Woolythyme

weekending.....

 

:: waited most of the weekend for the predicted rain to hit, but a couple of quick little sprinkles was all we ever got.  It should have been a total gardening weekend, but an encounter with an anthill and the early arrival of flying, biting somethings limited it to sporatic, harried planting.  The meyer lemon is potted, a couple blackberry bushes were thrown in the alley flower bed, and some zinnias that threatened to die if not attended to are in the ground.  I took a little hand trowel to the weeds between the rows of onions and called that weeding.  There is still a cotton plant and climbing rudbeckia (bought why???)....waiting on the patio.   

:: the annual art and music festival was this weekend.....our church sold barbeque (to help support the LWW mission trip to Kenya this summer), listened to a lot of great music (the barbeque booth was across from the main stage music venue--- and we sold for 5 hours!), and shopped!  Yarn bowl!!!  You can tell the yarn bowl was made by a knitter. (The pretty indie dyed yarn with partially knit lovelies setting around in the bowls was sort of a give-away, too!)   It  easily accommodates a 400+ yard ball of fingering wt yarn, with room to plop a pencil and a few markers.  

:: delicious dinner club dinner

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:: Kenya team meeting.....asante sana!

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making brownies....

While the chocolate and butter were melting, I looked out the kitchen window and saw....

 

 

 

baby towhees!!  Hi, babies!!!  Out for a flying lesson?  Having a little rest?

 

Oh, yes.  You are very cute.

 

I have no idea what's taking him so long, either.

 

It's about time, Daddy.  Your babes are HUNGRY!!!

 

Before I could get out the flour and sugar....

 

Somebody got the lid off the birdfeeder.  And flung is somewhere.  It's lost in the ivy.

 

Happy, now?

 

and just as I was getting out the measuring cups....

 

 

Some days, it's really hard to make a batch of brownies.

 

 

Eastern Towhee  (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

common (yet creative, determined, and always famished) grey squirrel

female ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Mayfair.....

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The plant sale was a huge success.  Lots of people.  Lots of sales.  No fights.  And as far as I know, the only blood drawn was when I hooked my thumb on a staple.  (The shawl was no where in the vacinity---so no damage done.)

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The gardens were breathtakingly beautiful.  They are the kind of gardens that would look stunning on an overcast/rainy/yucky day----but on the prettiest day we've had (so far) this spring, you felt you were in a fairyland.  Everything was PERFECT.  (I'm ready to bulldoze my whole yard.)

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We all gather at the luncheon site at the end of the day...for leftovers (that never tasted better!!)

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As we were tearing down tables and putting up chairs, I heard someone quip.....well, that was fun.  Let's do it again in two years.  

It WAS fun.  And we will!

Mayfair ready.....

 

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Every two years, on the second Tuesday in May (weather permitting, and luckily it's always 'permitting') my garden club holds its Mayfair.....a gardener's delight:  plant sale, home tours, and luncheon---all conducted by the 40 members of the club.  With the exception of the year our gardens were on tour, I've been lucky enough to always be part of the plant sale.  (There is actually no luck involved here....I'm such a klutz, there is NO way I'd be asked to serve food!)  

 

So today was get-ready day....moving and receiving and pricing plants for the sale (all are either grown by members by propagation or dug from members' gardens---each and every one is a tried and true---and carefully labeled-- beauty.)  And they are priced to sell. 

 

People drive great distances....when the 'doors' open there is a mini-stampede....and within minutes tables start to empty.  (yes, our version of Filene's Basement annual sale)  By the end of the sale (a mere 2 1/2 hours), two years worth of work is happily moved to new homes, and the club has seed money for another community project.  This year's proceeds will help finance the planting of 100 trees in honor of not only our club's 100th birthday, but the 100 year celebration of the Garden Club of America with which we are affiliated.  

 

there are herbs...

 

tablescape designs

 

perenniels...

 

topiaries....

 

and scented geraniums!!

