Good Day, Sunshine

Finally...a day of sunshine! And don't you know we were out in it for a good portion of the afternoon. We had to drop Mike's truck off for a repair in the morning, and then we did our grocery shopping. When we got home, we had lunch, and then Mike took his afternoon nap while I got busy working on the So Yelo mug rug. I was this far when he was ready to get going on the greenhouse clean-up.

It's so good to have Big Bertha back in the sewing room, and may I just say, she's doing a fabulous job.

We didn't have a large tomato crop last year, and so it only took about an hour to have things ship shape. Don't be fooled by this next image...it makes it appear as if the greenhouse extends into next week. Actually, it's about eight feet from the door to the window. A nice size.

All those black cords hanging down are sprinkler heads for the drip irrigation system. When the tomatoes get farther along, we'll put those to work. For now, I have them sitting in old baking sheets. I can add a little water to the baking sheets, and the tomatoes suck it up through their little roots.

These are all Romas...the lone ranger there on the right is a cherry tomato. Today, I'm hoping to get it planted in one of the whiskey barrels in front of the house. When I want cherry tomatoes, I just want to step out the door and eat them where I stand.

Also, we were dealing with bags of potting soil. I have a bin at the far right side of the greenhouse that will hold about a bag of potting soil. We had three bags from an outing last week, and there was some left from last year. Mike emptied as much as he could into the bin, and then I used as much as I could to fill the planters for lettuce and other seeds. Now the lettuce is planted.

I've given up thinking I can remember what is planted where. The seeds are barely covered with soil, and so I cover them with plastic wrap to keep them moist.

Once the seeds have germinated, I'll uncover them. Also, I planted a bunch of other seeds. This year, I'm planting three zucchini plants and lots of sunflowers.

These are the ones I'm going with this year...they're actually the same seeds from last year.

Also, if you've been following for a while, you might recall that I brought back some poppy seeds from the town of Adair in Ireland. I purchased some seeds while we were there and brought them back to the states. These are the ones I saw in Ireland. Pretty, huh?

So anyway...I had some for Mae and some for me. I tried sowing mine directly into the ground, and they didn't come up. Mae has had huge success with them, and so she saved some seeds for me. And all of that to say that I planted some in pots yesterday. Once they've germinated, I'll try transplanting them into the ground. And if they don't come up again, Mae is my dealer. Just sayin'. It's good to have a daughter-in-law with a green thumb.

While we were out yesterday, I noticed that the clematis is getting ready to bloom. A few warm days, and these flowers should open up and put on a show.

So I'm pacing myself on the yard work, and that was all I was up for yesterday. I came back inside and finished up So Yelo. By late afternoon, I had the binding sewn on as well.

I used a metallic thread to stitch the spoked wheels.

We're looking forward to some lovely weather over the next week or so. This morning we could finally see Mt. St. Helens which has been hiding behind the clouds ever since we got home.

Today's agenda includes getting out and pulling weeds. Like I said, I'm going to pace myself, and so I'll start with the culinary herb garden and then see how I feel. When I've pulled my fill of weeds, I'll get back into the sewing room. Next up is the April block for Tuxedo Tales. It still needs top-stitching.