Friday, October 12, 2012

Two More


Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them.  
~Author Unknown

It has finally cooled down a bit here.  It has been cool enough the last couple of days to leave the windows open all day long!  Now keep in mind that I'm still wearing shorts but I have been wearing my zip hoodie the last few mornings.  It's so nice to be chilled for a change!  The powers that be are predicting high 80's for the end of next week so I better enjoy these days.  Fall is here but only for a little while.  We don't have any big plans this weekend - only a few errands and an ALS support group meeting.  What are your plans for the weekend?

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FUN FACT OF THE DAY

Firefly / Lightning Bug

I have never seen a firefly.  They do live in the same part of the world that I do.  I would love the see their display some time.  Here are some fun facts about those little buggers:
Fireflies are not flies. Fireflies are not in the same group as houseflies. Rather, they are a type of beetle. They are in the insecta class, and in the order Coleoptera, which includes beetles. They are related to ladybugs.
Fireflies live for approximately two months, sometimes more, sometimes less. Their lifespan depends usually on how well they can hide from prey and the weather.
 * Fireflies are small insects that are never bigger than one inch. They are usually about 1/4 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch long.
Male fireflies use their blinking light to help them find a mate. They will fly around blinking their light in a certain pattern for signaling mating. If a female notices him, she will flash her light back until they reach each other.
Some types of fireflies will lay hundreds of eggs. Others will only lay about 40. The eggs take approximately one month to hatch and become larvae. Firefly eggs may give off a steady light.
You are most likely to find fireflies in damp areas. They live in fields, woods and of course, backyards. They are found over all of the US, however are not in some areas where it is very dry (and, thus the reason they do not live where I live)
Fireflies are the world's most efficient light producers.

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MORE DANCING

I'm still Dancing (working with the blocks) but hope to have them completed next week.  Here are a couple more.....

This is Rumba.  The center blues are actually more purple than they appear.  "Rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó. The other Afro-Cuban rumbas are Yambu and Columbia.

This block is called Two Step.  The Two Step dance seems to refer to more than one kind of dance.  It is commonly just a dance move, and then there's the country two-step known as the Texas Two Step.  There is also a 'Nightclub Two Step' that is commonly known as the California Two Step.  There also appears to be a acrobatic maneuver used in break-dancing that is called the 2-Step.  At least this block was easy to maneuver with the foundation paper piecing pattern from Carol Doak.

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QUILTING GALLERY ENTRY

Once again I have decided to enter Michele's Quilting Gallery Weekly Quilt Contest.  This time the theme is "Paper/Foundation Piecing" and I am entering...


Bubbles.  There are 28 wonderful quilts entered and you can go HERE to view them all.  I would certainly appreciate your vote if you should care to cast it my way.  You can vote until Monday at 8:00 am.  Thanks!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Last weekend was our annual Walk To Defeat ALS.  Here is a two minute report on of our local news channels did (neither me nor my team made the cut) .....




19 comments:

Average Quilter said...

I would love to leave the windows open but it rarely gets cool enough and even if it does the skitters will eat you alive. Your paper piecing is great it will make an awesome quilt

Sheila said...

Really love your blocks Linda , those fabrics are so pretty .I will definitely go vote for you it is a lovely quilt .I lost a good friend to ALS a couple of years ago , such a debilitating disease.

My Sister Made Me Do It.... said...

I lived in Austin, TX for a couple of years and was blessed to see those beautiful lightning bugs. My sons would put them in jars to make lanterns out of them (and, of course, as long as Mom was around they let them go). I love the way the batik fabrics look on the dancing with the stars blocks. You are doing a great job on them. Good luck on your Bubbles quilt....I voted for it.

Terry said...

I saw your fish and already voted for them! Good luck! :0)

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Really loved your fishies....just voted.

Good Luck!

Snoodles said...

Lightning bugs are part of the joy of our summer nights here...just love 'em. Love your paper piecing, too...I admire that you can do it so well! I'm off to vote for your Bubbles!

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda,
I love your quilt and have seen the quality of your quilting. Very impressive. I'm a "rip and go" quilter - sew for relaxation, but I like to do something pretty at times. The paper piecing works for me because it's exact without me having to work so hard. If I can keep the needle on the line, I'm okay. Love, Arliss

Wendy said...

Hi Linda, since I live in the same (not too far away) general area as you we definitely have similar weather patterns. I am so enjoying the cooler weather. Not looking forward to it heating up again but at least there's some reprieve at the moment. Btw, your paper pieced fish are adorable. Heading over to vote now!!

Gene Black said...

We used to catch fireflies (although we called them lightning bugs) when I was a kid.

I did vote for you - but I voted for me too.

Lynda said...

This Dancing quilt is going to be beautiful!

Little story about fireflies. Several years ago my daughter and her family moved to Illinois. I had never seen a firefly before and my young grandson and I were watching them light up the night. I said, "wouldn't it be funny if we had lights on our bums?" To which he replied....."Oh Gwamma, you could light up the whole house!" We still laugh at that and he is now 15 years old now.

Barbara said...

Gorgeous blocks, Linda. I can't get over the colors. And I love your fish. I'm going off to vote for it now.

Sparky said...

pssst and yes I did vote for your fish...( fabulous too)

Maria Kievit said...

Love the fireflies. Earlier this year the whole area where we lived was lit up by them for quite a few weeks. We've never seen this many! Love your blocks, too! Thanks for sharing.

Barb said...

Your blocks are simply wonderful.....looks way complicated but wonderful. Love the colors...and your little quilt is darling.

quilterliz said...

G'day Linda. Love the info on the Fireflies. Very interesting. Your blocks look fabulous. Take care. Liz...

Raewyn said...

Your blocks are so vibrant, Linda. Good luck with your quilting gallery entry.. that's a fun quilt - I'm off to check them all out (and vote for you!).

Needled Mom said...

Growing up in the Midwest we always enjoyed the fireflys. I still love seeing them when I visit. I would hate to tell you some of the dreadful things we did with those little buggers.

Your dancing blocks are just amazing. I cannot wait to see that as a completed quilt.

I see that you are having some pretty warm temperatures...and a fire in S.B. too? Hope it isn't too bad.

Linda in Calif. said...

I'm leaving the windows open too. I love the fresh air. I gotta go vote for your quilt!

Linda said...

When we lived in Georgia, we had a large pond in the backyard. In the evenings, fireflies would swarm around and over the pond. We loved sitting beside it watching them. They would also swarm into some of the large trees and it looked like the trees had very tiny twinkly lights in them.
Around where we are now, there used to be fireflies, but they are no longer seen here. (Probably as a result of the local agricultural spraying for pests. ) Too bad. They are so much fun to watch!

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