Colorado On My Mind...

We started out our next morning by running out for food for the dinner we'd planned to cook for the kids. I love the Sprouts Farmer's Market that's about 3 blocks from the condo. It's like Fresh Thyme, and we ended up using them quite a bit. 

THIS time, we actually cooked breakfast! What a difference eating regularly means when you're moving around as much as we are! 

The kiln - all 1800 degrees of it!

Around 11 a.m., we ended up at the forge with Kid #1 and he showed us the "scraps pile" where he messes with different pieces to create designs. Kid #2 got to pick out some pieces and they set about working on a bit of "yard art." It was great to watch him work, and I took some videos too. 

Here's the thing. He's been a welder for a long, long time. He spent a lot of years armoring cars, making "clamps for trucks" (straight up fabrication work making the same thing over and over) and learning how to create his own equipment when there isn't anything workable. In that way, he's a total clone of my own grandpa - a machinist who made his own tools when he didn't have what he needed to do the job. When my mom was cleaning out granny's house, she gave Kid #1 several of grandpa's tools. Somehow, the gene has been passed. 

Pneumatic hammer adding texture

The Kid has also done work in glassblowing, and has recently worked as a blacksmith - and he's working with Damascus steel and knife-making. Very 18th century? Well, yes and no. 

Those skills are unique and while it may not have been the "doctor" vision I had for him, he's happy. He's creating. He's working steadily. His experience in fabrication and estimating has been helpful working in an art studio because he's got an extremely pragmatic and practical frame of mind. 

Forming an arc

When we talked, he told me, "Look, mom - I'm always looking at the long game. I'm projecting out into my future, and I love what I'm doing here." I can't argue with him. He looks good, and he's mellowed out - he used to be a frustrated, somewhat angry person. I think a lot of it was in the finding of himself, and in the situation he was in here at home. It's not like we're bristling with art galleries, and even though you read in the news about "jobs growing," they're not growing in the welding sector. They just aren't. Warehouse jobs, driving a forklift or working on a shipping/packing line? That we've got, and I'm not knocking those jobs. But that's not how he wants to live, and I have to accept that he's more of a person who's going to go his own way. I worry. There's no retirement plan for artists and craftsmen. Also not much in the way of health insurance. These are grown-up problems and I wrestle with it for him. But I have to let him go his own way and trust to the Universe to take care of him. 

One arc done

I can clearly see that he's doing what he loves. Watching him move between the extreme heat of the kiln (any misnomers in terminology are mine, folks!) and the anvil and the large pneumatic hammer was really fascinating. He kept saying, "Stay back there, Mom!" Lucky me, I brought the long lens! I wasn't as close as these pictures might make you assume. 

He has a hammer that was made for him (not the one in the picture above) and has an old, old anvil that he dragged with him from Virginia. He created his own forge/kiln. J. does a lot of work in the forge as well, so a lot of the tools are available for him. He showed us some of the knives he was working on, and they were pretty impressive. They're not quite done, but he's working on trying a new way to do handles. 

He also has a big project - a 6-panel large gate for a person who wants a "front entrance statement piece." They do a lot of that there. J. did the design work, and he created the framework, and is working on the internal design. They have an art student working there, and the student cut out a zillion (or so it seems) aspen leaves, which he'll attach to the places on the gate where J. has specified they go - it'll look as if the aspen leaves are blowing gently across the gate. He has to manufacture the latch too - yes, you can order them, but the client is paying for hand-made, and that's what they'll get. 

Dunking the rods after the first forming

He got to go to a huge install in Salina, KS, where she won a juried art show and was able to put her sculpture in a prominent place. The city exhibited a wide variety of artists, and the citizens voted on which ones they liked; the city ended up buying a couple of them - among them was J.'s piece. That's how public art works out there, apparently. 

Forming the centerpiece

So we spent quite a bit of time there, watching the metal change and seeing his mind work in the creation of this piece. It wasn't done by the time we left, but he said it would be.  He told us that he's thinking of coming home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. He has a piece he's working on for me, and I'm anxious to see it. 

The most fascinating part of it for me was -- well, there were two parts. Watching him form the twirls and then form the bowl of the centerpiece. You could see the concentration - he was totally zoned in on what he was doing, which was impressive. 

Making the curls (that's his hammer in the back there)

A little confession: He took a while... I mean, as a kid, he immersed himself into a lot of different things, such as music and art. But he wasn't jazzed about school. Not that he wasn't smart - he's incredibly smart. But it took a while for him to find his niche. As a mom, it makes my heart smooshy to see him do what he wants to do. 

After we were done in the forge, he and Kid #2 wanted to go to a brewing supply place for some hose - in Castle Rock. I got to test my skills driving in true "foothills." They both decreed I was a dud! 

Sparks from forming the bowl

I don't do well in blind corners. But we took a nice scenic route - Rt. 105, I think, and saw beautiful homes, farms, cows, horses, mini-donkeys and one alpaca! They did razz me a bit and at times, I was kind of freaked out. One of them accused me of "stomping" on the brakes, which I don't think I did. I was just cautious. 

Yes, I got passed by the locals, but I told them that I thought it was mostly their familiarity with the roads. 