 

(a little disclaimer....my friend and I did NOT grow these gorgeous things:  but we did place them on the table.  good job, right?   Everyone in town knows who grows scented geraniums...the lady in the orange sweater in the above photo.  Some day I'd love to be known as the lady who grows something special and beautiful...instead of the crazy lady who never leaves home without her knitting!)

 

a first....

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first peony of the season!

weekending.....

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

FO Friday.....

 

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The Sherpa Hat.  By Linda from Naturalsuburbia (mamma4earth on rav).  This was a test knit (my first!!), and I thought it would be rather appropriate to show it here...since Linda does the Creative Friday link I'm linked to today.

 

Such a cute pattern!  Knit with aran wt yarn, it knit up quickly and the pattern is subtle enough to be attractive to both men and women.  The Candyman (age 9) was visiting when I finished it---and he promptly plopped it on his head and declared it r-e-a-l-l-y soft (that's the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran), warm, and a perfect fit.  I think he might have been hinting that he wanted to take it home with him---until I pointed out that it was PINK! (and I didn't know any men's sports teams that heralded that color.)  

 

He settled for playing photographer and took the above pictures.  (and about 30 others-- of his feet, my earring, the sky, some weeds, the porch railing, an ant.......etc etc etc)

 

Joining with Linda at Natural Suburbia for Creative Friday!  (Great pattern, Linda!  Thanks for letting me be a tester!)

Party animals!!....

How do you celebrate an 8 year old boy's birthday???  Let me count the ways....

 

1.  Emperor Scorpion

 

 

(under a black light....they glow in the dark!  awesome!!)

 

 

 

2.  White-nosed coatinundi

 

She was getting grapes out of the shirt pocket.  I think she (Jessie) is actually a coati....a coatinundi is the male of the species.  (I learned this tonight.  I was paying attention.)

 

 

 

3.  Brazilian rainbow boa

 

 

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Jay-bob got to hold the potential poopy end.

 

4.  Argentine black and white tegu  (my favorite!)

 

He's just a tad overweight.  Ahhhh, the touring life!

 

Isn't he the cutest?  (the tegu was pretty cute, too!)

 

5. Madagascar hissing cockroach

 

 

6.  Paraguayan screaming hairy armadillo

 

Bonnie looked sort of cuddly cute and was quiet.

 

Clyde, on the other hand, could really belt it out!!! 

 

7.  The rest of the wild animals!!!!

 

 

Happy birthday, Jacob!

Yarnalong....

Three Junes has been on the bedside table for a long time....a page here, a chapter there: it's such a good, well written story--and I'm enjoying it immensely, just not finding the time to read.

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I'm not sure why I took a picture of that skein of yarn.  There IS enough lace-weight for the Rill scarf, but how do I dare cast on yet another something when there are UFOs everywhere I look!!!?  Just tonight I did a little embroidery, worked on kozue, stitched a few rows of the Imogene cowl, all the while looking longingly at Bridgewater.  (Those were the projects piled up and handy on the table....I can't even think about all the ones hanging in the project bags!--fortunately out of sight.)

It's going to take some luck to turn even half of them into FOs before 'the love runs out' and they are put indefinitely into time-out.  (which happens a lot around here.)

yep.  more luck than even this.

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joining Ginny for Yarnalong and Tami for WIP Wednesday

Ta-Dah Tuesday....

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Volt by Grace Anna Farrow from her self-published book, A Fine Line.  

Knit with Isager Strik Spinni.  

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This is the second shawl I've knit from this book....there are at least two others that will most definitely be knit sometime.  Lovely patterns, but I think Volt is my favorite.  The colors?  Most likely.  It's a deep rectangular shawl, so when it's not being worn as a shawl, it could double as a lap blanket.  It might have some airplane traveling time in its future.

The Spinni is a coarse wooly wool....the shawl is WARM.  The only thing that would have made this knit better was if I hadn't had it in time-out for so long, and had finished it in November instead of May!