happythings

Happythings, Week 19

--- Mixed cuttings cheering our newly spruced nature shelf by the front door.  We vowed to have a fresh bouquet all summer.  I better get those zinnias planted - those pansies aren't going to last the onslaught of the heat.

--- A surprise dinner guest - an American Redstart - stopping by our pecan tree on his way north.

--- Exploring small town, Texas.  Finding scissor-tail flycatchers and antique stores.

--- Having husband say, upon seeing the day's take, "I love it when you go antiquing in the hill country.  It is one of the things I love about you."

--- The screen porch that Bea built for her kitties.  I love the cantilevered roof.  (No progress on the actual screen porch this week but we have high hopes for bug-free relaxing NEXT weekend.   

It was fun

I really like to sew.  (Sometimes I forget.)  And I really really like it when the projects are as fun as this.  Rainbow order!  Ack. 

I've made pencil rolls before, but this rainbow-centered version of Kathy's (Pink Chalk Studio) is just the ultimate.  I just adapted the instructions in Last Minute Patchwork (it was for a 24 pack) but Kathy also published the 12 pencil roll instructions in a magazine lately.   

Bea helped by picking out all the fabrics to match the pencils (she did have some help with the red-orange which was hard and very lacking in my stash).  Pretty good, eh?  She's a color girl after my own heart.  She also picked out the outer fabric.  P is for purple.  P is for Penelope!

One note:  I wasn't really happy with the lightweight cotton fabric I used for the pocket.  It needs something more substantial when you go to shove the pencil inside.  Next time I would use a heavier fabric (Kathy used a heavier linen) or, as Lori suggested, use binding on the edge to create a stiffer edge.  She's made enough pencil rolls to know a trick or two.  (Have you ever counted them up Lori?)

A few more weeks hopefully and I can find my sewing machine again amidst the rubble that was once a functioning house...

Sweet Pea*

Oh, and there is a sweet pea vine (1) blooming in my backyard right now.  Do you know how exciting this is for me?  [Cartwheels]  Ack! (As Bea now says too.) 

Oh, I can't go into it all right now, but I love these flowers and the fact that against all odds somehow 1 of the 20 seeds we planted last fall made it far enough up the improvised trellis to produce flowers  - well, it gives me hope.  (And not just for the prospect of growing more sweet peas)

And it smells just like a sweet pea.  In my yard.  Oh. my.  And even though there is a rational, biological explanation for that, in my mind, it is a miracle.

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*Alternate title:  Do you think I just need to admit that happythings is more of a garden blog than a craft blog?  Or maybe just a flower blog?  OH!  I just remembered I sewed something last week that I never "showed you."  OK - next week! 

Happythings, Week 18 (Poppies)

-- It is humbling to realize how happy our small patch of backyard poppies is making me these days. 

-- My house is (and I'm not complaining!) lacking all order and serenity right now so to be able to look out the window at the bouncing, swaying red & pink frills is a lovely gift.

-- They must have hardy personae to withstand my neglect, but upon close inspection they seem delicate.

   

-- And each unique in shape, shading, timing, attitude.

-- To sit down among them and watch the bees work at their jobs (while all the busy human workers are loudly laboring away inside my hive)... well, it's transporting.  And grounding too.

Happythings, Week 17 (Screen porch!!)

Our screen porch is in progress!!  YIPPEE!!

(If you are interested, there is more details with the picture on flickr)

Gifts -- this morning on our little patch of earth

--a brand new swallowtail stretching its wings and taking off for the first time.   

-- the first of the poppies, popping.

They did not go unappreciated on Earth Day #38.  Thanks, Earth. 

 

Happythings, Week 16

--- A spring peacock.  Like a spring chicken, but louder.  He thought he looked so fancy sitting in the pretty flowers at Mayfield Park.  Bea said he looked "royal."  Where did she get that? 

--- Those first baby leaves.  I've been trying to do things differently this spring to spend more (time) in the garden and less ($) at the nurseries.  Starting my own seeds of a few limited varieties has been so satisfying.  I really have no realistic expectations of long term success, but these first baby leaves may be worth it all anyway.  (Could that soil be any coarser?  Poor babies.)

--- Rhubarb+strawberries.  Swoon.  I don't really have to go on, do I?   

--- Pretty surprises.  I saw these lying at the end of the market table this week and I picked up a bunch just because they were so beautiful.  Garlic scrapes the sign says.  The farmers say treat them like a mildly garlic flavored asparagus.  So far, I'm treating them like the girl with the pearl earring instead.  (Except photography, not painting.)  Wow, aren't they gorgeous?

---Progress.  We've supported countless swallowtails on our fennel and parsley through the years but have never seen the chyrsalis.  We brought one inside this week so we could observe.  Super cool.

--- More progress.  There is a big pile of wood in my driveway as of today.  As of tomorrow, it will be the frame of a screened porch.  (And not a second too soon.  I swatted my first mosquito of the year yesterday.) 
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<----  Why aren't the pictures of the books showing up all of a sudden?  And no links?  I didn't change my settings or anything.  Quirky.  Sorry. 

Happythings, Week 15

--- Our baby alligator.  Well, Mr. Green Anole actually.  He's been living on our potting table for a few months now.  He was basking happily this weekend so I was able to get a pretty close shot of him.  He's our favorite outside "pet."