At 3 p.m. (jeeze, meals are later and later!) we found a Mexican restaurant and ate there. We ended up coming back to the condo and spending the evening there - just me and Kid #2 - so we could do our baking for the next day's Memorial Day celebration with J.'s dad (mom wasn't there... a little odd, but hey - they're not engaged or anything). I decided to drive to his house so in case there was alcohol, I was ok and in control. It's definitely an "adult child of an alcoholic" thing... 

Air Force Academy Football Field

I made - or tried to make -- an apple crumble. It failed. Baking in high altitudes. Not so much. Kid #2 made CPS Butter Cookies and they were fine. Thankfully! 

On the way home, we had a chance to stop at the observation pull-off by the Air Force Academy. Nothing was going on due to the holiday, but we did have a nice opportunity to take some pictures. I can just imagine when the students are doing "touch-and-go" maneuvers. It must be impressive. 

The condo didn't have AC - which was a surprise to me at first. But the weather the entire time was perfect. So we closed it up while we were gone, and in the evenings, opened all the windows for about an hour or so and it cooled down nicely. Also, the condo had 52" ceiling fans in every room! We had a chance to do a little laundry and wind down from our adventures. 

Random Picture...

We caught the full moon. Even with the light pollution in Colorado Springs, the skies are almost as big as Montana's are. 

We didn't do a lot of stargazing, and I was frankly surprised that I didn't see the Milky Way, like I did in Montana. What we did see were clouds that we felt we could grab. We saw weather move in, and move out - without barely a drop of rain. The cloud formations were amazing, and while it may seem silly, I took several "cloud shots" for later use. Kid #1 said they were in this "weird bubble" and we thought it would rain a couple of days. That's what the forecast said, but nope. 

I mean, the one day it did "rain" -- I thought they were going to throw a parade! But it lasted less than 10 minutes. 

They're under watering restrictions. There were signs all over with the fire ratings and it seemed like everyone was taking it very seriously, which is a good thing. Kid #1 lived through one huge forest fire in VA - he's not interested in doing it again!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaack...

 And I had a great trip. The drive was a worry for me. I've had a problem with my piriformis muscle - it's a tiny little bugger deep inside by the glutes, and it has the unfortunate luck of laying along the sciatic nerve, so it seems like you're having a sciatica problem, but then you're not. 

Anyway, I'd done something a while ago, and really, really hurt myself. Finally isolated it, with my chiropractor's help. I've done a flock's worth of "pigeon pose" to relieve it and he even got me a muscle roller (I work for him - it's ok) that I use just about daily. 

The thing is: it manifests itself as a burning pain down my driving leg. Well, I was about to get into a car and drive 1,300 miles or so. After diligently doing my pigeons and my roller and walking a lot, it worked itself out, and now only flares up every so often. So, Kid #2 and I set out on May 24, toward Monument, Colorado. We stopped overnight in Lincoln, NE, so as to be fresh for the drive the next day. Spent a lovely week in a condo in Colorado Springs, visiting Kid #1 and his girlfriend. It was nice to have a condo - because that way, it worked out cheaper, and we had a washing machine and dryer. 

Even still, I over-packed (as usual). Oh well. Some things don't change. And to start the trip, I wanted to bring my bathing suit, because the plan was to hit a hot spring... but I couldn't find the bottom of the suit. Go ahead; laugh. I ended up finding a very nice "swim-dress" at Kohl's. Thankfully. 

Trying to gas up in a little town in Illinois near the Iowa border, I was totally befuddled by the gas pumps. I put my card in, then pressed "Regular" and it wouldn't go. It took me several tries (and a friendly female motorist) to notice that there were TWO pumps: one "premium" and one "regular" -- You had to stick your credit card into the slot at the "regular" pump, otherwise it wouldn't know you wanted "regular" gas. Good grief!!! 

Iowa was prettier than we thought it would be; the traffic flowed nicely and we had rolling hills to drive through. The weather cooperated as well. 

Nebraska is flat. Very flat. And kind of boring to drive through. But I have to say that Rt. 80 was pretty calm. I was rather dreading that, but we left via Rt. 88 - which was different, and frankly, easier to do than to get out from Joliet. The exits out of Joliet are notoriously (a) busy; and (b) dangerous. People get into accidents, the truck traffic is horrendous and people have died. 

I was truly, truly dreading that part, because Rt. 80 is basically the only way to get there in any reasonable time-frame. 

But we found a nice rest stop, were able to stretch (yep - more pigeon poses) and at least have a bathroom break. The Nebraska hotel was ok. It was a place to sleep, right? 

And Kid #2 taught me a valuable lesson. Like, "smacking my head, why didn't I think of that" kind of lesson. He - smart kid that he is - packed the "overnight" stuff in a backpack - rather than having to do what his mother did: haul a rather large suitcase up into a hotel room for ONE night. I heaved a sigh, and learned for the trip on the way back... Sometimes, our kids do teach us stuff. 

When we stopped in Nebraska, we realized that Hotels.com had screwed up our reservations. Hubby was able to re-do them, and we went to get something to eat (Clif bars and iced tea don't cut it for lunch, that's for sure!). We went to Cracker Barrel, and I didn't realize that Kid #2 had never been in one! It stayed light till well past 9 p.m. and eating dinner that late wasn't a great idea - but needs must, I suppose. 

Mt. Herman

Colorado...

