I love you, honey.

I often see “Wordless Wednesday” on blogs, and think I should try it.  Do you think I could be wordless?  Nooo.  Maybe a Reduced-Word Wednesday.  Love this kind of weird picture of a hummer, half illuminated by the late afternoon sun and half silhouetted against the out-of-focus crab apples and leaves.  And as a puzzle (click on puzzle to begin):

–Sue

PS: I’m going back to the MN State Fair tomorrow, rain or shine. Will take pix. And eat fair food!

Aunt Bert came visiting from Huntsville, AL, last week, and we had a wonderful time (yes, she’s a young aunt — my dad’s baby sister…I love saying that!).  It was while we were sitting at the kitchen table that we noticed the hummers were back in town.

We did some sewing. We did some shopping.  We did some dining out.  We took my bees quilt to the fair.  We went to DayStitchers and visited with the ladies.  We played cards (Hand & Foot).   We really enjoyed our time together.

But she exposed me to something so desirable, I just had to have it, no matter the cost.  In fact, I NEEDED it.  I CRAVED it.

So I ordered it.  An iPod Touch.

Honestly, I had no idea what these things could do.  I thought they were just for music, and I didn’t realize you could get these features in a hand-held device without paying a monthly fee.

Bert could check her e-mail (we have wi-fi in the house), you can store tons of photos (two uses that would be great for travel), and of course you can download games, music and movies.  I understand there are lots of apps for the iPods as well.  You can keep your calendar in it.

As an aside, this will be a great complement to my no-frills pay-as-you-go phone ($20 from Target).  I use T-Mobile’s pay-as-you-go plan.  You buy the phone and purchase minutes as you need them.  For $100, I get 1,000 minutes, and they last me about nine months. (The $100 cards are good for 1,000 minutes or one year, whichever comes first.)  I’m a big fan of this plan.  I have it, DH has it, and I got it for my mom as well.  Check their coverage in your area, though, if you’re interested.  A different carrier might be best for your area.

Can’t wait to get my new toy absolutely essential, non-frivolous appliance (sometimes I forget hubby reads my blog)!

–Sue

Have you ever gone to Google Images and typed in your web address or blog name?  They are out there “harvesting” our photos.  They do say the photo MAY be subject to copyright but, nonetheless, there they are.  When I typed in Featherstone Quiltworks, I got 450 photos.  My photos.

This isn’t new to me.  I’ve noticed it for some time.  That’s why, on my favorite nature photos, I add a watermark of “(c) www.suehecker.com” across the photo.  It’s really too bad, because I feel it spoils the photo for my blog readers, and I know I probably have as many reading for the birds as for the quilts.

THE CHANGE: I’m posting my photos, even my favorites, without a watermark.  Then after three or four days, I will swap out the “clean” photo for a watermarked photo.  As in the example above, I’m not that concerned that the whole watermark is readable, as the photo does link back to my blog.  I just want something across the face of it.

This will affect you if you’re someone who stops by once a week to catch up on what’s new.  If it’s important to you to see the clean photos, you might want to sign up for Google Reader or whatever notification service works for you.  With my new “theme”, I have the orange FEED button in the upper right.  Click on the orange FEED button and that will help you sign up for notification of new content on this blog.

I use Google Reader and I love it.  I am notified when there’s new content on the 45 or so blogs that I follow.  (Compared to Vicki W, that’s a pretty small number!!!)  Let me know if you need help or have questions, either through a comment or the Contact Me button at the top of the page.  I’m not an expert, but I’ll do the best I can.

–Sue

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are so amazing.  Some statistics (from Wikipedia):

1. They weigh about 3 grams = .106 oz (a little over 1/10th of an ounce)
2. They are about 3″ long
3. The males are slightly smaller than the females, and have a shorter beak
4. They spend most of the winter in southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies
5. In the fall, they become very territorial, defending their food supply.  They must add weight to their little bodies to have enough stored energy for the 500-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico.
6. Average lifespan is 3-5 years
7. They have 940 or more feathers on average, more than any other bird (based on unit of feathers per body weight)
8. The throat area is not actually red.  The area is dark, but the feathers are faceted in a way that they appear dazzling red when light hits it at the right angle.

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And a good look at their amazing iridescence:

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We’ve noticed them spending a lot of time “resting” in the branches of the crab apple tree.

I think they’re really defending the feeders.  Either way, they’re doing whatever they can to eat a lot of calories and resting to conserve energy to prepare their bodies for their long migration south.

