Meet My Little Friends...

No, not dogs. Unfortunately. I keep thinking it's time, but Hubby thinks not. And to be honest, he'd be doing most of the work, since I still have an outside-the-home job and teach 3 nights a week. One day, the right circumstance will come. It will all fall in place. 

In the meantime...meet my little friends, the Swallowtail caterpillars. They've invaded what has to be my most glorious crop of parsley ever. I have 6 on there right now, and I've had a steady stream of the little munchkins since I planted it. 

I honestly think that our crazy 'what season are we in?' weather has helped, because the pot of parsley is just about the prettiest thing in my garden. 

I will admit to obsessively checking the parsley and shooing birds away. But they've actually been more interested in the cicaidas, and have been leaving my little buddies alone. The pot is right alongside some very tall lavender, too, which is partially blocking them from the birds' view. 

Next year, I have to get my dill going again. They prefer that, but I haven't seen mine in a few years. 

The Garden...

Speaking of -- I think we're in good shape right now. I have several hanging pots that are going along nicely, the wildflowers are coming up like crazy and the pots of lantana are adding big spots of color. Two pots with some good-sized purple salvia, tomato plants with blooms starting, and the HUGE bags of potatoes...looks like we might have a garden here. Along with the pink flamingo decor all over the front yard. So sue me -- I like a bit of kitsch. I added some more solar lights, along with the fairy lights in the mason jars. 

I did a little magic with spray paint. My mom gave me a trellis for the church's rummage sale and it was kind of rusty. I figured it would end up tossed, and on a whim, I got some spray paint and sandpaper. I also had the well-worn glass bird bath (along with 2 new solar fountains) that needed some TLC. 

After sanding the yellow + rust trellis, I also grabbed the gazing ball stand and gave that a lick of sandpaper. And I up-ended the glass bowl of the bird bath and whipped that up with some fine grit. All the sanded things got a good wipe-off.  

I got matte black, hammered copper, and a kind of paint called "Illusion." So I sprayed the black matte on the trellis, the gazing ball stand and the metal legs that hold up the glass bowl of the bird bath. Let that dry, and then I sprayed SEVERAL coats of the "Illusion" on the trellis and gazing ball stand. When you look at it, it's like a purple/green/blue irridescent. Really pretty. I left the bird bath stand black, but I probably should have done it as well. 

I turned the glass bowl over, with newspaper under it, and gave it several coats of the "hammered copper" spray paint. I didn't quite get the "hammered" look, but I'm ok with it because the bowl itself has a lot of texture on the underside. If I had had my wits about me, I'd have done a light coat of the irridescent FIRST, and then the hammered copper. That would've been kind of cool! 

Anyway, for about $28, I refurbished THREE items that were showing their age. And I decided to keep the trellis. It's sitting right behind a pot of lantana. 

Potatoes Everywhere...

The potatos are huge. Bigger than I thought they'd be! The plants are top-heavy, so we're tying them up. I thought, "Put stakes in there" and then realized that I'd probably skewer some spuds. So we're just hoping they don't topple over in the next big wind. We're set for a tumultuous summer, if you believe the weather folks. Bigger tornadoes, more derecho-type winds, noisier thunderstorms. Yikes. 

I'm hoping that big plants mean a delicious harvest. My dear MIL (and I mean that - the woman was a saint) grew them in her garden. But that was in MT, where dirt is dirt... Here, dirt is the 2" or so of black dirt they put on top of the clay. And Illinois actually has some of the best growing soil in the Midwest. My town, however, has a streak of clay running through it a mile down! 

Meet My Tumbler...

Not THAT "Tumblr" -- My net compost bin lasted for several years. Likely, because it was protected somewhat by our shed, it lasted a bit longer than it would've otherwise, but it went to "Compost Bin Heaven," wherever that is. I got a tumbler, and when we were transferring the compost from the bin to the tumbler, I saw WORMS!!! Yippeeeeee!!! That means that, hopefully by the end of this season, I should have compost. Hubby can dress the beds for winter and it'll season even more. 

It's a small one, but it's still heavy to tumble - no crank. Just Me-power. So it's an additional source of exercise, as far as I'm concerned! 

Even though you fill the thing, by the time everything decomposes down to its final stage, you get about a third of the capacity of the bin. Which is fine for us - we don't have a huge garden. In fact, I'd even take it down to one or two raised beds (we have 3 currently, and we didn't bother to plant them this year either). 

I still want to take the back yard to red clover instead of grass. It's more environmentally friendly, the huge maple in the back kills off most of the grass anyway, and the patio, parking pad, shed and dog pen kind of take up the rest of it. May as well make it one less thing to mow. I think if I can do that in the back, eventually, we can do it for the front as well. It's barely discernable from grass, and it'll kill off the neighbor's creeping Charlie. 

