This lilac hedge is about to burst forth - and I can't wait!
It sits right at the top of the drive to the cabin, along the parking area.
No, there is no fragrance yet - but every morning when I head off to the QPO studio for work I give them a test sniff, just in case!
A little blurry - but look!
Of all the springtime fragrances Lilacs have always been my favorites. They are also synonymous with Mother's Day for me due to the time they bloom.
If they fully open by Sunday there will be bouquets of lilacs brought inside to enjoy.
I love having a bunch on my bedside table - smelling their beautiful fragrance is a delight to my olfactory system. The original "aroma therapy" and good for my soul!
Aren't those leaves the most beautiful shade of green, shiny and new!
Over the past few days this exciting thing has been happening at Quiltville Inn:
Hello, Generac!
We installed a Generac at the cabin house about 4 years ago and it has been a life saver out here in the boonies where storms occasionally take the power out, and it can be hours before power is restored.
We haven't had long lasting outages at the inn, but that doesn't mean won't be prepared in the future!
This was put on the to-do list a couple of years ago when we installed the 500 gallon propane tank that runs the two 50 gallon hot water heaters, runs the oven/stove in the kitchen and supplies the Hen Den gas stove and the two back-to-ack fireplaces in the Quilting Quarters.
We knew we wanted the Generac - it just needed to be the right time.
Now is the time!
Now if the power blips I don't have to worry about quilters without sewing machine access or lights or power for the irons.
We won't worry that all of their food is going to get ruined without running fridges/freezers.
We won't have to use buckets of water to flush toilets - because the well pump will keep pumping water. (These kinds of things you know about if you have a well!)
This little beige box nestled up against the brick pillars of the side porch will bring peace of mind for years to come.
Some sharing from Shelly!
Check out what she made!
Oh, I love it!
Look at that fun rolled collar!
I love the back too!
Geese up the sleeve!
This is so much crazy fun! I hope that temps don't warm up too quickly where she lives so that she gets a chance to enjoy it this spring!
Have you made a quilted jacket?
I am reminded of all of the quilty vests we made to wear to guilds in the 1990s. I think I had them until 2015. LOL NOW they come back in fashion!
(I feel no guilt for donating them - there is no way they would fit across this chest as I age. LOL!)
I see more and more quilted jackets and I'm wondering for those who are making them - what is your favorite pattern to use?
I remember guild workshops on sweatshirts turning them into quilty jackets with strings and strips and leftover orphan blocks and that was fun too.
My yesterday was kind of a washout. No sewing happened.
I needed to clear off the cutting table so that I could cut for the next project - only that monumental task lead to pulling things out from under the cutting table, and cleaning behind there. (Oh, the dust bunnies!) which lead to clearing off EVERY flat surface and dusting and wiping. And then vacuuming.
I guess you can call it a nesting day. Maybe we all need them from time to time.
That leaked Roe v Wade Supreme Court document has me twisted in knots. Taking away women's rights to their own bodily autonomy is going back 50 years.
I know some of you are going to disagree with me, and that's okay. But this is a gateway ruling to so many other things that can be taken away.
And if you wish to read my thoughts on it, you can read the post from my PERSONAL (not my business) Facebook Page HERE.
You know this page isn't always about ONLY QUILTING, right? I've had loads of people unfollow me for my personal feelings before. It's nothing new. I'm not about keeping followers or about numbers. Never have been. I appreciate those who stay despite our diverse differences in thought.
I'm not here to change anyone's mind - but just as I would never tell another soul what they can do with their body, neither should the government be involved with anyone's body. That is between a woman, (or in many cases a young girl) her doctor and her God.
If someone else's uterus doesn't belong to you - stay out of it.
I'm not looking for a debate. If comments get out of control I will shut off comments. I just think we need to stop and think and consider.
And when thoughts run amok - go clean something. It helped me greatly!
Don't forget about the Quiltmaker/IronEZ Gift-Away for Mother's Day week!
Head on over to the Gift-Away post and get your entry in. We'll be drawing for our 3 winners (USA Addresses only please) on Monday 5/9/2022.
Today? Martha is coming over to chop up more scraps on the Accuquilt, and then we are headed out to a Mexican lunch to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Yum!
How about your day - any plans?
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
You are Enough. Just As You Are.
At some point we have to stop beating ourselves up for what we didn't get done.
We can only do what we can only do, and no more.
I agree with you 100%. I'm in my 70's so it doesn't affect me personally but the results of it could. And I'm not prepared for that, nor will I stand for it. If these old guys in office granddaughter's lives or mental health were to become an issue do to an unwanted pregnancy I wonder how they would feel.