We thought it was "only 5 - 6 hours" to Colorado Springs from Lincoln. But it was more like 10 hours. And there was a huge back-up on Rt. 25 through Denver. Turns out some poor slob in an old Winnebago had run out of gas in the middle lane of the interstate, stopping traffic for hours. We avoided the toll roads, but we ended up going right through downtown Denver. Thanks but no thanks! 

We actually left Nebraska by about noon-ish. So we arrived late in the afternoon of the 25th, and went straight to Monument, where Kid #1 lives with J., his girlfriend. It was a lovely visit, and we visited, that first night, the lake near their house. It was enough of a hike, and J. looked at me funny - because I had my "driving shoes" on -- my Dansko clogs. You definitely do NOT hike in Dansko clogs! We had dinner at their house and I ate jackfruit tacos with goat cheese. She's a "mostly" vegetarian, like me. This was a first. It really tasted like pulled pork! We talked about what we were planning to do for the week; they were working, but since it was Memorial Day weekend, we had several long days to visit with them, and then, we were on our own, which was cool with us. 

The next day, we spent quite a lot of time with them. Turns out that my car doesn't really like the altitude -- it chugged pretty much the whole trip! We went to the Farmer's Market (where I got an awesome 8-year-old sharp cheddar), we visited J.'s studio (she's an artist) and Kid #1 showed us what he's been working on. She's got a rather significant operation going on - fine art pieces, public art projects, furniture, and statement pieces galore. Lucky for me, I'd chugged a Siggi's yogurt at the condo, because I basically skipped a decent breakfast, and I really could've used the fuel, since we hiked around Mt. Herman. Even though we took it easy because, as Kid #1 said, "You need to get used to the altitude and the dryness." Yikes, was it dry!! I must've guzzled a gallon or more of water each day and I always felt like I could've done more. Even my skin looked like it suffered a bit; ashy and itchy. They said it was normal; she grew up there, and Kid #1 had been there a couple of years, so he's used to it. 

The trail wound around the base of the mountain. We really didn't go too far, and we did cut it short so we (I, mainly) could get used to it. As we left, we saw a Search & Rescue crew going in. I still wonder what happened. 

We were mostly single-file on this trail, and it was ok. I took a bunch of pictures, and we all were chatting, having a good time. Funny enough, J. was hiking in flip-flops... She managed to twist her hip and she and the puppy (they have a puppy -- pictures later) went back early. 


It was a bit disconcerting to see the "desert" plants near to the oaks - throughout our time here, I realized how arid it really was. And it hasn't helped that the "fire rating" was at "high" the entire time; the state's been in a drought condition for several years. 

There's this large monolith of limestone stuck right at the base of Mt. Herman. I never did find out what it was, but it was kind of amazing to see it there - like God Herself put it there for some unknown reason. Kid #1 says that people bike around it. 

Oh, we did see a number of mountain biker people. Let me just say: they're insane. Just sayin' -- polite to us, but really? You're going UP the mountain and then you come DOWN this sandy trail at high rates of speed? Nope. Give me flat land. 

Here's a close-up of the monolith, thanks to my telephoto lens. 

I'm eventually going to compare pictures with Kid #2 - we'll share shots. All I know for sure is that he says he's getting me a "quieter" camera bag for Christmas. I have a bulky one with squeaky plastic clips. He's got a nice cross-body kidney-shaped backpack kind of thing - which doesn't make a sound! 

He joked (though he wasn't joking much) that he knew I was ok on the trails as long as he heard the camera case squeaking along. Once he stopped hearing it, he turned back and made sure I was ok. 

It ended up that we stayed for dinner that evening, too, and had burgers with the fixin's. We were starving! It tasted great!

Over the next several blogs, I'll share the pics. Not to worry - I took over 700 of them, but I won't share all of them! But I do want to show you some of the beauty that we saw, and share some more stories. 

Random Picture...

I saw Indian Paintbrush! J. was surprised that I knew what it was. It's one of my favorites, along with Bear Grass, which Hubby says doesn't grow in Colorado. It does grow in Montana, and while Montana is further north, Colorado - or at least where we were, is higher up. 

So, somewhere in the depths of my counted-cross-stitch stash is a kit with all the floss and the fabric for a picture of Indian Paintbrush. I got it on my honeymoon almost 25 years ago... I should dig it out and do it. As I recall, it wasn't a large project. 

I did bring knitting with me - the green travelling socks. Did get some of it done, but didn't do as much as I thought I was going to. 

Time for bed - it's a busy day tomorrow: interviewing another vicar candidate, but first, I'm making a rice + veggie + shrimp salad with a lemon garlic vinaigrette for the post-interview luncheon. Recipe will follow tomorrow, with pictures. 

I Went Ahead and...

...did it. I joined the "InstaPot" club. See, it was our anniversary and I honestly wasn't expecting anything except a card. I'm ok with that. 

Well. FIRST, Hubby hands me THREE dozen roses. I almost fell over. We don't normally do flowers. They're right here next to me, a medley of pink, red, and white. Two vases. Yeah, I could've stuck them in one vase, but I wanted to give them room. 

As you can see, I arrange flowers for crap. But even so, these were and are gorgeous! A few don't look like they're going to open fully, but I don't care. 

