A sudden heat wave has whomped down on Virginia and caught us all by surprise. We've had such a cool beautiful spring that I'd sorta forgotten what's up ahead - Hot Hot Hot summertime. Many beloved friends of mine live for this time of year and I'm trying to take my cue from them this summer. In the spirit of "If you can't escape it, leap into it" the plan is to spend More Time Outdoors. Especially in the river. It's almost criminal that I live along the riverbank and sometimes go weeks without ever going swimming. Mind now - I can't actually walk down to a beach - but I can walk down to a pier and get in a canoe and be on a great swimming beach in 10 minutes. All the summers I had children around me I managed to do that, because children won't buy the excuse that you're too tired after work. Or in earlier days, before the pier and the canoe, I'd play on the beach in front of Grandma's house pretty much daily.
So. This summer the plan is to go swimming every day after work unless it's actually dark when I get home. The other part of the plan is to drink my coffee on the pier in the morning. By golly - I live along a magical waterway and I've still got the balance to get down our gymnastical pier. I'm not going to let this luxury go to waste.
I'm also doing some work on my porch - and spending some $$$. The glider is getting new cushions - there is a two layer weather capable cabinet going in the east corner, in the bottom of which I can store my fiber dye stuff, while the top can hold such al fresco dining paraphernalia as plastic cups and table cloths. ThePrince promises to mend the two screens with tears, courtesy of an ambitious squirrel who insisted on chewing through both metal and plastic in his quest for black oil sunflower seeds. (I keep winter bird food in a metal trashcan now.One with a tight lid.)
We should be set for company in a week or two.
What with these home improvement plans - and outdoor living plans - you might wonder if there is any Knitting going on. Well. Yes. There is - though I'm not ready to dazzle you with pictures. I have about 600 yards of slinky green rayon ribbon from Trendsetter - bought nigh on to a decade ago. The label on the box says "knit by August of 2011 or get rid of" so yesterday I pulled it down, dug out some #8 needles and cast on. I think it will make a wonderful tank top.
Unfortunately, knitting with ribbon bores me to tears. Even stretchy high end pretty green Trendsetter brand ribbon. It seems that no matter how many hours I spend knitting on it it never grows any length at all - it's as if it shrinks with every row. When I knit with wool it's like a caressing sort of dance between the fiber and my fingers. When I knit with ribbon it's a teeth gritting experience and to date - no fantasy of a chic fashionable Finished Object has been able to surmount my dislike of knitting with ribbon yarn. So the question remains ... Will TheQueen be giving away some yarn in August or will she be wearing a cool top with a tiny lacy detail? Only time will tell.
But, just so you'll know I still have a camera that works (though I suspect it's time to charge the battery again) here are some photos of what's just outside my front door.
This little rose is one of those potted valentine miniature plants you pick up at Walmart in wintertime when you're starving for Color and Life and Freshness.
This is the ligustrum bush in bloom with a hungry bug dipping into the nectar pool. that dark thing in the corner is a leaf. In shadow.
And below? The promise of salads to come. Yum.
And now I see it's after 8 If I don't get hoppin' I'll be late for work. Thank goodness for 4 day workweeks.
So. This summer the plan is to go swimming every day after work unless it's actually dark when I get home. The other part of the plan is to drink my coffee on the pier in the morning. By golly - I live along a magical waterway and I've still got the balance to get down our gymnastical pier. I'm not going to let this luxury go to waste.
I'm also doing some work on my porch - and spending some $$$. The glider is getting new cushions - there is a two layer weather capable cabinet going in the east corner, in the bottom of which I can store my fiber dye stuff, while the top can hold such al fresco dining paraphernalia as plastic cups and table cloths. ThePrince promises to mend the two screens with tears, courtesy of an ambitious squirrel who insisted on chewing through both metal and plastic in his quest for black oil sunflower seeds. (I keep winter bird food in a metal trashcan now.One with a tight lid.)
We should be set for company in a week or two.
What with these home improvement plans - and outdoor living plans - you might wonder if there is any Knitting going on. Well. Yes. There is - though I'm not ready to dazzle you with pictures. I have about 600 yards of slinky green rayon ribbon from Trendsetter - bought nigh on to a decade ago. The label on the box says "knit by August of 2011 or get rid of" so yesterday I pulled it down, dug out some #8 needles and cast on. I think it will make a wonderful tank top.
Unfortunately, knitting with ribbon bores me to tears. Even stretchy high end pretty green Trendsetter brand ribbon. It seems that no matter how many hours I spend knitting on it it never grows any length at all - it's as if it shrinks with every row. When I knit with wool it's like a caressing sort of dance between the fiber and my fingers. When I knit with ribbon it's a teeth gritting experience and to date - no fantasy of a chic fashionable Finished Object has been able to surmount my dislike of knitting with ribbon yarn. So the question remains ... Will TheQueen be giving away some yarn in August or will she be wearing a cool top with a tiny lacy detail? Only time will tell.
But, just so you'll know I still have a camera that works (though I suspect it's time to charge the battery again) here are some photos of what's just outside my front door.
This little rose is one of those potted valentine miniature plants you pick up at Walmart in wintertime when you're starving for Color and Life and Freshness.
And below? The promise of salads to come. Yum.
And now I see it's after 8 If I don't get hoppin' I'll be late for work. Thank goodness for 4 day workweeks.
Goodness, Beth! Garden-y goodness, I mean. Wow! We had a frost warning last night (no damage) and pretty much everything here is still in bud. Won't see tomatoes on plants outdoors for weeks. Ask me: am I green? Yes!
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