Thinking Spring

It was snowing today, but look what arrived in the mail! Though we operate a garden centre we do not sell seeds. We did for several years, but there was just not enough demand, as they are available in so many stores in town. Our supplier just didn't find it worthwhile to set up the display. So this winter I sent an order to the Ontario Seed Company.

Last summer we had a very small garden, because we were leaving for holidays on August 11, and would be away when most veggies ripened. As a result, this winter we are buying our veggies. We still have some asparagus in the freezer, since that comes early in the summer. But we're completely out of our own corn, peas, beans, broad beans, spinach, kale; all those good things that we usually have lots of. We do have our own potatoes, carrots, and a few apples yet. We actually never run out of potatoes, as they are so easy to grow, and we have a good storage area for them.

I'm so looking forward to having lots of fresh veggies again. We don't bother growing any of the cabbagy things: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, because they'd be overcome by worms. There is a lot of canola grown nearby, so there are tons of cabbage moths. They come by the hundreds to drink from the puddles when we water the garden.

I've spent most of my time since New Year's doing the necessary--for the ensemble concert, for the art display in the library, for the music during church services, not to mention all the mending and catching up I've done. Monday evening I finished transposing the first viola part for the Faure Requiem into treble clef so that we can use violins, being short of viola players. That was a major project because each note, each dynamic mark, etc. had to be individually entered. To enter the indication for a down bow took 9 clicks. But eventually all the movements were finished. And I thought it was time for a reward. And my choice is:

this lovely wall hanging from a kit that I bought last spring when our quilting group went on a shop hop. It's from Country Creations, designed by Lorraine Stangness. I've made other designs of hers, and found the kits to be well laid out. Her instructions are clear.

One of the projects that I did from a kit of hers was my Flower Garden jacket. Another was the Serengeti wall hanging that I made for my friend M., who grew up in Africa.

Lorraine likes bright colours and for this particular kit chose all batiks. I got this far in just a few hours yesterday and this morning. When it's complete I'll show you how it turned out.