Eagle sightings, and more...

Yesterday I had to get my hair cut...got downtown, and was sitting at a stop sign just across the street from where I go, and there circling over the beauty shop was a juvenile bald eagle.  His head and tail not completely white.  No pictures for proof, though.

Today we had to go by Walmart for a few things, and after leaving there, I ask Roger to go to the strip pits.  First there was the flurry of wings over the big, big strip pit...

 If you click to expand the view, it won't help a lot but at least you will be able to see there are snow geese.

And for more proof, here you go:

 Again not great pics...they were probably 400 yds away.

While watching them, I spotted an eagle sitting in one of the trees on the far side.  I was looking through binoculars.  I could not get a shot of him.  We continue passing through, and ended up going on past the end of this big strip pit to check a field where we see deer on a regular basis, and have seen turkeys.  Neither of those were there, but look what flew from a tree:

 We actually seen two here...and I am not sure, but think this is all the second one.

 Neither one fooled around, they wanted away from the person with the camera.  So funny, sometimes some of them do not seem all that afraid.

 So, out there we seen at least two, maybe three eages.  We don't know if one of these might have been the one we seen sitting on the far bank of the strip pit as we went in.  So, we left the place, and I almost put up my camera thinking we were done.  But got just a mile of so from Walmart, and saw this one!

A juvenile!  A big boy/girl for sure.  Poor thing...a lot of its tail feathers are missing.  Roger paused in the road for me to hurry and snag a shot...he was circling away from us and this was the best of the few that I got.

From my corner of the world

I finished this mat yesterday....it is 14 inches in diameter.  I am just positive that I used 50 ft. of clothesline to do this.  I get to second guessing myself and wonder now if it was just 25 ft. I no longer have the packaging to check and see.

I have not tried to trim all the threads good yet, but have trimmed some.  I am still not sure what I will do with it.  Not sure I will ever do this again.  I think if I could find some all cotton cording/clothesline that did not cost a lot, I would probably make a few smaller ones to use as hot pads.  And some even smaller for mug mats.

Today I sewed the last row of blocks together for the Lotus quilt.  I still have to do the ends of each row, and I am nervous about that and then just tense about sewing the rows together.  But the blocks went together mush easier than I expected, though I did use a lot of pins.  I just cannot fathom how many pins I am going to use when I pin two rows together that are over 100 inches long!
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We got about 3 inches of snow.

This is just a sample of what is under the feeders...

I think 9 doves is the highest I have counted at one time.

Fabric

We made a run to Terre Haute, stopped by a fabric shop there which I won't name.  I made a couple fabric purchases.

Fat quarter bundles.  The first time I have ever bought them for myself.  I think I have bought one or two as gifts, but never for myself.  People like them because the fabric choices are made for them.  These two were not laying together, but after I got home, I thought, wow, they almost go together.

Just look at these solids...

Aren't they beautiful?

Now, as to why I am not mentioning the fabric shop by name.  I always check to see if I get the amount of fabric I pay for.  To me, good shops give just a tad bit over the amount...just to make up for if they cut crooked.  Of the ten of these, one solid measured a quarter inch over 18 inches in length, a bout three of them measured the 18 inches by tugging the fabric tight.  And the others all were about 1/8 inch shy of 18 inches.

I won't say anything to them....it is not that much. I was thinking when I had bought a length of fabric they gave a bit extra, so will wait and see how it goes when I buy a length. I just think good fabric shops give at least a thumbs width extra.  It is good policy and makes for good will.  And some of my favorite shops give an inch or two.  Of all the quilt shops I have been to, most are the latter.  As I said, I think before when I have purchased from this shop, that I have gotten a tad bit extra.  So will try to withhold judgement.  I got these at a good price, so shouldn't complain now.

I just have to show the prints individually.

Maybe I should have taken more time with the photos,

but if you click to expand the view, you will get a good feel for the fabric.

This one almost has a Christmas feel to it...almost.

So there you have them...if you are a quilter you will probably enjoy seeing these.  Otherwise you might find this boring.