wood tick wonderland

We have had a very healthy stand of hydrangea plants along our front walk for quite a few years.  They all started from one little bush.  And then they spread.  And in the late summer, they would be so large that they would block about half of the sidewalk, and we would trim them down.  And those bleeding hearts on the right would also lean over the sidewalk, leaving little space to walk.  This spring, I decided it was time to thin down the hydrangeas significantly.  We removed about half of them on the side near the sidewalk.  I think this should work out much better.

I have occasionally tried to dig up and start new hydrangeas in pots to give to friends, but they always died.  When Bob was digging up these bushes, he decided to stick some in the ground in another flower bed that needs some rejuvenation.  These seem to be actually taking root--

And here's a funny tree in our backyard--

This looks like the definition of gnarly!

And now I better check myself for wood ticks after being out in the bushes!

fall colors

A beautiful sample of the fall colors here--

But after our very windy weather yesterday, there might not be as many leaves on that tree!

Luckily, we didn't have stormy weather last Thursday, so our favorite little treat could don his Pizza Man costume and work his way down his block.  After he got home, he got to snack on a mini Snickers bar, which seemed like a fun new experience for him!  He really didn't know what the fuss was all about with gathering candy in his bag, but I bet by next year he will have a better understanding.  Brita made his little costume, just an easy plan with felt and glue to make a crust and toppings.  It served the purpose and he didn't mind wearing it, especially when he could pick off some of the pieces!

My quilting last week was a little bit on the wild side--

Carol made this jungle quilt from a panel print.  I quilted an outline around the biggest animals and then just did a little bit of design in the background.  She chose this wonderful soft sculpted fabric for the back.

And, some quilting for Leisl that I had a little part in making.  This was a couple years ago when myself and 3 friends did a "Round Robin".  Each of us created a center square applique design.  Then it was passed on to another person in the group to add the next border.  This continued until we each got our quilt back with work done by all of the group.

This is the end result of Leisl's quilt.  Mine is still waiting for the quilter!