I miss my roses. I once had a thriving rose garden in my front yard, many of the bushes planted in memory of people I care/cared about. But we have large maples in our front and back yard. I noticed my roses looking pretty nasty: spindly, no blooms to speak of, yellow leaves... So I consulted a biologist friend of mine who said, "You need to get rid of all your roses." I thought I would cry. Apparently, there's a fungus (I can't remember the name of the nasty little bugger), and it's in the roots of maples, and gets into the dirt. I doused my soil with neem oil (on his suggestion) and ripped all the roses out. 

Well, now as you may remember, it's a wildflower garden and it's thriving. But I miss my fragrant, home-grown roses. 

So. We had a nice weekend. We went to dinner on the Saturday before our anniversary since the Sunday was going to be busy. We exchanged cards on Sunday. The roses showed up Saturday, by the way... And as I was knitting (see below), he hands me a large-ish box. 

It was this little beauty. It's an InstaPot Duo Mini. It's just the right size for the 2 of us, and gives us 4 portions of whatever we're cooking. So tonight, we had a brown rice & chicken thing - I found a recipe and I also did a bit of "winging it." 

With broth AND pineapple juice (I'm telling you --- my new best friend when pressure cooking chicken), we used organic brown basmati, about 8 spring onions, 4 large cloves of garlic, a total of 1.5 cups of broth/juice. I also used 3 carrots, chunked, and about a cup of peas. The chicken breasts were FROZEN. I'm talking two bricks-of-chicken. I also used Penzey's Sunny Paris blend, salt and pepper. 

It took one hour, start to finish. So when people say, "Hey, my InstaPot cooks stuff in 15 minutes," it's only partially true. It takes some time when using the pressure cooker part, to get up to pressure, then to release the pressure. So don't count on dinner on the table in 20 minutes. There's also prep time. This thing sautees, so I initially sauteed the veggies, then added a little broth to deglaze, then rinsed the rice, put that in with the broth/juice, and spices. Stirred it up and then laid the chicken breasts on the top. Locked it down, set the time & pressure and walked away. Hubby really likes the "vent the pressure" thing. It must be a guy thing. Anyway, I also nuked the peas and put them in afterwards. I shredded the chicken, too. 

Notes: I'd add more onions & garlic, and add more salt & pepper. It was a touch bland. But you could taste a bit of the pineapple juice. It's a keeper, worth tweaking. 

Knitting Knews...

Sorry. It's been awhile since I did a poorly-executed pun-ish kind of thing. I won't do it again, I promise. 


I started a "Two Hour Shawl." Well. It's not 2 hours. But then, I have a caveat. I know I knit slowly. I've been working on this for a couple of days. I mean, I do have a couple of other jobs to do. It's from Wolfberry Knits, and it's called, "The (literally) Two Hour Shawl." I'm doing it in a crazy acrylic purple + sparkles, and yes, using fringe. 

It's going to a special person, and I have to hold that close to the vest for now. I am using "trees" to knit... Mind you, I've been doing a lot of sock knitting and the Close to You Shawl - I've been knitting with much, MUCH smaller needles. 

These are size 15 and I'm holding the yarn double. I've also been playing a little yarn chicken. You see, I bought 2 balls, and I cut the fringe (all 100 pieces....I'm dyin' here...) from one ball, thinking I'd use two-ish balls for the shawl. Then I got the brilliant idea, since they called for 100 meters/ball, to DOUBLE the yarn. I have to get to 90 stitches across. 

The yarn the pattern called for needs to be blocked. Obviously, I'm not blocking acrylic. I won't have to. But I might pin it out anyway, just so I can get the fringe on there correctly. There are 50 fringes per side. I normally don't fringe anything, but this will really work with the pattern.  

It's a pretty yarn, and soft. But it's truly like knitting with tree trunks after all the sock yarn. I've set the Close to You Shawl aside till I get some headways on this one. I mean, really - two hours, bulky yarn, huge needles... But honestly, I really don't like knitting this large - at least not often. For some things, it's totally the way to do that. For an 8-hour baby blanket (which takes me about 3 weeks), that's perfect. But putting it in perspective, these are the shawls-in-the-works side by side. 

Church Yard Sale Bargains...

I really tried to avoid any buying at the yard sale. Heck, I donated THREE boxes of stuff. (And there's more in the basement, which we're planning on sending over for the Fall Sale) But I did find a few gems that I couldn't pass up. One of them, I got for free - because I found them after the sale was over and before the Salvation Army got them!

I got a lovely large blue spatterware platter, which we can use for our large family gatherings. Hubby liked that one a lot. For a buck. I also got a Fiestaware pitcher - I've never had any kind of Fiestaware, and this is a nice one for my fridge. For TWO bucks. 

When I posted that on Facebook, I got some side-eye because it was only $2. Hey, not my fault. I was promoting the Rummage Sale. Your fault if you don't come and see what's there. 

I also got a small bud vase; I'm usually scrambling for one of those. For 50 cents, it was worth it. 


It was nice to see my stuff leaving the building... And as I said, I'm anxious to get rid of more of it in the Fall. 

These beauties are for Kid #2. He's into vinyl. Apparently, that's the "in" thing. So some of these are truly trash, but some may be nice things to have. They're "old school" vinyl. My one friend grabbed one of them out of the box, and while she was getting ready to go home, it slipped out of her hand, and the edge hit the table. A huge chunk cracked off... She was only going to frame it, so she can glue it up nicely and it'll be ok for that. This box has lots of chipped ones, but maybe he can find a few that are unique. 

