OH SNAP!

Yeah, no - that's not the slang version of the word. 

I was eating, and one of the rubber bands on my braces snapped. That wasn't cool. It didn't hurt or anything, but I was worried I'd swallow the blasted thing! And my jaw felt strangely out-of-kilter. So I stuck a new one on, even though I'm changing them tonight when I brush my teeth. 

Speaking of which, I'm having more migraines. And I'm not sure what it is, but Doc says I'm experiencing some strain with the rubber bands as they're pulling my jaws. Since I have TMJ anyway - that makes sense. Now, if I can at least get adjusted enough so that it starts to subside...

How My Garden Grows...

So the wildflowers are, in their 3rd or 4th year, now coming into their own. The "shade" garden is going nuts - lots of brown-eyed Susan, and some pink stuff which I can't recall  
(UPDATE: it's phlox). I mean, I remember planting it, but I can't remember its name. There's also bee balm, columbine (which is done for now), and foxglove in there. 

I saw a Monarch butterfly hanging around, and he enjoyed the flowers. I was really excited, even though the camera was beyond my reach. And the hummingbirds are visiting. So, it's a win. 

And in the "sunny-side" part? I have 2 milkweed plants, something that Hubby swears is a flower and I swear equally vehemently is merely a weed (and yes, there's a big difference between a wildflower and a weed), coneflower, lavender, salvia, gallardia, dill and purple bee balm. The foxglove and poppy are done for now. Oh, and the Prairie Blazing Star is blooming - so it survived its surgery where I split it this year to send half of it to my friend in the UP. I hope hers is thriving... Just now, there was a big old bumblebee on the Blazing Star just kind of gorging himself. Good for him! 

I'm trying to figure out where to plant the milkweed seeds my UP friend gave me. Those will be stuck in there in the late fall, before the first frost. I have to mark the two that we have, so that we get them planted in a similar spot. The ones at the rectory are really tall, so I also have to think about that - this garden does get a northwest cross-wind sometimes; one of the phlox bits is pushed over. So I wonder if I have to stake the taller flowers. 

I'm not staking the weed... 

Looks like a wooly worm!

This is odd... At first, I thought I had a wooly-worm on the flower, but I realized it was the center of the flower that kind of warped. I've never seen that before. Kind of cool, though!

We really have done well with this space, and even need to thin out the Brown-Eyed Susan. I might take some of it out and plant it at the Rectory to cover some of the bare spots in the garden. It'll spread. They seem to be hardy enough to tolerate being dug up now and stuck somewhere else. And the rectory has a nice little garden area right at the front door. It'll look sweet. Especially since it's another maintenance-free(ish) plant. I'll get the hostas from Church Lady Across the Street and by the time we have a new vicar, he or she will have a low-maintenance garden. 

I haven't seen any caterpillars on the dill yet. I need to get some of the heads in the freezer, and some of the fronds, so that we have them for later this year. 

Not to shabby for a shabby garden... Or maybe I call it "shabby-chic" natural landscaping. Now, to get Hubby to get rid of the ENTIRE lawn on the one side. Hmmmm...

Mother Nature's Glory...

On the way home from yoga last Sunday night, I saw this coming out of the studio. I haven't seen a thunderhead like this in a while. 

It just kept building and the way the light was hitting it - it was beautiful! I knew it was a portend of storms later that night (and I was right - about 10:30 or so), but it was still stunning. 

I live in a suburb. We do have farms around us, so there's a lot more "open" than most people appreciate. But there's not as much open as when I was a kid. And there's no where near enough "open" for me right now! So to see this, it was pretty spectacular. 

I've been noticing the sky and we of course noticed the full moon on Sunday. It was a "buck moon" - the moon in the month where the male deer are supposed to have finally grown their full rack. I've also heard it referred to as a "blessing moon," so I guess you could go either way. It turned into a lovely creamy gold on the way home, and I was able to pull into the middle of the street (no, I don't live in Mayberry, but it's close!) and snap this through the windshield. I thought it would be really creepy if I just got out of the car. Though the folks on this block are kind of used to me slowing down to snap a full moon. This is a block with some amazing old trees and in the fall? A harvest moon through the bare branches? Yes, I'm stopping. 

At any rate, I was up late with the dogs, and I was knitting (as usual) and thinking about how, lately, I've got time to notice things. I mean, I've always been a bit of a sky-gazer. Love cloud formations. Love to see what the weather is doing. But lately, I do seem to have time to breathe. And it feels good. 

Knitting...

I've turned the heel and I've closed the gusset. Now I'm doing the gusset decrease. Unless you're the Yarn Harlot and prefer matching socks, it gets a little weird with the self-patterning yarns around this spot. The grey and light-grey stripes, as you can see, are much larger, and the white/black, and grey/blue patterned areas are going to be a bit wonky. 

But I don't care. They're usually going to be fraternal-ish when it patterns like this. And it's close enough. 

Actually, with a 7" leg and a foot length of about 9", there's enough yarn to make them match. Maybe one day I'll do that. But at this point, I just want to plow through them and get them done. I may do another star toe. I like that. Though that usually works better with a variegated yarn rather than with this kind of a bold pattern. 

After this, I get back to the Sole-to-Sole sock, to finish that one, and then get back to the sweater. 

Socks are awesome because they're portable. As long as it's a fairly simple pattern, it's great lunch-time knitting and great "wind down from your day" knitting. And you make quick progress, even though sometimes ribbing takes FOR. EVER. For 2" or so. Like the last 2" before you decrease for the toe! (Sock humor - just trust me on this...)


Reading...

And then there's this. I'm going to be snarky now. 

How in the name of Heaven do some people get published? She thanks her proof-readers. Who must've been family. Because I've found a half-dozen errors. And I'm not liking the formatting. 

It's a crime novel. Please. No footnotes. Ever. 

And by the way: Italicize the titles of TV shows -- since your main character is a TV addict, you might've wanted to check that little rule. Or your publishing house editor should have caught it. 

I might need to bring this one to church. I know several folks who'll get a kick out of it. 

I mean, so far, it's engaging, but the mistakes? They're driving me nuts. Maybe this is another reason for me to email these authors and say, "Hey, I'm a totally anal proof-reader and I'd love to make you look 100 times better than what this looks like."

Too much?