ReplyDeleteI was just about to post the same type of comment and agree with everything 100%.
DeleteI have 4 quilted jackets that I've made over the last 15 years. I also have fabric for about 3 more. I've been using a pattern called Laurel Canyon by MorninGlory Designs. The last one I made used Cherrywood Fabrics and a quilt block design from them.
ReplyDeleteLilacs!! One of my favorite spring blooms. The fragrance is my all time favorite! Have one lilac bush in the corner of my back yard. Love to go inhale that wonderful fragrance, then collect some sprigs to bring into the house.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Bonnie! I completely agree with you on the subject of anyone's interference with another persons choices in the subject at hand! Enough already!
ReplyDeleteThe Lilacs are so beautiful. Here in Montana the Lilac leavers are just starting to open, I can't wait for our hedge of Lilacs by our porch to open, the scent is heavenly. Have an wonderful day, I love your Blog and read it first thing every morning with my coffee!
We are more than our quilting. Thank you for sharing your concerns (and they happen to be mine, too!).
ReplyDeleteAmen sister! We all deserve to choose our own lives. I was lectured again and again about "you have to have kids". Um, no, I do not! Noneyobusiness !!!!
ReplyDeleteI saw a couple Rhododendron blooms almost opening and my Snowball given to my a few years ago for Mother's Day will be all out by the weekend. The Tulips are fading, Daffodils are gone. Neighborhood Dogwoods say Mother's Day to me all pink and white. Clean-up days are good, clear out the dust bunnies. Happy for the Inn to get a Generator for power outages. You think of everything. Mexican sounds good on this 5th of May
ReplyDeleteI agree. We are more than our quilting. I, too, happen to agree that we should be able to make our own choices about our own bodies. I do love reading Bonnie's blog daily. Its content is always uplifting and I enjoy the eye candy from the quilts, the antics of the four legged ones, the pictures of the Quiltville guests and their projects, the photos of the surrounding flora & fauna, and the list goes on. Thank you, Bonnie, for sharing your life and talents with me!
ReplyDeletePerhaps we need to think about ALL applications of the premise that government should not tell us what to do with our bodies. My father in a nursing home lost several of the nurses he had had for years, because they refused to have a vaccine put into their bodies and the government fired them. Hmmm . . .
ReplyDeleteWas your father in a government nursing home (VA)? It is individual care facilities that make the rules about being vaccinated, not the government. All the government can do is issue CDC guidelines.
DeleteHey Bonnie! I agree 100%,my stomach is in knots about it and I worry about future women's rights.How can we be going backward? I love lilacs,the smell is instant happy! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Bonnie, on the abortion issue. How dare men tell us what to do with our bodies!!! Maybe the time has come that women tell men what to do with their bodies. Have agreat day everyone. I am heading out with my dog, Lucy, to a beautiful park in Annapolis. We always meet once a week with our friend who has also an Airedale Terrier.
ReplyDeleteLilacs are my favorite scent! I grew up in Ohio and we had one next to our driveway that bloomed every year. I now live in California and it is too warm for them. Oh, how I miss that fragrance breezing in the open windows. Regarding your other point, I agree 100%. It will still happen, just safely or unsafely.
ReplyDeleteHere, lilacs are more of a Memorial Day thing because they bloom later here.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Bonnie. You can ban safe abortion, but you can't ban abortion.
ReplyDeleteI hope those in favor of overturning Roe vs Wade will be there for each woman's family to help support the child with food, healthcare, dental, clothes, schooling.....
surely sounds to me as if we are going backwards on women's rights. has anyone thought about the children that are unwanted? mental issues. abuse of children. and no one ever says anything about the other half of the equation. after all, no woman (other than Mary) has gotten pregnant alone. this is a woman's issue and a woman's right to choose. enough said. back to quilting now. patti in florida
ReplyDeleteI agree so will no Roe vs Wade lead to free chldcare, free and mandated pre-school, letting Planned Parenhood do their job with help with birth control, better fostercare.....
DeleteThank you for the Lilacs.
ReplyDeleteLilacs are kicking it up here in central MD too, and the azaleas are nuts! But my faves are the dogwoods. I call them the Ella Fitzgerald of the forest. They really help in this dark time. November is months away, but I will welcome it with open arms and so will my vote. Housecleaning is in order. (Just wish we could do more about the housecleaning needed in the former Soviet "Union"...)
ReplyDeleteI still have a quilted jacked I made in the 70s. For some unknown reason, I can't part with it. I also have a lovely jacket a friend made from men's ties. I admired it, and she took it off her back and gave it to me!
ReplyDeleteBackwards indeed - at the hands of men who will never experience anything equivalent. What else will this lead to? Saw this on https://funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete"Equal rights for all does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie."
