As we head into summer Maine is blooming with flowers!
Maine in June is lovely! Lupin bloom along roadsides. Rugosa roses show deep pink, and wild rambling roses swarm up trees, their perfume filling the air. Back from checking on elderly parents we hope to be able to get out and about and take pictures this week!
The colors that sold the most last week were orange and red.
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While gone the patterns that sold the most were the fern fabrics. Fern fabrics are wonderful for adding quiet notes to a room. And most are as expected, as seen below.
BOTANICAL FERN FABRIC
with butterflies and dragonflies
DOCUMENTARY PRINT FERN FABRIC
But sometimes a fern fabric comes along that really surprises one!
FRITILLARIA FERN FABRIC
The silhouette fern fabrics scream summer-
think white wicker on a cottage porch!
SILHOUETTE FERN FABRIC
The silhouette fern fabric comes in salmon pink as well as blue.
So, if even if you think ferns are not for you take a look at the
Fern Fabric Category
to see all of the different fern fabrics.
A new fern fabric has just arrived.
It is very different-
deep plum on cream.
We will get it listed tomorrow.
THURSDAY- June 14,2012
Okay, the Purple Fern Fabric did not get listed yesterday as promised… Why not? Well, the day just got away from me!
Yesterday was another rainy, rainy day. About noon it was noted there was a bird hunkered down in the doorway of the garage shed. Odd, but nothing to worry about. My husband said… “I think it is a pigeon.” “You mean mourning dove.” I replied, as we have never had a pigeon here and as mourning doves do hunker down and sit for quite long periods of time. But, they do take off suddenly when startled. “No, I don’t think it is one”, he said.
When the next shipment of packages went out, my husband said the bird had moved. I went out to look. It WAS a pigeon. And it was wet, and not moving. We decided to let him sit, hoping he would take off, even though he was acting oddly by not moving at all.
Around 3:00 in the afternoon the dog we are baby sitting wanted to go out. His nick name is Munchmouth. He is a large bearded collie mix, and feels everything needs to be herded. He does not like rain, so had been laying around indoors. I went out with him because of the bird. The bird was no where in sight. Great I thought. But, in the late afternoon, when the last of the mail went out, and my husband started his car and drove off, the bird could be seen- he had been under the car! The dog immediately went for the bird, and got him. I am yelling “Drop it, drop it..” which he did! He opened his mouth and the poor bird hit the ground. He then started walking around, while I put the dog inside.
Armed with a broom, and the only cardboard box around, which was missing a side. I chivied the bird so I could put the box over him, but had nothing to move him into. Leaving him under the box to calm down, I went in search of something to put him into for the night. Leaving him out was not an option because of foxes and raccoons.
After dinner I found a large plastic flower pot, and got a flat piece of cardboard to put on the top of it. Getting the pigeon into this was not easy. I removed the box, ready to make the grab, but he started walking and fluttering in circles. He ended up under my SUV. I went in to get bread and peanut butter and seeds to bait the pot, and turned it on its side as close to where the pigeon was sitting. Going to the other side of the car with the broom, I gently tried to chivy it toward the pot. No go. He just kept moving from one side of the car to the other.
Getting tired of kneeling in the rain with the broom, I thought, “Fine, I will let the dog out for the night.” I go in, and get the dog. We come out, just as the bird emerges from under the car… the dog takes off, and grabs him for the second time. Feathers fly, the bird flutters, the dog drops it, and the bird goes back under the car!
I put Munchmouth back in the house, and eventually the bird walks out from beneath the car again, and I pick him up. He does not struggle, just utters one “peep”. I put him into the box, move it into the barn, add a dust cloth, food, and water, and head for the phone.
We are lucky enough in Maine to have a wonderful organization called Avian Haven. It is a non-profit bird rehabilitation center. They deal with everything from baby robins to injured water fowl to endangered bald eagles. They run a strictly rehabilitate and release program. They have a full lab, with resources for dealing with any and all injured birds. It is unique, it is amazing.
