Art in Embassies

Blocks #5  (28w X 62h) was selected by the Art in Embassies program, which falls under the auspices of the US Department of State.

It is on its way to the US Embassy in the capital of Dili in East Timor, which is the newest country in Asia.  (see map below)

Some nice people from Atelier 4 In New York (www.atelier4.com) came with their truck to pick up the quilt and will be handling all aspects of the shipping. 

Ice Dams

Like many other homeowners, we are concerned about the ice dams that have formed on the eaves.  Fortunately, we haven't seen any water damage inside, but our contractor came to check the roof.








Peter reported that areas of the roof had more than 30 inches of snow.  He removed a lot of it, particularly along the edges, so that if we ever get warmer weather, the ice can start melting!

Repotting

 




It was time to repot some of the orchids and violets.  Poor Suki doesn't like this winter weather and hasn't been able to go outside to play, so watching me from her hiding spot in the market basket is the only entertainment she could find.

Peeps Meeting

It was a regular meeting day for the Peeps (the Art Quilt People).  Skype on my MacBookAir worked great so that Carol could participate from her home -- as long as we remembered to turn the screen so that she could see!  

We saw lots of new work today, and these are just a few of the pieces.

Mary has this one in process, using her hand-dyed and snow-dyed fabrics.
















Nancy finished her Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice silk pieces.

Pat showed us several pieces of her fabrics that she had dyed, painted, screened, stamped, etc.












 A little work being done while the chatting is happening....

Snow - the 3rd week

Our February weather has continued to provide more significant snow accompanied by below-zero temperatures.

Those of us of a certain age remember the February of 1979 which was of similar ilk.

With no thawing temperatures, there's been no snow melting or even settling.

So the sides of our paths get taller and taller, as do the snowbanks around the driveway.

Only the top boards on the horse fence are visible.

Snow - the 2nd week

The second week of February piled on more snow to what had already accumulated.

All of our property has been engulfed, from the water tub behind the horse barn to the sidewalk in front of the house.

We've been getting lots of practice with our shoveling,  and even have to make a path to get to the water hydrant.

The snow has filled the front porch and sidewalk.

It's piled so high on the bushes in front of the house that we can't see the road from house.

Kitty Update

Our feral barn cat, Millie, likes to walk along the horse fence on the north side of the pasture.  She often sits on the tops of the posts and surveys the area for mice or other small varmints.

















Here she has come from the barn to sit on the deck bench and wait for a meal.  She will allow Marcia to sit on the bench with her while she eats, but don't try to touch her!





















In the meantime, Suki, Queen of the house, warms up by sitting on the cable box.  She doesn't like cold weather or the visiting cats in her domain.  She screeches and charges at them when she sees them.


















She is a good helper in the studio.  She guards a boxed quilt that is on its way to a juried show in Virginia.
















Another visitor has been appearing periodically  in the barn.  The word must be out on the street, as we often get feline visitors for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Snow

Currently we aren't boarding any horses, but still need access to the water pump in the pasture.  Our 18-inch snowfall overflowed the water tub and required more shoveling to replenish the water containers for the barn cats.













The path to the horse barn is maintained by Marcia, and she and the cats use it to transit from the barn to the house and vice versa.










Icicles are another winter show and reflect light on a sunny afternoon.  They grace our new porch and are framed by our recently trimmed locust tree and the beautiful blue sky!