I love lilacs too - late frost stopped my few from fully opening. :(
I have never understood why some entitled people believe it is their right to control others, or to treat others as subordinate. A deficit in their upbringing and/or brain function, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe Cherry and Apple blossoms are falling here. Looks a little like snow.
Shelly, what a beautiful quilted jacket!
ReplyDeleteam having a surprisingly productive week off: puttering, napping, getting a massage, playing with the dog, gardening, quilting....amazing what you can get "done" when you don't have to WORK! (Also: I agree with you, Bonnie, about how truly infuriating and scary this ruling-to-come is going to be: and 59% of Americans agree with you too, which makes it even more astounding that this is about to happen...with what mandate?? RAGE.)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely 100% with you. Thanks for everything you are, and all you share with us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sue - the only thing this ruling would accomplish is banning safe abortions, there were abortions before, there will still be abortions. I am sad and appalled that we seem to be going back in time to make sure that women aren't allowed to make decisions about their bodies. And that the people clamoring about denying those decisions - also happen to be the same folk who vehemently opposed mandatory vaccination, you know - you can't tell me what to do with my body. Maybe this ruling will make mandating vaccines (all vaccines not just covid) easier. After all, vaccines save lives.
ReplyDeleteYes Enter another I agree. How can we revert back in time. Cannot imagine a woman among us who would vote to keep this reversal going. Seems to be always MEN who have no business promoting this idea. You know there will be more on their agenda. I LOVE LILACS TOO
ReplyDeleteThe generator is one of the best purchases you can make. The storm of two weeks ago, we were without power for 4 days. Oher than the rumble of the gas motor, our life went on as normal. The neighbor was getting water from our place and showering. Amen to your thoughts on one's uterus. The choice is entirely the woman's. She deserves safe medical care and emotional support, no matter what HER choice may be.
ReplyDeleteI agree Bonnie. I just got a new computerized Bernina and they said to get a high quality, more expensive, surge protector. You probably already know that, but just in case you might want to add that to your list of suggestions for guest with computerized machines in case the power goes out and switches to the generator. I am not familiar with how that works. Just don'[t want it cause you or anyone else surprise results. Love you Bonnie and all you teach us about sewing and life.
ReplyDeleteMy sister was in her late teens before Roe vs Wade. she almost died from an illegal abortion. She was actually carrying twins. The abortionist only aborted ONE of the twins leaving her to go septic with the other one. She was VERY close to death. Thankfully, she made it through. It was TERRIBLE and it could have been prevented if it had only happened a little less than 1 short year later.
ReplyDeleteDid Shelly ever say which pattern she used?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your feelings about Roe vs. Wade. I find myself mad, though. I can't believe that old white guys are telling us what to do.
ReplyDeleteThis calls for my "first" comment on your daily writings. I read you every day and agree with you (so far) on everything you write about. I am pushing 80 now and cannot believe I now have to even think about this abortion subject! I thought all that nonsense was water under the bridge.we need to get these old guys out of office and let the women run America! Thank you Bonnie for being YOU.
ReplyDeleteHi Bonnie. I totally agree with you about women making decisions about their own bodies. The comment about men's bodies reminds me of a mammogram I had done just before Covid shut everything down. I find the diagonal squish involved in the mammogram very painful and uncomfortable. I mentioned this to the technician doing the mammogram. I then said : Why is it we women subject ourselves to this but men don't have to have their testicles squished . Her reply was : There would not be single man that would show up for that. I had to laugh at that. When I told my husband what I had said, he said : I wouldn't show up for that !!
ReplyDeleteIt appears to me that most of the protesters are youngish people who have never lived in a time when safe and legal abortions were not yet available. A high school girl in my small town and class performed her own abortion with a coat hanger. Needless-to-say she almost died. I wonder to this day if she was ever able to have children when the time in her life was right. I can't imagine the pain that decision made on her life at the time or even into her future. Although I would never have had an abortion myself I certainly can't imagine that I have the right to make a decision in anyone else's life because of my morals. All first world countries allow abortions and they were even allowed here in the US in colonial days. I don't want us here to follow any of the laws followed in more fundamentalist countries concerning the treatment of women. Are we on the road to treating women uneducated and the property of some man? Horrible!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bonnie, for being brave enough to speak your mind. I find more and more reasons to stand together with brave women including you. And I LOVE the smell of lilacs. They are just so darned pretty also.
Love the lilacs and all you mention in the blog it has been a delight to see and read what is happening across the pond (I am in Australia). I too believe it should be a women's right to decide what to do with her body and especially her uterus.
ReplyDeleteenough said, back to the quilting here.