We had several boxes of LPs and someone came and asked one of our volunteers to thumb through each and every one. He bought a few of them for upwards of $30 -- and we were selling them for $1 each! I suggested that someone get a valuer in for the Fall sale, especially if we had stuff like records and depression glass, etc. No sense selling it for a dollar or two if we can get a little more for it. We did have someone bargaining for a set of silver tea spoons. I'm not talking "teaspoons." I'm talking about Polish silver tea spoons, like demitasse spoons, with a maker's mark and all. He wanted them for $5 for a set of 6. Our warden wasn't budging. At $10, that set was enough of a bargain. As usual, there were far too many purses, tatty Christmas decorations and baby items, but we did well, and have hopes for a better Fall sale. 

Hey, maybe there'll be more Fiestaware!

Random Picture...

So I'm going to Colorado to see Kid #1 with my "wingman," Kid #2. And I'm meeting the new girlfriend. So we've been texting back and forth, and exchanging pictures. I tried to get one of Quinn to show her. And of course, Quinn responds well to bribery. A little too well here!! 

Funny story: My sister came over so I could help her with a resume. She's seen my dogs - at least the Elkhounds. Tippi visited with her right when I first got her. And later, Quinn - who was supposed to be my sister's dog in the first place - raced around the yard with her dog Kali. They had a blast. 

She hadn't met Raisa yet, and of course fell in love with the red-headed Siberian Husk-clown... 

Anyway, Quinn seems to have forgotten her manners. She took one look at my sister and went to hide in the bathroom... She eventually came out, we were working on my sister's stuff. I petted both dogs. Tippi was glued to her side, wanting pets - and being the quiet, well-trained therapy dog she is -- was, well... QUIET. Tippi doesn't paw at you for attention (like some Husky I know...) and she doesn't intrude on you. She sits and waits. 

Quinn was on the couch. Eventually, both dogs up and walked to the back of the house. My sister didn't even hear them go. She was shocked that they went "poof" like little grey fog clouds... "How can such big dogs move so quietly???" she asked. She did eventually pet Quinn, and I think they're friends. 

Maybe. 

So what's on your needles? What's on with garden plans? What are you reading? Fill me in! 

Veni, Vidi...

...ego quod plantatum est....

Or, "I came, I saw, I planted."

I spent Mother's Day in what I consider the best way possible: a quick trip to Eastside Greenhouse and coming home to plant my haul.

For the veggies and herbs, I got: Big Boy, Golden Sunshine, and Sweet Cherry tomatoes. I got carrot seeds and radish seeds (truly enough for YEARS, but more on that in a moment). I got Rosemary, sweet basil, curly parsley, Lemon balm and chamomile. I bought two strawberry plants.

For the flowers, I got two LARGE hanging baskets, and an "angel" plant that I'd never seen before. It's a spiky plant that is an annual and vaguely reminds me of foxgloves.

That one came in coral pink, baby pink and magenta. I got the coral pink. I'm assured that butterflies and bees love it. I'm in for that!

You can see the haul in the back of the truck. The two hanging baskets went up first. We moved them away from the brick (a) so they wouldn't bake as the weather got warmer; and (b) so that when it rains, Mother Nature can help with the watering.

Within an hour after we'd planted what we got, we had hummingbirds at these plants. This is what I'm talking about!

In the front garden, I chose to put the herbs in pots. So again - they can take advantage of the strong western exposure. Our maple tree in the back shades virtually the whole yard, and the herbs hadn't been doing well in the large trug. Hubby also wants to stain it so that it lasts a bit longer, so this year, it's getting the year off. In the white-ish planter is the curly parsley (4 plants). In the small dark planter to the left of it is the sweet basil. And at the rear, that brown planter? Rosemary. It's something I'd been wanting to do for a while -- well, that and an herb spiral, but it's baby steps for now! I know these plants can take the heat and I know also that they'll benefit the birds and bees who stop by.


Hubby was all excited (yay!) because he saw a solar bird bath that might actually work. I'm excited about that too. The moving water will not only keep mosquitoes down, but it'll make it easier to keep the birdbath clean, and attract more birds. We've had bird baths forever, but they are difficult, with our water, to keep clean and the "solar" apparatuses we tried haven't seemed to work consistently. I'm hoping this one does, because I'm never going to talk him into a fountain or a pond!

To the right here are our lily of the valley. They desperately need to be thinned out, which I'll be doing in the next few weeks. I'd like to put them in pots on the back deck, but Hubby says he's got "a few more things to do" for it. We shall see. I love these plants and I'm so happy they're flourishing.

Speaking of flourishing, I was picking some of the Monster Bleeding Heart. And I about dropped my clippers. This is the longest string of bleeding hearts I've ever seen on this plant. I didn't pick it. I figured it was good to leave it there. There are fifteen hearts on this stem. I'm so happy every spring to see this old friend come back. It's like my harbinger of good things to come.

Moving to the back garden, Hubby refilled the three raised beds. Seriously the best way to grow things because (a) it's compact gardening. This year we're spreading out, but typically, we fill these things to the hilt. It saves space and is more efficient in keeping the weeds down. And (b) our soil is not your typical "Illinois black dirt" that's famous. Nope. We've got the "famous" --- or "infamous" clay. Yep, right under that set of planters, there's maybe 2" of black dirt (our contractor was hardly generous in this regard) and under that? Clay. Nothing grows in clay except our maple trees, apparently!