–Sue

We set attendance records for opening day:  119,145.  Now, considering weekends will likely go over 200,000 per day, I shouldn’t be complaining, but that’s still a lot of people!

I went with my friend Margaret (after dropping my Aunt Bert off at the airport who was bummed that she was leaving Mpls on the first day of the fair).  Bert and I had a wonderful week, did some sewing, a little lunch, a visit to a quilt shop, played a lot of cards.

Margaret with her ribbons (that’s her hockey-playing grandson, plus an original needlepoint tea cozy made to match a special teapot):

My three little wall quilts and my quilt on a stick were passed over, although I know the judges really WANTED to give them all ribbons!  My bees came through for me though; I entered them in the Bee & Honey division, so they’re in the Ag-Hort building.

I’m going back next week and will take lots more pictures; this was a quick trip to see how the “important” quilts did — Margaret’s and mine!

This hexagon quilt was a personal favorite of mine so far (I’ll note the quilter’s/artist’s name next trip).  Besides being beautiful, I find it very restful and calming, something we can all use more of!

A number of my other friends won ribbons as well, and I will post about them later in the week.  Also, I’m feeling a repeat of “What Did Sue Eat at the Fair” coming on.  I saw so many yummy things Thursday, but Margaret and I were pretty sensible, having Walking Tacos and Iced Lattes.  Capital letters…that’s how good they were!

–Sue

First, a blink — or maybe it’s a wink — from what I think is a juvenile male:

A silhouette as a hummer flies through the crab apples.  Doesn’t he look like a bomber, dropping apples?

This male is giving me the raspberry.  I love it when I catch their tongue out.

Maybe I’ll just keep the blinds closed today.

–Sue

Shortly thereafter, this male showed up.  He’s my favorite!  He sat up straight and posed for me!  Check out those delicate little feathers around his legs:

His throat only appears red if the sunlight hits those throat feathers directly.  This is a crummy picture, but you get a better look at the red:

There was a bee bothering him, and he reared back a bit and put his wings into gear:

It’s a good day if I can spend some time watching and photographing the hummers.  And today will be equally fun — I’ll be at the Minnesota State Fair!  Gotta go and put on my sensible walking shoes and grab my camera.

–Sue

The Minnesota State Fair starts tomorrow.  I have three little wall hangings in the Creative Activities Building (my beach skinny quilt, my hand-appliqued flowers, and a paper-pieced mariner’s compass – ribbon from Dakota County Fair), my bee quilt is in the Ag-Hort Building in the Bee & Honey area, and I finished my quilt on  a stick in time (the theme is mosquitoes):

I also ventured out to the wildflowers in back and caught a new (to me) dragonfly in pixels (can’t say I captured it on film any more!)

It was late in the afternoon, and I love the golden light that sweeps through the flowers and, well, I guess they’re weeds:

Including tons of goldenrod.

I always thought goldenrod was a big-time allergen, responsible for a lot of hay fever problems.  Turns out, it isn’t.  Rag weed is the big offender.  Goldenrod is pollinated by insects, and rag weed is pollinated by the wind.  How nice, I don’t have to hate the goldenrod any more!

My Aunt Bert from Alabama has been visiting, and we’ve had a wonderful time.  We’ve done some sewing, card playing, visited my mother, ran some errands, lunched, and I’ve really enjoyed her company…and I’m not just saying that because she’ll be reading this blog later this morning on her iPod!  It’s been a lovely week.

–Sue

Okay, since Carol asked for it, here’s a photo of the back of the Quilt on a Stick (8 x 9 inches, on a paint stick)…if you can’t wow them with fabulousness, tickle them with humor…

I did the drawing this morning by www.random.org.  I set the parameters to 1 through 66 (inclusive), choosing three numbers lottery style (where numbers wouldn’t be repeated).  (And a side note:  the three numbers came up in numerical order.  I double and triple checked, and it is a coincidence that our winners are in ascending order.)

And, the winners are…

13, 22, and 62!!!  Oh, I guess you probably want names.  The winners (who have already been notified by e-mail) are…

First Prize:  #13, Freda Henderson — wins the template sets and a rotary cutter

Second Prize:  #22, Lori in SD — wins the Minnesota Moda charm pack

Third Prize:  #62, thepricklypinecone — wins the 8 x 10 Monarch Butterfly print

Congratulations to the winners!  And if you were one of the first 30 to comment, you win a shop-hop charm!  Please take a moment to click on the “contact me” button at the top of the page and send me your name and mailing address.  If I haven’t heard from you by Thursday, I will send individual e-mails.

Thank you, everyone!

–Sue