Merry Christmas!

Hello,  everyone.  On this Christmas Night, may the blessings of this wondrous day be with all y'all.

Bulbs are a lesson in faith

Hello, everyone.  I have always thought that gardening requires one to develop faith that things will, generally,  work out in the end. Today I was reflecting on that as I looked at the pots with saffron bulbs that spent so many months being dried up and dead-looking. A few days ago, responding to the change in season, and a little water, little green noses started poking out from the covering dirt.

A couple of sample pictures 

These bulbs are the descendants of a bag I got from High Country Gardens, a mail order nursery in Utah. The original bulbs, all 10 being together in a pot, bloomed beautifully. They were crowded, however, and they also had a very strong urge to make "pups" so the next year nothing much happened. Last spring I separated them out a bit, after they went dormant, and now I'm hoping they will all fatten up and maybe in a year or two bloom again.

A pleasant walk at Bentsen Park

Hello, everyone. The weather today is what the local radio personality calls "Chamber of Commerce weather" which is lovely, partly cloudy, not too windy, and tee-shirt temperature. So we went over to the park for a little walk.

The park had scheduled a birding walk, and we were the only ones there so we walked over to the volunteer "bird guide" and invited ourselves along. He told us about birds, of course, and about the changes in wildlife and plant growth over time. It was very interesting. 

This little hawk was supervising the feeding stations. It doesn't need to be said that the small birds were a bit shy!

The wild turkeys were out and about and not afraid of anything. 

Fruitcake season!

Hello, everyone.  It is, indeed, fruitcake season. Or it would be, except the stores have no candied peel for sale. Sigh. I have a lemon tree and an orange tree. 

Peels cleaned and sliced for candying

After candying. These are lemon peels. Tomorrow I will candy orange peels. 

The $64 question is: can I make an edible fruitcake patch without any candied citron?

We found the candied cherries and pineapple in the grocery store. Unfortunately there were absolutely no candied peel packages. Thus the preparation of candied lemon peel, and soon, candied orange peel. I don't have a tree that produces citron. I have decided to do my best with what is on hand.

It's a sad thing when you think you maybe need to set an arrival alert with HEB grocery so you can make the traditional Christmas goodies. Really.

The curved-ruler pieced tree is decorated

Hello,  everyone.  It's been busy around the home place, but we're in a calm spot for a few days, so there's time to make a post.

Last year I made a wall hanging Christmas tree. It wasn't decorated--no time, and no plan! This year, a plan grew for decorations for the little tree. First rule of the decorations was that they have to be light weight. The gorgeous rhinestone brooches would make the tree too heavy to be held up by tape on a door. Fortunately, there were a lot of little Free Standing Lace mylar light bulbs left over from the Kimberbell Christmas quilt project a few years ago. I also have a cute little Starlight Mint coaster/ornament pattern from Designs By JuJu. They're about 4" and the free standing applique is very light weight. A couple of FSL ornaments turned up in the Christmas boxes, too.

Now it really looks like a Christmas tree.

Homesick for the Camino

Hello,  everyone.  This is the time of year that makes me think fondly of life on the Camino. We miss so much about it, even though the thing that makes it so special is that we have to leave our daily life behind. And when we return, we're happy to take up our activities,  like crafting, quilting,  beading, and sewing. We're also happy to cook, which is not a  thing that we can do while walking the pilgrimage. 

One way we try to get a little reminder of Camino life is by having tapas for dinner.

The figs and dragonfruit are from our garden. The pretzel nuggets looked interesting to try in the store.  The anchovy stuffed olives are available at Phoenicia, an import grocery store in Houston, Texas, which a relative visited recently. (Thanks, gang!)

Fall gardening season is here

Hello,  everyone. It's fall, and the heat of summer is starting to moderate. The warm weather garden plants, after struggling earlier, are in their prime.

These five beauties are not the first, but there are enough to make a nice picture.

I like to cut them in 1/4" slices, salt them and drain them for a while, then saute them gently until there are little golden-brown speckles on both sides. Wonderful flavor! 

Working out a new skill

Hello, everyone. As y'all might remember,  DH was really interested in a modern art painting at the Museo Thyssen-Bournemisza (spelling guessed from memory here) that was essentially a "color play" painted and modified version of a log cabin style quilt block. I think it was by Mondrian, and the general effect was a square spiral in a collection of similar-mood colors. He asked me to make a quilt like that.

the first try at getting the idea together.

There are about 22 squares that have the accent strip going diagonally down the middle, with each half a different color.

Today the trial divided square: 

and the size, without trimming

Pretty much right on!

Whoopee!

