Family Desk Makeover
I've been working from home almost exclusively for a year now. You'd think I would have spruced the place up on the front end of the pandemic and quarantine. Paul says it's because it took me this long to figure out how I should arrange the...
A Year Ago
A year ago tonight, the notice came that the US's borders were closing due to COVID-19 and Hannah's study abroad program in Denmark was shutting down. We had 48 hours to get her out of the country and on her way home. It was a crazy scramble. The...
February
“There is always in February some one day, at least, when one smells the yet distant, but surely coming, summer.” - Gertrude Jekyll Today was that day.
One Thing Leads to Another
I don't know what it is about February, but it often involves some variety of home project. Last year it was painting our built in book shelves - all 15 feet of them. The year before it was painting the living, dining, and kitchen space. Before...
The Humble Hairy Woodpecker
The Hairy and Downy woodpeckers at my suet feeders bring such joy. I designed the Downy Woodpecker a few years ago. I've planned to create a Hairy Woodpecker for some time, but they are so similar to Downy Woodpeckers. How to make him different? In...
The Pugnacious Rufous Hummingbird
It's a little challenging to shoot a realistic photo of a hummingbird in Maine - in the winter. He surely looks out of place! I struggled with the colors for this throat. The color "Rufous" is a brownish-red. Yet when they sun hits this little guy,...
Sorry! The Space Edition
We have a history of modifying board games. Nine years ago Hannah and I created our Harry Potter Monopoly game. Over Christmas break, Hannah decided that it was time up upgrade our Madagascar-themed Sorry! board game. Her nerdiness in full-swing,...
Hannah’s Whales in Sweaters
Hannah's been home for two and a half months. The holidays absorbed some of the time. Working on a marketing and social media advertising certification has kept her busy as well. Yet, it's Whales in Sweaters that have truly shaped this college...
Lubec to the Pike Lands
Hannah's feeling the crunch of her last few days at home, so I suggested a beach walk. She chose Mowry Beach in Lubec - one of her favorite spots for hunting sea glass. The tide was out, and the meander was lovely. Still feeling energetic, we...
The Striking Barrow’s Goldeneye
The Goldeneye duck I spotted earlier in the week while beachcombing inspired this little guy. I returned home to draw him and realized that I'd already designed a Common Goldeneye. So, I chose his cousin, Barrow's Goldeneye, for a pattern. I carted...
January Beach-combing
https://youtu.be/kcUPkJxu3kU I've enjoyed having Hannah home for two months - but we're only ten days out from beginning our journey west to return her to school for the spring semester. That means fitting in as many winter beach trips as we can....
A Close Call
We've had a rough year with our farm animals. One night a few months ago, I forgot to lock the duckies in the house at dusk. The next morning I found feathers and our drake missing. Knowing that I was responsible has been hard to accept. I set a...
The Musical Bowhead Whale
The Bowhead whale - one of the longest living whales found only in the Arctic regions. A fitting start to my 2021 patterns. Enjoy!
New Year’s Day on the Hollingsworth Trail
We spent New Year's Day hiking the Hollingsworth Trail. What's usually an hour walk turned into a few hours on the trail. I was eager to begin 2021 outdoors. The temp was just above freezing with little to no wind - a perfect day for a hike,...
The Leisurely Right Whale
Hannah has started putting whales in sweaters. It started with this Christmas wreath she created for the WHRL Christmas Tree Festival and Auction earlier in the month. Her whale enchantment continues there, so I, too, am back on the whale theme. My...
Deer Whispering
Hannah alerted me the other day that some of the young deer had been nibbling from the leftover duck food. This morning, I spotted a trio of deer in the yard, a baby searching for food. When I stepped outside, they bounded off to the woods. When...
A Sunday Walk
With temperatures above freezing and the sun shinning, Hannah and I ventured out for a walk in the woods. It felt good to move and breath in the fresh air.
Mary’s COVID Christmas Tree
My first felt ornaments were the family of owls that grace the top of my blog. I had such fun creating those that in January 2012, I designed my first bird pattern - the Black-capped Chickadee. Since then, I've designed and shared (for free...
Gifts From The Heart
A lovely Christmas day is coming to a close. The best part of this holiday was spending yesterday with Hannah cooking Christmas dinner. Our tipsy-looking Christmas tree has been such a bright spot the past few weeks, standing watch over carefully...
Merry Christmas!
In the light of COVID-19 turning our lives upside down, I've had an unusually quiet December with plenty of time to plan for a peaceful Christmas at home with Hannah and Paul. Gifts have been wrapped and under the tree for a week (except for the...
The Radiant Red Crossbill
Such a curious bird with their large ungainly bills. My new red felt - Strawberry Dreams is the perfect shade for this Red Crossbill felt ornament. Enjoy!
Gidget’s Fifth Christmas Season
Gidget is such an integral part of our lives that it's odd to think that this is only her fifth Christmas with us. We celebrated the season with a new Christmas scarf and an impromptu photoshoot. It took a few takes and the promise of a cookie to...
Late Afternoon Light
We took the scenic route home from work today. Sixteen degrees outside meant we took most of our photos from the comfort of the car. Truly the calm before the storm.
Downeast Thunder Farm Christmas Flower
While in Pennsylvania last month, I picked up a couple of these flower decorations from the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby. I very much like how they look on my Joyful Owl wreaths. Last week during our trip to the big city (Bangor), I hoped to...
My Custom Storage Bin Shelves
My tiny office is home to two desks (mine and Hannah's), a couple of file cabinets, a chest of drawers, my work table, and other miscellany that gets dumped. Still, I have piles and bins stacked everywhere. I've been browsing the interweb searching...
