turkey feathers

September Splendor

It's September and the garden has reached its glory days!  I'd hoped to post more projects and news this summer, but time seems to have slipped away once again.  I'm not quite ready to hang up my sunhat and gardening gloves just yet though, but now that fall is on my heels it won't be long before those forgotten stitching projects will find their way back on my lap.  I still need to finish the She-Shed, and also my Little Animals Mini Quilt and then I plan to get started on some holiday stitching.  Plus a dozen other things.  My list is long!  Busy hands, happy heart.    

August Awe

So much is going on in the backyard garden!  Everything is in bloom and there are ripe tomatoes, zucchini and green beans on the vine; bird nests are empty and the honeybees have returned.  I'm loving this solar-powered water fountain.  It has changeable nozzles, but the spray fluctuates with the amount of sun it gets, so it may be a gentle bubbling or a stream shooting up!  Surprisingly, the birds find it fascinating.  I love watching them dance and dip and flutter about.  (The straws help keep the fountain from drifting and spraying water over the edge.)  

We have been so busy.  Earlier in the summer Ginger and I started two garden projects; a raised rock pond and the remodeling of the girls pink playhouse into a garden-themed She Shed.  Good Lord, both were a lot of work.  For our first experimental "pond" there was a fair amount of digging out hardpan clay, hauling heavy landscaping blocks and later the river rocks by wheelbarrow and wagon.  Next to it, I also planted more lavender in two rows and created a stepping stone path down the middle. 

We set up the wildlife camera to observe visitors.  Of course, our deer friends showed up immediately.  They seemed surprised by this new addition and kept circling back to gawk.  

The solar-fountain attracted a lot of attention here too.

What's this?  Something new . . .

Eventually, the leader of the pack hopped in!  The camera also caught a fox, a dove, a lizard and a snake on the wall above it.

As for the "SHE SHED" there was lots of spackling and painting inside from floor to ceiling.  We're still working on it.  I'll try and show some before and after photos one of these days.  Had to take a break when the weather got warm and my helper Ginger, fell off a horse that got spooked by a crow and she bruised her shoulder.  She's been riding for years without incident; it just took her by surprise as accidents tend to do.  So we haven't made much progress on the shed.

A much more pleasant surprise though was the arrival of "Victor".  Here he is just a day old.  What an adorable handsome little guy!

So that's a little bit of our summer in a nutshell. Hope everyone is having a marvelous happy summer!  I'll be back later . . .  

Walk on the Wildside

Earlier in the month, along backroads bordered by wildflowers, the Mister and I took a day trip to a neighboring town and stopped at Dancing Oaks Nursery on the way.  It's been a few years since we last visited this amazing place, famous for it's curated collection of unusual trees, shrubs and flowers gathered from all over the planet, as well as more common species showcased in mass plantings along pathways and in separate garden areas and took our sweet time meandering through.  The weather was perfect, warm but with a slightly overcast sky, nice for outdoor photography--which I took full advantage of at every turn in the path.  Even so, it is difficult to capture the full scope of this vast landscape.  This wondrous paradise with its unexpected surprises tucked in here and there.  No matter how many times I visit, I see something new and am inspired.  

Happy Indie Day

Yesterday, just for kicks, we took a ride on the Santa Maria Steam Train.   We sat in the big open car behind the engine with most of the other passengers--my ears are still ringing from the deafening blasts of the whistle.  Babies and small children quickly retreated to the inside cars after the first one!  I admit, it was a bit jarring.  Those whistle blasts can be heard for miles.  The train took us north, just past Cheadle Lake and through open fields bordered with woodlands on one side.  It was a lovely morning excursion under an overcast sky, just clickety-clacking along the old tracks, hair whipping in the wind.  A fun experience. 

Back at the home front, we've been watching LIV Golf and loving it.  It's a new dynamic golf sport (and apparently controversial by PGA standards), with a team concept that had its debut last month in London.  The teams gathered in Portland, Oregon this weekend at Pumpkin Ridge golf course for a 3-day competition that ended yesterday.  It's really great to see folks getting out and participating in all sorts of activities again. 

