OOYCZ block

Well I'm almost done with my OOYCZ (Out of Your Comfort Zone Challenge) and it has been a struggle... Every so often I would freeze up and have to put it aside. But I DO like it and will be glad to share it on July 10th after the challenge is officially over. I'm thinking that it is good for me to do things "out of the box" every so often. I might even enter it in the fair this year...

Marya's spider block....

This block arrived today from Lindy in Australia. I'm last to work on it before it goes home. I don't think I've ever been last on a block where everyone has worked so well as a team.. Besides spiders and webs (of course) everyone integrated lace and buttons into their work and the whole piece is beautifully balance... There must be 1/2 lb. of button on its and some of them are exquisite.

I have the blank center to finish off and will have to look at it a few days before I start....and start looking through my buttons.... I'm thinking maybe a branch and a nest......maybe.....

Golf bag cart recycled

Next to hospital bedside tables, my favorite finds at thrift stores are old golf bag carts....especially the ones with bigger wheels like this one that I modified to carry my tools. When I go out to work away from the house or barn I always need, among other things, a cordless drill, hammer, levels, pliers, wire cutters, fencing tools, fence clips, fence staples, screws, nails, etc. etc. Plus I always have all kinds of bungi cords as they are my extra hands for holding things when working by myself. So I keep my little cart loaded and ready to go. I have two more.... one modified to hold garden tools and another to tote a pump sprayer around the garden... I just need to attach a cup holder to it now...

Damn Ram Fence

Well it's done..It was a huge job and the weather was near 90 degree every day....There is another wood fence behind the one you see that keeps the rams from the milking area and there an identical feeding area out of sight to the left for the ewes... What isn't wood is double wired.... You can see in the foreground what the rams did to regular fencing... They are really quite good guys until the ewes come into heat.

The blue piece of equipment on the right is a tilt table. A sheep walks in and I pull a lever to secure it and then I can tip the whole thing, sheep and all, to the side and I can sit on that stool and trim hooves. A very clever invention... But my hands were so sore from pounding and power tools that I could hardly stitch for several days....

My Crazy Quilt Garden Plan

My inspiration garden was this one I saw in Australia years ago. My own garden is tiny as gardens go... It is only 14' square... It has an 8' wire deer fence and a 2' wooden rabbit fence surrounding it and has netting over it to keep out the quail... but I perservere...Because it is so small I plant selectively and fill it almost solid. The stepping stones allow me to water and harvest...

I experiment each year but have settled on a general plan so it is pretty AND workable... I have also been ordering seeds for miniature vegetables which has been fun... Didn't have a garden last year because of knee surgery and only limited one this year because of problems lingering from the broken leg... But it is planted and I love it being pretty as well as the fresh veggies. If you're interested this is pretty much my general plan... It took a year or two to figure out what worked best in the design. With all the bits and bobs and roses and containers it reminds me very much of a crazy quilt block...