Memorial Day

This is my great grandfather Howard Hartsough, a veteran of World War 1. His daughter Mildred was my grandmother. Howard lived in Bucks County Pennsylvania. He served in France as a machine gunner. Howard was a police officer in civilian life and died in 1932 in a motorcycle accident. My great grandmother Katherine`s brother Hary Haws, my great uncle was killed in battle in France.

Howard is but one of many of my ancestors who served. My family participated in the Korean Conflict, World War 2, the Spanish American War, Civil War, the Revolutionary War and French and Indian Wars. I am so proud of them.



 Cathy

Wind,Fire and Flowers

Wildflowers and sage on Pearce Ferry Road near Meadview AZ.

Good Morning!

I`ve been away from the blogs due to a middle ear infection. It is much better now and I am happy to be back. Still very windy but not as bad as yesterday. We will be cooler for a day or two then the hot temperatures will return next Monday. I`m still clearing brush and weeds from the yard. Rain would be a nice change. There was snow melt this spring bringing the lake level up and I hear the fishing is better. There is another fishing tournament  June 2 and 3. I am referring to Lake Mead, created by the building of Hoover Dam in the 1930`s. There is nothing better than living in high country as far as we are concerned, but the desert does take hold of you when you give it a chance. And Lake Mead is beautiful. And HOT.

I`m working on my block for the July 1 Blog Hop noted in the sidebar. Haven`t had much time at the machine. Didn`t want to be sewing fingers to the block when I was in the worst of that ear problem. A note about the picture above. I was crazy to get out of the car to take that photo. Skywalk tourists were flying up and down the road. Those people don`t slow down for a bull that weighs half a ton so a little old lady would be but a speck on the windshield.

Have to get back to the housework and outside jobs. My prayers go to the families affected by the our Arizona fires. I met very nice people from Crown King a long time ago.

Have a great weekend. Be back Monday!

Cathy

The Prickly Poppy

This wildflower is appropriately named. Prickly Poppy / Argemone Corymbosa. They grow by the roadside at an elevation of about 3500 feet. The petals are a beautiful white with thorns and look like crepe. The thorny stems are 16 inches to 32 inches tall. Native Americans made salve from the leaves for burns, open wounds and head lice. My information is from Mojave Desert. I took the pictures below on a roadside near us.

Prickly Poppy

 

Prickly Poppy

The brush and grasses are so dry now they are brittle. This is going to be a busy fire season. We had a nice showing of the desert marigold in our yard. With the weather changes in this area there is an abundance of grass crowding out some of the wildflowers. The Joshua trees are doing great. They are filled with cactus wren nests. The cactus wren is our state bird. The doves prefer our out buildings. A Gila Monster was spotted nearby. Some fool picked it up and was showing it around. They are extremely poisonous. And I believe they are protected. When they bite they don`t let go, chewing to release the poison in their aggressor. The Gila Monster is not aggressive. Not the ones I`ve encountered anyway.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you have splendid weekend!
Cathy

Mohave Desert Wildflowers

Hello Everyone. Today I spent the afternoon with my husband while he worked on  the claim and I took pictures of this years spring wildflowers. The high desert is beautiful this time of year. Temperature was about 80 making it a beautiful day.

Bigalow Coreopsis

Hedgehog Cactus

Beavertail / Opuntia

Joshua Trees and Sage

I`ll  have a few more pictures in my next post. I try not to post too much about the flowers. They are here for a short time and add a lot beauty to our area despite the arid environment..

Have a great week!
Cathy

A Thrifted Quilt

Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting!

My topic today is a thrifted quilt. The first place I go in a thrift store is the quilt and blanket racks. I almost always find a nice little homemade, used quilt. I hang them for display but most often toss them across a table or a chair. These little quilts are my favorite chair cover. The one in the picture below is 40 inches wide and 60 inches long. Easy to wash 100 percent cotton. It is not a "perfect" quilt. Not every stitch is precise and there is one small stain. What matters to me is the heart that designed and sewed this cutie. No matter. I shop this way for aprons too. Homemade with a history.

Thrifted Quilt 3/2012

The last picture is our home and the wildflowers growing against the rock wall that lines our driveway. My son built the wall when he was a teenager. There`s at least 1,000 rocks in that project. The bright green bush is Creosote, the yellow flowers are desert marigolds. Not much of a variety of flowers this year. Our hard to see house is surrounded by Joshua trees. They make nice shade. I`d like to add a room but that would mean cutting a tree or two. Not going to do it.

Home Sweet Home. Creosote Bush and Desert Marigolds.

Rain and wind today. I am happy with the cooler temperatures. I hope the snow is finished on the east coast so you folks can warm up. Take care.
Cathy

Easy Sewing Machine Cover

Hello Everyone! Normal desert weather is here and I hope it is here to stay. Mornings are spent outside digging weeds, clearing space around the house so I don`t stumble on a rattlesnake. No, they don`t always rattle as a warning. Most of the Green Mohave we encounter are aggressive and they don`t buzz. The venom is a neurotoxin, similiar to that of a cobra. That is why we are very careful. The nights are still cold making the critters move slower in the morning till they can warm themselves in the sun. We don`t have a dog door anymore. Snakes figure them out real quick!