The top picture there is 7 heads of romaine, and 4 rows of carrots, of two varieties. The carrots are slightly crowded, but we will thin them out. Normally, we'd crowd that space with lettuce, but Hubby and I are the only two here. Nobody's going to eat that much lettuce, and then when you try to give it away, people look at you as if you're handing them yet another zucchini!

The middle bed holds an odd combination of bedfellows... two strawberry plants and two rows of radishes. I love radishes. According to a holistic website, I'm correct in my love for these little spicy red globes. Aside from the fiber aspect (and we all need a little more fiber), they're a natural detoxifier and diuretic. They'll clean out your liver and your kidneys. They'll help you sleep (that's never been my view, but I'll go with it); they're actually very high in Vitamin C and can help you fight off cold and flu bugs. They have cooling and anti-inflammatory properties and they're a natural decongestant (seriously, a nice spicy radish will make your nose run!).

They also have a high water content, are low in calories and help you feel full. Also, it's alleged that they can even help prevent cancer because of their sulphur containing compounds that can help protect cells from mutations.

Anyway, I'm nuts about radishes and can't wait to grow my own again!

And in the last bed are the tomatoes... The two in the containers are going to Kid #2. I hope he gets some good ones out of them. I reminded Hubby that we really need to keep the plants in trim - he once let the vines grow and grow and grow... The plants put so much energy into producing actual 12' long vines that there were about 3 tomatoes. Total. THREE tomatoes for all that greenery.

So he'll hopefully keep them from growing like crazy and I may get tomatoes. After tonight's forecasted rain, we'll put the lids on the beds, so that the squirrels won't have a heyday in there. The lids will eventually come off once everything settles in. I'm thinking of putting a "fence" down the middle of the strawberry/radish patch, because the berries can really take over.

Whole 30 Update...

So I kept going. Ish. I'm slowly introducing more variety into my eating, and still not really snacking like I used to. My body is responding by continuing to lose weight (yay!) and as of Day 41, I'm down a little over 10 lbs.

I admit - I was getting discouraged, because in the 30 days, I didn't see much. But like they promised, I do see some changes now. It just took me a bit longer. I'll keep on keeping on and hopefully will be able to see long-term, positive changes.

Knitting...

I'm on Point # 12 of the Close to You Shawl. That's 12 out of 18. So it's humming along and I got a good bit done this weekend. I also put together a Mass that I could play on the guitar, and now I have to practice it till I can play it in my sleep. And hope that our organist isn't absent much so that I don't really have to worry about doing it!

I also put on a few rows of the green traveling sock. It won't make it as a pair on the upcoming Colorado trip. It just won't unless I clear my entire schedule. And I'm not doing that for socks! They'll materialize. They always do.

You may notice something strange in the picture. I'm wearing nail polish. I haven't done that in years.

And now I know why. This lasted a total of 3 days. I removed it today because it was chipping. I'm not used to babying my hands and I was annoyed because it didn't last, even with a good top coat. And I don't have time to fiddle with it.

So off it went. And good riddance. I'll stick with pedicures. They last till I take the polish off, even when I'm barefoot so much. And I can't be worrying about my fingers. Between the knitting, the computer and the guitar (not to mention gardening and cooking), I've got enough to do without worrying about polish on the nails.

It was a nice try. Girly-girl just isn't me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love my jewelry and I like to look nice, but the nail polish was kind of a disaster in the making, and I could tell I was being "hesitant" about doing things. Again: nice if you can do it, but not for me.

Random Picture...

Kid #2 gave me a Mother's Day gift after my own heart: an orchid and a book (Strangers on the Train...). He said, "Happy Mother's Day. Enjoy the book, and try not to kill the plant."

That combination of sentiment and snark was just what I needed! You have to enjoy the balance he achieves.

Temporarily, the orchid is at the studio, on the altar. If it likes it there, it'll stay. Otherwise, it can sit next to the white one I got a few years ago.

Which I've managed to keep alive, and which actually may bloom again. I did get another one to bloom twice and then it died on me. Could be that I didn't water it enough.

Anyway, Kid #2 knows a guy down the street from us who he swears is "The Orchid Whisperer." If I get into trouble, he says that AJ can resurrect just about anything.

I'm going to try to keep this one alive as long as I can.

Tippi is beside my chair and giving me that "It's time for bed already" look. And I need to water the other orchid.

Tell me what you're reading and what you're knitting! Let's chat!

PS: Sorry about the sudden change of theme... When I previewed this, it was all wonky, with white stripes where words ought to be.

Oh well, this one's spring-ly.

At Least She Waved...

...with her WHOLE hand. 

The lady who actually used her signal, I mean, as I let her get between me and a school bus on the ride home today. 

That courtesy, which my grandfather taught me 'lo those many moons ago when he was teaching me to drive (wave a "thank you" when someone lets you in) has gone by the wayside. 

Usually, the wave consists of one particular finger. 

I drive a good 40 minutes to GET to my part-time gig with the chiropractor and going home can be nearly an hour due to traffic. It behooves us all to be nice to each other. 

That "full-hand" wave was the first I've gotten in a long, long while. It helped that she also used her turn signal to let me know she wanted in... 

That's another thing: the stick on the left-hand side of your steering wheel is an important thing. It's a TURN signal and lets people know what you're doing. Try it. It helps. 