One more pair of the Hemingway pouches

Hello, everyone.  The slant-zipper pouches are so much fun--when the zipper cooperates!--that I made another pair. I used most of a fat quarter of ocean-themed fabric for the face and part of a blue, speckled one for the lining. Zippers were from stash, this particular pattern only uses one half of the zipper for a bag, leaving the other half in inventory to be combined with a zipper pull on another one. As witness, the larger of these pouches has a "pickup " pull and the maroon zipper tape that was also on a different pouch.

Now that there are three sets in the house, they will need to find a purpose to fulfill. The smaller ones are just the right size for coin purses. Phones would fit in some of the larger ones. 

Wow, it's been a while (edited for spelling corrections)

Hello, everyone.  Things got so busy for a while that I forgot to post. I will try to catch up now. 

After the San Antonio visit, we had a little road trip to see relatives. After that, I had a trip to see other relatives. While there, I happened to see some wildlife in the town. 

These deer were right next to a fairly busy road. 

On returning home, there was sewing. 

I finished the sewing club project to make a hanger pocket.

Converted an old sweatshirt into a cat bed, for when we get a kitty visitor.

Made a strap pad for use with the embroidery machine tote.

Made some puff breads with verdolaga filling. They were okay, but I don't think I'll do that recipe again.

Finally decided on a design for the striped canvas. 

Here, the finished canvas bag and three of the "Hemingway" slant-zipper bags. The one on the right was made from the off-cut of the one on the left.

And then applied the same re-use idea to the off-cut of the patchwork one above. These little zipper pouches are a lot of fun to make!

San Antonio Missions, the fourth one

Hello, everyone.  This is the final post in the San Antonio Missions set. 

Mission Concepciòn de la Purisima, a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is also a working parish. At the time the church was built the mission fathers were into the alignment of buildings,  beyond the basic rule that churches face the east. (This is based both on the theological teaching that Jesus is the Light of the world and an ancient tradition that He will return from that direction.) This church has a beautiful alignment of windows that results in a sunbeam landing directly on certain images once a year. The volunteer that was there when we visited had made a cell phone video of the most famous sunbeam which he showed to us. It was beautiful! 

The sunbeam illuminates this painting, lingering on the image as it transits, in an amazing way. There is also at least one other alignment in this church, which illuminates another holy image which is to the left. The church is cruciform, that is, shaped like a cross, and in the second illumination the sunbeam crosses the church directly above the crossing of the arms of the cross.

The parish has a banner of the current jubilee year. I think that Mission Concepciòn is one of the (many) regional churches that make a Jubilee pilgrimage accessible even to people who can't visit Rome. The stylistic contrast between the old stone buildings and the modernistic (Tyvek?) sign is interesting. 

This mission is in the middle of a neighborhood of the city, not too far from a golf course and many businesses, and using a map app is recommended to find it. 

A break from the history (edited to add link)

Hello, everyone. This is a little update on sewing projects.

This baby quilt went together very smoothly. I used some of the squares in a layer cake and 10 inch squares of panda fabric, plus jelly roll strips and scrap 2.5 inch squares at the corners. (These little squares are sometimes called mini charms; some of them are small four patch squares.) 

One of the bags from the Ripstop By The Roll sample DIY kit. This was HyperD300 fabric, so it didn't turn into a stuff sack. It's too stiff for the drawstring closure. It did work well with a zipper. 

The other two bags from the kit, both in ripstop fabrics and using the provided drawstring and cord locks. The black one is a  really thin and slick ripstop, so it would do great with managing socks and lingerie on a trip. The green one is also ripstop, but it has a brushed feel rather like Taslan.

I tried to embroider on a scrap of the HyperD300, but the fabric drew up a lot. I did something wrong, but I don't know what yet.

That's all of the projects that have been photographed. Some others haven't posed for the camera yet. 

San Antonio Missions, the third one.

Hello, everyone. It's been busy around the home place, and I forgot to post anything for a few days.

The third of the San Antonio Missions, going from south to north, is Mission San Jose. 

As you have surely noticed by now, these sites are fairly spread-out and even if one drives a car instead of walking between them, the visiting will give a healthy walk all by itself.

Mission San Jose has a more involved history than the first two. Its full name was actually San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo. 

approaching the front. 

After the Franciscan fathers founded the mission, it later was operated by members of a different order. They did some repairs, and made their own typical arches as they did so. In this photo some of both shapes are visible.

The vee shaped one at the back was one of the refurbished arches. 

This covered entrance has a large collection of opuntia pads, also called nopales, which being left to themselves have sprouted. There was no indication of why they spread out the pads like that. They seem to have been there for some months.

This carved cross is at the top of the front of the church.  Below it are some lovely carvings of saints, restored, and a wooden door with geometrical carvings, also restored. 

The retablo of the church. As y'all can see, the local parish is keeping it in use and pretty.

