I watched the Fever game (whew, they won!) and then I worked outside in 75-80 degrees – perfect temps! I worked on my plants – this Fiddle Leaf Fig was completely bare of any leaves so I chopped it off a couple weeks ago and look! Green leaves bursting out! I am thrilled!
Anytime a plant breaks I don’t have the heart to throw away the pieces so I plant them. I certainly don’t need the plants but it’s so rewarding to see that plant start to grow. I love working with them – have so many small ones but I’m already planning the tables and lights this winter in my front room. I’ll be living inside a greenhouse.
I decided to work on another pieced block and I chose Amaryllis from our book Dear Emma.
This cover is by far the most interesting one we ever designed. Pattern is available for $5 and SASE.
Reader photos
The next three pics are from Sandy.
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The other day I yelled into a colander and I strained my voice.
Becky and I at Duesey Day.
The Red White Blue quilt is mine. I believe it was a pattern from a magazine I made probably 5 years ago and hang it in my foyer for the summer. Glad you all liked it. Fran in Dubuque.
Thanks, Fran. I’ll do a bit of internet searching, or maybe a bit of reverse engineering. It’s not quite as simple a design as I first thought.
Philodenron’s and a Christmas cactus are the only indoor plants I have now. Starting in December – March the Christmas cactus has over 300 flowers. Every so often the Mad Whacker (me) takes the scissors to the philodenrons. And I throw 95% of the cuttings in the garbage. A few are in a big glass of water by the kitchen sink………
Many years ago I read that there is no such thing as a Green Thumb. There are only DIRTY HANDS and I think that is right. Water, soil, light, heat and more are all important for plants. Pruining for a million reasons, and the plant comes back even better in survivial mode.
The little violas have always been a favorite. Over the years I had planted a few in a couple big pots by the storage shed. This spring their seed has spread so much the ground is COVERED with the plants so I decided to let them grow. And now they are all blooming all over the place and I love them!! The little faces. They are all so smiling and hopeful.
In the meantime, I’ve got to get busy picking up the house, etc as company is coming in September! My ambition is very low as I’d rather sew scrap quilts….. I’m sure they aren’t expecting a sparkling, clean house, but they might like a place to sit?
So. Time marches on. And the summer heat. Everybody, take care and stay cool. Enjoy all the summer stuff. The rodeos are going on all over. In a month the bikers will be coming to Sturgis. Lots of excitement and stuff to do.
Betty in Rapid City
Betty – I love my philodendrons! They grow so fast and it’s so fun to watch. I don’t have good luck with Christmas cactus – I can’t imagine why either. So what scrap quilts are you sewing, Betty? Send me a picture. Violas are such sweet ground cover – double the fun since they choke out the other weeds and they’re cute, too.
Just wondering if you enjoy/attend the bike rally, Betty? We’ve been to Sturgis twice, once when the rally was on (wow!), and once when it wasn’t. That’s a beautiful area of the country, with lots to see and do.
Probably 15 years ago we went to Sturgis to see my cousin. He has a building on Main Street and sells motorcycle stuff during the rally. We all got old, but as far as I know, he is still setting up for the rally.
We get enough Rally as I live on a main street, plus I don’t go out of town any more. The traffic on the Interstate is just scarey to watch. The do set the speed limit down to 60 during the rally. That helps but the curves in the hills still take their toll of speed.
Did you enjoy the rally and where did you stay? It is a ton of fun for everybody. And great to watch from a distance.
Betty in Rapid City
Hi, Betty! I forgot to get back to this conversation, so maybe you won’t see this. It’s probably at least 20 years or more since we went to the rally in Sturgis. We decided on Monday of the week the rally started, that it would be a fun thing to see, so we started calling motels … ha, ha! However, we got lucky to snag a room in some motel in Belle Fourche that had just had a cancellation. We drove 2 days (in our car, not motorcycles) to get there, and we had a blast! We were amazed that all of the regular store owners on Main Street would pack up their goods and rent their buildings out for motorcycle paraphernalia for the week. People watching … wow! As you said, we’ve gotten 20 (or more?) years older, and don’t ride bikes anymore. Great memories, for sure. We also really enjoyed sightseeing in the Black Hills.
Today’s post was full of fun things! Nice photos with Becky and Kimara, two tired dogs, a happy Fiddle Leaf Fig, and two interesting quilts. The only thing missing was a cat. I’d love to know if Kathy used a pattern for her quilt, or designed it herself. It’s just two simple blocks, but I’d like to share the idea with my guild, and I want to credit the designer and purchase a pattern if there is one. It’s a quiet Monday here, too hot and humid to go out for groceries. So I’m hoping the potato chips I had with my lunch will count as a vegetable!
Calorie free donuts! Ah, Mary, we now have EVERYTHING we need! Thanks to Sandi for her stitchings.