Summer Toes...

Finally, after almost 3 years, I broke down and got a pedicure. It's an OPI color, something about the Seventh Hill. All I know is that it's a rose gold and I wanted to do that rather than the jade-ish turquoise I had brought from home. Ended up at Diva's Salon because the place about 3 miles from my house is STILL "working on the remodel" of their pedicure section. I wonder how much business that has cost them... They started this remodel about 5 years ago, gutting the shop and putting in a new hair styling area, removing a "spa" area that was really not a nice area, and renovating the front entrance. Then they began working on the pedicure area. And working on it. And working on it. I'd call a couple times a year, and they're "still not ready."

Wow. 

Anyway, being a yoga teacher, I like to have my feet looking decent. I was kind of dreading the "sanding" but according to the pedicure lady, I have the equivalent of "baby feet." I guess she's worked on some real hard-core feet. 

The Garden Grows...

It's spring. Finally. Our garden is blooming. The Monster Bleeding Heart is back for the 31st year. Yes, thirty-one years with the same plant. It takes over the northwest corner of the porch. I have to have Hubby put down more pea gravel in the front bed there. It's remarkably shallow, and aside from The Monster, nothing else grows there. There's a hanging hook (double) and a couple of solar lights. And a cement Virgin Mary. Oh, and a garden flag. Otherwise, I've never had any luck at anything growing around The Monster. 

To the left of The Monster are our hostas and a plethora of Lily of the Valley. I mean a super-plethora. Hubby pulled two of them out of the crack in the sidewalk! I should actually say the seam in the sidewalk, but it is slightly cracked. Not sure how everyone manages to get along, but this year, we do need to thin out the lilies. 

He took up some of our day lilies out front and put them in "pineapple" planters in front of the yoga studio.  I mean, the planters are large ceramic planters, deep red, and they have a pattern embossed on them where, with the tops of the lilies, it looks as if they're large red pineapples! At least that's what the students are saying. If we have spares, we'll put more at the Vicarage for a maintenance-free garden spot for whenever we get our permanent priest.


The Icelandic Poppy has again migrated. I swear. I planted it in the tip of the triangular garden and every year, it comes up in a different spot. I have no idea how or why. This year, it's looking particularly lush and I'm looking forward to those fuzzy heads popping up. The flowers are a delicate ivory-blush and they last for about a minute. But it's a glorious minute!

I'd like to find another one, but so far, I've been unsuccessful in finding a decent-looking plant to add to that spot in the garden. I have to check on my butterfly bush - to see if it survived the winter. That was a late addition last year, so hopefully, it stuck. 

One minute, the lilacs were just turning green. The next, there were buds. 

And then, WHOOOOOOOOOOOF -- we have lilacs! And the smell?? Wow, I can smell it in my kitchen. I love that. Hubby keeps them to about 6' high, and the pair of them flank the front sidewalk. To either side of them are the day lilies, and right under the left-hand one, the bee balm is coming up gangbusters. I don't know why it never took on the right side, but I'm willing to wager it's because of the lack of sunlight when the afternoon hits. 

The Prairie Blazing star is back. The cone-flowers (purple, of course) are back. The dill is back, teeny little sprouts. I think the lavender is back. And all the stuff in the front flower bed is also back. Just have to figure out what's what. 

I want to get to Eastside Greenhouse this weekend, if I can, for the veggies. They're selling singles of heirloom tomatoes. Unfortunately, the seedlings didn't do well...so I have to get the plants. 

Reading...

Oh my. I picked up a couple of books, ostensibly for the trip to see Kid #1 in Colorado, but I started one. It's called "The Couple Next Door," and it's by Shari Lapena. It's got enough twists and turns for anyone, and I'm gobbling it up. 

There's also an Anne Perry that I'm re-reading, and I have a few Louise Penney books in my Kindle. Likely, the Kindle comes with. Not the "real" books...

There's nothing to report knitting-wise. I haven't done any. I'm scoping out music to play on the guitar for services when our organist isn't around - I need 4 hymns and service music - about 7 pieces in all, that I have to have down cold (with the music in front of me, thankfully) and ready to go at a moment's notice. So the hymns likely won't match the readings, which is the usual procedure. But it'll be music, and that's what the congregation wants. 

Yoga...

Thank you, Universe! The private sessions have been popping lately, and I love that. I love teaching my open classes and I've had several students since the first day I'd stepped in front of a class. That makes me happy. 

But private sessions are great for folks with issues, or who don't know a lot about yoga, or who want a refresher before they step into an open class. And I've had a string of bookings, which is a nice thing. If I can get several steady private clients, I'd feel like I'm doing well. 

Here's a little inside scoop on the yoga biz. About 99% of the time, your yoga teacher isn't making a whole lot of money. And no, honestly, we're not in it to give away yoga. We ARE doing our jobs. We are putting a lot of money into training so that we can give you the best we have. And we do deserve to make a decent wage for our services. So private sessions are where most yoga teachers can get to the point of making a living teaching. That and workshops. Or teacher trainings. And I need my own 500-hour certification before I can feel like I can reliably teach people who want to teach. 

I'm happy with the private sessions; I know the business waxes and wanes. And while it's waxing, I'm going to give my best to my students and enjoy it. 

Random Picture...

