May 31, 2010

Street fight.










I found these two characters in San Francisco last week.  They are perfect for each other. Like the Dishwasher and me.  If we were these characters I’d be the Sumo.
I think I forgot to feed the dog last night.  She’s not complaining but then, this dog does not complain. Ever. She waits, and in between she naps. Am I the only person in the country who has to go to work today?
In the garden…

May 31, 2010

Street fight.










I found these two characters in San Francisco last week.  They are perfect for each other. Like the Dishwasher and me.  If we were these characters I’d be the Sumo.
I think I forgot to feed the dog last night.  She’s not complaining but then, this dog does not complain. Ever. She waits, and in between she naps. Am I the only person in the country who has to go to work today?
In the garden…

May 31, 2010

Street fight.










I found these two characters in San Francisco last week.  They are perfect for each other. Like the Dishwasher and me.  If we were these characters I’d be the Sumo.
I think I forgot to feed the dog last night.  She’s not complaining but then, this dog does not complain. Ever. She waits, and in between she naps. Am I the only person in the country who has to go to work today?
In the garden…

May 31, 2010


The blues are here.  

The Nigella is flowering. I love this flower so I let it go to seed every year and it’s made it’s way into every corner of the garden.

I managed very little work in the yard this weekend even though the weather was fine. That is until yesterday when I planned on spending some time weeding and discovered it was too hot.  The top of my feet got sunburned and I got dizzy. I managed to weed out most of the Nigella growing in amongst the Thyme and I re-planted all the tulip bulbs the gophers dug up.  Yes, those little bastards are back and they got some of my lettuces.  The tomato is still standing but I don’t hold out much hope.
Gardening can be such a savage pastime.

May 29, 2010

This photo was taken sometime in 1978…













me and Barnaldo on the deck of
our house in Seoul, Korea…
























picking each and every dead leaf off of my one plant. I’m trying to remember who took this picture. It had to be one of two people. John or Harold. Most likely it was Harold, I’ll ask him when I see him in September he remembers everything in great detail. 

Another life that was. I was 22 years old just moved to Korea after living in Taiwan for four years. I hated Korea from the moment I stepped foot off that plane. Poor Barnaldo, that’s the black furry beast in the picture. I found him in Taiwan and moved him with us from Taijung City to Seoul and then later to NY where he died in my arms at the Animal Medical Center in NY. I remember lifting him and putting him in the car and driving like crazy across that Queensboro Bridge after he was hit by a car in front of the house I grew up in, only to have the young Doc on duty that night take me in his arms and tell me Barn was gone. No country Vet that was. He treated me as if I’d lost my kid, which I felt like I had. I never imagined I could feel worse than that.  

I was mistaken.




















May 29, 2010

This photo was taken sometime in 1978…













me and Barnaldo on the deck of
our house in Seoul, Korea…
























picking each and every dead leaf off of my one plant. I’m trying to remember who took this picture. It had to be one of two people. John or Harold. Most likely it was Harold, I’ll ask him when I see him in September he remembers everything in great detail. 

Another life that was. I was 22 years old just moved to Korea after living in Taiwan for four years. I hated Korea from the moment I stepped foot off that plane. Poor Barnaldo, that’s the black furry beast in the picture. I found him in Taiwan and moved him with us from Taijung City to Seoul and then later to NY where he died in my arms at the Animal Medical Center in NY. I remember lifting him and putting him in the car and driving like crazy across that Queensboro Bridge after he was hit by a car in front of the house I grew up in, only to have the young Doc on duty that night take me in his arms and tell me Barn was gone. No country Vet that was. He treated me as if I’d lost my kid, which I felt like I had. I never imagined I could feel worse than that.  

I was mistaken.




















May 29, 2010

This photo was taken sometime in 1978…













me and Barnaldo on the deck of
our house in Seoul, Korea…
























picking each and every dead leaf off of my one plant. I’m trying to remember who took this picture. It had to be one of two people. John or Harold. Most likely it was Harold, I’ll ask him when I see him in September he remembers everything in great detail. 

Another life that was. I was 22 years old just moved to Korea after living in Taiwan for four years. I hated Korea from the moment I stepped foot off that plane. Poor Barnaldo, that’s the black furry beast in the picture. I found him in Taiwan and moved him with us from Taijung City to Seoul and then later to NY where he died in my arms at the Animal Medical Center in NY. I remember lifting him and putting him in the car and driving like crazy across that Queensboro Bridge after he was hit by a car in front of the house I grew up in, only to have the young Doc on duty that night take me in his arms and tell me Barn was gone. No country Vet that was. He treated me as if I’d lost my kid, which I felt like I had. I never imagined I could feel worse than that.  

I was mistaken.




















May 17, 2010

It was a chilly weekend.
 Chilly enough for knitting socks by the fire and Chicken and Dumpling soup and many many episodes of 24. 
Jack Bauer Jack Bauer.














