Category Archive for "Garden"

June Update

Friday, June 28, 2024 0 Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Sew Cool!, Zines No tags Permalink

It’s time for a June update, since we only have three days left in June. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going these days. Things at work have been stressful, and honestly I’m just not feeling very well physically. I need a week where I can catch up on house cleaning, a week to fix the issues in the garden, a week to catch up on my various side hustle projects, and then a week or more to sleep. But instead I get two days here and there, sometimes over the actual weekend, sometimes not.

Mutt Market Prep

The Mutt Market is coming up August 17 and I’m working away on market prep. Once again, Mom and I have a booth in addition to my running the whole event. Right now I’m planning on selling the following:
– Swivel Snap Wristlets (8, have not made one yet)
– Slow Stitch Shopping Totes (6, have not made one yet)
– Slow Stitch Keychains (10, have made just one so far)
– Slow Stitch Brooches (maybe up to 20? I have completed 6)
– Slow Stitch Lavender Sachets (10, have not made one yet)
– Slow Stitch Meditation Roll Kits (5, have not made one yet)
– Whichever zines I have completed and have copies of, an assortment
– Leftover crochet hair scrunchies from last year
– Leftover crochet leggy froggies from last year

I had an idea and patterns for some beach towel bags, but I doubt very much I will get any of those done. As always, I have so many more ideas than I have time to work on them. I have some ideas for tshirts and more totes, but maybe I can work on those over the winter? I’m working on social media posts for all of my accounts for the side hustles, and I’m pulling together the actual set up for the Mutt Market. I got new lights for the canopy. I am planning on making watermelon and strawberry bunting as a decoration. I have a few new displays coming as well. Looking back at the photos from last year, I am not super pleased with how the table looked. Fingers crossed for this year.

Storm Damage

We had some storm damage a few weeks ago. Our big maple tree was hit by lightning. Bob did a great job cleaning everything up and is working on roof repairs. As you can see, part of the tree came right through the ceiling of the back porch and destroyed the cat tree.

Zines

I continue to make and sell zines on Etsy. I’ve had a total of 36 sales since January 1. I also just put together a zine for the presentation I’m doing at the Marshall District Library July 9. My next zine, whenever I get back to it, is on the religion of Spiritualism. I found some old copies of TNS publications from the 1990s. I played the piano one summer for the Memorial Spiritualist Church many years ago.

Garden and Health

Maxy’s garden here is looking pretty good. The rest of the flower borders are not. I haven’t taken a video since May, and I really need to just so you can see the problems. We’ve had more slugs this year than I’ve ever seen in my life, and they decimated all of the annuals. I’ve tried beer traps and egg shells. Then there’s the problem with deer. They’ve eaten the ferns, all of the violas, the dianthus, and all of the coneflowers. There aren’t many flowers in the flower gardens this year. I just haven’t had the time or energy to get out and spray to keep the deer out. Thankfully the fencing is keeping the vegetable garden going though it would be better if I could get it watered. I’m really hoping for rain tonight as I have an event after work again. I just haven’t been feeling well. Lots of headaches, quite a few migraines, intense exhaustion and joint pain. I need to get some answers, as this is no way to live.

Mid July

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 0 Crochet/Knitting, Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

How quickly the summer is going! It’s already past mid July. We’ve finished our first two of three summer events for the shelter, attended the Battle Creek Garden Tour, and had a lovely visit with Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney.

This year’s garden tour was amazing. This is our third year attending. It’s hard to pick which garden was my favorite. The weather was lovely, not too hot, with a glorious breeze. I think this year’s theme was whimsy. Each garden had a number of really fun little touches.

My garden at home is also entering its stride mid July. We are now starting to get some sungold cherry tomatoes and some green beans.

Aunt Suzie, Gail and Sydney came for a visit, and we had a great time. Lots of laughs, and we worked on crocheting! Sydney is learning and doing a great job. I continue to make progress on my items for the craft fair at the Canine Carnival in August. Hoping I can have quite a bit up for sale. I’ve been making leggy froggies in a rainbow of colors.

As I’m kind of going freehand with them, so far each one is a little different. Hopefully as I keep making them, I wind up with some kind of standardization. The green one was first and yellow second. I’m also making some little ones to put on the ferris wheel.

I have read a couple of books, and will do a summer reads short update soon. I’ve had a bad round of headaches this summer. Is it stress? Smoke from the wildfires? Who knows, but it’s wearing me down.

