Another Mug Rug and ... Pieced Backing ... Oh dear! -or- Oh! Deer!

The fun part of swaps is that after you've had a blast making and sending a gift to someone, then you get to open a package in the mail and enjoy something too.
Here's the mug rug I just received.  I think it looks great with my red mug.

front side

And here's the back side.  The quilt maker even signed it.  I didn't think to do that.  Maybe next time ....

back side

I'm watching the calendar and working on the Hurricane Sandy quilt when ever I can find some time.  Today, I finished piecing the back and .... just finished quilting it.  Yes, I'm jumping up and down, excited to see it getting finished.  I'll share the quilting another day, once I've trimmed it up so it looks tidy.

So here's the backing for this quilt.  I ended up piecing the back with leftovers from the front and some pink/white grid fabric I've been aging in my closet.  I have mixed feelings about pieced backings.  Sure, they add interest, but if they aren't well behaved, they can be problematic during the quilting process.  Thankfully, this one was very polite and I didn't struggle with it at all.

 
I began working this morning and noticed something, some movement off in the distance.  There were 5 graceful deer, bouncing in the open field close to the tree line.  They all waved those white tails side to side as they hopped away.  Something must have startled them since they were escaping danger so quickly.  But then, a little later, three of them came back out for a snack.

This time, they stayed for awhile, so I could grab the camera.

On Thursday night, we kept hearing a horrible sound outside, maybe an injured animal.  I turned on the exterior lights to see if I could find what was making the noise.  To my surprise, I saw a huge wingspan flash by.  Then later, I saw something climbing up the back windshield of my teen's car.  I called everyone to come look and tried to catch a little video.  It was a huge owl.  (Probably just a "normal" size, but it looked huge to me.)  He/She stood proudly on the roof of the car for a long time before flying off.  The light was just too dim to capture a photo.  Later that same night, we heard two more owls making a more traditional hooting sound.  One had a higher pitch than the other and they seemed to be conversing back and forth.

What fun!  I love enjoying nature from my quilting studio.  Would you laugh at me if I bundle up tonight and go walking through the field to see what I can find?  It's ok, I'll do it anyway.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars