Wordy Wednesday {The Barn Continued}

The Beginning
Continued I

Note: The weekend of April 10th and 17th was cloudy not to mention we had storms on the 17th. So, all pictures reflect the gloomy (cloudy) days and are not all that great.

The floor of the barn and the deck of the porch was laid and completed on the April 10th.

A closeup shot of the flooring and deck. We plan to stain the decking in the future to further protect it from the weather.

The first wall (back wall) was built and put up on April 16th. We managed to do this all by ourselves against the wind. I was amazed and impressed with what we managed to do!

The front wall was built on April 16th and put up on the morning of 17th. We failed our first attempt. It was a little heavier on account of the header built for the door. The Gardener must have seen our humiliation because he offered to help. I am thankful for his help because we got it on the second attempt.

The other two walls were built and put up in between storms on the 17th. These were a heck of a lot easier to put up! We were extremely tired, wet and sore folks by the end of the day!

The barn door side view.

The plan is to take off Saturday and finish putting on the siding this Sunday (April 24). We may even get started on the joists that will support the ceiling and loft.

Weekly Recap #15

{April 11 through April 17, 2016}

Just an advanced warning. I am real tired from not getting enough sleep overnight on account of pain. So, please excuse any spelling and grammar mistakes that I have not caught via editing.

Gardening

• The gardens are still sprouting. The tater (potato) plants are huge and have sprouted tiny flowers. Yes, I buried them quite a few times until I felt I ran out of room in the tater box to keep filling with dirt. The peas have shot up practically overnight. And, we got a few strawberries. I am pleased.

Quilting; Crafts

• My first attempt (left) on the Pershing block for Section 2 of the Gypsy Wife Quilt was not great. It is badly skewed (not squared). So, I made a second block with the help of tips and notes off the interwebs including one from a facebook friend. I am real pleased with my second effort. This is all I did for a week! I do not think I will ever make another Pershing block as it is very difficult to make!

  I am saving the block I scrapped for the backing. I tend to use leftover blocks and fabrics to make the backing. So, we shall see.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• I never did post pictures of the progress of the barn, did I? Oh well. We now have all four walls up in spite of threats of storms. In fact, at one point, when a flash of lightning appeared a ways off, I yelled "I'm out of here", dropped my hammer and nails and ran for the door. Dan laughed; but, he calmly picked up the tools and headed for indoors too. I may laugh about it now; but, thunderstorms make me extremely nervous.

  Anyway, I am thankful the gardener (neighbor) helped us put the second wall up because we failed on our first attempt. We had no troubles with the "side" walls as they were much lighter. We put up the last wall after the thunderstorm passed through. Another one was brewing while we were finishing up securing that wall.

  I plan to post pictures of the progress soon. Key word is “plan”.

Heaven is not for good people. heaven is for forgiven people.

~ Greg Laurie ~

Green Lynx Spider Spiderlings {Peucetia viridans}

Last week, I posted about the Green Lynx Spider and her egg sac I encountered last October. I was keeping an eye on the sac daily and the female spider was guarding her sac for a long time.

In early December, I discovered that spiderlings have busted forth from the sac. I was extremely surprised because Garden Spiders stay in their sacs for a very long time. But, I have since learned through research that the Green Lynx spiderlings come out of the sacs about four weeks after being laid.

It was difficult trying to get a decent picture because they were active little buggers not to mention microscopic! But, I think I managed to get a few decent shots.

{To see a slightly larger image, go here.}

Wordy Wednesday {3 Chartreuse Buzzards....}

Three chartreuse buzzards.
Sitting in a dead tree.
One flew away, what a shame. How many are left?

Two chartreuse buzzards,
....

~ partial lyrics from an old camp song ~

Actually, these are turkey vultures. I looked out the back window and was shocked to see them sitting on some old fence posts. They looked like little old ladies gossiping.

This was the only picture I managed to snap before they flew away. As a result, it is not the greatest picture I could have taken because I did not take the time to set the camera up properly.

2016 Finish-A-Long Q2 {List}

I utterly failed at accomplishing any of my Q1 Finish-A-Long goals. I almost did not do this because I am embarrassed. But hey! I am only human with many other projects (e.g. the shed and gardening) going on in my life. Also, I got sidetracked with the Gypsy Wife Quilt. One of my biggest weaknesses is that I really enjoy piecing above all the stages of making a quilt.

I am just going to narrow down my list to two things this time around.

The Green Quilt

1. Finish Hand Quilting Dan's Quilt

I have been working on this and just got completely sidetracked. I think I have made good progress and just need to continue working on it here and there in my down times.

top left: extra square-in-square block and an Unpieced Pershing block for Section Two
top right: Section 1 completed
bottom left: saved selvages for documentation and use later
bottom right: strips cut and ready to go per the Quilt-A-Long tips and whatnot.

2. Gypsy Wife Quilt Top

I am not exactly doing the quilt-a-long (QAL). I mean, I am following along and using the tips and whatnot; but, I am doing this at my own pace rather than with keeping up with the others participating in the QAL. I believe they are now putting sections 3 and 4 together whereas I am still cutting fabrics and piecing blocks for section 2. At the pace I am going, I am not sure if I will be finished making the top by the end of this quarter. But hey, I am going to plug away at making the top and enjoy the process.