Fourth of July

Monday, July 3, 2023 0 Crochet/Knitting, Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings No tags Permalink

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. I know, how fast is this summer going?! In June I did a garden update as well as a crochet update. We finally had a day of rain yesterday, and I need to get some more photos and a video as the garden is looking really great. We aren’t getting much veg as of yet; a couple of sugar snap peas, one sweet banana pepper, and some rainbow chard is all.

I’ve been crocheting hair scrunchies for the upcoming booth at the Canine Carnival. I hope to have about 30 of them ready for it, plus some other various projects. I know it will come up sooner than I expect. The Strut for the Strays is already this weekend.

It seems like I’ve booked myself into a too-busy July and August. It’s a bit stressful overall I think. I need to take extra time to relax after each extrovert event or meeting, so it doesn’t build up too much. I’m envisioning a world and a life where I’m not constantly doing extrovert things that deplete my energy. Mom is making dinner for the Fourth of July, complete with a strawberry rhubarb pie which is my favorite. It will be nice to spend some time with her and Fanny. I’ve had a little time to read as well lately, so later this month I might even have a summer reads update. Reading glasses seem to make the difference in being able to concentrate and not get a really bad headache.

Hope you are having a great summer so far.

June Garden Update

Thursday, June 8, 2023 0 Garden, Living in Michigan No tags Permalink

It’s well time enough for a June garden update. How quickly this time of year passes! I’ve been working on the gardens, and though I have yet to make a video, I do have some photo updates. The image above is from Wenke Greenhouse, on the day Mom and I went to pick up our flowers and vegetables. Mom had her knee replacement surgery April 18 and is still making progress. We shared carts at Wenke and River Street Flowerland, and still were unable to fit anything else in the car. The color displays at Wenke were gorgeous this year (photo example above)! Normally we also do K Drive in the afternoon, but we were tired out from the morning.

Mom added a new pot garden in the front yard near the pine stump, and this year I planted my vegetables in fabric pots. I added some plantings to our backyard as well. We also did our regular cemetery planting.

And I potted up some plants at the shelter entrance.

We haven’t had any measurable rain since the Whisker Mixer event May 19th, and last week was in the 90s, so we are watering every other day. Everything is looking pretty good so far, I think. The first colorway to come in our front beds is purple, from the salvia to the Siberian iris, chives, and catmint. I love the color against the bright almost neon green or yellow from the baptisia and ornamental grasses.

As I mentioned, I am working a bit more on some back yard beds. First is Cato’s Garden, which needs more planting in addition to the one pot with a fern and coral bells. The hardscape around it features blue stones and driftwood, as Cato was always partial to water. I would like to add a small water feature maybe. I need to open up the space a little.

I added a similar pot to Maxy’s Garden, which needs to be weeded out and mulched. The brunnera, ferns, and hostas are looking pretty good though.

This year I added two large pots near the regular birdbath. My vision for this year is to have views of the gardens from every window instead of having the focus of the gardens for the people driving past on the road. I’m not sure I was successful. Backyard pots:

That’s it so far for the June garden update, but things grow and change so quickly. I plan on taking some video and maybe doing some shorts as well, so check back soon. I also owe a post on other events going on, including some lovely time with the Russell family lately. How is your garden doing so far?

Mid July

Thursday, July 14, 2022 0 Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

It’s already mid July. How did that happen? The summer is going much too quickly, as always. What have I done to show for it? Not much, actually. Some art projects. Some garden maintenance. Lots of riding the spin bike in the evenings. Watching YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I’m trying to take care of my health, but I’m still waiting for my CPAP machine and new glasses to come in. I don’t know, it rather feels like I’m squandering life.

The last two summers were spent with painting, and I haven’t done any painting at all. I do miss it. My latest project was creating this small moss terrarium (below). I wanted it to be like a living book nook, but I don’t think it was successful. I did manage to make a tiny staircase which is kind of cool. I will be interested to see if the moss grows or dies. I think they are kind of fun to make, and might make nice gifts, especially for people who have cats and can’t have regular houseplants.

Not that anyone ever reads these posts, but if you do, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d subscribe to my YouTube Channel (click here). As I mentioned above, I’ve been watching lots of YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I don’t know why I find the work so interesting. You can see more garden updates that way, too as I’ve been taking regular videos.

