I love the summer, to be in the garden and hanging out with the birds and the bees, or in my greenhouse admiring the yummy tomatoes. Well, I guess I love the spring, when I get to see the bees again and knowing there is plenty of pollen for them to multiply. Come to think of it, I like autumn too — when it’s harvest time and time to make new jams.

I never really thought about the winter, until this year.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen snow like this here in the Puget Sound.

We’ve had two big snow storms this past week. Unfortunately, even the smallest amount of snow really impacts the traffic around here since there are few snowplows and salt isn’t used on the roads. So, as a result, we have been snowbound for five days. Our rain chain is frozen, the bees seem to be cozy in their hives, and the bread aisle is empty at the local Safeway.

I was feeling a little melancholy so I decided to paint my next barn quilt. For this one, I combined a honeybee design with my home state flag (Maryland) — Just sayin’ it is a v. cool flag.

Drafting The image

17-degree angles on the black/yellow trim (just like the flag)

Finalizing the edges

Maryland Flag Honeybee Quilt

Honeybee quilt on the barn!

With just a few more touches, this quilt will be complete. It’s now situated on the back of the  barn. In the summer,  when I’m once again playing in the garden, the toil of winter 2019 will make me smile.