A Dark Bouquet

 Clara continues to wow with her floral arrangements this summer.

Simplicity 1080: Dottie Angel Smocks to Camp In

I saw that Dottie Angel (I don't know who this is, except that she has written a blog and designed a popular smock which you can find on Pinterest) was releasing her pattern through Simplicity last week, and Hobby Lobby was selling Simplicity patterns for ninety-nine cents, so I picked it up.

 The most fun part is picking out various fabrics to go together. I keep all my blues on the same shelf, so these naturally arranged themselves. You see what I did here--two dresses with reversed fabrics. And one is trimmed in purple and one in olive green.

These are going to be my camping dresses. Easy off and on, so cool and floaty, and pockets for the car keys.

I haven't seen any reviews yet for this pattern, and I'm curious because the instructions have you *fold* the armhole back to finish it. How can that work? We learned in sewing kindergarten that we don't finish curved edges by folding them under--except for a very narrow hem around a circle skirt or some such. I ignored that apparently bad direction (I won't condemn it entirely before giving someone out there a chance to defend it--so step up, I'm truly wondering!) and finished the sleeve openings with bias binding. Please weigh in if you've read or tried the pattern . . . .

Tiny Elephants in a Row

A troop of tiny elephants had a cocoa party behind the couch this afternoon.

Magdalena Stencil: Reverse Applique

I had enough wine-colored scraps left over from Clara's dress to cut out a long bolero. I stenciled the pieces using the "Magdalena" stencil--my absolute favorite because of the graceful, feminine flow.

I'm stitching around each shape just outside the painted line, then cutting away all of the painted shape. This is the perfect technique for you if you're not totally happy with your stenciling job--it's all removed! I've even put my design on with just a black sharpie, since it all gets cut away. Try it!

Petunia Pots

I never do much container gardening--being blessed with an abundance of actual ground--but this year I did plant up several pots with petunias to sit out in the bistro. They are giving me their money's worth, with just a little watering required.

Beginner's Mind, with Roses

I'm taking a very informal oil painting class. It's more like getting together with people who like to paint, and working at the same time. With someone in charge to answer questions. I've never really painted in oils before. Beginner's mind!--I keep telling myself. A humbling place to be, for sure.

I'm loving oil. You can do so much with it. Not like watercolor--with that, you drop your paint on the paper and hope for the best. With oil, there's more personal responsibility, if you will.

Carrots and a Beet

Daisy pulled a few vegetables out of the ground tonight. Everything is itty-bitty (I planted round carrots), but picture-perfect and very sweet.

This Year's Lavender

Maybe the best thing going on in my vegetable garden right now is the great big lavender plant growing right by the gate. All the dried buds fall off and get crushed as you walk along, so the whole garden smells heavenly.

Two Cats and a Box

I can tell you this: before the arrival of Sister we would probably not have found Fitzwilliam in this cardboard box. 

But a fellow has to take refuge wherever he can find it--at least until he's tempted beyond what he can bear, and he has to leap out of his box and pounce on a kitten.

Oak Leaf Hydrangeas Near the Front Porch

Oak leaf hydrangeas, beautiful from the first opening of the flowers until frost.

"Leaning on Each Other"

"Contemporary culture encourages us to make islands of ourselves for the sake of self-fulfillment, of career advancement, of entertainment, of diversion, and all the demands of the sovereign self. When suffering and death come for you--and it will--you want to be in a place where you know, and are known. You want--no, you need--to be able to say . . . 'We're leaning, but we're leaning on each other.'"

--Rod Dreher, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming 

A Sunday Evening Feast (for Clara)

Clara's graduation party, though short on photos of people, was lots of fun and featured some really good food! I was smart and took two turkeys, two pork loins, and a chicken to the best barbecue place in town, and had them smoked. So we cut those up, and made a bunch of side dishes.

Two crustless quiches with leeks and bacon. A butter lettuce and avocado salad surrounded by radishes. Tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad. A platter with olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and fresh peppers. Giant bowl of cucumbers in vinegar. Cream biscuits with homemade jam. Mushrooms stuffed with spinach and cream cheese.

