downy Woodpeckers were back, and on Sunday I was pleased to have a female Hairy Woodpecker return to Suetland.  

And I leave you with this shot of a Blackhead Grosbeak baby.

Babies of whatever sort are pretty darned cute!  

The International Space Station is flying over the U.S. right now.  Last night we went outside to view its fast orbit over our part of the sky.  IF you are interested, here's a link. On the left of the NASA page is "Sighting Oportunities".