Thursday, May 28, 2020

I Like/Love #41

Welcome to another gratitude post. I am linking up at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color, where you will find other bloggers linking up things for which they are grateful. It's a great practice at any time, but more so now when we are living in such an unusual global time.

1. I am grateful for CBC, as you know, for so many reasons. They have really stepped up during this pandemic. The latest new thing is their Hello Spring webpage, where you can find spring bursting out all over Canada: peregrines about to hatch on Edmonton's live cam (a site I've watched many a time, and believe me, showing it to my students in my classroom on the big screen was super-cool), grey whales swimming to Vancouver Island, bumble bees in the Toronto area getting support with a No Mow May, and so much more.

2a. I am grateful for spring flowers. I love flowers, period, but there's something about the bursts of them in spring that make me so very grateful, grateful for my all my senses, but especially for my sight and my smell. This bush on one of the neighbours' houses got both big time. I looked it up in my Picture This app (great little plant identifying app; I've used it in many countries on our travels) says it is a Korean viburnum or a Beauty Bush. They are very similar in appearance, so I am not sure which one it is, but the leaves definitely look more like the viburnum. Beauty bush is very commonly grown around here.



2b. I nearly forgot (because I didn't immediately take a photo) to add in our barberry that struck me with it's deep, unusual colour combination.
Orange-yellow tiny blooms on this chocolate-leaves plant. I was surprised that the leaves are so green underneath! Anyhow when I read Janine's Color Wheel Exploration post, and saw her triadic bear paw, I thought yes! I 'saw' a quilt in these rich colours; I often see quilts in nature that way.

3. I love this opossum, which I showed on Instagram, so I'll provide the link to the video here. What a cute little creature, and so determined to find her way out of our yard. She may have been hunting for her babies, still in her pouch. Opossums are actually Virginia opossums, not to be confused with Australasia's possums, which are also marsupials. Opossums are Canada's only marsupial, and they range in southern Ontario (where we dip way down to 42N latitude), southern Quebec, and the Fraser Valley in BC.

4. I love CBC Gem. The government has made it free since we went into lockdown, and I do hope they continue to have it free. It's like Netflix. I've been enjoying several shows on it. I started 'Kim's Convenience', have watched 'Schitt's Creek' (ahh, SUCH a terrific show, sad it's ended - update: just heard it won SIX awards at last night's Canadian Screen Awards!) when we missed it on regular CBC, started a documentary, 'Bollywood' (LOVE the music!) and planned to start 'Normal People' this evening, but got engrossed in FMQ-ing the kaleidoscope cushion, and time slipped away.

5. I love my home, and I love eating outside. MacGyver and I have always been homebodies, so this isn't anything new, though the fear in going out, as in away from home, is. The stress of getting groceries is taxing. We did order online a couple of times and it was okay, though I only got half of both orders, very disappointing.They say they've made improvements and have more stock, so we may try it again, but I go every two weeks and wear a mask, and hand sanitize before and after the store, and wash with soap and hot water once I get home... but back to my home. MacGyver has been doing some landscaping projects and it's really exciting visualizing where it will be in a couple of years. We haven't gone to a greenhouse for plants, just way too many people, way too close proximity. Maybe in another week or two.

6. I love flowering dogwood and redbud trees. I had a rather auspicious milestone of a birthday in April, and we are celebrating a rather auspicious milestone of an anniversary in August, so I think it is in order to buy one of each this year. I privately call the redbuds in spring fairy trees, as they seem so magical. I've been gawping at these two at a neighbours' for the past two weeks:


7. I absolutely love the #GreatCanadianSingalong that CBC Music did in early May. Here is a link on Instagram to it. Canadians sent in videos of themselves singing "Lost Together" which was the song on a list of ten, I believe, that got the most votes for being the best theme song for us in quarantine. They did a montage of Canadians singing it in their homes along with Blue Rodeo.

8. I love beefsteak tomatoes, fresh from a farmer within walking distance who has a fruit/veggie stand. Hmm, I also love fruit/veggie stands all throughout our county. Honour system, put your money in the lockbox, take your produce. One slice of this juicy red orb fills the entire slice of bread!

9. I showed this on my OMG post, but I just love my almost rainbow of scrapboxes!
Blue/indigo is missing. I also have a pink one ready to quilt, and a cream/whites one started.

10. I love the birdsong that spring brings.

11. I love seeing my quilts and makes in use. You may or may not recall that I sent my Postcard from Sweden quilt that I LOVED and for which I hosted a QAL back in 2018, to Casey, Dayna's SIL, who organized the bachelorette for Dayna and was a great support throughout the wedding. Casey loved that quilt as much as I did, and closely followed the progress, so I sent her this in early 2019 as a thank you and because I knew it was going to a good home. Anyhow, she loves it so much that she decorated her daughter's entire room around the quilt, and recently sent me these two precious photos:
 She told me, "It was my inspiration for her room... I picked the striped duvet specifically for the quilt! I've been itching for her to get in a big girl bed so I could get it out of her closet!"
Now that is one happy little princess.

