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. 

September Start-itis...

It's a thing. Start-itis. That irresistible urge to start something new. It often hits around Labor Day for many of us, because we that September is our "new year." I don't know if it's  because for those of us of a certain age, school went back in session on the Tuesday after Labor Day, so we have those "new year" feelings associated from childhood. 

I don't know if it's the change of seasons. The leap from summer to fall often makes us feel invigorated with the color changes, cooler weather, changing length of days...all of it is a bit nostalgic and energizing at the same time. 

I've finished a few projects and I need to think about what to do next. I need to finish a few single socks, and I need to finish the Precious Metals scarf. But I'm itching to start something new... 

How about you?

Babies, I've got Babies...

So from 9 caterpillars, I'm back to two of them, one a brand-new baby. I hope that the big ones have gone on to begin their transition to Black Swallowtails. I've been seeing more of the Swallowtails around, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more of them as the season goes on. 

As you can see, my parsley has taken another hit! Oh well; if it's serving the butterflies-to-be, how can I complain? It comes back. 

Toting up so far, I've had two batches of 9, and today I saw 2 more. Not a bad haul for someone who didn't expect anything from this pot of herbs. 

I haven't seen anything on the dill. It's all dried up, which I think is kind of quick, compared to last year. Of course, the patch wasn't as large either, so maybe that's it. Or maybe they just like parsley better. 

I'm hoping the weather holds out for a bit because the Brown Eyed Susans are now seeding, and the Phlox is having a bit of a regeneration with the rain and slightly cooler weather. The hanging plants are just about done; I'm thinking of doing mums or something else - not butterfly or hummingbird friendly, but the season is waning. There's a bit of life left in the coneflowers, and the butterfly bush is doing ok. But the bee balm is done and so is the lavender, which surprises me. 

I've got a good crop of Rosemary, so a bunch of that will go into the freezer for winter time. Maybe I should resurrect the Rosemary Jelly I made a few years ago? The basil flowered almost immediately, so I figured that was "hummingbird food" and didn't even bother plucking anything for cooking. 

Finished Projects...

So this is what I've been doing this weekend. I admit, I heisted this one from a post in my "Make & Take Group" FB page. It's little "oily bugs." 

I got some stiffened felt and bought a cutter - which I found won't cut felt... So I resorted to a biscuit cutter and pencil. Used my snips, as they're easier on the hands, and cut out 15 circles. 

I bought larger pom-poms and used Tacky Glue to stick them on the base. I was looking for pre-cut, but all I found was foam, and I didn't want to use that. Had the Fiskars cutter worked, it would've been scalloped. But I'm not that dedicated...

After they sat for a while, I added some glitz. I saw these initially as "google-eyed" with little antennae. Nope. A bit too cutesy for me, frankly. 

I got gems. Stick on, but some of them didn't come off with the glue on, so again with the Tacky Glue. I still want to add more around the backside, because I did three in a cascade, but they still seem to look like sparkly eyeballs. Not the look I'm going for. 

What the heck are these for, you might ask. Well. There are numerous ways to use essential oils in a yoga class or at work without a diffuser or direct application on the skin, though to me, on the skin works the best. 

Some teachers use cotton pads, which are really nice. Some use sprays, which I've used. But I saw these, which were given out as party favors, and I thought, "How nice would these be to sit next to your mat?"

Except right now, they look like scary-eyed space monsters. So - the answer to that is MORE JEWELS (channeling my inner Elvis here). This is for a Yoga + Oils class I'm doing with one of my teachers and we plan to use 3 oils. This will enable us to dot them onto the critters and set them next to the mats. 

The students can take them home to use with oils they have at home or take them with them to work, to put on their desks. 

They're handy, slightly adorable, portable, and cheap to make. 

Next up is the most recent prayer shawl. Yes, in the background, you see about a zillion oils on my table next to my diffuser. Those are ones I use at night (not all at once, but as I see what I need). 

I really REALLY wanted to do a picot bind-off for this one. But I didn't leave myself enough yarn. You need something like six times the length to do a picot bind-off. Knowing that would've saved me a lot of angst with the last Close to You Shawl, I gotta tell ya...

So Hubby and I did the math. Did it again. And did it a third time, just to make sure. See, this is super-bulky yarn, so I had what I thought was an insane amount of yarn left - like over 21 feet. And it still wasn't enough. There were 105 stitches on the last row of this puppy, so that would've meant I needed about 3 times what I had. But I had plenty for my plain bind-off, and about 6 yards left. That went into the "oddments" bag, and I'll use it for something. 

Pocket Priest has an idea for us to do "Prayer Squares" - instead of doing a whole afghan, which is a great idea. I mean, I was "on a mission" with this particular shawl, but overall, I'd like to volunteer for our church's Prayer Shawl Ministry. But with my crazy schedule? I don't want to take 6 months to do an afghan. And I'm not keen on doing a bunch of them in the super-bulky. I have a lot of worsted in stash, but that's what'll take me 6 months... 

Squares are good for kids, elders who don't want a whole lap robe or afghan, and folks with sensory issues. I remember my kids used to love the tags on their stuffed animals. That's the same concept. 

Storing My Oils...

For a few years, I had totes to store my Young Living Essential Oils in. As I accumulated more, I added more totes. It was getting out of hand, and I didn't always know where things were when I was looking for a particular oil. 

Well. I was in JoAnn Fabrics the other day, buying the stuff for the Oily Critters, and I saw these storage things for sale at 50% off. I thought, "WOW, this might work!" I was hoping they'd work for the 15 ml. bottles, but they're not quite deep enough. That's ok. My totes work for those for now. 

So the bins are labeled: "Vitality" (the ones we can use to cook, bake, eat, etc.); "Singles;" and "Blends." 

I did the same thing for the totes, and that basket up there holds the empties. Sometimes, I re-use the empties for samples or blends of my own (taking off the labels). 

If you're an oiler, how do you store yours? I've toyed with the nail polish holders, and I've kept them in a basket. But I think this is better for me. I'm sure it'll evolve. Right now, they're on top of a dresser. Eventually, they'll move into my office. 

It's fun to find new uses for things; that bin system is actually for scrapbookers, and there are indents in the top to keep paper clips, pencils, etc. Which means it'll be a pain to dust, but there you go. 

Random Picture...

Ok, this time it's a funny. I saw this and sent it to my kid to share with my grand-cat... 


I love to see some of the internet humor. It's clever. Memes - love 'em. Yes, some are pretty trashy, and yeah, vulgar. 

But the great thing about the Internet is that you can almost always find what you want. If you want to watch cat videos for the next 2 months, you can do that. My friend Preston finds these awesome pictures that he posts as "series" on his FB page - cats + kids, cammo cats (cats hiding in obvious sight), and the latest one is rocks painted as pets. 

It's all engaging. Yeah, it can get to be a total time suck, but only if you let it. Heck, I can "waste" a ton of time on Ravelry, looking for shawl patterns, but that doesn't always translate to a "waste." It's kind of engaging my creative brain, taking me away from the crap that's on the news, and giving me a respite from everyday stuff. 

In moderate doses, there's nothing wrong with spending time on the internet. Like anything, you can go all the way to crazy-town. But you don't have to. 

My mom now has WiFi (yeah, I know - stop the presses!), and she's a bit concerned about "frittering away" her time. She has friends who play games and spend hours online. I told her, "Here's the thing, mom. It's a machine. Set a timer, and turn it off." She has lots of hobbies, and she's a bit afraid that she'll get sucked into the vortex. 

Remember: It's a machine. Turn it off. Unplug. Go outside, look up, enjoy the world off-screen.