The Run Around

It seems all I've done the past two days is run all over creation. Yesterday I dropped off our ballots at the local ballot box (vote by mail in Oregon, but there are ballot boxes around too). Then, I needed more scratch grains for the ground-feeding birds. Then I picked up some medicine for Mike. Then I went to the grocery store, and then I realized I couldn't come home until I got gas. So phew!

And since I don't really have any pictures to break up the monotony of this monologue, I'll just entertain you with pictures of the iris that are blooming right now.

But then today I was up early to attend my one-on-one, get-acquainted-with-Pfelicity class. It was just an hour, and we went over all the feet and basic stuff with the machine. It has some programming capability, but I knew I wasn't going to remember any of that. Besides, I figure anything like that will more than likely be done on Big Bertha. I can read the manual if I need to.

Then, I needed to pick up some needles and threads and a couple of other things for my hand applique class on Saturday. And while I was in the neighborhood, I needed some new shoes. And while I was in THAT neighborhood, I went to The Container Store and got some more hermetically sealed bottles for my chive blossom vinegar. And then I had some lunch on the way home.

And now I'm just glad to be home, out of traffic, where it is peaceful and quiet. Tonight Mike and I are going to one of those presentations where they try to sell you something, but in exchange for listening, we get two round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental United States, and two nights in a Hilton. The mind reels with possibilities. We're very good at saying "no" to any "opportunity" presented to us at these occasions, and it seems a small price to pay for a little vacation somewhere. We just say no to everything, something like this:

Them: Would you like some coffee?

Us (In unison): No.

Them: Would you like to sit down?

Us: No.

Them: Are your names Mike and Barbara?

Us: No.

Just say no. To everything. That's our motto.

So, all of that to say that I haven't done a single stitch of sewing since having a little, um, "conversation" with the stained glass applique project yesterday morning. (Interesting that the title of that post was "Just Say No", don't you think?) Anyway...I took that quilt outside in the sunshine when Mike got home yesterday, and he couldn't see where I'd "fixed" it either. Smart man. I didn't even have to cue him with the proper response. He really couldn't see it.

So how are you enjoying the iris? I still have a few more.

While I was getting scratch grains at the feed store yesterday, I picked up a couple more bags of potting soil. The tomatoes are growing like crazy. I think I'm going to have to repot them again next week. I've had to spread them out from one another, they've gotten so bushy.

And each one has flower buds on it now.

Hard to believe they looked like this just two months ago, when I moved them out to the greenhouse:

As for other stuff going on in the garden, I just noticed the little flowers on this shrub the other day. We've always called this a "burning bush". It turns bright red in the fall. A couple of years ago, we looked at it around August, and the poor thing was all brown and wilted and looked to be completely dead. It saddened us because it was so pretty in the fall. Not that fall. All the leaves just fell off, and we were sure it had died. But then it came back in the spring. It had one dead limb at the bottom, but Mike lopped it off and this year, it is thriving again. Just a few days ago, I noticed it was blooming. I don't think it has ever bloomed before.

And, oh joy! Plums on the plum tree!!!! Last year was the first time I got enough plums to make plum chutney from them. Since the tree bloomed in the rain, I was worried about whether it got pollinated. Apparently, it did. There are lots of plums. Hooray!

Mike planted the hydrangea that Erik and Mae gave me for my birthday. It looks a little small and lonely in its spot, but it's a good spot. It will get a little sunshine in the morning, but shade for most of the day. Hydrangeas are shade lovers, and so it should be very happy in its new home. I wonder if it will stay that color.

So that's about it from me for today. I'm hoping to get back to sewing tomorrow. It has been a month of frustration in the sewing room. I've completed a few small things, but I've made little to no progress on some of the larger projects. Oh well. Such is life.

And it is a good life.