As seen in the garden...

1. A million weeds, but a million fewer than at the beginning of the afternoon

2. My downed wisteria, which toppled two trellises under its weight and with the constant rain. In spite of it all, it seems quite healthy. Let's hope it remains that way after its haircut next weekend

3. A bank of bright orangey-yellow lantana and hiding underneath some weeds near the roses, some variegated lantana that may bloom at last (in October!)

4. Beetles and earthworms and two piles of what must be earthworm eggs

5. A crazy amount of shards of glass. Where do they all come from? I swear they grow back there. Also bits of colored plastic

6. Two types of asters in two shades of purple. The brighter-colored shrub variety bloomed like crazy even though all of its stalks are, a la the wisteria, all over the ground instead of standing tall

7. An odd, crazy hook sticking into the ground in the middle of the yard. How the heck did it get there? How did I miss it all this time? If I pull hard enough, will I unearth a time capsule? An escape hatch? A door to the direct route to China? Some vital piece of the infrastructure to my house?

8. Cats. Lots of them (well, 5-6. Or maybe 7. Or 8). But especially Junior, who spent quality time guarding my back door so she could run in in case it opened, and who actually crawled into my lap when I was sitting on the back steps.

Here she is on my front steps last week, refusing to smile for the camera:



9. Daisies! Last year, instead of flowers for the holiday, I bought cheap potted daisy plants from Produce Junction, one white, one orange. After the holiday, I planted them both, and much to my surprise, one of them made it. But in typical fashion, I didn't note which color was planted where, and so had no idea what color would come up this year. Hurrah - the white! Who thought orange anything would make a good centerpiece anyway??

10. The demise of my American Beauty Berry. I was so excited to find one at Bartram's Garden this spring, and it seemed like it was doing fine. But now it just seems gone and unlikely to return

Next weekend's garden chores include finishing my back garden weeding odyssey, getting that wisteria back into some semblence of order, and maybe even planting some spring bulbs. Any suggestions???

Science has shown...

...that I'm one of the easiest people in the world to shop for. Everyone I know tells me this. But just in case you are ever stumped, this will be fine, thank you.



Source: http://eriebasin.com/a_3garnetdiamring.html

And then there were...

Curtains!!

On the hottest weekend of the summer so far, I finally decided to take my fancy, tea-dyed fabric and do something with it. I set up shop on the marginally cooler first floor of the house, reminded myself how to use the sewing machine, and got to work.

There are no pictures of me sweating and schlepping back and forth between the iron and the sewing machine. But simply imagine the swearing as the bobbin runs out of thread. Again.

Just as almost every house project requires a trip to Home Depot, this one was no different. I took a heat and sewing break to run to Bed, Bath and Beyond for curtain hardware.

Finally on Saturday morning, the panels were done. With the help of a friend, the rod went up and the first panel was hung to test the length. Good news: the pattern of the fabric is running straight across!



I knew the hardest part would be to get the two panels perfectly aligned. I knew it would bother me if both weren't straight, and if the writing wasn't continuous from one panel to the other. I measured and hemmed, and for some reason, it worked!



The good news is that you can't see the bottom hems because they are behind the sofa.



I like them! I'm thrilled they worked out. They give the room a warm feeling without being dark or heavy.



Next up, trimming the sofa hems and a windowseat cushion...

Tea-dyed and gone to heaven...

One of my summer projects is to make curtains for the large window in front of the house. Over the years I've played with various curtains for that window - black velvet, an old shower curtain in a floral pattern, and most recently, a heavy, white cotton job making use of binder clips to keep it from dragging on the floor. But finally, I hit on some great fabric at Ikea (of course).



Just one problem. It's so very white. I thought it would be too stark of a contrast with the more neutral and burgundy living room palette. I wasn't up for regular dying, but tea-dying seemed just the thing. I just wanted to take the edge off the white, and I just happened to have a ton of extra tea bags in the house.



Theorhetically you can use a pot on the stove filled with boiling water to do the job, but I wanted to do all of my fabric at once to keep the color even. So there was only one possible place - the bathtub.

In go the teabags!



When the tea was fully steeped, it was time for the fabric to take a bath. In it goes...



I made use of a random, wooden kitchen implement to submerge it.



I sat in the bathroom for over an hour swirling the stuff about so that it colored evenly with no mottled affect.



The color is getting close...



Out of the the dryer...



...and onto the ironing board!



Done!



Next, to turn long pieces of fabric into curtains...



Stay tuned for the next thrilling installment...

Reasons to celebrate...

