Well, I did manage to make a little progress on Ladybugs and BumbleBees
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center flower is done, the other short one to the right is started andthe long stem is started.
Read and finished Borrower of the Night (Elizabeth Peters).
Moved two plants and watered them in repeatedly. (About to run out and move some tansy to a place I can let it wander) Only other garden related news is that when asked to dig out sand cherry, DH heard "kill sand cherry by looping off the roots". So, that is partially dug out and may live despite radical surgery. Plan for this week is to finish the "new hole" and work on the move myself.
Otherwise, it was a massive clean out weekend. I have a box of books started that Gillian will pick up the end of the summer, if I don't decide to mail them to Lucille just to get them OUT OF THE HOUSE. DS's room now looks like it belongs to a young man, not an 11 year old. DD's room is a MESS, but we found the bottom of her closet!! HURRAH. I've collected a mess of magazines to be recycled (no craft magazine was harmed in this process). And for the first time ever, the trash barrel supplied by the town will be full with out me tossing old pieces of carpeting or vinyl flooring.
Oh well, going to move those tansy and water them and then fold laundry. Then a latest-ish breakfast, a shower and errands. Up to 4 already (library, returns at TJ Maxx, Target or Walmart for cheaper toiletries for the kids - I can get their preferred brand cheaper than the grocery store - and the grocery stores.... And then more clear out until lacrosse.
Lovely. I did manage to do 100 stitches (a 10x10 block) on "Fractal
53." At this rate I might finished it next year.
Finished the new Alexander McCall Smith and started "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie." Hard to put down.
No more planting for me and after the 2+ inches of rain yesterday afternoon and evening no watering in the near future.
snip...the rest of Cheryl's doings over the weekend and plans for today.
After "working" on the holiday (laundry, ironing, yes I still iron) and making a relish tray and cutting up fruit for an "indoor" picnic at a friend's house, I'm taking today off. Well, unless the thunderstorms and rain really let up, then it's off to the church to donate an old computer monitor for them to use in VBS.
I may get a few more stitching done and will read more of that wonderful book.
Ah, sounds good. I did actually read a very light, $1 bargain mystery "Shrouds of Holly" by Kate Kingsbury. That was during the "I can't sleep at all" night between 2 & 4:30 am.
Yesterday we watched "Taking Chance" - a movie with Kevin Bacon. Fabulous essentially true story about a Marine LTC doing the escort duty for a fallen soldier, being returned to his Montana home for burial. Very apt for Memorial Day. We also watched a PBS feature on Medal of Honor winners - including the only female recipient, a civil war doctor, who had her medal taken back after some changes in the medal criteria - but she refused to give it back, & then it was returned when the "recinding" was recinded.
Good for you. I'm recuperating! Tomorrow - more morning planting and finally getting the stuff into the pots. We think, ahem, that with it getting dark late, and if DH goes in earlier, we could get the current yard update finished by the end of next weekend. It's a plan. I'm hoping to make a trip to the nursery we love in Purcellville (about 25 mi) to get some hanging baskets for the porch. Last couple of years we bought gorgeous stuff there, huge, beautiful and for really good prices. Plus, DH loves to wander around checking out the chickens roaming! We've gotten a couple of trees there, but they won't come here to deliver because the traffic is bad getting thru the town of Leesburg. But, our Macoun Apple tree ( a twig 3 years ago) has over a dozen apples, and the dwarf, weeping Peach has a couple of dozen little peaches. It's not supposed to fruit - hah - but did a few last year. I think they're okay for doing jam, not really for plain eating. And of all things - our cherry tree is fruiting, as is our plum - which is also only good for jam. On that note, the serviceberry is hugely full of lush berries - which many birds are enjoying, but I'm going to harvest a bunch today or tomorrow. They're quite tasty, kind of between a blackberry and a blueberry in taste. It did really well post all the snow.
I'm having a hankering to plant some hydrangeas in our wet corner.... And we're on the look-out now for a semi-dwarf, or dwarf type willow tree for the swamp area. Can't be more than a 20' wide type tree. Height not really an issue.
*snipping more of Cheryl's adventures*
I'm looking at doing that clean-out later this summer. This morning was a few hours of vacuuming - at least all the "Puckster" stuff is gone, and the many pairs of shoes went into closets. And the stove got scrubbed (stainless shows almost as much as my prior black glass topped one).
