Twice as Nice

My view each morning for breakfast;  

I enjoy watching the hummingbirds 

and all of the visitors to the bird feeder out farther in the yard.

It's not unusual to see the sandhill cranes cleaning up the seed from the song birds but what a surprise to see this family of four!  (our usual parents have only one baby!)  Sure enough, they were in the back yard while these guys ate in the front.  

So entertaining!

I not only sewed the first dress of silky fabric.....

I made a second from the fabric my daughter brought me last month!  Things went very smoothly but I used bias fabric strips to bind the neckline and the armholes instead of facings.  

I sewed it to the front, folded it to the back and stitched in the ditch to secure and then trimmed the fabric close to this seam.  It is neat and lightweight for this kind of fabric.  

After doing the sewing, I did a bit of outdoor work (no humidity today!)  and put up both bird houses in the front garden! 

 The other one is on the opposite side but I couldn't get a pic because it was straight into the sun!

I did put up the one board in my sewing room.  

No more Friskies in the crack below the wall! lol

 

A Milestone

Today is our 45th anniversary!  What a journey together.

I worked yesterday using up the last pieces of baseboard to finish the bathroom;

it is just such a beautiful touch to each room!  Don't take it for granted--I've never lived in a house with completed baseboards!  No joke.

I celebrated with some work on the lathe.  I have to get creative with my finger still not able to take any pressure but find a way I did!

This is more of the grapefruit tree wood.  I will be turning the bowl around and finishing the bottom today.

I also made another bluebird house--I'm getting much quicker at these now, too, even with my handicap!  I'm going to have to start selling them if Bill doesn't get them posted out back soon!!!!

Maybe we will do that AFTER we go out to eat to celebrate first!

 

BlueBird House #2

And then there were TWO! 

 I made the lighter one from the pallet wood 

I stacked a few weeks ago. 

 I also made the back shorter to try out different designs.

As usual, the second bluebird house went together 

much more quickly and easily! 

 Very enjoyable!

As long as I was in the area, I finished the bowl on the lathe,

 a grapefruit bowl again.

This bowl doesn't have the orange coloring in this section of wood but it does include spalting 

and a good grain pattern. 

 I also kept the irregularities in two spots on the rim.  

The bowl is 5.5" wide and 2.5" tall.

I worked for house to catch up on the Dakota Inspired QAL; 

 I had to make 8 more red blocks which I did 

and then sewed them into diagonal rows according to instructions--with only a two more to do--no, I didn't miss a row-

it is stacked and ready to tackle first thing in the morning 

so I will be able to then prepare for clue #8!

For the Birds!

Since I was in town yesterday for the eye appt and lab work,

 I stopped in to Home Dept and purchased a single picket to see if I liked making a bluebird house. 

I did like it-even more than I had hoped!

In spite of a chop saw that wouldn't turn off

 except by unplugging it...

            

BTW, I need to remember to back the car out of the garage

  the next time I use the saw!

     I managed to follow directions and cut my pieces to size.

It was so much easier to follow directions for the angles with this saw than trying to figure it out on my own when making the decorative birdhouse!

There is a second piece in the bottom of the house, accessed through the side panel that is hinged for easy cleaning,

 is so I can easily remove the old nesting materials 

after the first clutch has fledged.

               In no time, I had all of the pieces together 

and wished I had bought TWO pickets! 

I will be putting the bluebird houses up in pairs near the gopher tortoise holes so I will begin to attract the birds to the houses but I can still see them from my house!