I do miss reading. I used to love the summer reads each summer, sitting on the couch with Maxy on my lap. Maxy is gone, reading puts me to sleep, and my bad glasses give me a headache when I do try to read. I have been listening to audio books. The latest is Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. They aren’t ghost stories in the traditional sense, though I suppose there’s one or two like that in there. It’s more the uncanny type of stories that will remain in your mind long after you’ve read them. I wasn’t sure with the first one or two, but now I highly recommend it. Many years ago I read a collection from Breece D’J Pancake, and there was one particular short story that never left me about a snow plow driver. This book is full of interesting tales like that one.

After finishing Severance on Apple+, I am now on the third season of Servant. I guess it is renewed for a fourth season, but that won’t be out for quite awhile. Severance was excellent.

Yes, mid July and I am squandering life. How is your summer going?

End of June

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 0 Garden, Wood/Linocut Printing No tags Permalink

It’s the end of June; the 4th of July weekend is upon us. June has passed incredibly quickly. Temperatures have either been high or low, no averages. Barely any rain. Things seem abnormally stressful, and I wish I could just let go of everything and enjoy the weather and the season and life. Any suggestions for how I make that happen?

I did finish the koi print, above. I’m pleased with how it turned out. I drew the image free-hand on the wood, then carved it and printed it. One of the things I like about carving the wood blocks is they are a bit of a work of art themselves, compared to linoleum. If you would like a printed copy of this koi piece, just email me and I will snail mail it out to you, free of charge. I’m not sure what else to do with the prints? I had said when I finished this piece, I’d go back to drawing/painting, but I have a bit of fear about that. What image will I choose? There’s just a complete fear of the blank page. I’m at my best mentally when I’m doing an art project, so I should start something. Last night I put myself to sleep thinking of Zines, so maybe I’ll do that in the meanwhile?

We’ve had almost no rain, so the garden is struggling a bit. The grass is turning brown and it’s hard to water enough to keep up. We have some green tomatoes, little peppers, and a tiny eggplant. We are trying to work out some watering solutions for Mom’s garden. It takes forever to water everything. As always though, her gardens are gorgeous and everything is three times the size of mine at home. I’m so glad I put the little water feature in this year. If anything, I’d have made it a bit larger. There’s something so peaceful about bubbling water.

June is Bustin Out All Over

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 0 Garden No tags Permalink

June is Bustin Out All Over! Summer weather has returned to Michigan. We’ve had the air conditioners in service at home and at work. Everything is lush and green. I’ve got all of the annuals planted at home, but still need to put in the perennial natives at the shelter, clean the vegetable garden, and plant all of the vegetables. It seems like I’m a little behind. Last year in the first week of June we were concerned about frost, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case this year.

Mom and I did the greenhouses, and got (most of) the cemetery plots planted. A major rain storm stopped us from completing all of our tasks, but we will go back later in June to finish up and see how our plantings are doing.

I’ve started working on a full size Book Nook (click here for examples, from Buzzfeed). While I have lots of ideas, I’m starting with a forest scene. Fingers crossed it turns out well. I’ll post some photos of the progress. As always, I don’t wind up having a ton of time to work on art projects. I’m anxious to get back to some wood cut printing as well. I am working on catching up on crochet cat blankets for adoptions at the shelter. We had run out while I was working on my last baby blanket project.

I’m not doing summer reads this year, but I am listening to the audio book for The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore. It’s quite captivating so far. I mostly listen to audio books when I’m making dinner.

If you are feeling also that June is Bustin Out All Over, and have the need to sing, click here for the song. Hope your month is off to a great start.

It’s Gonna Be May

Tuesday, May 10, 2022 0 Animals, Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Weather Update No tags Permalink

It’s Gonna Be May? No, it already IS May, and well into it. This week May feel more like July though, with highs predicted in the 80s. I saw a meme the other day that said something like Summer? No, Outdoor Depression. With the state of the world, it’s hard to look positively on things outside your own home. I’m lucky to have happiness there.

While I did not manage to create my own postcards to send this year for National Postcard Week 2022, I purchased some cards from amazing artist MN John (check out her website here, postcards and stickers and all amazing!). I didn’t send out many, just enough to feel like I sort of participated this year.

The flower beds have been all cleaned up, though I haven’t started on the vegetable garden. I did install our tiny water feature, and this Thursday will be putting in the water plants. I’m super excited to see how it turns out. The perennials are coming right up and looking good, but nowhere like they will be in a few weeks. It’s an exciting time of year for gardeners. Just over two weeks until greenhouse day.

Work has generally been a giant dumpster fire of stress. Not enough staff, unhappy staff, not enough money. Typical nonprofit stuff, I suppose. Kitten season has started, and as I’ve said before, you should never give your heart to a kitten. Cass here has spend some time in my office helping me work. He’s a good boy.

