etsy — Page 15

Surprises, Birthdays, Scoutie & a Garland

June 23, 2012 at 9:09 am by Claudia

Good morning! I’m still on a bit of a high from seeing and spending time with my friend Jim on Thursday night. It’s sunny today and after a bit of rain last night, the oppressive heat and humidity have left, thank you very much. I’m not too happy when it’s so darn hot that I can’t do anything outside. The grass needs mowing, the weeds need whacking, the garden needs weeding.

In one of those little garden miracles that happen every day, a tall weed that I passed every day and ignored and which was nestled up against the chicken wire fence in the dog corral, turned out to be:

A purple coneflower! It’s just by sheer luck that I hadn’t yanked it. Thank you to who or whatever caused this flower to seed in this particular spot. Maybe a bird? Speaking of birds, there was a female cardinal in the birdbath yesterday, but I couldn’t snag my camera in time. So I simply enjoyed watching her.

The tiger lilies are blooming down by the road. I see them everywhere around here and they are one of my favorite summer sights.

Scout is getting better. Slowly. Her eyes have stopped darting back and forth. The problem has been getting her to eat. She obviously feels nauseous still and turns her nose up at most everything I offer her but peanut butter. But by the afternoon yesterday, I was worried enough to call the doctor who prescribed some medicine to jumpstart her appetite and a round of antibiotics as well. We also went back and bought some cans of A/D which I’ve used before when I’ve had a sick doggie.

We were so happy when she scarfed the A/D down. It’s hard to see my agile little girl stumble and feel fearful about jumping up on the sofa. But her balance is still off and will be for a while. Between Scout and Riley, my hands are full.

Don’s birthday is tomorrow. And on Monday he leaves for Connecticut where he will be part of a musical theater workshop that goes on over a 10 day period. (We have, between the two of us, worked in Connecticut 3 times this year.) Then he comes back for a couple of weeks and leaves again for the Berkshires, where he will be in another production. And in the fall, he’s booked a play down in Florida. His acting work is really taking off again and we are so grateful.

And finally, Sandra, a reader of MHC, bought one of my Crochet Flower Garlands and sent me this photo:

It looks great, Sandra! Don’t you love that shot of aqua? I love it. Thank you for sharing this with me.

(I am having the worst time with Blogger’s editor today. Wonky spacing, weird things in the html.)

Have a great Saturday.

Potpourri: Garden, PicMonkey, Etsy & Parsons

June 16, 2012 at 7:30 am by Claudia

Okay. The time for frolicking is over, Claudia. Your friends have departed. Back to work.

You know what’s pathetic? After the four of us spent our first day together on Wednesday, I couldn’t get to sleep. I was just like a kid that has been overstimulated. That gives you an idea of how exciting my life is on a daily basis. Two friends come to visit and I get overexcited.

Yikes.

Have you noticed that my Etsy widget isn’t up? Meredith and I are taking a break for the summer. There’s not much happening at the moment and we figure the break will give us some time to make new inventory. And rest our aching wrists and hands. And in my case, feet. But that’s from too much mowing with not enough arch support. I have to do something about that, pronto.

By the way, I took the above photo at our local nursery with my iPhone. This gorgeous butterfly was hovering over a hanging plant and I had to get a picture. What a beauty! And do you see the way it’s framed? I noticed that PicMonkey has a new frame available and I had some fun with it. It’s called Craft Scissors. There are a lot of different options. Here’s one:

That’s our shed, framed with one of the Craft Scissors options. The window boxes are planted with impatiens and vinca. The climbing plant is a Climbing Hydrangea. I’ve had it in that bed for over 4 years – maybe five – and while it grows like the dickens, it has never bloomed. I read somewhere that it takes 3 or 4 years to bloom, but I suspect it simply doesn’t get enough sun. I added some baby hostas this year in the bed on the right. Clearly, the shed needs a new paint job, but it’s not on my priority list. I sort of like the weathered look.

Every year some of that vinca that’s growing in the window box on the left gets so long that it seeds itself in the ground.

