It is March

 

The last part of February I awoke in the wee morning hours  to the sound of pelting sleet against the window and bright flashes of lightning.  I have heard it said that when it sleets along with lightning in February, to be ready for snow in April........we shall see if this happens. Do you believe in "old wives tales"  or "folklore" ?

On that very frigid day, a covey of quail came running across the yard to eat the feed I had placed in the tray.  Such small birds, but on this day they were all puffed out and looked like a group of gray dust bunnies that had been blown out of someone's house and left to blow across the yard. They were such a whimsical sight.  

March did not arrive like the proverbial roaring lion , but in warm, gentle, breezy days.  I have been opening the doors and windows in the early morning to let in the fresh air.  I have also been placing the house plants on the porch for the day to soak up some early morning sun, and then move them back indoors as the nights are still very chilly.  The greenhouse door is also opened on such warm days to let the moist hot air out and fresh air in.  Such lovely springlike days, however, as soon as I trust the heat and think spring is just around the corner, it turns misty and cold, as it is here today.  

Thank you all for your words of comfort in the loss of our Sophie..........can it already be a month since she has been gone??  I still catch myself, looking over to where she used to like to sleep and I look back when I walk in the woods to make sure she is following me.  I miss her so.

We had run into town the other day on errands and no matter what day we choose to buy groceries, there is always an old acquaintance who happens to be shopping at the same time.  We park our carts side by side, in the middle of the aisle to catch up.......blocking the way(without meaning to) of the other shoppers who are not so chatty and in a rush to get their shopping done.  And sometimes, it is not only someone I know, but a total stranger that I can stop for a few moments and chat with.  Such as was this day when there was a young woman who was looking at the planting containers in the same aisle I was in.  We started talking about planting containers, soil, the harsh Texas environment.......and before we knew it, 30 minutes had passed.  We never exchanged names, but enjoyed chatting and then went our own separate way.  Do you enjoy catching up with acquaintances in the grocery store.........or do you get agitated at people who block the aisles in mindless chatter?  

I have piddled out in my garden spaces and everything is ready to either spout up on their own or is waiting for me to toss in some seeds.  I just read a wonderful post about a herbarium in western Carolina.  It was so interesting to read about the large collections of plants they have.  Do you have a herbarium near you?  I have long gathered different plants.........mostly flowers and attractive leaves and have pressed them in between pages of an old newspaper..........

This one was pressed in 2014. 

However, I have not been good at recording the scientific specimen name and such.......but it gave me inspiration to start gathering the many different leaves and plants that grow here, so wild and natural, and to keep a book with the information on them.  It is a good time to begin this kind of project as the grounds have not yet awoken from their winter sleep.  If you are interested in reading this wonderful post........here is the link.  A DAY AT THE HERBARIUM

My hands have been busy when the days are chilly and I finally finished the "Red Garden Sampler" that I had posted about in an earlier post on my embroidery blog.  I used different designs from a book by a French needlework designer , Marjorie Massey, combined with some of my favorite quotes and created my own sampler.  I wanted the butterfly to look as if it was leaving the border of the cross stitch as the quote states and thankfully, my count was not off and the border still worked well with the "butterfly interruption.  The quotes have tiny initials under them......for the person who authored the quote.  The butterfly quote is by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  The garden quote is by Francis Hogdson Burnett.  

One thing I would like to point out.  On the cross stitched lady, my book had an error.  When I had first finished the cross stitched lady, something did not look right on her,

I went back and forth with the stitched piece and the book........and then realized, the book did not finish the pattern for the flowers in her basket.  As you can see from the photo.  

I had to actually use a magnifying glass on the photo of the stitched piece in the book to complete it the right way.  Not sure if every book has this error.  So now it is finished and I need to find a frame for it.

I hope this finds you having lovely weather, whether it is filled with sun and birds singing, or a blanket of white with gentle snowflakes falling.