There is a museum in one of the buildings which has photos and explains the history of various restorations and visitors over the decades.

With a little judicious cropping, I am getting better at keeping the photos upright. Fray Antonio was depicted in the typical habit of a Franciscan missionary, with his walking stick and hooded cape. I think someone enlarged, and maybe added color, an old painting. It's hard to tell if the object in his hand is one of the "ladder" type of rosaries. These are still around, though less common than the single strand form. 

 There is a souvenir shop in the Park Service visitor center, and helpful people at the desk.

San Antonio Missions, The Second One

Hello, everyone. The weather around the home place has been its usual August self: hot, sunny, and dry. There might have been a few drops, but not enough to be an actual watering. And we planted fall seeds this week, in hopes that something will come from them.

But returning to the missions, after our visit to San Francisco de Espada, we drove back along the city streets to San Juan. 

Sadly, the Blogger app refuses to let this view of the surviving aqueduct display right-side-up.

Also at the aqueduct are some of the old terraces. The bottom of this little set of terraces has the river bank. The river flows under the aqueduct. These are on the way from San Francisco to San Juan, so we stopped to see them, too.

The missionary fathers built a church, as usual, 

The interior of San Juan Mission. The large figures at the side are carried in processions.

They also set up the Stations of the Cross outside so everyone who wanted to could participate in the devotion.

The Fourteenth Station: Jesus is buried in the tomb. As y'all can see, the later walkway was poured going around the stone markers.

San Antonio Missions historic sites (edited to remove fox photo as that was already posted)

Hello,  everyone.  I was out of town for a few days, but now have returned home. I saw some interesting things on this road trip.

Mission S. Francisco de Espada, near the Loop 1604 south portion, was the first of the mission churches we visited.

The mission front garden (there is a community of believers that come to pray and someone looks after the landscaping near the church building) was surprisingly colorful for August. In addition to the sunflowers in bloom, they had some beautyberry shrubs with berries. (The purple things) I didn't know beautyberry would grow so far south! I think San Antonio is in about zone 8b in the USDA growing zones map. Now I wonder if beautyberry would consent to grow in 9b, about 7 F degrees warmer on the winter cold days, I guess.

The front of the church. The reddish flowers on the left are poinciana, which is gorgeous in bloom but a freeze will at least knock it to the ground. They might be growing it on hope, and expecting the plants to return from the roots if the temp gets down to slightly below freezing.

Wildlife on the move

Hello, everyone. It's always fun to see an unexpected animal.

This fox was out for a stroll near the Mission S Francis De Espada historical park on the south side of San Antonio. I didn't know they come in that color variety. 

Tapas ideas, American style

Hello, everyone.  We love eating pinchos and tapas so much when we're on the Camino. At home, we get to missing them. Sometimes we try to make some of our own.

Cucumber rounds with tuna and pomegranate on the blue plate, also bread rounds with soft cream cheese and wild salmon on the yellow plate

Cucumber with dates, walnuts, and goat cheese. After making these we concluded that peeling and making thick slices of the Cucumber and scooping out the middle with a melon baller would work better.

Bread rounds variety: cream cheese with wild salmon, slices of meatball with Mexican cheese blend, cream cheese with piquillo pepper relish, combinations of the above. This last plate was turned sideways by the Blogger app, I did crop it but the first version was still in memory or something like that.

I always feel like I need to use the test stitching

Hello, everyone.  Today I finished a book tote. It started out as test stitches for the embroidered brown pillow last year. The pillow went to its new home, but the test swatch sat there staring at me. For months. Reminding me that something should be made from it.

Fortunately there was more of the red duck in the stash.

It is lined and has a slip pocket. There is also a small D ring at the side for a key chain or charm. It's the right size for many hard cover books, too. 

Fabric: cotton duck canvas from stash, quilting cotton lining also from stash.

Another class project finished

Hello, everyone.  Today's finish is a sewing club project that we started last February.  It's the Sisters Common Thread Caddy Pad. I did the "Junior" size because that's the one that fits my travel iron. They also have a tiny size and a regular size. 

This is a combination iron tote and small ironing pad. 

The front cover of the instructions.  If you shop carefully you can get a pattern that includes the silver toned heat resistant fabric for the inner surface.

The finished tote. (Yes, I did stick the iron in it without removing the official Rowenta cover. It's late.) I followed the directions as written, pretty much. It's been a while since I started the project

 I did make a stitched box for attaching the handles, though, even though it will probably not have a lot of strain to contend with. I just like it this way.

Fabric: a fat quarters of quilting cotton for the outside in a lilacs and leaves abstract print. Binding and handles are from stash fabric, as also the yellow buttons and the elastic loops.