Eek!

We've had a painter here for the last week or so painting the wooden areas of the outside of the house. We both could have picked a better time temperaturewise to do this work, but he doesn't seem to mind the heat. HOWEVER, what he does mind is snakes. We heard this loud shouting and yelling and when my husband got there, Roger--the painter--was pointing at a 6-foot long snake. He told Smokey that he was going to have to get rid of it--"It's either me or the snake," he said. "But, Roger," my husband said, "it's not a poisoness snake, it eats rats (it was a rat snake) and, besides, you were an Eagle Scout." Roger's response: "That was then, this is NOW.' Anyway, the snake eventually moved on and the painting proceeded--although with a certain amount of residual trepidation. I guess we all have things that terrify us, but non-poisoness snakes is not one of mine. The year I turned up the nest of baby copperheads in my compost pile was another story entirely . . .

Well, in the midst of all that, I have been working on the wallhanging for out Guild Challenge in October. We're supposed to be doing something that somehow relates to the basket on our logo.

And this is what I've come up with. The piecing and applique are done and I'm now getting ready to do all of the top stitching. I've been working on the design and fuseing of the basket portion for quite a while but put it aside during all the things going on with Smokey's heart. But I got back to it this week after I had an inspiration about how to finish it off. So, it's onward and upward--and I think I'll finish before October.