TNT: Nothing to See Here

 

There was no way that I was going to be able to sit and hunch over my stitching this week. It took me until Saturday not to be in tears just sitting. What I did do was buy something. I said I was looking for another vintage needlepoint kit and I found one I liked on eBay. 

When I first started Funky Flowers I hated that old, scratchy wool yarn but now I like working with it. It's wonky so I don't have to fret about being too perfect with my stitches because they are anything but perfect. 

I did accomplish one important thing this week. I had to de-hair my work stands. One holds my cross stitch projects and one holds my knitting. For some reason the cats use them to rub against so they are usually covered in hair. This week I cleaned them and then rubbed them down with my non-greasy Vick's back rub hoping the strong smell will keep the kitties away. I did see one of the darlings go up and take a sniff, make a face and walk away. I'm taking that as a good sign. 

My Woo Woo Garden

 

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I spent mine planting more trees. These four little Thuja Green Giant Arborvitaes showed up on Saturday afternoon. They don't officially count as part of the city mandated trees. We wanted these as a screen to block the mess the downed trees made in the woods behind us. They are supposed to grow fast and bushy and there was a BOGO sale going on so I jumped on it. 

As for my Woo Woo Garden, I was fascinated by a thread I saw on social media where someone was explaining that she saw a video with "someone's witchy grandma" who explained that if you take something from a family member's garden and plant it in yours it acts as a conduit to guide their spirit to you after they pass. I was very touched by all the comments from folks sharing their memories of departed loved ones and the things they have from them in their gardens. I started thinking about my own yard and realized I have a massive Woo Woo garden going on out there. I've got Mom's little hostas still in her bucket. They come up faithfully every year. 

The giant hostas that have taken over the whole yard came from my Grandmother's yard. I moved some to my old house and then here. We're talking 40 plus years since they left their original home in a grocery bag. 

My Mom's Siberian Iris are just starting to bloom. I brought home one little clump and they've spread out quite a bit but still have remained respectful of the other things in the bed. I like plants that do that.

One day she brought over a small Rose of Sharon she didn't want anymore and stuck it in the ground. It's huge now.  That pile of wood debris behind it is what we're trying to hide with the Thujas. 

Her daylilies were spectacular so I brought home a few clumps but without enough sun they never bloomed. It didn't stop them from spreading like crazy through the woods though. If they ever did bloom it would look like the woods were on fire. 

Finally, there is Dad's pot of Black Eyed Susans. I've tried putting them in the ground but they were never happy there. I put them back in the original pot that he had put them in and they come back happy and healthy every year. 

Although I do look very much like someone's witchy grandma, I don't know too much about the Woo Woo thing. I do like the thought of there being the spirits of loved ones out there dancing in the garden among all the green things. Someone has to keep all the garden fairies company, right?

Her Day

 

This is what I think of when I think of Mother's Day. I always bought my Mom one. 

Back in the day it was the height of chocolate sophistication. Even the boxes were fancy. Jordan Almonds. Molasses Chews. Chocolate Truffles. Those chocolate covered raspberry jelly things. So good.  They used to have foil wrapped pieces in them making the interior so pretty. They are not the same since Russell Stover took over the company and neither is Mother's Day without...

...her. I don't think you ever get over losing your mom. Today she's never going to be far from my thoughts. She would have been 90 on her last birthday which was a few weeks ago. I never got to see her grow old, I only got to see her get sick. If she's anywhere now, I hope she's over on Rainbow Bridge with all her critters. She never met a mangy mutt she didn't love.  

A Very Senior Moment

 

I cooked my rice cooker. I have a bad habit of using my glass stove top as extra counter space and had sat it on an unused back burner in anticipation of making some soup in it later in the day. 

I never made the soup but I did use a front burner to boil potatoes not thinking that the heat would radiate. It certainly did.  What a mess that was to clean off the glass. 

Friday Fluff: Fiber Frenzy

 

The days after the MDSW are usually filled with all kinds of fiber mischief because of all the inspiration I absorbed at the festival. This year, thanks to my back, I had to take all that energy and do nothing more than watch YouTube videos with it. Watching what other people bought has been the highlight of my day. My poor Ladybug is still waiting for me to get this plying finished so I can move on to better things. 

Speaking of better things, look what came in the mail yesterday. I didn't just order sock yarn after the festival, I ordered fiber. I wanted something bright. This will do. It's Merino in the Meh colorway from Ajem Fiber Arts. 

This rainbow gradient collection in the Opalite colorway jumped in the cart along with the braid. It's 6 ounces of Polwarth from the same company. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but it's nice to have around. It's so soft. 

Ghost Garden

 

We've got two new additions to the Ghost Garden. I've got another Ginko. This one is bigger than the first one I planted. 

We also planted a River Birch down by the creek. The bags are working really well to keep the deer off of them. The Mister picked up some PVC pipe and cut them to size to hold the mesh off of the trees themselves. We didn't want to crush the leaves. 

The Grand total of new trees in the ground stands at 20. We're still 4 short of our city mandate but look at all the new trees that  Mother Nature has gifted us that are now being allowed to thrive since the giant poplars are gone. We've got baby Beech and baby Black Gum all over the place. It's getting crowded out there. 

One fail was the Paw Paw tree I ordered. We had one out back that died last year and I wanted to replace it but this pitiful thing is what showed up. It's nothing but a stick with some browning leaves on it. I'm going to keep it up on the deck and try to nurse it back to health but I honestly think it's a goner. 

Some good news is that one of the Sweet Bay Magnolias that arrived broken seems to have recovered. It's really taken off. The other one is still a bit spindly but I think it will fill in with time. 

Speaking of filling in. Look at what the hostas have done. I wish I could stop time right now. Everything looks so green and healthy but it won't be long before the sun scorches all those leaves and the deer nibble them to the ground. I suppose there's nothing to do but enjoy the good days while they last because they don't last long. 

I also need to thank Ruth at nypeapod for sending me a package of her award winning jams, syrups and pickles. After I posted about The Mister buying jam from the jam truck at the Farmer's Market, Ruth offered up some of her goodies and I jumped on it. If you're a foodie and you haven't visited her blog you are missing out. She also sews. Like whole wardrobe sews. I'm always in awe when I read her posts.

Thanks so much, Ruth! It was most appreciated. 

Wednesday WIPs: Forgotten Friends

 

I really need to get these socks done now that I have Miss Babs on the way. I worked my way down the foot on both pairs on my ride up and back from the MDSW on Saturday. I thought I'd have gotten further along that day because it's 1 hour and 17 minutes from here and I knit pretty steadily but I guess not. 

So far no ripping back on the Hue Shift this week. I was wrong about this being the last row in this section. There is actually one more row after this one. 

I've started the May panel on the Doodle Cowl....

...which reminds me that I still have Chestnut sitting here right next to me in my knitting stand waiting to be finished. If I just did one round a night I could get this done. I've got to work on getting it back into rotation.