Linnea's laces

This morning I've been ironing Linnea's freshly-washed laces.

Linnea was my good friend Lynn's aunt. 'Nea (pronounced "Naya"), as she was called,  lived on a farm in New Sweden, Maine, which is in the far northern area of this large state.

She and her husband Evold farmed and lived quite simply in the Anderson family's home. Their home was one of the first homes built in New Sweden when their ancestors immigrated to Maine from Sweden in the late 1800's.

I'm sure Linnea's daily life was full with the chores of farm living. Somehow, though, she found the time to create beautiful laces.

Lynn has been sorting through many of her ancestors' treasures. When she comes across Linnea's needlework, she passes it on to me. Lynn has known me for 45 years, so she knows how much I love and treasure fine needlework.

Linnea was adept, obviously, at tatting (in the top photo), filet crochet, and "regular" crochet.

Many of these pieces of  lace are edgings for pillowcases. Imagine having the time to trim pillow cases with elegant, handmade lace.

This is one of my favorite of 'Nea's laces. A couple of years ago, when I was making a quilt block for a group quilt for one of Lynn's soon-to-arrive grandchildren, I attached a piece of this lace to the block I was designing. That grandchild, now two-year-old Liv, doesn't yet realize her quilt contains lacework from one of her Swedish ancestors. I'll tell her when she's a little older.

I'm not sure what this blue lace was intended for. Maybe for edging several pillow cases, or maybe for curtains.

It's beautiful.

Lynn has also given me a pile of Linnea's needlework booklets. Most have prices of 15¢ on the cover, so that gives you and idea of their age.

I was thrilled to make a special discovery as I thumbed through one of the crochet booklets. It's the pattern for the doily centerpiece currently on my dining room table. I made that doily about 25 years ago, from a photocopy of the pattern given to me by my Aunt Jean in New Brunswick. Aunt Jean and I both loved that pattern. She made over twenty-five of these centerpiece doilies; I made perhaps seven or eight. I've always wished I had an original of that pattern. Now I do.

I'm keeping Linnea's laces stored in a special box so they don't get twisted and neglected. Such lovely laces deserve to be treasured.

April Fool's Day: The Joke's on Us

Before I show you our April Fool's prank, take a look at this tree full of Cedar or Bohemian Waxwings. I tend to think they're Bohemian, but I'm not completely sure.

Ken and Sage stepped outdoors about 5:00 p.m. one day this past week, and Sage immediately looked up into the tall tree near the end of our driveway. It was alive with chattering birds.

The Waxwings had arrived! And we might have missed them if Sage hadn't taken note.

The Waxwings arrive for one day only each spring. At least they arrive as a flock of 50-100 for only one day each spring. They spend the day enjoying the crabapples on our crabapple tree on the front lawn.

Someone in their flock gives the signal, and they swoop in unison to the tree. There they spend only a minute or two enjoying crabapples, then in unison they swoop back into the tall tree nearby. They repeat this well-choreographed performance for hours.

Our crabapple tree is now stripped of last season't crabapples, and the Waxwings are undoubtedly farther north, visiting other berry-laden trees.

And now for our April Fool's prank: more snow.

It started last night and is supposed to continue until this afternoon. Ken said we'd received about 6" of new snow when he went out with the snowblower.

This isn't our first ever April snowstorm, but it's as disappointing as the others in past years. We're ready for spring.