Flowers and Greenery

The rains have brought forth so much growth outside! The crepe myrtles are in full bloom. These were cut to the quick last spring and they are recovering nicely. I love the red flowers!

My mother's day gift from last year loves to brighten each day with its hibiscus flowers.

These clumps of portulaca grow all over the yard so I stick small bits into this pot of jasmine- they like the arrangement; so do we!

I killed the new orchid I bought a few months ago by putting it outside too soon and it didn't have time to adjust to the heat.........but first orchid is covered with blooms-it is very happy but I am going to get another fancy orchid and try again.

The dahlias from my dad are growing beautifully and still the blooms keep coming!

Dad sent us home with some new shoots for some blue flowering plants from the clump of plants I gave him several years ago-nice to have it go round like that! We will see how they do with the transplant.

Most of the garden is finished for now but we still have the butternut squash !

Bill and I take a walk most evenings and survey our little slice of Eden. Bill keeps wide paths mowed which make it pleasant to walk through the wild areas and gives a good view for things that slither. This is some kind of fennel for it smells just like dill but the plant isn't exactly like dill so we enjoy its aroma and the lacy beauty of the plant-it is 6 feet high now! While out by our pond, we always pause to listen to the pines sing- the subtle rustling sounds like far off traffic but it is the gently swaying of the trees and needles........quite captivating. This grove is about 60-70 feet tall. By far this is my favorite 'view' on our property. It is just one of the many mature live oaks that reside with us but this one is situated so perfectly. It is a feast to my eyes every day both in the morning and in the evening.........you can see why.

Ahoy, Matey!

Look what we came home with today! Bill has been looking for a boat that I will get in (has to have high sides and a canopy and real seats.....)

[Yes, he got a great deal on the bass boat but it is not wife-friendly so he kept looking and wow, 'he done good!' ]

Here it is, a 1993 Sea Pro Centra, 130 hp , 4cyl, 19.6' beauty with a cudy cabin. ( The canopy is in the cabin for transport.) I want to take it right out but Bill has to give it the once over-yes, reasonable, but patience is tough! We bought it to cruise the St Johns River for pleasure and fishing-plenty of room for my knitting and Bill's fishing gear. There is also room for friends so come for a visit!

See the proud new crew!

Birthday Boy Billy

Happy Birthday, dear husband!

Today we celebrate 57 years of Billydom in the world. What a ripple in the universe that day!

Ahhhhhhhhh, Saturday!

Saturdays have always held a very special place in my heart because I didn't have to get right up and dressed and head out of the house. Now that I am retired and can stay home and in pj's every day if I want, I work hard to keep Saturdays distinct and still special. It has a routine all its own-I will share it with you! First is breakfast and 2 pieces of toast-the only day that I indulge in this-eaten in front of a good book. (This is the second in a series of three by Lori Wick called The Rescue )

Next, I get going by picking up and straightening up-usually the kitchen is first that gets my attention, then I toss in laundry, never a burdensome chore to me.

Here is a trick my Mom taught me (and probably her Mom taught her....) that every good chore deserves a reward and I usually hit up a row or two between cleaning projects. This is about 35" across now, I knit a lot on the trip, but there is an error in the row below where I am so it is overwhelming to think how to correct the error. This was not a reward today!

So today I visited my sewing room to finish off some ideas. Mom and I re-covered her portable ironing board and it brought to mind my naked one sitting in storage so I tackled a new cover for it -pleasing results here!

I had seen one of these heat-proof padded covers for a tv tray and decided to make it next. I had bought the fabric while with Mom on our JoAnns excursion. Did you finish yours Mom? (If you look closely, you can see Bling behind the tray-he helped me all day and didn't appreciate being removed from the tray for the picture!) The summer rains are finally here-3 days in a row with afternoon rains! It is incredible what it does for the plants-it is looking very tropical out there.

And this is a new quilt that has been perculating in my head for a few months-I finally took the first cut and it went pretty quickly after that-the first cut is always the hardest, but you know that! I saw a picture an old Keepsake Quilting catalog and used the basic idea for this layout. I had purchased special templates to make the circle blocks while at the quilt show in NY--nice to put my souveniours to work!

Bill is treating me to some of his popcorn now which is a wonderful end to a great day.

Summer Vacation Part II

Here are a few pictures I didn't post the first time-this is the river view of my brother's home.

-this is the deck group as we enjoyed the BBQ.

And this is my youngest nephew who kindly gave up his place on the boat ride for a guest we brought at the last minute-thanks for your kindness!
(He is in the after dinner slump watching tv 'cuz it was raining out!)

Summer Vacation

Our first night on the road we stayed in Winchester, Virginia, and found in the morning that we had parked near this mulberry tree that was loaded with berries! We added a bit of fruit to our morning before we hit the road!

For Father's Day, my brother invited us all to his home for an afternoon cook-out. Bill and I enjoyed a boat ride on my brother's new boat, here is his middle son serving in the role of first mate.

We toured the Seneca River ,

across the State Ditch bypass,

where my sons used to jump into the river many long years ago...........

and into Cross Lake. A storm kicked up and we got a bit wet fromt he rain but outran the thunder and lightening much to my Mom's relief!

