another little quilt swap

My daughter, Kate North, is setting up another little quilt swap. I participated in the last one and it was great fun. If you are interested, go to http://anotherlittlequiltswap.blogspot.com/ for all the details.

Yesterday evening, as Patty and I walked around the neighborhood, we were surprised and unhappy at how much trash has accumulated on the slopes and in the woods of our development. This time of year, before all the bushes put on leaves, trash really shows up. We are hoping to have a neighborhood "trash pick-up day" this spring. People who don't walk around the area are probably unaware of the accumulation. We have such a beautiful development. It's a shame to find it messy.

Today is supposed to be partly sunny and actually HOT - up to 80F. However, so far it is neither sunny nor particularly hot. I supposed I should be glad, as I need to go out and saw some more of the broken evergreen in the back yard. I have decided to try to get it down myself. I have already cut off most of the branches, but the trunk will be a real problem, as it runs parallel to the ground for a foot before it goes up. I don't think I will even try to get the roots out, but will just leave a low stump in the ground and plant something in front of it. With the tree gone, I will have much less shade in the backyard, which will be fine. I actually not too worried about getting the tree down. The real effort will be in cutting up the branches small enough for the recycle pickup. They can be no longer than 4 foot and no more than 4 inches in diameter. Lots of sawing will be needed. I figure I can do about 30 minutes at a time, so this will be an ongoing project. Still, it will be fun to see the flower bed change, after the tree is gone.