The Great Cicada Invasion...

It's just about done. At least here. In my town, we only got one of the two species, and not a lot of them - which is weird because my neighborhood is old and there are some older trees, which the critters prefer. In spots, they seemed pretty thick, but it was nowhere near as bad as where I work. There, the robins were lining up in front of the tree in front of my office and one-by-one were flying at the tree to pick off their breakfast. It was pretty funny to watch, if you think about it. Robins aren't always known for their manners. 

Where I work is just across the river, and they had BOTH species. It was so loud that, even on days when I was running the AC, I could hear them. One of the little buggers got into the house. Hubby grabbed it and tossed it back outside. Ugh. I know - they're harmless. But they're gross. 

And I realized that the range of tones I hear in my head (tinnitus) is the same as the noise they make. Wonderful. A symphony all year round!

It's done for now, and I think we're just about back to normal. 

The Felon...

Speaking of bugs...I was relieved that TFG has been convicted. Jurors unanimously convicted him of 34 felonies. And then, to top off the jubilee, Steve Bannon has to report to prison on July 1. So. Much. Winning. 

What does frighten me is Project 2025. That cannot be allowed to stand. My great-grandparents left Poland to come here because they were tired of being invaded by Russia (which Putin wants to do again...which the Poles are NOT jazzed about). TFG would have us withdraw from NATO. He will bury our rights as women to our own healthcare decisions and there's speculation that he would consider taking more rights away from women. 

I want to know how many abortions he's paid for. 

I want to know why women would even CONSIDER voting for him or anyone of his ilk. 

I want to know when we will have a balanced Supreme Court that we can trust again. 

What I do know is that, in spite of the odds, TFG is finally getting the comeuppance he's needed for his entire life. 

What I do know is that his own LAWYERS approved of the jury. So there's no blame there. No "rigged" jury. They all saw the same evidence, and they all came to the same conclusion. 

He's getting interviewed by his parole officer prior to the sentencing on July 11. And I hope that he gets some time behind bars. Martha Stewart got time behind bars, as a first offender, for insider trading. And she's actually a millionaire in fact. TFG is a billionaire only in his twisted mind and that of his followers. It's a cult as much as Martha was. But Martha didn't have the nuclear codes. And Martha doesn't have dementia, which is looking more and more likely with TFG. 

July 11 will be the day we know if the justice system will follow through. It seems as though the MAGAts are melting down, but lo and behold, HUNTER BIDEN. That poor soul got convicted of gun charges that one in a THOUSAND people wouldn't be convicted on. But you know, ya gotta "own the libs," so you want to humiliate the sitting president because Diaper Donnie and his Delulu Disciples are ... nuts. With Hunter getting convicted, the MAGAts are kinda caught up short because their Farting Leader can't be portrayed as a "victim of a witch hunt" because....well, THEY are the perpetrators of their own witch hunt. President Biden isn't going to pardon Hunter. He said he believes in the rule of law, and it is what it is. His son did indeed do what he was convicted of, and even though most of those types of things are pled to a lower crime or just fined, Hunter may well have to serve prison time. There was a plea deal and (I know, you're as shocked as I am) that fell apart when the judge appointed by TFG said she wasn't ready to approve the plea deal because of how it could affect "other crimes he had committed or could have committed." So when do we have "justice" meted out for what we "might" do? Talk about witch hunts... Here's a link to the NPR article discussing it. 

With any luck, so will Cadet Poopypants. If a judge can jail Martha Stewart for insider trading (first offense, I might add, so do not come at me with that pathetic excuse), then TFG (as a CONVICTED first offender -- this is not his "first offense" by a long shot) should get some time for trying to rig a federal election. 

Hip-A-Versary...

I'm coming up on one year for the hip replacement. Happy anniversary to me! I still haven't gotten on a bike yet, but I'm hoping to do so this summer. And I'm not back to the stables yet. But otherwise, I'm doing well in terms of moving around, doing about 90% of my yoga practice -- I knew I'd have to break up with some poses, but that's ok -- and being able to stand for longer periods of time without feeling like I need a nap afterwards!

Random Picture...

I made a butterfly bath...or maybe a butterfly watering station. I guess butterflies don't take baths. On advice of a friend who's involved in prairie restoration, I took my bird bath at work and created a little place for the butterflies. 

I had seen them in gardening sites, but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do that or put a solar fountain in there. She brought me some rocks, and told me the best way to arrange them, and after playing with it, this is what I came up with. 

By putting a pile of rocks near the larger piece of flagstone, you give the butterflies a place to perch where they can stick their little noses in the water to take a sip. It's a nice idea, and I'm looking forward to seeing them figure it all out. 

