Sunday, July 31, 2022

New foliage for string, flower id again, HS verdict

Early summer mornings are becoming a favorite time, moseying about the patio and outside the fence, Cool wet feet, making discoveries.

This morning i need another plant id, a volunteer since the fencing upturned the soil

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My flower books tend to be more useful after I've got a name to look up!

And I had to disentangle vining vegetables from next door which were wrapping around my cherry and spice bushes.  Here they are, sent home

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And while I was doing this i noticed faded iris leaves, which will probably make great string

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Picked, split, wrapped in a damp cloth inside a plastic bag. 

Eventually, this supply will join my bag o' string doings

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Seen here with the current wip.

Yesterday Handsome Son made a quick visit around lunchtime so I set him up a snack of a salad and smoked salmon on pita bread, two quarters of pita, which he tried, said not bad, didn't want the second quarter. I gladly helped home with it. 

He explained it tastes like ham to him, not a fan.  Amazement. He liked the poptart though not wildly enthusiastic, since he's not a junk eater anyway.

As a deli worker he handles lox a lot, keen clientele, and he told me when anyone asks him to cut more than half a  pound, he reminds then of the $30+ pound price, just to avoid sticker shock.

After he left I spent the afternoon on the deck, perfect weather, reading Angela Thirkell and cording and watching a tiger swallowtail on the butterfly bush next door.  No good pix despite a number of tries. 

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There may also have been sleeping, and I woke a bit bitten. 

Today might be Sally Pointer day

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A field of flax in bloom

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Natural dyeing 
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And pulling her bronze age leg.

And Emmy van D is always on point

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Happy day everyone, pretend to be Boudicca and this time maybe we'll win the Battle of Colchester. Or our current equivalent.

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Saturday, July 30, 2022

Late summer flower, stramge harvest and World Embroidery Day

Yesterday was such a good day, quiet stitching of cordage at the library, with art and dance, then home to a clean house and the pleasure of having got around without special travel arramgements. This is so back to normal, though it would be a luxury a lot of people wish they had, I know.

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And the front yard is in full late summer swing

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The volunteer tomatoes with plenty flowers on the patio.
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And today here's the total harvest from another potato plant. A good size, but one solitary spud. Next year I think I'll plant white potatoes again, the yellows being unpredictable.

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Misfits came yesterday, in welcome rain

And brought a couple of unplanned bonuses. One was a bunch of kale, which I  didn't order, kale, no matter how young and tender, tasting metallic to me, like sucking coins. The other, however, was a package of Polish smoked salmon!

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Supper was decided. Pita bread with some of the salmon and plain Icelandic yogurt, side of baby spinach. All in today's misfits box.

And today is World Embroidery Day, marked by Tatters thus

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Happy day, everyone, may smoked salmon be with you! 

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Friday, July 29, 2022

Cleaners, art, dance and potatoes

I got up my courage and drove to the library, getting more used to no glasses. I think I'm seeing as well without them as I did before with them, but my brain isn't so sure. Likewise reading is dodgy, and typos abound.

And in the  library gallery,  an explosion of happy color

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Acrylic and alcohol inks. Perfect for a summer exhibit.

Meanwhile outside, probably a dance school doing the photoshoot for their fall classes.

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At one point a passing yellow lab showed signs of wanting to join in.

And here's some great sidewalk chalk art 

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In other news

This year's potato crop, first plant harvested

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Like a lot of gardening this year, great foliage, meager yield. All hat, no cattle.
But the volunteer cherry tomato is flowering right and left, and I have a couple more potato plants coming along , so hope springs eternal, as always with gardening.

This afternoon Gary wants to com over and plant white potatoes left behind by a recent houseguest. He'd never dream of cooking them. He grows container vegetables to give away  My experience with white potatoes has been better than with yellow, so we'll see.  

Happy day everyone! Plant hopefully, dance outside, enjoy whatever's available.

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