Catching Up

September starts next Tuesday and I have no clue where August went. I know I've been busy, and having a wonderful time being busy, but man, August has sped by. Last night and last Thursday I went to Safeco Field to see the Mariner's play. Last night David and I went with Frank and John and had a great time. Our seats were about 20 rows up from the field looking straight down the first base line. Mariners WON!. Thursday night I went to Stitch n' Pitch with Bob and Kelley Petkun of Knit Picks. What lovely people, and I loved visiting with Kelley while we knit during the game. Mariner's lost.

The garden at Edgar's Acres is really prolific. We've harvested all of the onions now, and where we had the onions planted, David built three more raised beds. We've added compost, dirt and covered it with straw and they will be ready for next spring.

The brussel sprouts are being picked, and growing. I have one that is full of those damned aphids, but the other plant is beautiful. Once we have a hard frost the damned aphids will be gone, and the brussel sprouts will be ours. We lost one plant to a wind storm so Susan harvested the sprouts off the plant before to dug up the roots.

The yellow plum tree was FULL so we picked them. What a luscious color, and so good!

Susan and I have dried some for use later on.

While we were in Sequim, we celebrated Leslie's birthday with dinner. Look at the colors in the shishkobobs. The red onion was SWEET, and the flavor of the baby squash was amazing.

We now have enough onions until next year. Fortunately we have old refrigerators for cold storage.

There has to be something special about the soil at Edgar's Acres, because the produce is so sweet, especially the carrots and beets.

The other night I cooked up some brussel sprouts, leeks, yellow squash and tomatoes for dinner. I added a touch of curry, and WOW. The squash really soaks up the curry flavor.

So, as you can see, I've been busy gardening. I love gardening. It is hard work, but relaxing at the same time. I love reaping the harvest from the sweat equity we put into the garden. God is good to us by providing us such sweet soil (which is rock free and FLAT), good weather, and good friends to work with and to share with.

I've also been knitting. Baby blankets. There is a baby boom going on. I really can't post any pictures until the blankies are delivered because I don't want surprises spoiled. We had a baby shower for Jenn and I gave her this blankie.
It's just the log cabin pattern. I used Encore Multis worsted weight in "Baby Boy."


It's knit in a garter stitch on size 9 needles. While I was knitting the blankie, Jenn sent out an email with the colors for the baby's nursery. The colors in the blankie are the exact colors she is using for her nursery. While I was finishing up, a horrible heat wave hit our area. In order to finish the knitting, we went to shopping malls (where there was air conditioning), I knit in the car while David had the air conditioning on full blast, and got up to knit in the early morning, where the temperature was in the 70s. It got to be pretty funny, but the blankie got done in time.

Jenn was thrilled. Jenn is a knitter, and she knows a lot of love and prayer went into the blankie for her baby. I had so much fun knitting it.

I got two more done, and am working on two, and will be starting another here soon. Like I said, there is a definite baby boom going on.

Well, off to work on another blankie, and harvest some lettuce and tomatoes for tonight's dinner.

TTFN

Sue

Communications

Does anyone write a letter anymore, put it in an envelope, seal it, put a stamp on it, and then ... drop it into a mailbox? I was trying to remember the last time I received a hand written letter and can't. I do remember writing a letter to Debbie about 8 years ago. I don't hand write letters because my handwriting has become bad. Between taking notes at work for years, and getting bonked on the head a few years back, half the time I can't read my writing.

Over the weekend my sons talked me into signing up for Facebook. Fun. I got to thinking, however, how may ways people now communicate with each other. It's too much. We have the lan line house phone, primarly used by the "police guild" and politicians, and by India trying to get you to buy something. It's also a backup for the computer if the power goes out.

Then there is the cell phone, which most people use now since the police guilds, politicians and India don't (at this time) have access to that number.

Text messaging on the cell phone is evident everywhere. I am amazed at the number of people so involved in texting on their phones that they just keep walking while texting. This can be a dangerous way to communicate. Texting while walking in front of traffic seems to be a common practice, as well as texting while entering or exiting an elevator (which freaks me out each time I see someone doing that, but that is another story).

Email, good old fashion email.

Then there are blogs, which is one of my personal favorites. Twitter, for twittering.

IM (instant messaging).

Ravelry for those who are into the passtime called knitting.

And then there is Facebook.

My question is how can I get anything done if I'm busy sitting at my computer checking my emails, blog, Facebook, and oh yes, my remote access.

