Timber !!!

Here are some pics from my last posting.  The small trees along the back fence line are about 6 feet tall - so extrapolate that to the spruce and you can see what a loss this huge tree was!

In this next picture you can see the tree on the right which is a Norway Spruce on the back fence line and the CO Blue to the left of the one removed are both trimmed and thinning - in the two weeks since this picture was taken they are even more dead from the ground up.  We will be doing sterile trimming on the CO Blue to try to save it - but the Norway will come down in the next few weeks also.  If we don't contain this it can spread airborne to our other evergreens.  So far all of our front trees are unaffected.

Lots of work ahead for us!

Doing Better!

So - Only a few days since my last post - over a weekend - and while I wish I had a picture to share I left my phone at home today - so pictures will wait until my next posting. 

The big weekend news is that our 60 year old Colorado Blue SPruce which towered over the neighborhood from our back yard is now gone.   It had lost almost all of it's needles since last fall and we are worried it may be a fungus that could spread to our other spruces - but after taking a piece of stem with dead and live needles to the nursery it may be drought related.    I am going to try to get an arborist out to give me guidance this week but hope we can save our other trees. 

So here is something I learned - when trimming branches from trees you should alwyas wipe the saw blade with alcohol between each branch - so if lower branches are sick you don't spread it!  AND especially if you trim from tree to tree!!  Good to know eh?

The tree came down in about 15 minutes - then an hour and a half later, the stump was gone, the trunk wood had been picked up by some neighbors, the branches were at the curb - other than a blank circle in the back yard you would never know there had been a giant tree there!  So sad.  Loved our tree guy - great prices great service - if you are in upper IL, lower WI call Kotierra Tree Service out of Winthrop Harbor. 

So with that done, we spent the rest of the weekend working on smaller gardening projects - planting containers in the front, putting in a new rose bush, general grooming.  The hostas are just peeking through the soil. the magnolia tree is shedding her beautiful flower petals and in a couple of weeks the pool will be open and on it's way to warming!  That's the first sign of our hope for a nice hot summer! 

Today is my nephew Freddie's 24th Birthday!!  Happy Birthday Freddie!!! Where did the years go?   

OMG!!! Two Years!

Can't believe it's been that long!  Well - yeah I can.... no excuses - life has been busy, between work, home and family it's a wonder I even recall my name some days!   But I am back!

Strangely enough, I probably stopped blogging much around the same time I stopped spending so much time in the quilting studio.  Most days I dream of stealing some time in there.  No longer do I get up and stay in jammies all day on Saturday or Sunday and just sew to my hearts content!  More often I am busy with something else - some house project or shopping, or cooking, or gardening and in the evenings I am just worn out! 

I did a lot of travel for work in the last 18 months - I went to Argentina, Peru, Mexico City, UK, Paris, Philadelphia a couple of times, Florida, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Quebec City, Lexington, KY and Boston, then we added a 3 week road trip at year end that took us from Illinois to North Carolina, down the East Coast to Port St Lucie, FL. down and over to Naples, then back up.  We were changing locations about every three days and drove almost 4,000 miles in 21 days.  We also shuttled 2 kids to 4 different airports on 4 different days!  I needed to come back to work to rest!!

I do love to travel and I enjoy meeting new people.  So it's not a hardship for me other than the rest of my work doesn't go away when I travel and I do know Mark did not marry me thinking I would be travelling so much!    This past year was a bit more extreme than usual (but it was fun!!)

Here's some great pictures I took in Paris - at least they were great for me!  I did find a little quilt shop in Saint Germain - Le Rouvray - and indulged in some wonderful fabric in fact I just picked up some coordinating fabrics last week at my new haunt in Elmhurst so maybe I'll get back in the studio some day soon.   Still researching designs.  Be back soon!  Toby

Baby no more...

My 'baby' turned 24 on the 24th. We spent the day together up until he went to work (with birthday cake) then the next morning he jumped on a train to go catch the Megabus to go to Omaha, Nebraska to see his GF. If you have not heard about Megabus - do check it out for travel in the east or midwest US. Super Cheap - with free wifi and electrical connections on double decker buses. I'll share Stephen's review when he gets home but hope it turns out to be a good way for weekend getaways when we don't want to drive!

Stephen will be back Thursday morning, I can't wait. Everytime he does something new (like traveling by bus away from me) I find I revert to worrying mother mode. Does that ever end?

Vacation is over - but more excitement coming!

Vacation was great!! Didn't realize how old my last post was until I signed in this morning. Wish I had some pictures to share - but we were so busy having fun we didn't really snap many pics!

Day one in SFO Mark and I walked from Market Street and Third all the way down to and around the waterfront. Straight through Chinatown, stopped at a little local pub and watched everyone queeing to get into the Sunday performance of Beach Blanket Babylon. Don't know why but on Sunday you have to be over 18 to get in - is it a differnt show than the other nights? hmmm...... no theater for us on this trip -

Lots of water though! We did the catamaran trip up the bay and under the Golden Gate bridge, took the passenger ferry from Oakland to SFO on Day 2 and then did the Emerald Bay paddlewheel boat in South Lake Tahoe and finished up with white water rafting on the middle fork of the American river. It was an awesome day shared with good friends.

The black mustang convertible was perfect - the top was down every day and the weather could not have been netter - we drove over 1200 miles.

Now - above is my review - my husband's varies. He enjoyed the trip also - but would have been happier with less 'driving and scenery' and more water. We did some long drives on dangerous mountain roads (curves at 10 mph) where we didn't see another vehicle for hours in either direction and while I felt in control after a while it did get very tedious and I was so glad when it was over! One road knocked us off schedule we did not get to overnight in Lake Tahoe but stayed about 45 minutes south of the lake and drove in the next day.