The sewing marathon came to an abrupt end because the studio was too chilly and there are too many projects to finish, no excitement in that and I am still bathing in the glow of my finished jacket/tunic/shirt. Did I mention I made the buttons for this one as well as binding each and every seam and hand sewing all the top stitching?  Well, I’ll probably mention it again because I’m so proud of myself! And there will be pictures at some point but for now there are garden pics here 
and a quick trip to the Big City to get ready for!





 
May 17, 2010

Finally some crappy weather to take pictures by…

First up, the front walk way. Blouzy in pink and purple. A few seeds of Cerinthe is all it took to fill this bed.  There is a Hydrangea hidden beneath all this mess but I’m not concerned that it will be smothered since the Cerinthe is almost done, just in time for the Hydrangea to bloom.

The pink frothy stuff is Jupiter’s Beard and the just starting to pop Iceberg rose in the back along with Love-in-a-mist, Allium and the orange spots (bottom left) are Calendula

It’s an out of control, on it’s own sort of bed. We’ve tended it but pretty much let it go where it wants to. A satisfying approach in the garden but I don’t recommend it as a parenting style.







Futher down the walk way…


























More Jupiter’s Beard and a Mutabalis Rose with thorns so lethal there is no way to weed out the tall grass growing in and around it.










The pink party continues out back…




















































This was not a conscious plan you see.  All this pink…just happened.  Take those pink snapdragons, I never planted those and the pink rose in the center came with the house as did the Jupiter’s Beard. I’m not complaining. I now love pink!
But to relieve the eye, further back in the yard lives the beast that is NOT pink…

Do I say it every year? I’ll have to go back and check.  This year’s Buff Beauty show is unreal.  More blossoms than leaves.
On a quieter note…
The veg bed is coming along.  We’ve already harvested a few salads and we’ve got blossoms on the tomato already, something that usually takes much longer. I have high hopes for the cauliflower.  There are some bare spots to fill with more greens I think since that’s mostly what we like to eat.
60% chance of rain today. Yay!
May 17, 2010

It was a chilly weekend.
 Chilly enough for knitting socks by the fire and Chicken and Dumpling soup and many many episodes of 24. 
Jack Bauer Jack Bauer.














The sewing marathon came to an abrupt end because the studio was too chilly and there are too many projects to finish, no excitement in that and I am still bathing in the glow of my finished jacket/tunic/shirt. Did I mention I made the buttons for this one as well as binding each and every seam and hand sewing all the top stitching?  Well, I’ll probably mention it again because I’m so proud of myself! And there will be pictures at some point but for now there are garden pics here 
and a quick trip to the Big City to get ready for!





 
May 17, 2010

It was a chilly weekend.
 Chilly enough for knitting socks by the fire and Chicken and Dumpling soup and many many episodes of 24. 
Jack Bauer Jack Bauer.














The sewing marathon came to an abrupt end because the studio was too chilly and there are too many projects to finish, no excitement in that and I am still bathing in the glow of my finished jacket/tunic/shirt. Did I mention I made the buttons for this one as well as binding each and every seam and hand sewing all the top stitching?  Well, I’ll probably mention it again because I’m so proud of myself! And there will be pictures at some point but for now there are garden pics here 
and a quick trip to the Big City to get ready for!





 
May 12, 2010

The bug stitching grew into this,


















I loved every minute of stitching these.
The mad stitching continues with bouts of machine stitching, clothes mostly. Yesterday I sewed a shirt with collar, something I’ve tried before with terrible results. Those pointy collars are a nightmare. I struggled and finally did it though it isn’t perfect, my points are… slightly roundish. I learned how to do it and I’m ready for shirt number two which will require my leaving the house to purchase suitable fabric.  I’m making a good dent in my stash though and over in the 
May 12, 2010

Lu has a new hidey spot in the garden.  She goes and sits there for an hour or two every day. She’s genius at finding inanimate things that will pet her, like that vine. If she moves her head just right she can get a good tickle.  One of her other favorites are the chairs which are the perfect height for back scratching and since there are four around the table she makes a few rounds and gets that spot just right, and there is always the lair and the curtains…
ahhhh 

Everything is in bloom and all the veggies are settled in and growing and already providing, the salad greens are amazingly fast growers.  The Thai basil, the one plant that I thought didn’t make it is showing signs of life.

Maybe I can get some pictures soon.  It’s mostly too sunny for pictures lately and when dusk rolls around I’m busy in the kitchen trying to put something edible together for dinner.  I’m having some trouble with that as of late.  It may have something to do with
all of this

 

May 12, 2010

The bug stitching grew into this,


















I loved every minute of stitching these.
The mad stitching continues with bouts of machine stitching, clothes mostly. Yesterday I sewed a shirt with collar, something I’ve tried before with terrible results. Those pointy collars are a nightmare. I struggled and finally did it though it isn’t perfect, my points are… slightly roundish. I learned how to do it and I’m ready for shirt number two which will require my leaving the house to purchase suitable fabric.  I’m making a good dent in my stash though and over in the