Ah, the builder rep came over today. Yeah - this guy worked for the company which bought our builder, and was very nice, showed appropriate and heartening disgust for what was left incorrect by the primary company. So, discovered that the basement leak is a crack thru the foundation wall panel and they're going to repair that. And will fix the stained sheet rock in the LR ceiling (left after roof leak fixed) and check to make sure the roof is actually okay. Agreed that the tree the HOA is making us take down was part of the "land" trees which was a developer/builder issue and they should replace it. Told me that since we have to take it down, to leave the section with the tag on it - but that may be a problem as that's about 5' high. And....with any luck they will fix the crack in the ceiling of the Mbath, including the crumbled/dangling part over the sheet rock screws. So, yeah - but, we'll see. Right now I'm really happy that they'll fix the LR ceiling and the basement leak.
So, today, still no stitching. But, I did work on stuff for my ANG certification program, and got the stuff to start my EGA master craftsman - so that's all now in page protectors, and I'm getting ready to prep that. More fun, lesson 2 of the Tudor & Stuart Goldwork Masterclass got posted, so I've been looking through that. Reaally nice photos and info on the manufacture of gold threads.
Tonight - off to WW meeting - for the get in shape plan of action. Plus my "personal trainer" from the new Sport & Health which opened today in our 'hood called. We were able to purchase sessions at 1/2 price during the pre-opening - and as members of the HOA we got free membership, with a minimal for the 2nd adult and no joining fee. Most exciting - they have a full spa and indoor pool - so finally - year round water aerobics.
Well - so much for the weekend. Back to drudging and deadlines, and maybe, finally I'll get to stitch something tomorrow during heat of day not working outside time.
Serviceberry, aka juneberry. YUMMMM! Try and pick as many as you can and make a pie. Juneberry pie is one of my favorites!!! Snow isn't going to bother them. They grow wild about 90 miles NW of here.
Not quite sure why, but only one of my tiny (about 2') juneberry bushes has fruit this year, so I'll only get a handful...if I remember to go pick them when they're ripe!. Rabbits, I think, got to one of the others but it should come back.
OTOH my Bali cherry (I think the other name for it is Evans cherry) is
*loaded* with cherries this year! Last year the birds got every stinkin' cherry, so this year I have some hologram strips to hang in it, which is supposed to chase the birds away. Has anyone ever tried those? LMK your experience, if you have, please! If it doesn't look like they're going to work, I'll have to get some netting. This will be the first year I might actually get to taste them. :)
As far as my flower beds go....they're in a saaaaad state. With the rain, new DGD and my dad's problems, I just haven't had time to do any weeding or going to the nursery to use the gift card DS gave to me for Mother's day. I did manage to plant a few sweet pea seeds but need to plant more. I found a short type that I'm hoping will drape over the edge of my raised bed.
Snow issue wasn't the cold, but the infamous storm that landed almost 5' of snow in our back yard. This tree has lots of stalks, and some of them were quite flexed, but seem to be coming back. Thanks for the idea!
Ours was fruiting even the first season - now it's about 8' tall, and at least 6' wide.
Good for you.
We're flowerless at this point! But my perennials are coming in, and the Lady in Red Hydrangea out front looks awesome (and lavender due to the soil). I saw some really nice impatiens this week, and may grab a flat. And am thinking of trying to plant some flower bulbs that were from last year, but seem to be okay... If nothing comes up it was little effort. Who knows.
You have much more fun, joyous stuff to do than plant!
My serviceberry is *full* of berries and the squirrels are going crazy with them. They must be delicious to squirrels!
The &%%$!! squirrels are constantly on the deck, digging in flowerpots. DH found one of his pepper plants uprooted and left stranded on the deck; he replanted it and hopes to save it. We can only blame the squirrels. I planted several moonflower seeds in pots and spread them around the deck, so the vines will grow around/through the sides, but only 2 appear to be coming up because the squirrels have been playing in the pots.
We've not had this trouble to this degree before; I told DH is was because the dearly departed cat is no longer "protecting" (a.k.a. marking) the deck, and therefore we need another cat. He didn't buy it.
Squirrels come onto our deck, and steal green tomatoes. To add insult to injury, they usually leave the "nibbled" one on the railing. I try to keep the birdfeeders full of seed, just to keep them off my plants.
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