My youngest neice got to be captain for a while and she did wonderfully for her first voyage!

My sister and her girls made up the rest of the tour group!

Amanda and I were just grateful not to get seasick! It was a great tour, thanks Bob!

Can you see what kind of bird this is? My brother and sister in law enjoy this sight and sound off their deck.

We saw so many rainbows- I didn't have a camera with me for all of them but we enjoyed each and every one! They never fail to amaze me with their beauty . This rainbow held its own even as the sky darkened and yes, the sky was red-tinged-wow, huh?!

This was a full arch and I tried to capture both halves while sitting and waiting in the Walmart parking lot!

Mom and I enjoyed two days of sewing and learning-trying new techniques are always more fun with a friend! We started this table runner-two more blocks to go!

Each of us made a sewing caddy for ourselves..........the results belie the 'huh?!' factor just hours before!

Forest fires plague drought ridden southern North Carolina; this was taken from I 95 S-smoke was present along the highway but not a hazard.

It is good to be home..............thank you family for a great week.

New York, New York...

We are in NY visiting my parents for a week. We had the joy of seeing some kids we have know since infancy graduate. We also have been able to see old friends and catch up on news. Mom and I went to the Lost in Time Quilt show to benefit Alzheimer's research-it was inspirational on many levels. Here are a few pictures to leave with you-I don't like to read a blog post without a picture!

I had a few friends in from church for a knitting group time. We refreshed knitting skills and taught some for the first time. What a great time we had! We were making the palm tree dishcloths that I posted a little bit ago.I have been making some of these-thanks to my daughter's instructions over the phone-they are twinkle star washcloths for children made out of cotton. There are some new infants at church which are going to be gifted with these soon!

Will get some computer time in a few days -until then.

New Vintage Tie Quilt

This was an estate sale purchase Bill brought home to me a few years ago as a surprise. It had a few construction errors namely a major curve to the finished top but I pulled it out of its box and decided to finish it. As you can see, it is made out of men's silk ties with a few polyester ones, too. The sheen is beautiful and he is thrilled with it as I have gifted it back to him! It is good to be done with painting for a while and to be in the sewing room again!

Here is a close-up of the fabric and the quilting. The overall size is 54" x 76"; just right for Bill's chair!

It's Growing!

I am doing pretty well with the shawl. It takes forever to get around a row but then I look and see the pattern growing under my needles and I am satisfied. Fast isn't the only project feature I should enjoy and this is proof of perserverance! It is about 20" now in diameter. My larger circular needles arrived from KnitPicks so I could finally spread out the shawl and get a picture-it has looked like a mesh bag on my shorter cables! Bill says I still scowl too much while knitting on this but a wrinkly will be worth it!

Kitchen Triumph

I am finally done painting the cupboards in the kitchen! I will not talk about the walls, today I will smile because the cupboards are done, the new knobs are in place and the curtain is up! What a boost having a room perked up does for this woman!

This batik fabric , which I purchased at my not so local quilt shop, The Lemon Street Studio, has the tropical look I wanted to keep in the kitchen with the perfect shade of blue/green/grey that the walls will be in a few weeks. I lined the curtain as the afternoon sun shines in this window and it can really heat things up at dinner time!

Just Retired

People always wonder what you do with yourself once you are retired. Are you bored, do you sit around all day? Perhaps this blog will help you see the potential for your own retirement.

This is how Bill spent his afternoon............

See Bill smile.........sort of. He is not sweating the little things because now he is retired and things don't bother him anymore. Really. I already had to go and help him after lunch because his tractor quit while mowing at my parents' . I drove over and got him so he could come home to read his manual-he figured it out, a neutral positioning something was bad, but he was able to get it going and come home to mow out by the pond. He got a bit too close wouldn't you say?! Ever have that moment when in the split second before disaster strikes you know that you made a bad choice but it is too late to undo it that you groan, "Oh, no!" Bill says it has been that kind of day!

Golf for the Guys

I made this golf towel for Bill, his last one got lost in the move!

Our two youngest sons came up for a game of golf with their Dad and I stayed home to paint in the kitchen and to cook dinner. I had a very nice day, really, though the chaos of the kitchen is getting to me. I will finish this make-over on Friday I sincerely hope.

Here is a glimmer of how it is coming. Hmmmmm, the picture looks awful, thank goodness it looks great in person!

This looks wierd from the flash, too. You will just have to trust me that it looks good!

Rain and Its Results

For several days we were blessed with the rains in their season..........it is a delight to see how green everything turns! The tree frogs immediately sing their appreciation and the rain lilies blossom. It is supposed to rain for a bit every afternoon in the summer but we never got the summer rains last year and it has been very dry this spring, too. In fact, a rancher at church has said the cattle are on critical alert from lack of rain so while I enjoy the benefits to my yard, he needs it to keep his cattle alive...........perspective.

This rainbow marked the end of the rain..........they are so beautiful. The termperatures dropped from 95 down to 85 after the rain 'cooled' things off; in case you were wondering!