I have that Emma book! I agree the cover is fun to study! I agree with others about that sister photo. Why don’t you find a little frame and do it up for the next occasion for Becky?
I found some already cross stitched big green squares in my favorite thrift store. I have decided to strip three together and make a table runner. Maybe for St. Patrick’s Day?
Too hot to go outside much. Time to read and sew and stitch! Life is good!
My daughter in law crocheted the donuts,l couldn’t master crochet at all! Sandy
I love “junk”- when I was a kid, we passed an antique store on the way to visit my sister- sign said, “The House of Elegant Junk”. Even though I was very young, I loved looking at all those wonderful old things on their porch. You were certainly gifted with a “green thumb”. One thing I learned is that willow encourages cuttings to produce roots. I clipped a few Pussy Willow cuttings and put them in a mason jar with Black Elderberry cuttings. I periodically dump the water and add fresh – so far so good with nice green leaves. All cuttings produced roots and should transplant nicely once the heat eases- it’s been brutal here in PA. Love your red ride! Although we love living in the country, surrounded by farmland, I do miss my small-town childhood home. All parades marched up the main street then came down right in front of our house. Most homes had high porches- with Flags and flower boxes; we sat on rockers and gliders to enjoy family and friends. Those crocheted goodies that Sandy sent are so sweet! I had to go back to see that the piece of cake/pie is indeed a purse! My 6 yr. old granddaughter would love that. That’s a great photo of you and your sister, Becky!
Did your ‘wild visitors’ stay long? Your ‘junk’ is so organized, not just in an untidy heap like some peoples (ahem). I agree with you about using rain water for your plants–we noticed a huge improvement in our plants when we started using rain water collected in rain barrels. However, I still don’t have good luck with trying to root some cuttings. Impatien and coleus cuttings usually do well, but azaleas and clematis are very iffy. Any suggestions?
Sara – I can’t help you with azaleas or clematis – have never attempted either. They probably need to be divided to propagate – ??
I’ve watched several YouTube videos of people taking cuttings from their azaleas or clematis, and they always say it’s ‘easy’ to get them to root–haha. Guess I’ll keep trying, since I don’t have anything to lose, except time. I’m not sure it would be easy, if even possible, to divide them since one is a bush and the other is a vine.
Sara, many years ago when I lived in a kinder climate, I loved the azaleas. I found that I could pull a lower branch down to the moist ground, press it gently into the top layer of soil, place a small rock or other weight to hold it in place, make sure it kept moist and it would root. Sometimes, I would scrape or lightly cut a small place near a leaf node where it would touch the soil. Sometimes not. But it would always root. In fact, the older, larger bushes sometimes would root where they touched the soil. Those can be severed from the ” mother” plant and be potted up or replanted. It might be worth a try.
Thanks, Lindah! I will add that to my list of ways to propagate azaleas.
Lindah, your method works very well with hydrangeas too!
The new block is really interesting, and I like your use of the green fabric. Green is not a color I use much or orange. The Garner parade looked like a fun time for everyone. Small towns have the best summertime events. Made some molasses cookies over the weekend and shared with both of the kids, so I don’t eat them all. Will spend some time in the quilting zone rearranging some items since I now have a new rolling storage rack added to the space. Lots of items will get moved off the floor and onto a shelf. I might even stitch some while I’m there.
Kim – I’m not a green lover either but I’m trying to force myself to accept new looks – ha! A rolling storage rack – just organizing the stuff to put on it would be fun!
What a great sister-sister photo!
Loved all the photos this morning. Doing laundry and drinking coffee. Need to get my walk before it gets too hot.
You and Becky look great in that photo. Fun times in the summertime!
Thank goodness I got all the nasty weeds behind the house out! II don’t know what that huge weed is but it is obnoxious. I spent two days on weed pulling. Yesterday was especially hard with the heat as it took a long time for me to cool down. Temps have been great here though and I have had windows open with a nice breeze. Today low 90s so back to a/c.
Yes, that red white and blue walling hanging is beautiful. As are the crochet dolls and donuts. The purse is clever, too.
Great picture of you and Becky. And the picture of you and your friend in Red is great, too. Fun times!!
Missing those nights in Troy with bands on the square. Missing my car.
But I still have my porch and my dog. Life is good.
Yes, that looks like an original quilt block. Amaryllis. I’ve never seen that book either. Times were you could get a lot of quilt books at the library.
Enjoy the cooler temps while you can.
I was having trouble with starlings eating my cat’s food and making a terrible mess on my porch so I got an owl decoy. It works sooooo well. Maybe it would scare away your squirrels. I move it a round s bit so the birds don’t get used to it.
Susan – I have an owl decoy on my fence west of the barn that I move around. Never thought of trying it with the squirrels. I want the birds to stay in my yard though.
Lovely post. I too, save my “broken” plant pieces and root those cuttings. I then pot them up and pass them along to my daughter. She is a third grade teacher and uses them in her classroom. The kiddos take turns nurturing them. Gotta pay it forward to our kiddos!