Avian Haven is located east of Augusta, and west of Belfast… it is a trek to get there from here. I call them, and get a lady on the other end, who says, yes, they will take the pigeon. I was in luck. A man from near here was going up in the morning bringing four baby birds that were at Chewonki. Chewonki is another foundation, located just south of Wiscasset. They run a camp, and rotate in school children for classes about the environment and nature. Roger Tory Peterson, the ornithologist, taught nature at Chewonki. So, there is a strong connection with birds and nature.
The lady at Avian Haven gives me the phone numbers of the man who was going to do the run, and the number of the person at Chewonki who was in charge of the baby birds. I call the man, and I agree to go to Chewonki to get the birds down there, and he will take them and the pigeon north.
After letting Munchmouth out, who is very excited at all of this entertainment, I check the bird, and go to bed.
Up early I checked on the pigeon, who was quiet, but had not died. Then I headed for Chewonki. I had not been out there in over 20 years. A male turkey ran across the road as I headed down the neck to the camp. I am amazed at all of the changes that had taken place- large new buildings, everything spic and span. It does not look like the boys camp of yore. I go in to the new reception building, and ask for the lady who had the birds. They were being cared for in the lab. They were four little down eastern phoebes. All four of them could have fit in a tea cup!
The woman in charge had just finished feeding them. She packed bottles filled with hot water into a small box, added a towel as a nest, moved them into it, and closed the top, leaving it partially open with another towel over the opening. Warm, snug… they would be fine.
I had arranged to meet the man who was doing the run up to Avian Haven at the supermarket parking lot in Damariscotta. I stopped at home to get the pigeon. I emptied out a box that holds the flat rate mailers we use for shipping, and put bottles of hot water in it, making sure they could not move. Put in a cloth, and open the flower pot. The bird is quiet, but does his single “peep” when I move him. I put in seeds and water, knowing it will spill immediately.
Munchmouth is offended he has not been able to go with me, and is still excited at the idea of the bird. Leaving him inside we head to the meeting place, where I hand over the birds to the man.
Heading home I get myself some iced coffee, and a snack, while Munchmouth sniffs around trying to figure out what happened.
Late this afternoon- after the purple fern fabric was listed- the lady from Avian Haven called. They could find nothing really wrong with the pigeon! He was born this year- which surprised me as he was so large. He was underweight, and did seem to have a balance problem. I said he had not tried to fly at all. She thought he had been separated from his parents, who would still have been feeding him, and that they had a tube down him, and were giving him as food that was as close to what his mother would have regurgitated as they could. They would keep him until well, and then put him in with other pigeons, to be released when ready.
I asked how the baby phoebes were, and she said fine- they were in an incubator, and that they had just released four of them a couple of days ago!
So, that is the story of why the fern fabric was not listed yesterday!
For those who have been waiting
here it is!
PURPLE FERN FABRIC
For those interested in
Avian Haven or Chewonki:
http://avianhaven.org/contacts.html
and
http://www.chewonki.org/
SATURDAY- June 16, 2012
MOST SOLD FABRIC of the WEEK:
The blue coral seahorse fabric
did not get put away all week.
We just ordered 60 more yards to keep up!
BLUE CORAL SEAHORSE FABRIC
This is part of a collection that has five different fabrics that are mix and match. It also comes in red. We also have it in green, but it is not part of a collection like the blue and red are.
END OF BOLT PIECES
There are quite a few end of bolt pieces.
We will be listing them all next week.
There are:
Pink Angel Fabric
Race horse fabric
Embroidered seahorse
French Menu
as well as others.
JUST LISTED:
Stamp fabric- 1 1/2 piece, destash…this is on back-order, but it will be about 2 months to arrive.
Alice fabric- 31″ piece, destash… yardage is available.
Pink angel toile fabric- 2 yard 30″ piece, destash… yardage is available.
Blue toile seashell- 1 1/2 yard piece, destash… yardage is back-ordered.