Finishing Up May

May has had beautiful weather that makes me want to stay outside with my flowers. I love even the green plants that don't bloom, too--like Maidenhair fern, hostas and herbs. Hydrangeas are looking good, with more on the way. Those little begonias are putting on a show, and the white Diamond Frost just gets fuller every day. A friend brought me blueberries. 

Elizabeth under the Maidenhair Fern

Hostas are blooming

Diamond Frost (Euphorbia)

Zoo news--our giraffes are here! Sue Ellen and her daughter Alberta are settling into their new giraffe barn. We can even see them from Hardy Street (if we're careful) when they are in their yard. What a happy addition to Hattiesburg. They have been on display since the first of May, and the people are flocking in to enjoy them.

Sue Ellen and Alberta

I'm so proud of daughter Linda for her quilting accomplishments. To commemorate her retirement from USM Libraries, she made a "bookcase" wall quilt to hang in her office the last month before she retires on June 30.

Loving this May Weather

 I think going through COVID and being deprived of ordinary social events makes me especially aware of this beautiful May weather and the ever-growing beauty springing (pun intended) up. The hydrangeas are beginning to bloom, turning more blue every day. One of my hostas is huge and overshadows the other ones nearby. 

My Mountain Snow Melt is complete except for the hand-stitching the facing to the back. The technique is Katie Pasquini Masopust's Artful Log Cabin, where the piece is constructed of Log Cabin blocks using a photo reference for choosing color placement. Katie taught a workshop in Hattiesburg in October 2019.

Mountain Snow Melt, 32" x 24"

Detail 

Inspiration photo with superimposed grid lines

It was a treat yesterday to get to hear and be present for a concert by three graduating USM orchestra friends, the Amaná Trio, composed of Rodrigo Quintana (violin), Patricia Vanuci (cello) and Luciana Simóes (piano).

     At our Pine Belt Quilters Zoom meeting this week I gave a talk entitled Making Art During the Pandemic. It was satisfying to look back over the year and realize how much enjoyment I got from my art in spite of sadness and anxiety over the news. Sometimes it seemed that the days flew by in a kind of time warp, but I located pictures of leaf projects, online classes and webinars, fabric postcards, and even breadmaking experiments that reminded me of many days well spent.

     Our OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) group has a Friday afternoon Zoom social, and last week several friends joined me in playing Word Games, my home-grown take-off on Password and 25 Words of Less. We gave clues to each other, trying to get participants to guess the word being portrayed. It was a fun afternoon, and we will do it again on May 28. 

     One of the best things that has happened beginning May 2 is getting to meet in person for worship again at University Baptist Church. Our sanctuary is getting some repairs and a new roof, so we are in Kelley Fellowship Hall. We had met on the front sidewalk and lawn for several months but have moved inside for Sunday morning services and the monthly Celtic service.

May Happenings

 It is very satisfying and rewarding to finish any quilt project, but especially ones that are left after the maker has passed away.  It was an honor when a friend entrusted Linda and me with two treasures she had received this way. One was a set of 40 buttonhole stitched butterfly blocks, and the other a hand pieced top of traditional signature blocks in a variety of fabrics from feedbacks forward. We added sashing and cornerstones to the butterflies and used muslin on the backs of both. 

 My amaryllis is beautiful again this April and May, with eight large blossoms. Hostas are looking good, and the Maidenhair Fern is growing like weeds in the large pot as well as against the garage wall. The flowerbed near the driveway has been planted with begonias, verbena, coleus, and herbs, with geranium and croton in pots. 

Picture taken mid-March

Picture taken May 1

In case you have missed seeing the cats lately, here are all three enjoying a cool afternoon on the front porch with me.

Elizabeth, Rahrah, and Tarbaby (l.-r.)

Elizabeth in Rahrah's box

Tarbaby on his back on my lap 

Rahrah being a nuisance