More Than I Expected...

Well. That didn't go as expected. I thought I had about 6-7" on that Long Sands Tee. Seems like I was wrong. I had most of the front done. 

I frogged it anyway.  Took me most of the afternoon. I cut out a join that I had used; untangled a bunch of knots (I have got to get better about either ending the ball at the seam or weaving in my ends, since this is in the round...), and generally picked my way through it till it was all nicely set back into the raw material that I started with. 

I was working away at my sock (more on that below), and I thought, "I have to grab that thing; I need to frog it today." Call it an irresistable impulse. I thought I knew where it was, but it took me a couple times to find it in the office - slash - junk room (#goals will be to clean that thing out once my hip is rehabbed...It's making me nuts). 

I found the bag, and sat down with "Star Trek: Enterprise" on the TV and started ripping. And ripping. And ripping. 

As you can see, that's a whack of knitting to rip out. I don't know why I thought I had less done. 

Luckily, it's linen, so it can kind of take a pounding. I unwound four balls. Four. As you can see, I have a total of seven hanks. And that dinky little ball is the "two ball cast on" technique that I have to revisit so that I can get the thing cast on in one go rather than try to estimate a couple hundred stitches and have to do it over a couple of times. I had found that on YouTube, and I really liked it. I don't know why I didn't do it this time, but I'm going to give it a go this next cast on. Since it's smaller than the size I initially knitted, it should be enough on that dinky ball. I know it's a risk; I may be in the same trouble of having to rip the thing out if it doesn't work. But again -- linen yarn can take it. 

I'm "getting a leg on" with the Petty Harbour sock. I think the reason I wanted to frog the Long Sands is just that I wanted a break from the leg of the sock. It's not like it's a forever-long leg, either, but I have to say I've been very faithful to this project, and I just needed to do something a little different. 

Ripping things apart usually does that for me. I've got a little over 3" on the leg, and it's a 5" length, so by tomorrow, I should be able to start the heel flap. 

I'm already imagining the rest of this yarn as the tops of a pair of scrappy socks. I'd have to knit those 2 at a time, just to make sure I got all my colors in a row. I need to investigate the "leftovers" bag to see what I've got there. I know it'll be colorful, if nothing else. 

I will have to wait to re-start the Long Sands; probably a month, so the yarn gets a chance to relax. So I could pick up a shawl I have sitting around; I'm not about to frog that puppy - it's about 2/3 done and it would be nice to have it ready for the holidays. I know - thinking ahead for once! 

Monarchs...

So we're trying to control our milkweed population. We really went nuts the first year and had far too many plants; they almost took over the whole wildflower bed, which wasn't my intention. Gradually, over the last few years, we've pulled them out and kind of tried to have order among chaos. This year, what with my hip and all, we really have done nothing with the garden and it's looking rather pathetic. 

A drought doesn't help, just so you know. 

Anyway, I was sitting on the porch the other day and noticed a Monarch butterfly dancing among the few milkweeds we had. 

And we always have some stragglers in the yard; Hubby tries to pull them up or mow them down - and it's a constant battle. Well, Mama Monarch decides to lay her ONE EGG on the one plant in the lawn. 

Seriously. You can see the tiny speck she laid there. Hubby is NOT amused that I want to put a cage over the plant. I have been trying to establish a Monarch garden for a while, and we just haven't had any luck. This time, of course, she picks the worst place. 

You can't mess with Mother Nature, that's for sure. 

The Hip...

I don't know if this is true for others, but over the past two days, it's like a switch has flipped. I'm walking better with the cane, my appetite is back (which is a blessing and a curse...), and most all systems are back to normal. Except my bowels (yeah, TMI) have been a bit slow to recover. 

I'm being a renegade and stopping the iron pill. Those things always give me tummy trouble, and I don't need any help there. 

The PT is amazed at the change in my gait. We start to do the hard work on Monday; I had the evaluation and it was a lot of walking up and down so he could see how I did, and some measurements were taken. 

I'm still doing some of the home PT that I was given, as well as trying to walk more each day. 

Random Picture...

Memorializing my first post-surgery meal in the hospital, it was an egg salad sandwich, small salad and tea. Now mind you, I'd been having IV fluids, and at least 2 of those large styrofoam glasses of water. 

And yet I had to gag that sandwich down. I was hungry, but I honestly thought I'd choke on it because my throat was so dry. Perhaps I should've stuck to soup...

The hospital has an interesting set-up - you can call and order your meals anytime from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. - kind of like a concierge kitchen. My favorite sandwich is egg salad, though mine is more wet than they make theirs. 

At that point, beggars couldn't be choosers, I suppose. Anyway, it was food, it was tea and I was both hungry and under-caffeinated. So it worked.