I also got the best FaceTime call on Monday: Brady in his House of Slytherin mask I made him. He LOVES it. I've asked for a photo of him in it, but the mask needs a wash as it's got Bella dander on it and he's very allergic to cats, so once I get that photo I will update the post. I did get one of Brianne in her GoT mask. It's good to know both daughters are diligent about wearing masks, as are MacGyver and me. He's not got a problem at all with them since he's worn them all the time because of machining. I wish Ontario would make it mandatory to wear them in public places. No, they don't stop the virus, but your chance of getting it goes from 95% to something like 10-12% if both people have masks on. We just do 'speak moistly' (lol, thank you PM Trudeau for that); it's a fact. Here are the masks, along with a couple of others headed for a friend and a niece.

Happy Thankful Thursday!


14 comments:

  1. So many likes in this post. Fun to see the Postcards quilt being used and that fantastic smile on her face! Beefsteak tomatoes - yum!

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  2. That little princess looks thrilled with her room :) It is such a wonderful feeling to see a quilt in use.

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  3. Hi Sandra! I was just out looking at my barberry last night. I didn't notice any flowers or green, new leaves - makes me want to pop back out and examine it more closely when the rain lets up! I also often see quilts in nature - you know the color combinations work well, that's for sure! No plants for us yet from the garden center. As you have mentioned, WAY too many people, no social distancing. At this rate we'll have no tomatoes or annuals this year but that's okay. Those beefsteak tomato photos sure make me change my mind though. YUM. They make my mouth water - my mom and I used to have tomato sandwiches together. Your Postcard quilt in use!!! Love that smiling face and you know it's in good hands and well loved. There's just nothing better whether it's a quilt or a lovely face mask - all made with love. Take care, my friend. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  4. My guess is that the fragrant bush is a Korean viburnum. They are very heavily scented. And that tomato looks delicious, although I'm guessing it must be greenhouse grown at this point. The only plants I've gotten this year were from the boy scouts fund-raiser and they delivered them to my porch. Don't think I'll be hitting the nurseries any time soon. The garden will just have to deal with it. I don't plant veggies because of the deer, so I can survive without filling some of the container planters this year. Can't wait to see the cushion cover quilted.
    Pat

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  5. I agree, the barberry has so many quilting shades right there. Shrubs with perfume are wonderful, and viburnum is a beauty.

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  6. I too like spring flowers. Love the little princess in the bed, with the quilt you made.

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  7. Wonderful post with so many likes/loves. The opossum film was cool. Love the photos of the trees and the flowers. Oh, and my mouth is watering for that tomato! Are they really growing this early in the season? So wonderful to see the sewing projects too. I am forever grateful to you for sponsoring the Postcard from Sweden sew along. I love my quilt. I'm with you about making it mandatory for all to wear a mask. I can't wrap my head around the people with the opposite point of view, the strident protests, the anger and the hate. All I can do is take care of me and pray for everyone else. Have a great weekend.

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  8. Always such a thrill go see a gifted quilt used and loved, and what a happy smiling little girl she is!

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  9. Well, I’m glad to know that Triassic block came from nature because I just wasn’t sure about those colors. We have a Norway maple and it is so strange to see how the leaves change color depending on whether you’re under it or standing far away. I think your plan for celebrating your birthday (Happy Significant Number!) and anniversary (Happy Significant Number!) by planting trees is wonderful. They will forever remind you. So sweet that your quilt is the centerpiece of a princess’s bedroom. What fun! And finally, I’m thinking the group singing on the Internet is definitely a sliver of pure light during this pandemic. All those clear voices together from afar. I don’t know how they do it, but doesn’t it just give you chills?!

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  10. Postcard from Sweden is the perfect inspiration for her big girl room. It will be loved for many years to come! Many many thanks! ��

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  11. You always have great likes, Sandra! I love bird song and flowers, too! Lots of that in our neighborhood right now, too. That looks like a really delicious tomato - how wonderful to have farm stands right there by your house. Those are precious photos of your beautiful quilt being used by a special someone!

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  12. WOW - so much good stuff. Those tomatoes are to die for! I can see why you loved your Postcard from Sweden quilt. lovely! Those scrap boxes are adorable. Beautiful flowers. I love dogwoods.

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  13. Lots of to be thankful fors in your post. Hope you have a beautiful weekend so you can enjoy more outdoor time and hang with more flowers.

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  14. So many great likes. Love the totem fabric on the mask. Red buds are my favorite! Like a introduction to spring usually. This year, I think everything just kind of exploded and bloomed almost simultaneously. Flowers, birdsong, farm stands, all things to be grateful and enjoy. The smile on the little one's face is awesome.

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