Jimmy's Rug

Here is the panda rug I made a few months ago. I used lime green chenille for the front and back, and appliqued the pieces for the panda on top. And to give the rug a bit more weight, I put batting in the middle. Everything is held together with machine topstitching that I used to apply the pieces, and with "quilting" that outlines the panda.


Here is Jimmy Cat taking over the panda rug as his own. This has become his regular spot. I guess this makes up for my having made a bunny rug for Tommy to use to lay in front of the kitchen sliding glass door.


And finally, here is some of the mountain laurel that is blooming throughout the woods. I bought a mountain laurel plant for my garden in Northern Virginia. I laughed when I first moved here and saw how much was growing here without any help from me.

Art Show Jimmy

Just as spring session ended, the local community college opened its annual student art show. The show is not juried. Students are allowed to submit two works from any art classes taken during the year. So I couldn't resist entering Monotype Jimmy (from my printmaking class) and Symbolic Jimmy (from my design class). Happily, the two pieces were hung side by side.


The plywood flowers were made by another student in my sculpture class. I have to show it here because I think it's just brilliant. Simple and brilliant...the best combination. The flower shapes are cut from plywood with a jigsaw and then attached to tree limbs. These are then held up with three cinder blocks. I like that everything was left natural, but have wondered about fashioning a colorized version.

Meanwhile, the sun came out and the turtle took off. And as I stepped onto the front porch yesterday I heard a hummingbird take off from the feeder. So at least one remains.

Peachy Keen

Apparently I have no self-motivation. Classes ended the first week of May and I have not made anything since. Now I am in a mild panic over the thought that classes begin again next Tuesday. This session I will be taking another computer graphics class and painting.

I have spent more time outside and have even managed to make a little vegetable plot. Typically I scatter a few plants around, but this year I decided to avoid the tough love approach with its low yield. Right now snow peas are the star of the garden. This is my second planting after some creature of feather or fur dug up the first batch. I will also be planting vines this year--pumpkin, watermelon, cucumbers and zucchini. It has been too cold to start these (with a possible frost tonight), so I will wait until next week.

As I was out this morning cutting logs, I spotted a faint bit of orange peeking out from a peach tree. And by golly, it was a baby peach. Fancy that. I have no expectations, however, given these were newly planted last year and barely stand four feet high. But the baby peach is blogworthy, if only for cuteness.


And while we're up and about in the garden, here is a picture of a turtle who has parked himself out back. I think he is using the leaves as shelter until the cold spell passes. A few years back I stopped on the highway because a turtle was in the middle of the road and I wanted to move him before he was hit by a car. I had a small spade to move him with. However, it was a snapping turtle and when I went to scoop him up he came after me. Attacked by a turtle? Good grief. But he was truly feisty and quite uncooperative. Luckily a fellow with a shovel (with a nice long handle) stopped to help me out.

Meanwhile, I am wondering where the hummingbirds went. I usually have gazillions. Earlier this month I had three hummingbirds that came regularly to the feeders, but now there are none.