I needed two sewing machine covers and decided this would be a great way to use some of my scrap fabric stash. This is an easy pattern, quick to sew. I picked out three different cotton fabrics for the outside and the lining. I used ribbon seam binding for the ties. The pattern link is here This pattern is from a great blog called Sparkle Power. Lots of tutorials and other fun information!  The machine is a late-fifties Singer Spartan made in Canada. It`s a 3/4 size. My husband made the wood base. Spartan`s don`t come with a case and the plastic base or box this beauty sat on is cracked so hubby made me a new one. If you see a Spartan with a case, it is after market. The best straight stitch machine I ever had!

My Singer 99 desperately needing a cover. I live on a dirt road. Dust is Everywhere! I love old Singer`s!

The finished product! The colors are a little off . No more dust!

That`s it for today. The sun is up, husband and dogs need to be fed and wash hung on the line. Thank you for visiting. I appreciate it!
Cathy

Flowers and Dust

It`s very warm with high winds which means high fire danger due to low humidity. The usual spring weather.  Glad I closed the windows at home before we left to go shopping. Notice the dust. If you can`t handle dust this is not the place for you.

dust stirred by  wind on the dry lake bed

 I walked around my yard and took pictures of new flowers getting their start. The yellow desert marigold is native, hardy, used to the harsh conditions. They are perennials, my no work instant garden flowers.  My rosemary is beautiful with blue flowers. Smells so good. The lilacs are this years blooms. Their beauty and fragrance make the frequent watering worthwhile.

Desert Marigold

My 20 Year Old  Rosemary

Lilacs

Behind the lilac is some of  the husband`s gold prospecting equipment. It`s  what we call a recirculator. Water is pumped through the sluice box, recycled through the machine, washing out the lighter gravels and leaving the gold behind. The neighbor thinks we are nuts playing in muddy water and we are happy to keep them amused. We use metal detectors too. Some days you make a little money. Other days you just get exercise and that`s why they call it prospecting. Thanks for visiting. Till later,
Cathy

About Tomatoes, Gardening and Desert Life.

Hi again everyone and welcome. I think Spring is here to stay. The days and nights are warmer. No need for electric heaters or the propane stove that heats the first level of our home. Money used for fuel is now spent on garden supplies, herbs and vegetables. My neighbor who blesses us with free eggs gave me three tomato plants. I repotted them and they are doing great. It`s been very windy and trying to keep them in the sun yet staying out of the wind is a challenge. I have a south facing porch that catches morning and early afternoon sun, very helpful. The thin tall plant is Bite Size Sweetie. The other two are Patio`s. Both do well in pots.

Tomatoes 2012. Sweeties and Patio`s.

It`s been a hectic couple of weeks. Last weekend we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. It was great fun! I had jury duty a week ago. It was a 92 mile one way drive. Glad I didn`t have to drive everyday for the two week trial. The judge was great. This week my elderly dogs have been ill and they are now feeling better after much nursing. Hand feeding and hydrating with a homemade electrolyte solution. No dyes or chemical additives. They are Golden Labs almost 15 years old. I haven`t had much time for making crazy quilt blocks. I should have a picture by Saturday.

Lots of yard work to do. So many weeds after our wet winter. Wildflowers are starting to bloom too. Doves are again nesting in one of our sheds. They are Collared Doves and their nests are constructed of  poop and thin weed stalks. A real mess. One on a nest so far. We`ll leave them alone. Yesterday we saw a Golden Eagle on our way to town. He was feasting on road kill with the vultures. Eagles are not unusual here.

I have to add something here, addressing those of you who plan to visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk. It`s in my area. There have been several traffic deaths on Diamond Bar Road , the road to the Skywalk.  The latest on Tuesday this week. Irish tourists.  Most accidents are driver error. Some of the tour buses are not safe. The last one catching fire about two weeks ago. Grand Canyon South Rim is in northern Arizona, much prettier, more to see and a lot cheaper. It is run by the National Park Service. I have nothing to gain by posting this except maybe some of you will stay safe. This is high tourist time now.  Check out the Skywalk reviews before you make your trip. The Indians do their best to keep things safe, but they can`t control how people drive. Think about it.

 Cathy

First Crazy Quilt Block

Thanks to the enthusiasm and encouragement of my friend Judy at Apron Strings I completed my first crazy quilt block. It is made with cotton scraps, DMC floss and a crochet flower passed along to me some time ago. The backing is muslin. The next block will be smoother, the stitches better looking and I`ll do some machine embroidery. I learned a lot. This was very relaxing. I have more crazy quilting links in my left sidebar. So thank you Judy! Visit Judy`s blog so you can see her beautiful embellished quilt squares.

Everything is blooming here including my lilacs and rosemary. Pictures on the next post. I have many things going on. Taking on too much at one time and getting nothing accomplished. HA!

Take care and God Bless.
Cathy

Embroidered Pillowcase Giveaway and Morning Snow

To begin today`s post I want to tell you about a Pillowcase Giveaway my friend Marilyn is having on her blog Our Victorian Cottage. Marilyn expertly embroiders pillowcases and finishes them with lovely crochet embroidery. This is a fabulous giveaway. Please visit her blog and take a look. You won`t be disappointed.

We had a late night/early morning snow. It was beautiful, damp and bitterly cold. The sun melted most of the snow by late afternoon. There is a promise of warmer weather tomorrow. Total accumulation was about 1 1/2 inches.

Thank you for visiting. Homemade chile for supper tonight with fresh warm bread. Have a nice week!
Cathy