Bowled Again!

 I wanted to replace my own bowl which was my first practice piece

 because it was made of polyester rope not cotton; 

 it was flimsy in comparison to the 'real' bowls I made my daughters for Christmas.

I enjoyed it even though it took several days of sewing to arrive here! 

 I used 75' to make this bowl.

To add the color, I used a variegated quilting thread for the top

 and white in the bobbin-I like the two toned look it achieves!  

There!  It is on the table and holds its shape much better now! 

 I will be making a yarn bowl size next! 

 I am hoping for a bit of a chance to show my daughter how to make a bowl while she is here!   

 This is what the freezing temperatures do to my front circle garden-

the agave plant survives and so does the jasmine (to the left of the agave) 

but all of the other flowers are knocked back to naught.

Most will come back from the root but it will postpone the early flowers we usually enjoy all winter!

 The knotweed and the turk's cap will be attracting butterflies but a bit later this year, too.

It is a lot more work to cut them all back and then take care of all the dead branches!

 We had more sunshine and outdoor play with the kids but not out in the pool area where we languished in the sunshine on Monday.  

Finally, the men came to replace the shredded screening!!!  The hurricane that ripped all the screening from the frame was back in September!  

 It will be so nice to have the area pest-free and leaf free again!

 One plant that has flourished during this cold spell is the Camellias!  Every bush (we have 7) is loaded with buds and blooms!

 The blooms are so thick and healthy.

We have several varieties and each one is such a welcome burst of color with the dead all around them!  If only they smelled like roses....