Do you even want to hear about dessert? Homemade chocolate ice cream, raspberry-almond slices, lemon drizzle cake, flourless brownies, and a gorgeous two-layer Victoria sponge filled with jam, whipped cream, and strawberries and blackberries.

So we ate a lot, then wandered out to admire the donkeys and the gardens, and stood around in the beautiful yard looking at clouds. And Clara is truly done with college.

Hard Work, Beautiful Bouquet

A strenuous Saturday! Lots of food shopping, baking, cleaning, weed-eating, and general fluffing up of the house in preparation for Clara's college graduation party tomorrow. We also welcomed Felix home--he spent three weeks in Peru. When he got back, he finally bought himself a car. No more catching rides with friends to get home.

Then two groups of company at the end of the day--first a string quartet that stopped by to pick up Clara and rehearse the music they would all play together at a wedding. We didn't mind *that* in the living room. After they left, friends over to visit the donkeys and enjoy big bowl of peaches and blackberries.

Clara's flower arrangement above: a success!

Turns Out He Had Always Wanted a Friend

Twice a Day Chore

Twice a day chore: not really a chore. More of a triumph.

Cat's Cradle

Yes, that's Sister wrapped in a blanket and lying in a cradle. She's probably also wearing a pinafore that you can't see. All of Daisy's dreams have come true.

Daisy Makes Blackberry Jam

The awesome part is that the blackberries were from my garden. And the other awesome part is that one of these jars is going in Daisy's growing stash of Items to Enter in the County Fair.

Instead of Ham Broth

If you can't or won't do red meat, but you want your pot of greens or beans or gumbo to still taste right, you can make stock with smoked turkey instead of ham. Kroger carries packages of smoked turkey wings, necks, and tails(!). Put them in a stockpot with an onion, a carrot, and a stalk or two of celery, and boil away. If you truly want the taste of ham broth, add a bunch of salt. This will serve you well.

The Opposite of January Log Cabin Quilt

Clara and I pieced this quilt in January, stuffing it full of all the color that was missing from the winter landscape. We quilted it in May and June. The opposite of January.

A Day for Drama

The audience gathered in little chairs, waiting for the curtain to go up.

They were all at the theatre to see Sister performing in the new state-of-the-art Brown Box Theatre.

On the program: "O Sister!", "Terror at the Flower Club", "The Mystery Umbrella," and "A New Kind of Honeymoon."

Supported by a talented cast including a bunny, a knitted hedgehog, and two kinds of elephants, Sister starred in everything.

Until things got a little *too* interactive and she jumped down and started pulling audience members down out of their chairs. The show was over then.

A Backwards List for Today

I just didn't have it in me today to write up a list and work my way down it, so I decided to do a backwards list, and I wrote down everything--after I achieved it.

submitted a batch of poems to a journal

picked the garden

stripped my bed

did a white laundry load

started the sourdough bread

cleaned the birdcage

cleared and wiped the table

dusted the living room and dining room

read two days' worth of Bible

dealt with a tricky work email

vacuumed the front of the house

put away my laundry

made up my bed with clean sheets

finished two wrap cardigans for my etsy shop

signed Daisy up for Safe Sitters at the hospital

picked up things at Lowe's and Walmart

interviewed two clients by phone

worked on a poem

made dinner

baked the sourdough loaves

planted three butterfly bushes, one foxglove, and two Russian sage plants

There were some other little things, but that was the bulk of my day. Writing it all down I can see why the weekend seems like such a good idea.

Blue Hydrangea Time

I'm afraid it's that time again . . . hydrangeas, blackberries, blue skies.

Raccoons

Raccoons have savagely eaten all of Daisy's chickens. Ugh. Gruesome. We're building a bigger and better coop and will try again soon.

In the meantime, we've borrowed a live trap from the neighbor. The Composer set it out last night with some catfood--while a raccoon was watching from the dark weeds. Three minutes later, she was trapped.

Just to see, he set the trap again tonight. First someone stole in and got half the crunchies. He reset the door five minutes later, and within moments had another raccoon. Both of them have been transported to the lake and set free there. 

I guess we'll set the trap again tomorrow. There may be no end in sight.

Sunday Afternoon