While on the paddlewheel boat (I highly recommend to anyone who visits Lake Tahoe) a local was talkign about other points of interest around the lake. Including the old CalNeva resort which at one time Frank sinatra was part owner in and the rat pack used to hang out there. It si on the north end of the lake, just where the road from Truckee comes in. We drove the long way around the lake to find it! It was kinda sad. Obviously the growth has really been at the south end of the lake. The north end is older and more residential than tourist - it's more snow-skiing than water sports. But it was interesting to see. there was some neat architectural elements and decoration that I wish someone whould come in and restore the place but I don't know what would draw the people back in this economy. Outside the showroom, there was a 'walk of fame' with pictures of Frank and other performes who appeared at the CalNeva, it was funny I had seen most of them and my husband didn't know some of them.

Since getting home I have been trying to find more time to relax and doing pretty well at that. Still wishing I had three day weekends....

On the quilting front - I have finished piecing the top for the Crayola challenge. Needed fushia thread for quilting and could not get in 100% cotton, so going to try a blend and see if I have breakage problems or not. I still have to get going on the Scraps to Treasures challenge which is due in 2 weeks!! I have the cutting done - but assembly is pending. If I fall behind I think it's okay - because this is a charity quilt that we decide who to donate to. I am thinking mine will go to NC to be donated to the children's home down there.

This weekend I made the '10 minute table runner' that I bought in a kit from my LQS. No Quilting, no batting and it was faster than 10 minutes. I love it and plan to make many more for gifts for friends and family. Seasonal changes - look out and easy to enlarge to be mantle length too! I'll post a picture next time!

Struggling with holiday gift for co-workers - may have to go get some ideas - and see if I can get started on them soon!

Oh - the excitement to come - so after we go back from SFO I squezzed in a 2 day trip to Florida for work. Had a great time with a co-worker staying ina small town just north of Sebastian. Old style Florida right on A1A. Long walk on the beach, beautiful sunsets and good work too! Then came back to find that I am going to be heading down to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lima, Peru. Also for work - just 9 days and three of those will be travel days but going with a great team of co-workers and I am really looking forward to it in the middle of October.

Pre-Vacation Update

Where has the summer gone?

I can hardly believe it's the end of August already. We had so much rain this summer it was a LONG growing season for the grass, but really limited the time we had to just 'enjoy' the weather. It was also record-setting hot in Chicago this year so if it wasn't too wet outside - it was too hot to be out there!

I have planted 3 more Norway Spruce trees at the house and have one more spruce and one more Colorado Blue baby to plant. Hope to get those in the ground before this weekend is over. I have to - because I can't rely on them getting watered while I am on vacation.

Yes, Vacation!! Finally!!! Mark and I booked this trip over a year ago and have been anxiously awaiting the date - August 27 - to leave Chicago and jet to a coast and just relax and be tourists! I'll share more info and hopefully pictures when we get back on Labor day weekend.

Thomas was in for two weeks - wish it had been more. he's a great young man and I am so proud he's mine. He is back at school now and this weekend I also plan to get a box out to him with a few surprises for his new dorm room. Luckily he does not read my blog (does anyone?) so he won't see this!

Stephen is working, his new job is going great he is now on the night shift from 4 to midnight and that suits him better than days. We are both so nocturnal, it's great he can do this and it fits his sleep patterns better. Of course it means I hardly see him, especially with Kim still in town, but she heads back to school on Saturday morning, so hopefully I'll get in a dinner once a week with my son after then.

Quilting - not a lot of activity. I have the RMHC crayola challenge quilt due Oct 31 and the Scraps to Treasure due Oct 7 so I better get cracking. I did get a pattern designed for the RMHC quilt and a nice start on the cutting and stitching - of course that's the one that's due later!! LOL..... When fall kicks in I'll spend more time down there!

I have been crocheting a lot. It allows me to watch TV and still get something accomplished - so I have been working on holiday gifts and a gift for delivery on vacation. No more on that until it's done and delivred, since that person might read my blog.... she is a lurker I think.


That's it for today - Take care - !! Toby

No picture this week

I looked at my last post - 2 weeks ago - picture below... and I can see the changes in my new little garden patch easily. The rose bushes have filled in so I guess they are happy. We've had several windy rain storms so they have shed their petals but lots of new creamy blooms are on them now. Last weekend I covered the area with landscape fabric and spread 4 bags of mulch over top - I also planted 6 heather plants at the front edge nearest the yard and put the ledgestone blocks in front of them. The hose has been compromise keeping the pool filled - so they have been left on their own. Today in Chicagoland we are expecting record breaking heat, so I think when I get home I better disconnect the hose and give this bed and my container pots on the front steps a good soaking. I am considering getting a drip hose and putting it under the mulch all across the front of the house when it is finally done - that would be good for all of the new plantings - maybe next year.

I have been helping a co-worker friend with identifying plants and trees for his 'new to him' house so it has been fun and he has also gotten enthused about these knock out rose bushes. He got some pink and says he also found a double deep red - I may have to go today and look at those! Deep red would be lovely with my cream...

So this weekend is the fourth of July long weekend I am looking forward to some relaxation, how about you? Tonight I hope to hang my big flag on the front of my house. I used to have it up most of the year, but once it comes down it's hard to get back up - so this would be the first time this year. I like it, so I will try my best to get it done.

I am scheduled to pick up my car today from the repair shop. It was discovered after they opened her up that another part in the radiator got cracked and that part alone was another $1531 !!! Amazing what what little knock in the driveway can do! This week I have been driving a bright blue Ford Focus - it's okay - a speedy little car - I can sneak it up to 80 on the highway and not feel any shake or strain. Don't think I'd want one full time, it's not as spacious or luxurious as I like, but it's fine for free!!

Hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend - or just a regular weekend if you are not in the US of A.