Tiny Needle Tuesday...and More!!

 Good Morning My Friends,

How are you?  It is still early here (5:40 a.m.), but someone (that would be me) had a difficult time sleeping last night and then early, early this a.m. the birds were so loud!  I love birdsong and hearing it, but maybe a little later would be a better idea.

Anywho, I've lots to show you today, so grab your beverage of choice and let's dig in.  First, it is Tuesday, which means it is time for a Tiny Needle update.  My two pieces are moving along nicely and continue to be fun to stitch.  First up is the Autumn Posy by Plum Street Samplers.

The pumpkin is finished and a few do-dads have been added.  This is being stitched on 40 count linen with Weeks Dye Works overdyed cottons.

Next we have the Sampler aux Bouquets.  A 3 part sampler that I am stitching on 32 count linen with DMC floss.

I had thought I would finish up the first part this past week, but that was not to be.  However, Mr. Rabbit has made an appearance along with a potted plant (I think a rose?).  I have confirmed that the X and the Z will need to be moved in order to accommodate the balance of the design on Part 1.  No worries, it will look better when finished.

Now on to other things!  Yesterday, Juneteenth, was a holiday for my office and a 3 day weekend was a lovely thing.  I convinced/talked Fletch into heading out with me yesterday for a short morning walk and then lunch out.  We took off around 10:30 and drove to one of my favorite walks - the one where the canal is on one side of the path and the Schuylkill River on the other side.  It was a busy place yesterday - lots of walkers, lots of joggers, lots of dog walkers, some folks on bikes and a number of folks on the water - either paddle boards, kayaks or canoes.  We actually saw some folding kayaks which are pretty cool.

Along with all the people there was a ton of animal and plant life.  We heard bull frogs, geese, ducks, lots of song birds and then there were turtles!  Of course we did not hear them, but oh my gosh there were SO MANY baby turtles!  I don't ever remember seeing them at this location and certainly not the numbers we saw yesterday.

There were also bees and bugs on various blooms.

So many scents in the air too.  We were noticing how some scents are really strong when you are in the sunlight and then others become more prominent when you are in the shade.

We walked for about 40 minutes and then made our way back to Fitzwater Station for lunch.  We were able to get seats on the deck overlooking the canal so we could watch the water traffic while sipping and eating.  I loved this sign on one of the vehicles at Fitzwater Station:

We had a relaxing afternoon and then it was time to sit on the patio with a beverage.  Back when I was harvesting a ton of rhubarb, Nance had suggested that I make some rhubarb cordial.  Oh my!  What a treat!

This is what we ended up with after ditching the pieces of rhubarb in the bottle (basically cut up rhubarb, vodka and sugar - shake and let it meld together for a month, then strain and indulge).  It is tart, but in a very pleasing way.  I had a small amount over ice and enjoyed it a lot.  I think it would also be tasty with seltzer.

Mabel came around from wherever she had been patroling to join us.  Such a sweetie!

All lin all a very lovely day.