Blooming!

The flowers in the front of the house are a-bloom!  Dad's roses are blooming in bouquets, at least four blossoms on each cane.  And the Japanese Beetles haven't found them yet.  Once they do all of the flowers will be devoured.





The red day lilies are blooming too.  I rescued this plant from the corner of the lot when the streetlight pole fell over a couple Easters ago.



 


When I came back from walking around the block this morning I saw this mushroom that's almost as big as a saucer in the renters' front yard.  Must be some decomposing wood under the grass.



 

Speaking of the streetlight, this spiderwort is growing next to it.  I don't know how it escaped being destroyed in the light post fall or from being buried by salty snowbanks every winter but it's a testament to the resilience of the plant that it survived.  I knew the first time I saw this plant at the nursery and read on the tag that it thrives on "poor soil and neglect" that it was the plant for me.



There are more flowers on the patty pan squash in the garden too.  I won't go out there to check on the garden for a couple days because I noticed today that there's a slight haze of green over the straw on the lawn.  Fingers crossed that the grass grows in fairly well.  It's been raining and I've been watering.


My friend KW texted this morning asking if I wanted to go walk in the Y pool with her and, of course, I said yes.  There weren't any families in the pool today so we could trudge back and forth for half an hour without having to dodge balls or kids.  Speaking of walking, I got a bunch of answers to my question about that tree.  Everyone said that it's a horse chestnut, a relative of the buckeye.  And the balls are poisonous, at least that's what one person said on Instagram.  Doesn't matter because I don't intend to eat them but it's good to know.



In sewing news I finished the red striped Dress no. 3 this afternoon.  The pattern's written for woven fabric.  I made this out of t-shirt knit so it's experimental, but I like the way it looks and feels.  I have to confess that the bias binding that I had WAS the right stuff so I will return the packages I bought yesterday because I did hang on to that receipt.  I just shook my head when I realized that I'd been completely wrong when I looked at the single fold bias tape and raced to the fabric store to buy the right stuff, which was the wrong stuff.  How many of these patterns have I made?  More than a dozen and each one has binding at the neckline at the very least, so how could I have been so completely off base?  I haven't got a clue.

 


The jellyroll race quilt picnic blanket turned out just the way I hoped.  I dug out some wider, double-fold binding that I used on the edge and I like it fine.   Now I just need to nab LC and OJ for a picnic to try it out. 

29 June--Barbara Malcolm, Horizon. 

The next weekend Samara and I were sitting in the kitchen after I showed her my studio.  She was amazed at all my paintings.  Her eyes kept darting around the kitchen walls.  She pushed her chair back and stood up.

            “Oh my God, it’s like I’m in Monet’s house.  These flowers are fabulous.”   She walked around the room examining each painting in turn.  “I feel like I can smell them.  I told you that you were the best in class.”

I had to admit that standing back and looking at my work as a whole gave me a more objective feeling about it.  Maybe June was right; when you’re painting you’re too close to see the whole picture.  You have to step back—squinting helps, too, especially with my Impressionist style.

            I busied myself getting out glasses and a pitcher of fresh apple cider.  While I was pouring, I said, “Samara, I have an idea.”

            “What?”

            I put the glasses on the table and sat down.  “There’s going to be a craft fair at my church on December first.  You know, Christmas gifts and things.  What do you think about seeing if we can rent a booth and sell some of our paintings?”

            Samara was stunned.  “Oh my gosh, Gail.  Are you serious?”

            “Yes, I am.”

            “That would be so awesome.  What brought this on?  You’re usually so shy about showing your work.”

            “Well, I was looking at the prints in that frame shop in Simpson and realized our stuff’s at least as good, maybe better.  Plus, I’ve got every surface and most of the walls in my studio covered and the rest of the house crammed full, too.  I’m running out of places to hang paintings.  Selling some at a craft fair might be just the thing to help clear it out.  And if people liked my art, and bought it, I might start to believe what everyone in class has been saying.  I’ll bet your earrings would be a big hit.”

It's hot and humid so I'm happy to hide in the basement like a mole and sew the day away.  Tomorrow I think I'll work on that experimental swimsuit I cut out months ago.  I watched most of Thursday night's Democratic debate today so that'll be my excuse to spend the day sewing--I have to listen to the rest to be informed.  As if I need an excuse.  Oh, I was awakened this morning by the sound of something falling but thought I'd dreamed it.  It wasn't until this evening that I realized that the wooden clamp shelf that Grandpa Stephan made that I'd hung up a couple months ago had slipped its moorings and fallen with my small collection of non-cow cream pitchers along for the ride.  Nothing was broken but I guess that Command Strips aren't strong enough to hold it all.  Now I have to decide if I want to put wall anchors in or pack the stuff away.  Or get rid of it.  Anyone want a cream pitcher shaped like an elk?
--Barbara