This year it bloomed. Thank you vinca! This photo has been given another Craft Scissors frame.

And this yarrow that has started to self-seed all over the property (this one is between the big planting bed and the funky patio) is framed in another Craft Scissors cutie-pie frame.

Go check it out. PicMonkey is adding new options fairly frequently.

We’ve had some beautiful weather the past 3 days and it looks as if (crossing fingers) it’s not going to rain for several days. I know many of you would give anything for some rain and I wish I could send some your way. Nonetheless, we’ve had quite a bit of it lately and a wee break is welcome.

By the way, next week Don and I are going to see my former student and good friend Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) perform on Broadway in Harvey. Jim and I have been chatting back and forth via email and I can’t wait to see him again. I have an enormous soft spot for Jim. Okay, I’ll be honest: I adore him. It should be fun!

Can I Blame my Rambling on my Allergies?

June 5, 2012 at 8:33 am by Claudia

This about sums up my sentiments today. We’re supposed to have rain off and on for the next four days. And the last several days have been rainy. I have to remind myself there was a time not so long ago that I was worried about a drought and our well.

Right now, it’s sunny. Fingers crossed, I’m hoping it lasts a while.

In the midst of yesterday’s gloom, I ran outside to take this photo:

I love this time of the year, when both rose bushes planted at the front of the house are blooming. And if you start at the left, you can see the spirea has just started to bloom and the hydrangea heads are getting bigger. Right behind that hydrangea is the New Dawn rose, tucked away in another bed. Oh, and the clematis keeps on blooming over there on the right. The rose bush in front of the porch is called Lady Elsie May and it keeps blooming throughout the summer. It’s really grown and is taking over a bit. I know there are many who would keep these bushes trimmed a bit more than I do, but I really like that sort of riotous, slightly overgrown cottage garden look.

The spirea with its delicate pink blossoms.

And Miss New Dawn, be still my heart.

I’m feeling a bit better and thank you for your concern. My allergies seem to be especially bad this year and they are not helped by the rain (molds and mildew) or the grass (grass pollen) or the trees (tree pollen) or all the other pollen that is wafting around in the air around here. I’ve really been suffering. I know many of you suffer from allergies as well. I always find it ironic that the very things in the great outdoors that fill my heart with joy also set off my allergies. Sort of a cosmic joke, don’t you think?

The rain has overwhelmed the peonies. We wait and wait for peonies to finally bloom, knowing their time is short, and somehow, every year, it rains like the dickens and, boom, their blooms are dragging on the ground. (That sentence was a bit too long and overly full of commas.) I salvaged a few peonies yesterday and they are now sitting in a vase on the coffee table.

The Catalpa tree is just starting to bloom, but so far only at the very top of the tree. Normally, I wouldn’t even be aware of it yet, but the rain has driven some blossoms down to the ground. (Wait until you see it in bloom – gorgeous!) Here’s a blossom. Isn’t it beautiful? Those delicate lines of purple, the shot of yellow – and the scent is heavenly. Whenever I see a blossom on the ground, I pick it up and inhale its aroma.

Today I have to send out the garlands some of you bought on Etsy. I apologize for the delay but I just didn’t have the energy to crochet over the weekend.

And I have to find a job.

My nephew, Meredith’s son David, graduates from high school this week. It seems like just yesterday he was a toddler, visiting us in San Diego. Now, he’s a strapping, handsome young man who swims competitively and will be attending Ohio State in the fall. He’s also very, very funny. And you know I like funny. Congratulations, David! Love you.

And congratulations to Meredith for getting him through high school. It wasn’t easy.

Thanks to Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams. Yesterday, she linked to a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Rhubarb Snacking Cake. I love rhubarb so I made it. So yummy! And a big thumbs up from Don.

Okay, I’ve rambled on enough. Blame it on my allergies.

Happy Tuesday.

Surprises, Birthdays, Scoutie & a Garland

Potpourri: Garden, PicMonkey, Etsy & Parsons

Can I Blame my Rambling on my Allergies?

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