Spring is arriving when the ajugas bloom, although this week has been a full-on Blackberry Winter with lows near freezing, and that will continue into next week. It may damage the plants that have already begun to bloom, like the azaleas, but these ajugas can take it. We have lots of clumps all over the lawn out front and the back yard. Most are purple like these.
Here and there are white ones.
The dogwood is blooming, this year a pretty white. Some years the blooms tend to a greenish color.
They are just lovely, looking like springtime at the edge of the meadow.
The azaleas are coming along, and I hope the freezing temps don’t cause too much damage to the blooms. The white ones tend to turn brown when they get too cold.
There is only one lone tulip blooming in that bed this year. Pretty pink, it is dew covered one early morning when rain was on the way.
On the same rainy day, a cardinal stopped by. I was hoping to get one of the goldfinches in the redbud tree, but they did not cooperate.
His lady was nearby. This photo would have been spectacular if the clouds hadn’t cut the light down and made the sky grey. Can you imagine her against a cerulean blue sky? Ah well, maybe I can try again when the clouds clear away.
The chickadee seems to be busy, and I hope she is brooding eggs by now.
Last night I drew the winner of the Milk Street Backroads cookbook using a random number generator. Congratulations to Kathleen McCormick! The cookbook publishes on Tuesday, April 15. Click on Milk Street Backroads Italy: Finding Italy’s Forgotten Recipes to get your copy at Amazon at pre-order pricing. On the Milk Street website, today is the last chance for the Spring Cleaning Sale. Use Code SPRINGTIME For 30% OFF!
I had time to make a couple of birthday cards this week. I’ve got to go through all this stuff for a stamping sale. With our downsizing plan, I need to reduce this stash to half of what it is now. I’m not going to stop stamping, but I will sell the things I just don’t ever use, or would not miss.
In the sewing room, I took a day off of cleaning, sorting, decluttering, pulling things for donation, listing things for sale, and setting aside other bits to give to friends. I needed a bit of time to put thread in fabric. I made progress on the Kaleidoscope block project, and I am really happy with the result. I’ll show you that this coming week.
I also made a decision on the lap size Tango quilt I want to make. Trying to make it scrappy has just diluted the two prints I want to highlight. So, I think I will just use the two prints with a white background. I’ll be experimenting more with this soon.
We’ll have another Virtual Retreat on April 24, starting at 9:30 am Eastern Time to about 3:00 pm. It’s a fun way to spend a day! You will be sewing in your own sewing space, yet have all the benefits of show and tell, advice on projects, and general chat time with friends old and new, from all over the country. You can work on whatever you like – sew, stamp, knit, crochet, embroider, organize your sewing room, press fabric and do laundry, or just come to chat. Also, you do not need to commit to the whole day, come and go as you can. Come for a little while, or all day, pop in and out as your schedule allows! Click HERE to register. Just $5.
This week, I’ll have some sewing time, and plan to do more of the decluttering that I’ve started. Guild meeting on Thursday will bring much needed time with friends, and a big donation to the freebie table to help my Stashbusting totals. I’m going to make another recipe from the Backroads Italy cookbook, maybe something with a thick, rich tomato sauce. The Ragu Bolognese sauce on page 241 looks particularly delicious layered with lasagna noodles.
What are your plans for the week? Any Italian meals on your menu? Can you come sew with us?
From My Carolina Home 
I covered my peonies two nights this past week, but didnt even realize we had a freeze warning last night! And I didnt cover! 🙈 I was nicely surprised to see some daylight this morning at 6:30am – mostly because it’s been so dark and gloomy this past week with weather alone, I hadn’t noticed the actual lengthening of the days.
I love your kaleidoscope work!
Have a great start to the new week.
It looks like a fun week ahead. I’ve never heard of ajugas — they’re really lovely and sound resilient! That Tango block is going to be a lovely lap quilt, too. Have a wonderful week!
The ajuga’s are beautiful! Spring flowers delight the soul!
Pesto is on the menu today. It’s versatile and we can put the pesto in soup, on pasta or veggies to bring up the flavor profile.
I’ll be devoting the next few weeks to our quilt show. My daughter’s longarm business that I help with has been bustling. I’ll continue with publicity and other tasks for the show too. I’ve earmarked the date for the virtual retreat in case I free up and there is still room.
Seize the day!
Jo Anne
Lady cardinals are so pretty, I love their buffy colors highlighted with crimson. I’m watching one right now. We had heavy fog the past two mornings. Often when that lifts there’s a beautiful sunny day in store. Not so this week – it was so overcast I started looking for a sunny place to go on vacation & I do not like to travel. Fortunately the sun is visiting today and I’m feeling motivated & all ready to pin a twin size comfort quilt.
I always enjoy your Sunday posts that show what’s happening down your way. You have blooms a week or two before we do up here in Madison county. My Dad’s family has lived in the Arden area for many generations. He always spoke of the cold spell in April as “dogwood winter” for the blooming dogwoods, and then, “blackberry winter” in May when the blackberries are flowering.
I may need to make a kaleidoscope block for my next sampler quilt. It’s a winner.
You’ve got lots of pretty blooming things there, Carole! It’s finally happening here in Colorado, too – greening up and the blooming trees are so pretty. I even have tulips this year! I can certainly understand you needing some sewing time after all the other work. Both of those blocks are so pretty!
You fit more in one week than I do in a year!!!!!!! I enjoy the bird pictures so much. Our neighborhood had a blight several years ago and our new sapping are not big enough to be used by the birds. Although I have an Eagle that perches on the tennis court fence facing the open field – so there must be something on the menu out there. Your photos are so amazing I can almost hear them! Thanks!
I love the Ajugas, Carole! Hopefully your azaleas will not be nipped with your cold weather. Cardinals
and Blue Jays have been in abundance. Wishing you a wonderful week!
Sometimes the garden surprises you with how well it copes with extremes.
Love the way that Kaleidoscope block is looking.
I never knew those purple flowers had a name. I just called them purple weeds. I have those everywhere when it gets warmer here. I think we are still a few weeks away for those. My daffodils are my only bloomers right now.
I’ve been watching the bluebirds trying to decide which house to build in this year. I have a couple of house wrens building in an old Boston fern planter on my deck. I leave one out each year so they build there instead of on my light fixtures. Our son has birds determined to build their nest on the tires of his car. Of all places!!!
Busy Easter Week coming up. We celebrate our son‘s birthday on Saturday when they drive the two hours to get to our place. We will have our Easter dinner on Sat, and send our son and d-I-l home with plenty of leftovers for Easter Sunday. I have a ham on order at the butcher shop and a cake and rolls to pick up. Potato salad to make and eggs to color.
Even though we’re all grownups, I still hide their Easter baskets and my husbands too. I get a good laugh watching them rummaging through the house trying to find them.
I Hope everyone has a Happy, Blessed Easter and I’ll be at the virtual retreat on the 24th! Can’t wait!!