--- 'pillars.  We have other outside "pets" not the least of which, right now, are the caterpillars.  They have been munching away.  (Left to right:  (black?) swallowtail on fennel, gulf fritillary on passionvine, monarch on tropical milkweed.)  The passionvine and milkweed have not had enough time to grow though so I'm afraid that two of the three varieties won't have enough to eat to reach full size.  I'm kinda mad about that milkweed not coming back strong, actually... but this is a review of happy things so I won't go on.  Next.

--- color obsession.  I love how Bea brings me crayons and asks to know their name. (Her favorite is purple mountain's majesty which I used to think was really a dumb name.  Now it is growing on me.)  I found this little pile of browns all separated out from a giant slag heap of crayons yesterday.  She was looking for one called "Deer brown."  "It's kind of a tawny type color," she explained.  You know I love this.  [Note to Crayola:  You really should make that one.]

--- carnations.  After a sad day, I came home to a simple bunch of these in an old spaghetti sauce jar.  I haven't had carnations in so long.  They really are happy making.  They always remind me of those awkward moments of teen courtship -- the junior high valentine's day STUCCO carnations, delivered in your 3rd hour class with a construction paper heart with a chocolate kiss attached... 

Happythings, Week 14 (Spring plant edition)

 

--- Wildflowers.  The pink evening primroses have outshone anything else this year.  The show is nothing like last year, but any day with wildflowers is better than a day without. 

--- Pink and blue.  Bea's favorite colors.  Imagine her delight when she discovered bluebonnets come in both colors.

--- Pink.  Speaking of pink, I have more of it in my garden this year than ever.  Bea's a persuasive shopping partner - though I am pretty easily swayed when in the trance of the garden center.  And a varigated pink geranium in a dark orange pot?  Shut. Up. *

--- Tender leaves.  We planted the new basil today.  I'm kinda getting superstitious about my basil.  I always plant it in the same pot, the same place, and always three.  I can't really handle the thought of not having enough fresh basil in the summer. 

---Pesto.  And speaking of basil, we ate the last bit of last summer's basil in the form of pesto from the freezer for dinner tonight.  A perfect circle.

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* Have you ever read the book about Tasha Tudor's garden?  She is evidently quite a character and one opinionated gardener.  She would SO not approve of my garden and this little color combo, art directed by Bea of course, would throw her over the edge.  I was smiling to myself as we worked today, imagining Tasha clucking at us.

Why didn't I think of this before?

*Sensitive souls may not want to scroll down to the picture at the bottom of this post.  Just saying.

So first of all, you have to understand that animals are THE THING in Bea's life.  And when she learns something new about an animal, especially first hand, it is a BIG DEAL for a while.  And when a personal interaction with an animal presents itself it is an even BIGGER DEAL.  And, I am convinced, in order to process these big deals, she needs to re-enact the scenes.  REALLY NEEDS.  A biological/physical need as strong as the need to eat.  Stronger maybe.  (She skipped dinner last night.)  When she needs to re-enact a scene with an animal, she feels she NEEDS a stuffed animal.   If you know us well, you know I am not overstating the issue here.   Things have gotten a little out of control at our house as far as stuffed animals go.  (Now I am understating the issue.)

Yesterday we returned from a day out to find a white-winged dove dead in our backyard.  We don't know but figure maybe he flew into a window.  They do that sometimes but they usually recover.  Anyway, we went out and visited the dove and talked about it.  It was a BIG DEAL.  Upon coming back into the house, Bea said, "Do we have a dove stuffed animal?"  And the now (very) familiar discussion ensued. 
Me:  No, you don't have a dove.  Do you have another animal that you could pretend is a dove? 
Bea: NO!
Me:  Oh, OK.
Bea: Well, what do I have?
Me:  Well, how about your kestrel?  That's about the same size.
Bea:  No, it is more the size of a robin.
Me:  OK, how about we use your robin.
Bea:  No, they don't look the same.
Me:  Well, what can we figure out?
...........
Bea:  Maybe you could make me a dove.

Now, it's not like she's never asked me to make stuffed animal for her.  And it's not like I've never tried to make her a toy before.  There was the car, the cloud, the manatee later made from the cloud, the bunnies, the eggplant.  More undoubtedly.  But they were all received with a slight air of resigned disappointment.  For this I was NOT in the mood to put forth much effort.  I thought of the easiest way I could make it.  Fabric markers.  And this!?!  This was a complete success.  She jumped up and down while I roughly drew it.  Watched carefully while I quickly sewed it.  Jumped up and down while supervising the stuffing.  And once she had it in her hand, ran around with crazy joy.  Then she set about re-enacting and it was my turn to watch in awe. 

She loves it!  She loves it SOOOO MUCHHHH.  She loves me!  She loves me SOOOO MUCHHHH.  Mommy!  Look, he's sitting on his bowl of organic bird food!  (Above)  Mommy!  The hungry cats have got him (Below).  Mommy!  Look, he's got a safe roosting spot and here is the tree and the eggs and the place for poop and here's the poop!! (not pictured)    

She has plans for a whole cote now - doves (I need a mommy AND a daddy so one can sit with the eggs and one can keep away enemies!  They do DIFFERENT things!),  pigeons (I need a white one, a purplish one, a gray one!  They come in DIFFERENT colors)... and who knows what else.  I wish I would have thought of this sooner. 

Or maybe I'm soon going to wish I hadn't thought of it at all.  She woke me up at 5:00 this morning ready to start sewing.