Ideas on the horizon? More linocut printing, book nooks, more YouTube videos and follow up on My Michigan Garden. Gardening, reading Nature is a Human Right, and waiting for my sleep test. Hope you are having a decent spring, or at least enjoying better weather.

Mid April Misc.

Monday, April 18, 2022 0 Garden, Weather Update, Wood/Linocut Printing No tags Permalink

Weather & Garden Update

It’s time for some mid April misc. thoughts. This morning we had snow, enough to coat the grass, but the rain later in the afternoon took care of that. With today’s high at 41 degrees and tomorrow at 43 degrees, we’re about 20 degrees below average for this time of year. Our daffodils at home are at least a week behind. The crocuses in the woodland garden did bloom, though the ones closest to the house were eaten by deer.

The gardening group started some spring clean-up at the shelter, and I cut back two bunches of tall grasses, mulched and caged the baby trees near the paw, and put down some plastic to kill the grass under some new beds. I have yet to do any garden clean up at home. You can see progress on my garden at the My Michigan Garden YouTube channel here.

50th Wedding Anniversary

On Friday for Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary, I took breakfast over and Mom and I ate and looked through her wedding albums. It was a lovely morning. On Sunday, Easter, Bob and I went over for a delicious dinner. The rest of the weekend, we had a plumbing project in the laundry room that took up a good deal of time. Having a washer and dryer in your home really makes a difference.

Art

In my recent Plein Air magazine, there was an article entitled ‘Painting New Mexico’s High Desert’ by John Meister. Sometimes, I’ll read something that will just have me feel in my mind’s eye the description the author paints in words. This article contained such a description:

“Some people get why it’s called the Land of Enchantment the minute they step out of the airport; others spend years here before they realize it’s part of them. For the visitor, the history, sights, and cultural diversity provide a host of experiences. This is a place where stories are born. This is New Mexico.

Santa Fe, one of the top art markets in the country, sits a 50-minute drive north of the state’s largest airport in Albuquerque. The city’s warm adobe walls cast shadows and pitch light in every direction; bright floral gates and windows trimmed in color provide alluring subject matter for visiting plein air painters. At this elevation, the zenith of the sky is a deep ultramarine, and an outdoor painter doesn’t need much training to see this blue clearly reflected in the shaded areas below.“

I’ve continued to work on some linocut printing. I’ve turned out a fox that was ok, and I’m using this bee to print on notecards for inclusion in my Little Bee Basket for the shelter’s upcoming auction May 5th, Cinco de Meow. My friend and previous boss Tina Slayton passed away. Though she’s been away from the shelter for some time, she helped me through a really rough period where I wasn’t sure if I could continue to work at the organization. She made things better for me, for the staff members, and for the animals. If there is a rainbow bridge where the animals wait, I know Tina’s Gracie will be there. But there will be so many other dogs and cats from the shelter that will be there too, to thank her for caring for them.

Spring is Here

Monday, March 21, 2022 0 Garden, Wood/Linocut Printing, Zines No tags Permalink

We are past the vernal equinox, and spring is officially here. Mom’s crocuses are up, and perhaps after a warm start to the week ours will be up at home as well. Next weekend is supposed to be cold and snow again, but that’s pretty normal for this time of year. We almost always have a snow in April when the daffodils are in bloom, but we are getting to the end of that kind of weather. In less than a month the oriole and hummingbird feeders will be up. We are starting to hear more spring songs from the birds in the mornings, and Bob’s coworkers have heard the spring peepers. I will start working on the hardscaping on the garden soon and the gardener’s group at work is getting started.

I’ve been working on some zines, and as a side project I’ve been doing some linocut block printing. It’s not great so far, as you can see, but it’s a skill that takes practice for sure. I’m really enjoying it though. I put myself to sleep at night thinking about linocut designs.

This is my first real completed zine. I started out with one on declawing, but I have to adjust the margins to get it to print. I’m working on one on monarch butterflies now. I’ve also amassed my own nice little library of other people’s zine creations. Zines are a lot of fun.

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Category Garden

June Update

Mutt Market Prep

Storm Damage

Zines

Garden and Health

Mid July

Fourth of July

June Garden Update

Mid July

End of June

June is Bustin Out All Over

It’s Gonna Be May

Mid April Misc.

Weather & Garden Update

50th Wedding Anniversary

Art

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