This greeted us after tonight's class. Can you see what's in the picture aside from the gorgeous Midwestern sunset?

A couple of the students were out in the parking lot before class looking at it, and then after class, as I was closing up, I saw it, and ran to grab my phone (which was in the bottom of my purse, as it usually is). I managed to get about 6 shots off, and Hubby was kind of astounded at this. 

He was also complimentary on the fact that I really did get a nice picture of the sunset, light poles and stop signs notwithstanding. That's the nice thing about living in the country-burbs. We're close enough to the Big City, but we have space. And sunsets. 

It Is Complete...

I finished Whole30 today. It's Day 30. I'm not sure how I feel. I don't feel "lighter." I honestly didn't even lose 10 pounds, which surprised me. I think it was the fruit. And the portions of protein. I'm not a big meat eater, and I was a bit overwhelmed with that part of the plan. 

That being said, I learned that I don't have to snack. I also learned that I really don't like eating breakfast that early. I also learned that I have to figure out a portable breakfast that doesn't involve "warm food." Which is difficult when you're limited to "clean" food - i.e., eggs, other proteins. There are only so many eggs one can eat. And while I don't mind eating leftover dinner for breakfast, I really can't face it at 6 a.m. I've never been an "early breakfast" person. 

I probably ate too much fruit. If I'd eaten less fruit, perhaps the scale would be different. But it wasn't and that's that.

So here was my meal tonight: a pork cutlet, sweet potato "hash" and Brussels Sprouts. That's homemade mayo for the "plated fat" that you need to add. Also, I drizzled infused olive oil with a touch of light balsamic over the Brussels Sprouts. Kind of like a "warm sprout salad," if you will.

What I have found is my motivation. I've dragged it, kicking and screaming, out from under my knitting chair and I've gotten myself into walking and tonight I was on the elliptical (a/k/a "The ElliptiKILL") for 20 minutes. I figure I can build up, with the upcoming trip to Colorado, so that when I'm out there, I'm not a total "pffffffffffffthhhhhhhhh" fizzle during hikes. Though I did warn them that I'm not "that" fit! I've also started walking at noon. I need to build up endurance on the ElliptiKILL and then get the "pounding the pavement" aspect by walking at lunch. 

I just have to watch that I don't do too much at lunch so that I'm dripping during the afternoon! 

I'm figuring that for the most part, I'll continue to "eat clean," but I will allow myself a few things: beans come back to the salad, and I won't feel like a sinner if I eat a scone. Not sure about dairy. Yet. I'm actually ok without cheese.... Whoa.... I think the earth just tilted... 

What is this???

A "swirl" that's actually a poop emoji that's now a cookie cutter. How in heaven's name do you serve that to people? And to whom would you serve it? Perhaps your average 9-year old might like it, but I'm not sure how I feel about poop cookies. 

I admit it might be worth a laugh with the right person, but I'm not sure if I actually know the right person for this little gem.

Just so you know, if this looks funky, Blogger is messing with the pictures again. It's like the coding is wonky and it won't wrap the text around the pictures. That's incredibly annoying and I've had it happen a few times. Hubby figured out that I had to do "hard" returns, and basically format them in. What a pain in the kiester. 

Church Remodel...

The remodeling of the church hall is coming along nicely. This is the kitchen, and we have the fridge in, the dishwasher in, and we're almost ready to finish off the cabinets. As soon as the carpenter gets the tops in, we'll be ready to finish the tile, and paint. 

I say "we" but all I'm doing is babysitting. And occasionally helping the contractor by shoving around a large fridge!

When it's done, it'll be approved by the Health Department for us to hold weddings, showers, and the like. It'll be almost a "commercial" kitchen in that we can rent out the space to folks wanting to use it for certain types of events (like said showers, etc.). It's a small hall - maybe holds 100 people comfortably-ish. But the church is stunning and people will come from miles around to enjoy the sanctuary and the hall when we're done.

I'll be glad when it's all over, though. It's dusty, noisy, and smelly. I've lived through the tear-down, and the re-build. Now it's the finishing touches that are kind of gagging me.

Who knew that cabinets "off-gassed" formaldehyde? The windows have been open a lot. I'm glad that we've had the weather for it. It's hard to be in the hall working when it's freezing out and all the windows are open so you can breathe!

Tippi Strikes Again...

Who says "real men don't pet therapy dogs?" Well, nobody, actually. Especially at the university where I take Tippi. This next week is Finals Week, so we're adding another day to visit the library. This batch of guys came over this past Tuesday and were enjoying her. She was enjoying their shoes.

My dog is a shoe fiend. She doesn't chew them. She doesn't bother them, other than to smell them. Incessantly. She's fascinated with shoes.

The kids laugh because she's such a "foot fetish" dog. But they love her and she loves them. 

Random Picture...

I came home tonight after taking this shot of a rainbow. Up there, we had about 5 minutes of pitter-patter rain, and thunder. Then this gorgeous rainbow. 

When I came home, there was a tree fallen on Rt. 53. Hubby told me that in about 5 or 6 minutes, there was a torrential rain, straight-line winds so strong that the rain blew into the windows of our covered porch -- and that never happens. And there was "tree debris" all over the yards. 

Apparently, no rainbow was spotted... 

It's hot and humid, so in typical Illinois fashion, we have apparently had one day of spring, and we're in summer now. Gotta love it.