Happy First Day of Spring!!

Spring is here!!! We're very excited to see it finally come to New England ... on the calendar at least!

I'm posting a picture that I took the first year we were back in New Hampshire. After only a year in California, a Spring snow was a novelty ...

This a photo of an early morning Spring snow on a beautiful huge forsythia bush here in town ... we'll probably see a very similar scene in about a month.

Hope it's been a great day for all ... more on the weekend.

Trip to Pickering Farm Quilt Shop

Let's go to Pickering Farm Quilt Shop. It's a gray and gloomy day, but once we're there we'll feel warm, welcomed and experience a touch of Spring! The shop is located in an old house and barn in Richmond, New Hampshire. Here is the welcoming entrance ...
Let me introduce you to the owners, Steve and Diana Gallagher. Diana creates tons of fun, folk art designs with an emphasis on penny rug quilt kits. You can see some of her designs on their website. The welcome here is always friendly and helpful ... any problems you are facing be solved ... well, quilting problems anyway. Actually, it's likely that you can get some advice on other problems too!

One of the things I love about coming here is that is so much to look at with a focus on the current and upcoming season ... right now, it feels like Spring! Ahhhh! That'll be a welcome sight! Let's step inside the door and take a look ... take your time and look carefully, because there is lots to see ....

That's Bonnie hiding behind the display in the first picture ...

Fabric are grouped by types and collections ... here's the 1930's reproduction fabric corner ... such delightful eye candy!

A view into the shop ...
and around the corner ...
Here's Stephanie cutting fabric in the primitive room ...
A partial view of the wool for penny rug projects in the primitive room and view into the main part of the shop ...

Well, mission accomplished ... we've gathered some happiness from being around friends and that wonderful fabric and caught a glimpse of Spring. Oh, and I exchanged the class I had signed up for to a different one. More on that in the future.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the shop ...

Time to go, our traveling companion is waiting for us out in the car ....

Daylight Savings Time

No quilting news today ... I'm working on Aster Blast and have many other projects to talk about, so look for those soon.

Today, it's all about DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!! WOOHOO!!

How can I tell you how happy I am that daylight savings time is here and that Spring will soon be here? I could tell you how desparate I am to not have the wear boots and coat, to not have to shovel snow, or chop ice or drive to work horrible weather or ...

Maybe it's better to focus on the positive ... I long for the smell of freshly mown grass, daffodils and tulips and crocuses, the warmth of the sun on my face ... Aahhhh ... I can feel it now.

In the meantime, it's late Winter here in New Hampshire a pretty dismal time of the year ... time for dirty snow banks (a view down our road):

Mountainous snow piles (the pile at the end of our driveway):

But, our little garden sculptures are starting to emerge, the angel was covered with snow not that long ago! And now she sits surrounded by bare ground! Did I say I was happy to see daylight savings time? A squirrel and yet another little dog ... completely encased in snow, but he'll break free soon!

Here's our greyhound, Jolene. She's longing for Spring too! Jo is our retiree that spends 95% of her time sleeping either on a pillow or in her crate, 3% of her time eating or chewing rawhides and then the balance of the time on personal hygiene. She is has the sweetest and most serene temperment of any dog I've ever known ... and above all, she puts up with the three little barky dogs. She also loves to lay in the grass in the back yard and soak up some rays ...

Last, but certainly not least ... here is our little "queen bee" Shatzie ... the doxie that started it all. As you can see, she is also a frequent visitor to the sewing room:

Well, enough longing for today ... back to Aster Blast ...