Off to knit and get ready for more gardening.

When I have time, I'll have to bring you all up to date on what's been happening. I just need to figure out which communication venue to use.

TTFN

Sue

From Heat to Fleece

Yesterday afternoon we left the hot Seattle area to come over to Edgar's Acres. When we left yesterday it was hot, humid, smoggy, and loud with the sound of the Blue Angles flying overhead. When we crossed over the Olympic Mountains, it was much cooler, drier, clearer, and quieter. Last night we sat on the deck watching the sun go down wearing our fleece jackets because it was cold after sweating at 10:00 pm the night before. I got a great night sleep too because it was cool enough to sleep. It is also good knitting weather!!!

The hot weather has given us some rewards, however.

In a matter of four days we have green beans to eat.

On Sunday these beans were just about 2 inches long, and so immature. Yesterday, I picked about 2 pounds. Yum. I grow Blue Lake Beans, both the bush bean variety, and the pole bean. These are the bush beans. As I was picking the beans I was thinking of the reason the bush bean variety was developed. When I was growing up in the Willamette Valley, each August bus loads of kids would go out to the bean fields and pick beans, the pole bean variety. Well, between the migrant workers complaining about these kids taking work away from them, and the good people concerned about child labor, these bus load of kids no longer could go out to the fields to pick. Well, without a bunch of kids willing to pick beans in the hot August weather, they developed the bush bean variety to be picked by machines. Yep, by machines. As I was picking and touching these beautiful plants I was thinking about how horrible it must be for these plants to work so hard to grow beautifully, produce such beautiful beans, just to be chopped down in one afternoon by a machine. Poor bushes, they still have more beans for us.

I told Susan to be sure to pick again on Sunday, there will be more for her.

On Sunday, I sowed my pole beans, and the little plants are sprouting already. Ready short germination time, but with the soil being so nice and warm, and our keeping the soil most, we've got baby bean plants.

This is the pole bean bed. The trellis is made out of the remains of our old patio umbrella that was destroyed last fall in a wind storm. We are hoping this works. It's a lot easier to put up, and why not use it if we can.

Guess what we're having for dinner tonight.

This morning I am wandering around in my summer nightgown with my fleece jacket on, hugging a hot cup of coffee. What a wonderful life.

Well, off to get the laundry started, and then think about harvesting Walla Walla onions.

TTFN

Sue

It's Hot

It's hot around here. The Seattle area is experiencing 90 plus degree weather for an extended period of time, and we are now in the 5th day of it. The heat is supposed to be around 100 today. Ugh. I don't like the heat, and never have. Even as a small child growing up in Portland I hated the heat. When it got hot I would spend the day sitting under shade trees reading or playing. Now as a grown child I'm still sitting under shade trees.

I realize some of you from other parts of the country are wondering why Northwesterners can't handle the heat, at least we don't have the killer humidity. Simple answer really ... WE DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. In the NW portion of Washington only 13% of the residents have air conditioning in their homes. We do, fortunately, have air conditioning in our work places, so attendance at work is high right now.

I feel like a walking balloon bloated with all of the water I have been drinking. I have been drinking about 3 gallons of water, in addition to other liquids.

As I said it's hot, too hot to eat, sleep, garden, and knit. The only knitting I've been getting done lately has been when I'm in a moving vehicle or inside a mall or building with air conditioning. Monday was knitting guild night at Crossroads Mall. When David heard I has heading over to Crossroads with Susan, he volunteered to drive so he could spend a couple of hours in air conditioning reading a book. Worked for me. I got to knit with the air conditioning blasting on me while David drove.

It's hot.

TTFN

Sue

Hair

For many years I have wanted to donate hair to Locks of Love. I know many women, and young girls who have had hair loss due to chemo treatments or other medical conditions. Locks of Love has helped many of them by supplying them with wigs. I figured I have hair, it grows pretty quickly, and it hasn't gone gray on me yet, so for the last three years I went from a really, really short cut to this ...
It's interesting how the last six months have been like the last month of pregnancy, lasting forever. Marlaina, my dear friend and hairdresser, has been like a rock in all of this for me, styling my hair and keeping the ends trimmed so we can get the hair to grow. Thursday night, it was ready!

I had more than the requisite 11 inches so Marlaina put it in a pony tail, and ...

snipped, snipped, snipped, and then it was off.