And speaking of that, it's time to get started on our July 4th BBQ.  

But first, I want to share my delicious VEGAN potato salad dressing recipe.  After trying a bunch of different dressings (made without dairy or eggs) I  discovered Tahini Garlic Sauce works great!  It doesn't soak into the potatoes like other substitutions tend to do.  Tahini  has about the same caloric count as mayo, so it's not necessarily low-fat, but it's delicious and creamy.  I mix in prepared mustard, onion powder, celery salt, garlic powder and about a tablespoon of dill pickle juice (vinegar) from the jar.  A few dollops is all you need, just enough to coat the potatoes.  You can also make your own tahini sauce, there are a number of recipes online--but this is the brand I buy from the store. 

Enjoy! 

Making the most of Summer

Summer has arrived right on schedule here in the PNW.  It was like flipping a switch from cloudy and cool to hot and humid--on summer solstice.  I've got multiple fans whirling with AC on standby.  I'm like a delicate little flower that is not heat tolerant.  Never have been really, even though I spent half my adult life in Southern California, in the sun, on the beach, beside the pool, braising.  Eventually I figured out that if you burn, blister and peel, you are essentially cooking yourself and gave up trying to achieve a "sun-kissed healthy glow".  I must confess, my bronze glow comes out of a lovely posh tube now. 

I've been out enjoying the garden again, watching the flowers come alive and take possession of their small patches of earth.  We have an adorable newcomer in the garden (photo above) called: Cupid's Kiss.  Isn't that sweet?  So far, it's living up to it's name, I love it.  I can't remember exactly when I planted this dainty climbing rose.  Maybe last year in the fall?  It was rather slow to start, but really shot up the trellis this month.  I'm quite thrilled with it. 

The Peonies also put on a show.   These were gathered by the armloads and put into vases for almost every room in the house.  I love how they look bunched together in these short, round glass vases.  Like big fluffy balls.

Earlier this month; baked by request, Triple Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes--for Father's Day.  June is such a busy time for us.  We also celebrated a birthday, an anniversary and two graduating granddaughters. (Yay!)  Then, before I could catch my breath . . .

. . . . it was strawberry season, and that means . . .

 . . . JAM of course!  I had two experienced daughter-helpers and we got this done pretty fast.  12 jars on the pantry shelves.  Check another item off the MUST-DO list.

That list of mine is always in flux it seems.  Tasks get added on short notice.  Like discovering this morning that the garden parsley is three feet tall and going to seed and there are peas that need picking before the heat wave hits tomorrow.  Just lots of silly little things like that can really keep me busy.  Yes, indeed, summer has arrived.  

Playing Hopscotch

Well, that was a long twelve days with the PatternBee website down!  It's been the biggest major update to the website in seven years, so there were several areas that needed attention.  But the update is done and all is well (yay!) and I even managed to add two new Alice Brooks patterns, that I received a few weeks ago from a fellow stitcher, who wanted to share them with everyone...so enjoy! 

In the meantime, between days of wet and dry weather, having me running indoors and out, with various projects starting and stalling because of it, I did manage to sew myself a knee-length garden smock (in progress above) and an ankle-length peasant dress with gathered tiers (left), for summer lounging.  I've made a few of these long dresses over the years and LOVE them.  They float around you like a cloud--so perfect on hot summer days. But all those tiers of gathered fabric require a massive amount of yardage and are frankly a pain to stitch, even with a gathering foot, so I don't make them often and will wear them to rags until I make another.  And it was time for a new one.  

My favorite fabric for these peasant dresses is 100% cotton percale cut from a flat bedsheet.  If Maria Von Trapp can stitch up a wardrobe for seven children out of a curtain, then using a sheet to make a summer dress makes perfect sense to me!  If the sheet is gently used and softened by numerous washings all the better.  Vintage sheets work well too so I keep an eye out for them in the thrift shops with this type of sewing project in mind.  I don't have a commercial pattern for these  dresses but they are simple to make using a basic peasant top pattern with the addition of two gathered tiers.  For the drop-waist style (right), I take a measurement from the bottom of the top portion to the floor and divide that number in half to get the approximate length of each tier; strips are cut double the width of the blouse for the front and back.  Repeat for the bottom tier, using the bottom of the middle tier as the guide.  Easy!  

