Monthly Archives: June 2017
These are the tomatoes. As you can see, they have become wild. Plants are growing so fast, one can almost see it happening.
Lemons and skips
Yes, we have lemons – that is 4 lemons the size of cherry tomatoes. It’s time study up and see what went wrong. The little tree is now full of fresh blossoms and seems to be very happy out in the hoop house this summer.
I continue to have new experiences and usually just when I think I have learned this machine. This is a scene put down with heat and bond. The quilting machine didn’t seem very happy about that. See those skips. I continued on and then took it to the sewing machine, which also refused to sew on it. I washed it and then I was able to stitch it on the sewing machine. I have quilted through this before without any issues. Does anyone have any ideas what was happening?
I did finally finish this “cabin in the woods” hanging and it’s okay, but I wish the quilting would have gone better. This was a test quilt for the on-line Quilt Magazine. I think it was featured in the October 2016 issue. It was in line to be quilted last fall when it decided to vanish. I found it after Christmas sitting between two stacks of drawers. It finished at 34″ square.
Baby maples trees, the dentist
These baby maple trees are from last fall’s “helicopters” that the big maple scatters. If I don’t get them pulled now, by next year, they will have such a root system, I won’t be able to pull most of them out. It takes about an hour an a half to pull one section of these. I have mentally divided the blueberry and grape area into 8 sections. Yesterday I pulled one section, today I pulled another. If I get out there in the morning the weather is perfect for crawling all over this mulch and pulling them out. Hopefully after my gym lesson tomorrow, I can get another section done. It will look and feel good to get this area cleaned up.
Today I followed this act by going to the dentist who is an hour away. By the time I got there, they had already had two emergencies so he was running l a t e. The total trip was 4.5 hours. I am now happily done with the dentist until next time the teeth have to be cleaned. But I was too tired to get anything done when I came home. I was very happy to have already cooked the rice and beans for dinner.
After dinner we have been relaxing while watching Vegan chef Mark Anthony make some quick and interesting meals on his YouTube channel. It’s always fun to watch someone else do the work.
Linking up to One Monthly goal
I finished the Winter Woodland Magpies by Silver Linings Originals. So I’m linking up with Elm Streets One Monthly Goal. I don’t feel that I’m improving on this paper piecing technique. How many pieces does it take to get it learned? As you can plainly see, the top piece turned out better than the bottom one. I shall persevere and who knows, I may learn this. However, with this wonderful weather, I’m spending most of the day picking food and weeding.
Another broken weather record
This is an interesting year. We had a record rainfall this spring and now another broken weather record with today’s heat. It reached 96 which beat the 86 record 11 years ago. Many in this area don’t have air conditioning because it would only get used maybe 5 days a year. For us, that isn’t worth the expense. Beside which if you have a daylight basement which is common in this area, it is cooler there. My studio is on the lower level, so I spent some time there today, and actually had to come up to the main floor to warm up.
Between the rain this spring and the early and higher temps, the gardens and weeds are not on a predictable cycle. In fact, this is the most out of control weed season we have had. Some of us have had trouble with a few seeds not germinating and/or growing as we are used to them doing. Nature likes to keep us guessing. Yesterday, we did pick our first tomatoes from the hoop house. They were a smaller variety, but oh, how good the vine ripened tomatoes are.
For lunch today we had a red, white, and blue potato salad. The blue are potatoes from the garden this spring. Red peppers were in the freezer from last years harvest and the white was tofu. It was good and there will be enough for another meal.
We do enjoy sitting in the pasture with the dogs and sheep. At least when we aren’t trying to keep everything watered. It’s a lost cause with the weeds.
Gym, dogs, groceries and heat
I was off to the gym this morning and when I returned, it was to a mind exercise. I had to trick the dogs into going into the upper pasture that is now secure so they would be with the sheep. They’d so much rather be close to the house. So I felt that I had exercised both the body and the brain.
Then it was time to read email and download the grocery freebie. Our grocery store offers a free item every Friday. It can only be downloaded on Friday. Often it is something we don’t use, so I pick it up and it is always welcome in the food collection basket at the church. Some of the items are things the grandchildren will enjoy – like the gummy bears.
By then it was lunchtime. So that accomplished, I went to the grocery store and bought some petunias for the front yard as well as the few groceries. Petunias always look so happy. I will try to get them planted Monday, because it is forecast to be in the 90s for Saturday and Sunday. So I’ll leave them in the shade until I plant them.
Does heat encourage you to take a siesta? We did and then it was time to feed animals again. I am not complaining about the heat, but I do go just a bit slower. The weather is certainly not typical as June is often a very rainy month. These are August type days. So I just keep watering and try to keep up with the most important things and my sewing/quilting has to take a back seat, just as the plants did during the winter.
Grandson’s visit
The grandson’s visit was a treat. The weather was perfect, with the sun shining, and for a bit we sat on the deck and visited with our daughter while they went into the pasture to visit with the pond, the geese and the new ducklings. (tragically, there are now only three). Then I took them (they are nearly 12 and 13+). up to the barn so they could help catch sheep and read number tags. They had a lot of fun doing that. Of course whenever we have to catch sheep, it is a circus which the boys enjoyed. The Cormos don’t mind, but the Shetlands do not want to be caught.
The tomatoes took some time, because they haven’t had all the attention they needed, but they now are standing straight without suckers. The cucumbers are trying to take more space than I have allowed them, so they need at least every other day attention. The rest of the plants in the hoop house are doing what they are supposed to do, except for the beans which need to be replanted. I’m not sure why they didn’t want to grow.
Later today, the fence was electrified and the dogs tested it. No, they didn’t get shocked as they are smarter than that, but they pushed over a weak fence post. It is now repaired and time will tell how long it will take them to figure out a new way to go visit neighbors.
The garden is watered and has the added attraction of slug bait, since the slugs have eaten all the squash and pumpkin plants. Sometimes It is difficult to keep up with everything that needs doing.
Summer solstice
Summer Solstice! My life seems to run in cycles – crazy fast and hectic at times. At other times, like now, it is a bit more restful. Today, I attended a class on beekeeping. Yesterday, I spent time relaxing outside. It’s too nice to be in the studio, and it seems summer doesn’t last very long. By mid July, it will be time to start the winter vegetable seeds. The watering season may be about to start although it is still a bit early for that.
Tranquility, ducks, and hoophouse
The pond is drying up, but I still love being on the deck taking all this in. The last two days, this scene has been a place of tranquility for me. The temperatures have been good, with just the slightest bit of breeze as I sat on the deck and took this in. It is so peaceful in a world that isn’t.
Mother duck did a great setting job and today she was off the nest just long enough to show me these 5 cuties.
And then it was time to pick a few strawberries for DH.
I got a bit carried away planting lettuce this spring. It’s the first time I actually planted enough and then I planted too much.
And once again, there is a tomato jungle. I only put in 12 plants and then the volunteers started coming up like crazy. I have a difficult time throwing them out, and the next thing I know is there a jungle in there.
Here is some Swiss chard, celery, and walking onions.
In the front are watermelons, then individual sized cantaloupe. Further back, are the zucchinis. On the other side of this row we will be planting winter broccoli and cauliflower and cabbage. Across the back are currently some potatoes, that will be coming out soon to make way for the beets and carrots.
Sunbonnet Sue #1 is quilted
Sunbonnet Sue #1 is quilted and ready for binding.
