WIPs, Planting, NCAA's and Some Rug Hooking

So it is the day before the official first day of Spring, yet after the snowfall yesterday it is not seeming very springish.  The storm did not really amount to as much as predicted, but did give a good old fashioned ground covering.  It is the heavy, slushy kind of snow, good for snowman and snowball making, but not at this point in the season, at least not for me.  I am ready for green grass! Just the day before the storm hit, I was blissfully, (albeit a bit late) planting my seeds and thinking thoughts of working outside in the garden, digging in the dirt and harvesting fresh vegetables.  I really do get a charge out of picking and using all of the good things that come out of my humble plot.  I love to grow the odd varieties of things, purple and yellow tomatoes, multi colored swiss chard and my favorite, golden beets!   I cannot wait to be coming in from the garden with a huge basket overflowing with all.  It will be here before we know it, but for now....here is the view looking out our back window.

Seedlings and Snow

 

Our dogs also have not gotten the idea that it is not yet spring........

 



Divot, Bunker and Maya

 

They were ready and waiting for someone, anyone to come out and play some Frisbee.  Divot and Bunker, the two shelties do not really play, they just chase after Maya and bark as she tracks down and then acrobatically leaps into the air to retrieve the Frisbee.  Of course a lot of her success is dependent on the throw, but she gives her best effort no matter what.  This particular day, the wind was howling and it was about 10 degrees out, so she had no takers except for Divot and Bunker.

Soon dogs, very soon!

 

 Americana Santa's WIPS

 

Julie's Santa

Available at The Old Tattered Flag

 

This week I also had a chance to sit down with some paper mache.  I shaped up a couple of Santa's that will be holding draped American Flags in front of them.  I plan to paint them in different colors.  Last year I made one that was shaped and painted to resemble a hooked rug that my sister had designed and my mother had hooked.  I think one of them will be a white Santa with the flag also painted in different tones of white.  Stay tuned........

 

Lastly, I am looking forward to finishing up a rug I have been hooking on for a while.  This week as many of you may know, the NCAA basketball tournament begins.  Now, while for some of you that may not mean anything, but in our house that is all....ALL that will be on the tv for the duration of the tournament.  We fill out the brackets, and have a friendly family rivalry.....well mostly friendly.  My son Troy has always been the "keeper of the brackets".  He has us fill them out and then he keeps a careful eye on how all of us our doing.  Maybe I should be worried..... sounds like a future bookie in the making!  We do love our basketball, but for me, there does need to be some distraction.  So I have the rug on the frame and strips all ready to go.  I also have a completed rug to finish with some rug binding.  I am working on hooking all of the Magdalena Briner designs that appeal to me.  Unfortunately, most of them do!  Magdalena Briner was an avid rug hooker back in the 1800's whose designs are highly coveted and reproduced by today's primitive rug hookers.  I am a big fan!  She was obviously very inspired by the things around her including many farm animals, dogs, flowers, and stars and was masterful at arranging them in unique and interesting ways.  She was also seemingly very resourceful, using odds and ends and scraps to complete her work, yet retaining beautiful color balance.  If you are interested in learning more about Magdalena, there is a great book out called, Rug Hooking Traditions with Magdalena Briner Eby by Evelyn Lawrence and Kathy Wright.

 

NCAA Distraction

 

Magdalena's 2 Horses ready for binding

 

 



Great Book!

 

 

A special thanks to all who have so nicely commented about my blog and to those who purchased all of the rug hooking snippet holders from my sisters website!