I also made some progress on the Little Animals Quilt!

Garden Daze

We have yellow roses!  

Yellow roses galore.

Lots of pretty roses, just steps from the garden shed door.

I still can't believe it.  And they smell SO wonderful.  Can you tell how tickled I am with these?  If you've been reading my blog for awhile you may remember the problem I had with wandering deer grazing through my yard and munching rosebuds, and having to be so vigilant with deer repellant spray (story and recipe here).  Then we fenced the property--and it's been a triumph to have roses again.  To watch them come into bloom without work or worry.    

They grew fast.  We only planted them last fall--after the Mister brought home a couple of pots that the local nursery was giving away at the end of the season.  They were basically sticks, so we only knew from the tags that they were yellow climbers.  Having no available place to plant them, Ginger and I built a bed behind some picket fencing that borders the herb garden with concrete stones  that we found around the yard.  I've been watching the vines weave their way up the pickets, watching from the kitchen window, waiting for the show.  

Down at this end, the perennial herbs are popping up.  The comfrey is enormous again and fell over after the last rain.  Time to chop it up and throw it in a barrel of water--which will make a foul-smelling fermented "tea".  Why?  Because it makes the BEST natural fertilizer and will help seedlings grow fast.  And it's FREE from Mother Nature.  

Summer has arrived!  

 

 

Fresh Picked

My Flower Doll Garden has blossomed!  So happy with these pretty little maids.  I'll be adding more to the shop in the following days.  The more the merrier; like a cottage garden blooming with an eclectic mix of colorful flowers dancing along the paths.   I hope they bring smiles.     

Stepping Softly Into Spring

 

February and March may have been warmer.  I'm waiting for a sprinkle of sunshine.  I'm not sure how much longer my cilantro can last without it.  Or how much longer I can last without my cilantro.  Any fresh greens for that matter.  Oh how I've missed them.  Little pots of seed-starts have been planted, some moved to the greenhouse already with fingers crossed.  Because just when everyone agrees that it's safe to put them outside in the ground, there's a frost warning.  So they get hustled back in.  The weather forecast is all over the map lately. 

Some seedlings are sharing the metal rack in the kitchen with new houseplants and they are all living happily together.  I'm particularly fond of this pairing of colors and containers in my retro red and yellow kitchen. 

A bit of fertilizer woke up my wandering wire vine.  I love this crazy wild thing so much.  If spring won't come outside, we'll have it indoors at least for a little while.

And then there was Mother's Day last Sunday (also my youngest granddaughter's birthday this year), and more flowers and hanging baskets arrived to brighten up the place.

The snowball bush caught my eye while I was out on the porch with the camera.  It's blooming nicely too.  Those fluffy round pom-poms are a marvel and a wonder.  No smell, no thorns, but hardy as can be.  I almost wish we had not planted it here, it's become very woody and tree-like with thick trunks.  A brute to trim back.  In a few months it will be ten feet tall and a force to be reckoned with. 

Back inside, we have some progress on the Little Animal Quilt.  Yay!  Now just have to piece it together.  The pattern for it is HERE.  As soon as I finish this project, I'm going to clear off my worktable and pull out some favorite old patterns for summer tops and long, loose dresses for lounging around the house.  Fun fabric shopping is next!

Miniature Easter Baskets

A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket. . . a pink one too, and also a blue!  The peeps are happy and I am too.

The little kid in me wanted an old-fashioned style Easter basket for the miniature chocolate bunnies I got from the Dainty House and these are what I came up with.  They required very few materials.  I used thin strips of colored cardstock and a one-inch circular wood base.  Because of their very small size they were a bit on the fiddly side.  I had glue everywhere even though I was applying it sparingly from the end of a toothpick.  

For the first basket, I glued thin strips of paper around a wire handle.  For the others, I glued the wire inside two strips of paper.  Much easier!  And it created just the look I was going for.  Peep peep!

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and Joyous Spring!