Another week of wildlife visits, this small flock of turkeys came by for a meal. I’m pretty sure these are four of the flock of seven that were here last week. They certainly came up running up from the lower meadow just like last time when I stepped out to the veranda and began tossing out some seed to the ground.

I do not know where the other three went, but these guys and gals enjoyed a small feast.

Leaving the house one day this week, the deer were crossing the road as I drove slowly down the street. They observed me warily, and moved away fairly quickly. Later that day, they came back to the meadow and grazed on the grass. This picture was taken previously, not that day. The two deer, a male and a female, are so fun to see.

The black bear was back recently too, startling me by coming up on the veranda and peering in the sliding glass door as I was sitting in my den chair. Oh, my! He was on all fours, and his back was as high as the railing! My Sweet Babboo began banging on the inside of the door and he quickly ran off, smashing through the planter garden and crushing some of the squash and tomatoes in his haste to get away. This picture is also a previous shot, but I think it is the same bear. It is surprising that he is still here with the heat. I would think he would have moved up to the higher mountains by now.

On the quilting frame, I loaded my next Quilt of Valor for the local chapter. The pattern is called Standing Strong by Shabby Fabrics. You can find it on Amazon using my affiliate link, just click on Standing Strong Pattern. The wonderful thing about this pattern is 20% of the purchase price goes to the Quilts of Valor foundation.

I put white Glide thread in the top and white Bottom Line in the bobbin. It shows nicely on the blue border.

The pantograph is the one I use most for QOVs, called Blue Star by Urban Elementz.

Working my way down the quilt, the quilting is going well.

I promised the quilt back to the piecer after the fair, but I am going to be able to get it done sooner at this rate. Putting a row in here and there around my other projects is getting it done.

The mail has been fun lately too, with Cradle Quilts beginning to come in. These are from Deanna, who blogs at Wedding Dress Blue. Thank you so much, Deanna!

Then these came in. The two on the top are from Bernie who blogs at Needle and Foot. Ann D sent the one on the lower right, saying she was delighted to find a use for some orphan blocks. The little boy quilt on the lower left was sent in by Joye C. Thank you all for your contributions. See the page Cradle Quilts if you’d like to participate.

In the garden, I noticed a bloom budding on the hydrangea. This is the first one this year. I wonder what color it will be? I put lime on the ground to turn them pink, but I haven’t done that in a while. So it might be blue. Or, in the fall, they often show up a green color. We will see.

The petunias have heavily bloomed on one side while the plants on the backside have died, or just not thrived. This is in spite of turning the pots regularly. It was time to consolidate the four pots down to three to fill them a bit better.

I turned them again so the smaller plants were facing the sun. This has an added benefit of the prettier side being toward the house where I can enjoy them more. Maybe the hummingbird will stay a little longer with more blooms in each pot.

The toad lilies have never looked so good this late in the year. But, they should have buds by now and they don’t. I gave them some fertilizer, hoping that will help. In previous years, I’ve had them in a spot where they got a bit more sun, and the leaves would burn. They are shade lovers, so this year I moved them into almost total shade. They get about an hour of very early morning sun, just as it comes up over the east mountain.

The yellow and white calibrachoa are still happy.

The feeder has been busy lately, there are several chickadees that come by regularly.

We have two pairs of titmouses that live here year round.

The goldfinches were gathered on the ground, apparently vacuuming up the seeds left behind by the turkeys. There were more than I could get in one photo, some behind the veranda rails and others off to the left and right.

Stuffing their beaks, happy birds.

This week is the calm before the September busy season as I work on final prep for the fair. The Apple Festival begins on Friday, and turn in day for the Mountain State Fair competitions is Labor Day. Our next check-in day for Stashbusters is this coming Friday, September 1. I really need some fabric out, so I’ll be sewing this week, too.

Oh, and if you have Netflix, see Begin Again. It is a very entertaining movie about a down on his luck music producer who finds a new talent. One of the scenes in the movie is so imaginative! As the producer is drowning his sorrows in a bar, and hears a singer with a single guitar. As he stands and comes closer to her, he imagines the arrangements in his head with drums and piano, then strings coming in. This is so wonderfully filmed, I’ve gone back to watch just that scene more than once. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Kiera Knightly, James Corden and Adam Levine of Maroon 5. The music in it is wonderful. IMDB rating 7.4. This one I might have to get on DVD or Bluray for the collection, it was that enjoyable.

************************

Final days for the August Specials at Fat Quarter Shop. Shop the Discount Fabric and Notions. This month get 20% off the Basic of the Month Confetti Cottons from Riley Blake, 30% Off the Notions of the Month from The Gypsy Quilter , Patterns of the Month by A Quilting Life Designs, and see the Precuts of the Week. Save on Book of the Month A Quilty Fun from Lori Holt, Cross Stitch Fabric Flair, and don’t forget the daily Flash Sale!

Visit Sulky Threads for the latest sale on thread and stabilizers.