Nearly Normal

We spent the day unpacking and getting caught up on yard work. I can't remember if I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but the cherry tree is still going great guns. There was one spot on the tree that looked as if some deer had imbibed, but mostly, the cherries were as we left them...only now they are perfectly ripe. Just take a look at these beauties we picked yesterday.

I've weighed out portions to make some sweet cherry pie filling and some more cherries in syrup today. But it seems like we should eat some of the fresh ones, doesn't it? I whomped up this Cast Iron Skillet Cherry Crisp. The recipe is from Kroger. Oh my gosh...fresh cherries are so tasty.

We picked way more than I needed for my canning and baking. Mike took the remainder around to the neighbors, Cherry Fairy style. He probably needs some sort of costume, don't you think?

Also on the to-do list was to hoe the garden. It had been about a week since the last time I'd done it, and it wasn't too bad. I use a hula hoe and just chop them off at ground level. After several weeks of that, there are fewer and fewer weeds, and the job goes much faster. The sunflowers are starting to bloom now. I have about a dozen different varieties. The one below is called "Infrared."

I showed this one yesterday, but it wasn't fully opened yet. It's called "Red Lemon." The bees are especially fond of it.

I've been chomping at the bit to get the Beary Patch quilt finished. Yesterday, I sandwiched it on my sewing table, which some people might use for playing ping pong. Ordinarily I'm sandwiching quilts on my sawhorse and plywood table in the garage. If the quilt has no sides longer than 60 inches, I can do it in my sewing room. This one took up the whole space. It was my first time sandwiching a larger quilt since breaking my shoulder back in December. I worried that the reaching and smoothing might give me trouble. I winced a couple of times, but really, no big deal. That was very reassuring because I have about a dozen large quilts that will need sandwiching before summer is over. 

So here's Mr. Bear.

Also on the shoulder-challenge circuit...quilting. I have the whole center bear "panel" quilted now. I did a diagonal grid.

Here's how it looks from the back.

Today I'm hoping to finish the borders and get the binding sewn on by machine. It's headed for the finish line, for sure.

The kitties spent some time getting reacquainted yesterday. I was worried Mr. Territorial might forget he had a friend back home, but he was very sweet to her. She rubs up against him, which spreads the Catrona virus, don't you know. Sometimes he nips her ears, but yesterday, he allowed it. They were both fully vaccinated just before we left on our little getaway.

As she walked away, he even gave her a loving gaze. Very generous for this mancat.

Finally, I filled my hoop for the third time during yesterday's slow stitching session. This section took me to the extreme right of the piece. 

There's still plenty to do to the north of this section, and so that's where I'll head next. But first...Sunday morning blueberry oatmeal pancakes. We missed our Sunday morning pancakes when we left last week. We were keeping things simple that morning. Mike started talking about pancakes yesterday. It's an addiction.

Thanks to all who have stopped by to enter the giveaway. It's nice to hear from some of you who don't often leave comments. It's good hearing of your travel and summer weather plans, and all the other little tidbits you've shared. Today I'm doing some more canning, and there will be a little more tomorrow. When that's finished, I'll get back to my quilting. Hoping to get the bear finished today or tomorrow.