I was surprised by my reaction. I was so thrilled to see this lock of hair all ready to go, knowing that some little girl would have a beautiful wig on her head.

What a great cut Marlaina gave me, and I feel great. I'm done with the Mother Earth look, I got to donate my hair, and now I look pretty again. Marlaina, thanks for the support, encouragement, and reminders when I wanted to chop the mess off too soon.

Yes, I'm a happy lady now. David's happy too despite the look on his face. I am sure he's glad he doesn't have to look at the scraggly long hair, and listen to me complain about too much hair, and too much hot weather. Thanks David for going along with me on this crazy idea.

TTFN

Sue

Back to Reality

Yesterday was our first day back from vacation, and even though our jobs were pretty stress free, the reality of our surroundings was a shock to our systems.

It's a good thing we weren't at Edgar's Acres for another week. The return may have been too much for us to handle.

It's much warmer here in Seattle, and the air smells heavy. The air in Sequim is so clear and sweet. The air in Seattle is old, and all the smells of city life are lingering.

While having my coffee in the morning on the courtyard at the building where I work I missed the cheery sound of the goldfinches, and instead heard the sound of jackhammers and heavy equipment on the street next to us.

Last night David and I had an appointment to see Marlaina to get our hairs cut. David left the house at 4:00 to come downtown to pick me up. It took him 2.5 hours because of a 7 car wreak on the I-405 floating bridge. Believe it or not, I didn't have any knitting with me so I spent the time going through the library and checking out exactly what Bartells carries.

The temperature is hot here. In the high 80s, while in Sequim the temperature is in the high 70s. We also had to put up with humidity yesterday evening. Ugh!

At least I have my pictures.

There is one big plus to being back to reality. We're back home with Abby and we missed her, and she missed us.

Well, off to work!

TTFN

Sue

Busy, Busy

David and the sun arrived on Tuesday and the vacation continues to be wonderful. On Monday I was wearing knitted wool summer socks (which we need in the Pacific Northwest), long jeans and fleece (which we also need), and then on Tuesday changed back into the gardening jeans and tank tops to work in the yard. As you can see, David also brought me my camera. Wednesday morning the dogs and I took a walk about the yard to survey what we had done. The Friendship garden is all cleaned out, and the lavender plants planted.

This is what we call the Acid Lovers Garden. These are the shrubs we moved from the front of the old house last fall before it was moved out. There are a total of 16 of these dear shrubs, and I cleaned, weeded, fed, and watered each one of them. I also chatted with each one to let them know we love having them in our yard and hope that they enjoy their new surroundings. The have responded well and are flourishing.

Here it is ... the garden work station David built for me. I love this. Now I can wash the produce outside and keep the dirt where it belongs in the garden. Until we can get the "plumbing" perfected, I collect the waste water in buckets, and then water the roses in the garden. We are all happier now.

Wednesday night I went to the Ladies of the Elks Bag Auction with Leslie and her mom Ramona. What a fun time. I bid on two bags, one for David and one for me. The bag for David was a brown yard bag with a tag "for the guys." Inside the bag was a tool box, and it was heavy. When I was unwrapping it I was surrounded by the men at the function so they could see what was in the tool box. Beer. Yep, Beer. David was pleased to have a toolbox here at Edgar's Acres. My bag will make a great knitting bag, and it was full of lotions, etc., for the delicate female skin overworked in the garden.

Thursday Marylou and Laurie came to visit and to have dinner. Marylou is Mom's cousin and Laurie her daughter. Instead of trying to figure out if we are "second" cousins or "first cousin twice removed," or whatever, we all call ourselves cousins. What a fun time we had. David roasted a chicken on the grill, and everything else came out of the garden. Laurie is a vegetarian, so was in heaven with the broccoli, beets, carrots, and potatoes and onions. After dinner, we tarried out to the pie cherry tree to pick cherries for Marylou. She loves cherry pie, loves to bake cherry pie, and wanted the cherries. At one point we borrowed Marylou's cane to pull down some branches, but she assured us she was fine, she had the tree to hang on to. It was such a treat to see them again.

Our vacation officially ends tomorrow. To be honest, I hate to go back. This has been such a relaxing and rewarding vacation. It's right up there with our trip last July to visit the Jersey Boys.

Well, it's time to get dressed so we can head up to the lumber yard and grocery before the Lavender Festival traffic hits the streets.

TTFN

Sue