The other day I received an email asking me how I felt about July 4th and whether it was a holiday I actually observed in any way other than getting a day off from work. To me, these days, July 4th is a session at dance camp - a wonderful weekend of dancing and music and hanging out with friends. It may or may not contain the date 7/4. It’s also a way to avoid crowds that swarm downtown Philadelphia and displays of fireworks. (Yes, fireworks are pretty and I love the visual part, but just go to the movies with me sometime and you’ll soon see how I feel about loud, sudden noises. I am regularly mocked for this.)

This exchange led to a discussion of what holidays or annual events we celebrate every year. Are they set or movable days? Are they mere observances noted on your calendar, or do they require certain activities?

My personal list of holidays is kind of short:

January: Twelfth Night, the Birthday of The King
February: the Day of Strange Luck, Valentine’s Day
March: March 4th (the only day of the year that is also a command to go forward), Purim/Lesser Moose Day, Passover (which might be in April)
April: Passover (see above)
May: May Day, Cinco de Mayo/Much Lesser Moose Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day (as the start of summer)
June: My birthday!!
September: Labor Day (as the end of summer), Rosh Hashannah (which could be in October), Yom Kippur (ditto)
October: Halloween (I will be home to give out candy one of these years!)
November: Thanksgiving, Greater Moose Day
December: Philadelphia Playford Ball (It’s an event, but it might as well be a holiday), Chanukah, New Year’s/Hogmanay

I could go on to list all of the events I go to every year, birthdays I celebrate, etc., but sticking to holidays, what am I missing? What days are on your personal list of holidays?

Summer Projects 2011

Okay, I’m embarrassed to even put these to paper for fear most of these projects were on my list for Summer 2010, when I wasn’t working and ostensibly had free time.

Here are things I would like to get accomplished this summer, in no particular order:

-Create a dance caller web page - just something simple with a schedule and a bio
-Put window film on the side living room windows that you can look right into from the street
-Inventory the corner cabinet in the dining room
-Put non-skid drawer liner stuff in the kitchen drawers
-Re-hang the pictures in the dining room
-Get estimates for and have the back section of the roof replaced
-Replace the window that faces the backyard in the laundry room/auxiliary serving area (if there’s money left after roof repair)
-Continue the progress on my stamp catalogue
-Tea-dye the fabric and make curtains for the front living room window
-Hang a curtain in the kitchen window (see living room side windows, above)
-Create a master list of phone numbers for easy reference
-Get the washer repaired so that hot-water washes are once again possible before the warrenty runs out
-Paint and hang wooden shelves in the craft room
-Make a cushion for the window seat downstairs
-Dispose of the sections of my former back fence (anyone feeling destructive???)
-Install a dimmer switch in the dining room

There are sixteen things on this list. Last summer’s list contained fourteen. Notice a flaw??

And of course this list doesn’t take into account the never-ending dishes to wash, laundry, cleaning, de-cluttering, weeding, dance program planning, taking-out-the-trash-type of chores that are always present.

Let me know if you have time to lend your company or expertise for any of the list above. Small cakes and pastries provided...

Keeping track...

In some part of my mind, I’ve always wanted to keep a journal - record my history, thoughts, feelings, general goings-on. I think really I just like blank books with pretty covers. In the end though, I’m too busy living life and then going on to the next thing to record every detail, or even a summary of it or a haiku about it. In fact the only time I successfully kept a journal was when I worked at Pinewoods, and even then, it was only the first summer I was there, and half of the journal consists of copies of letters I wrote to Susie. But to this day, there’s a part of me that still wants to record things.

And then it finally occurred to me that I actually DO keep a journal. I just have to adjust my definition of the idea...



I’m an inveterate list-maker. I need to write things down so I don't forget them. Finally, a number of years ago it occurred to me to buy a notebook and keep that as the central repository for all information and a replacement for all of the tiny pieces of paper that held my lists and then disappeared. Suddenly, I had a journal.

Because I am a creature of habit, I am particular about the notebook I use. I’ve settled on:

-spiral-bound
-5 x 7
-lined white paper, perforated so it can tear out neatly
-plastic covers (front and back, if I can find it, but at least front) to keep it from getting wet.
-80-100 pages
-pockets to hold the random pieces of paper that still persist

I start a new notebook every year, on or about September 1st (yes, still on the academic calendar), and go on the odyssey every year in August when school supplies come out to find just the right one. For some reason, Walmart (not Staples, CVS, Target, or any other place) has exactly what I want, and last year I bought four books with covers in different colors to keep me going for a while.

A quick scan of the books contains my life:

-Dance lists and dance programs
-Packing lists for weekends away
-Recipes copied out of books and magazines
-Gift ideas/holiday shopping lists
-Party menus
-Books to read
-Music to purchase
-Plants to buy for the garden
-Class plans
-Sketches and plans for cards to make
-Etc.

and of course

-To-do lists

Stay tuned for the latest journal excerpt - Summer Projects. Which will be compiled right after I get through the latest to-do list...