Cutting Back Indoor Trees

Whenever I complain about my indoor trees getting too big, my gardening friend Vera, replies: Cut them back!

She has no problem cutting back hers. A grandmother herself, she has indoor trees that once belonged to her grandmother.


















Okay, I did it! I don't know why it bothers me. I have no problem trimming outdoor trees - but I feel bad chopping limbs off the indoor ones!

(Now, what should I do with this one?!)

Pile Style

I can't say I like to see my magazines and books piled high around me...

But it seems to be the only way I can keep them organized.















Imagine my surprise when I saw piles even taller than mine in a recent home decorating magazine! (Does that mean that I finally am "in style"?!)

A Comforting Thought in Spring

Now that spring is here and new plants are sprouting up daily in my garden, the following thought I recently read seems particularly vivid:

Just as the earth sends up its shoots and a garden makes seeds sprout, so God makes saving justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.

This paraphrase of Isaiah 61:11 reminds me that it all comes from God... not only the seeds sprouting, but even justice.. and praise...

Can't Believe It's Done

My first scrap quilt - inspired by the book, Sunday Morning Quilts - is finally done!

(Does it look different before and after being quilted?!... ) Here it is before...


















There were a few "learning curves" along the way...














...such as discovering the necessity of using a 12.5 inch square ruler to square up all the blocks and make even uneven-looking quilt blocks fit tidily together. The next challenge was hand-quilting it in two large pieces, as a form of basting... Then sewing the two quilted pieces into one really large quilt and machine quilting it!

This was a test for my new extra-large sewing machine.














I discovered that - although the opening was big enough for the quilt to pass through quite easily - I had to watch that the sheer weight of the quilt didn't unbalance my sewing. At times my rows of stitching didn't end up straight. (Maybe I should have used masking tape as a temporary guide line.)

The quilt back is also an example of patchwork!














When I think of the mound of scraps I started with a few months ago...














 It's come a long way!

Tree Trimming Time

Last winter's heavy snow falls brought down branches. Some broke off. Others cracked.

Still others were tangled - and when the snow melted, they stayed where they were, their limbs tied together like woven cloth.


















A few days ago Terry headed out - saws in  hand - to try to untangle a mess of branches hovering above our lilac bush.














He didn't know where to start!














Eventually our neighbor, Earl, came over with his chainsaw to help him.

There! That looks better!


















The next day - garbage day - saw our street front lined with the results!

Ottawa's Tulips

Every May Ottawa hosts a Tulip Festival in honor of the many tulip beds all over the city that bloom in spring. Bus loads of tourists come to view them. The tulip bulbs are a gift from Holland, a reminder that the Dutch royal family lived in exile in Ottawa during the Second World War.

I like to go to Dow's Lake to see the tulips there.














I am always amazed at the variety of color...

... and shape...














 ... of the tulips in the many tulip beds.














How many of these are hybrids? I wonder...

Perhaps all?!














Amazing...














... and very beautiful!

Another House Moves Away

We live in a quiet neighborhood - so construction of any kind is big news! A few weeks ago, we heard loud banging and discovered that one of the old houses on the next street was going to be moved to a new location out of town. Today we heard loud banging again. I walked over and discovered that this was moving day!














One man was on the roof, attaching the hooks of the crane. Then slowly the roof came off, while the man stood under it...














(Not a job I would like to have!)














Before long, the roof had been gently placed on the back of a flatbed truck. (The house must be too tall to move as is.)

I watched for a while, chatting with another onlooker - who told me that he had grown up in the house.

A few hours later I walked over to the work site again and the main part of the house was gone. Gone too were the crane and all the workers.














The only things that remained were the back part of the house (wrapped in a blue tarp) and a garden shed.. I wonder if they'll be back to take them away, too.