Susan – what a grand idea to pass them on to the kids!!!Teaches them responsibility!!
Wonderful picture of you and Becky together. You should frame it and look at it during winter to remember these warm summer fleeting moments of fun times. It’s going to be another hot day here.
I admire all the work your readers do to keep their hands and minds busy whether planting, crocheting, quilting or helping animals stay cool in this summer heat.
Love the collage cover on your book Dear Emma which I didn’t know about. I still like to buy fabric that has that collage look.
Thought of you this weekend — was talking to a friend at church and she was so excited that she was headed up to NYC to visit family and friends. She was most excited that she had tickets to WNBA and was going to see Caitlin! I think she’s as big of a fan as you Mary!
Sandy — love your crochet creations!
Lynette – she’s actually going to a game? Oh, how exciting! The game atmosphere would be so electric but I know I can see the game better on tv. Ask her how it was when she gets back.
I wish l could take the credit for them, but my daughter in law Katrina did them.
What a fun post! A bit of everything! And that is not junk, that is treasure storage! We have been having very hot, dry weather, even the corn is suffering! Hoping for a bit of rain. The extra water I ahve out out for birds and animals is very popular. Clothes dry quickly on the line, though! Have a great week.
Kathy, is a pattern available for your beautiful red, white and blue quilt?
Mary, if it is useful/useable, it is not junk. When it is too damaged to be useable, then it is junk. 🙂 If you don’t agree, just look in my DH’s shed. 🙂
You really do have the green thumb, Mary. When I trim things back, they die. When I plant the broken off pieces, they shrivel up. My DH gave me one of those little cacti with the grafted red topknot several years ago. It sat in my kitchen window being neglected, but adding about 2 inches of length and tilting to the right. So, I figured it had outgrown its teeny pot, and I re-potted it in cacti soil in a slightly larger pot. Uh-oh! Now, the lower half of the cacti is transparent. Yep, no longer green, the light shines right thru it. The upper half plus topknot look normal. Weirdest looking thing. The brown thumb has struck again.
Enjoy your mild days. It was 110 here today. Very dry. Skin burns without being in direct sunlight. But time is moving so fast, it will be September before y’know it.
Have a great week!
Lindah – your poor little cactus! I never really knew I had a green thumb but I think I do. Here’s my one valuable hint – my plants never get any water except rain water – I save it in a big rain barrel. Now if we land in a drought I’ll have to resort to the hose and then we’ll see how the plants look – they definitely won’t look like they do now.
Lynda! Too much water can do this to a cactus. A lot of times, cactus and Ch4istmas Cactus,nJades, etc thrive with neglect.
Cynthia, I think you are right. In my attempt to get him re-settled in his new pot, I must have drowned him. I wonder whether he will ever recover. I haven’t watered him since the re-potting. He is not looking any worse. It has been a month or so. Maybe he will make it eventually.
Mary, interesting about the rain water. DH gave me an anthurium “just becuz I love you” last summer. It was gorgeous. Was. Now, all the leaf edges are brown. 🙁 I recently read that some plants are more sensitive to tap water and do better with rain water. Living in an arid climate, I’ve begun to use distilled water which I keep on hand for my CPAP machine. We will see what happens. I would love to see it perk up again. Maybe even bloom. My house is rather dark, so that might not happen, altho anthuriums came from rain forests originally.
Great game today. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Our annual family reunion is in a similar setting in a park-but I don’t have a snazzy red car. Nice ride! I have a fair amount of junk too. Unfortunately , most of it is in the barn not being used.
Hi Mary, wow! That was quick,l just sent you the photos of my daughter in law Katrina’s crochet cake purse, 2 dolls for Stella and Luna (150 strands of wool for the hair!) And the donut purses,she is self taught and so clever! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Sandy – yes, that was a quick turn around – I was in the middle of writing the post when I got your email! She is very creative, Katrina is.
I’m glad that you had a beautiful day. Kathy’s red, white, and blue wall hanging reminds me of the Thunderbirds. They always put on a great air show for Cheyenne Frontier Days. It’s wonderful that you can stick a plant piece into the ground and it’ll grow. I tried that this spring and they just died. I even used a rooting hormone on the ends. I hope you have another great day tomorrow, Mary.
Martha – next I’ll show you the pots of hydrangeas that have not rooted in several months! Ugh
It took a second for the joke to set in! I got it though! I love all the “junk” and use what I have too. It’s hard to get rid of any of it cuz it’s good junk! I just finished listening to “The World According to Bob” by James Bowen. Think you’d enjoy it. I put on my headphones and listen while I sew. Seems like I rarely take the time to read an actual book these days. It’s a good picture of you and Becky. And I really like the book cover collage. Hope the cloth strips keep the varmints away from your plants.