Promising Sign of Life

I went out to see what, if anything, I could salvage of the rhubarb that got pounded by hail the other afternoon. It wasn't pretty, but I started at the edge and went stalk by stalk, cutting off the shredded leaves and the broken pieces, and then cutting the good parts into sections. I cut and cut, filling the bowl until it got to eight cups, which is enough for a double batch of rhubarb sauce. When I was about halfway through the mess, I saw two tiny leaves that survived the onslaught of frozen water. Yay! (they're the wrinkly, lime green ones in the middle)

 

I got through about two-thirds of the stalks so I left the rest to be cut another time. Maybe tomorrow because it's supposed to be in the 90s for the upcoming week. I can cut it and freeze it to be cooked at a later date.

 

Here's the bowl of rhubarb sauce that will grace my breakfast yogurt for the next few weeks. It makes me so happy!

 

The orange day lily plant that's in with the ferns survived the hail and opened its first flower today. I haven't gone around the yard to see how the other day lilies fared. I might do that tomorrow too.

 

I drew while the rhubarb sauce cooked. I added 5 minutes to the cook time to allow for the greater volume of... fruit? Does rhubarb count as a fruit? I don't know. Anyway, I drew undersea stuff. I like them all, especially the red crab, but then red's my favorite color, just like it's yours.

 

After supper, I got out my little paint set and small paper, used masking fluid to mask out a birch tree, and painted a little landscape that I made up. I was waiting for it to dry so I took a walk. That worked, plus the sun was lower in the sky so I didn't get too hot walking. That worked too.

 

When it was almost too dusky to take a decent picture, the pair of House Finches visited the grape jelly. I took one shot but the flash went off and made a glare on the patio door, so I switched the flash off and tried again. I've tried to keep an eye out because I thought I saw a Hummingbird speed off from the nectar feeder yesterday. For the longest time the birdie juice stayed at the same level and now within the last few days it's gone down a lot. I want to see one again but I'm just glad they or it seems to be back.

 

I worked on short stories again today and again today one got longer and longer. I'm trying to decide what's too long but have come to no conclusion. I guess the story's over when it's over. Tomorrow I'll get on Substack to schedule a couple more stories. I like to have five or six of them lined up, that way I don't get caught scrambling to post a story. And tomorrow I need to write my July email writing progress letter. I'm relieved that I thought of that just now because last month I didn't remember and ended up dashing it off on the 1st to be sent on the 2nd. Careless.

--Barbara