Nothing really new that is, really. Well, not anything greatly big anyway. I can see it’s been some time since I’ve written. I’ve always thought because of my love for journaling I’d do this more often. I journal in a hand written journal and online but I find that my time to do either is nil. Nearly a year ago I got a promotion in my office to be a counselor assistant. My old position of office assistant has yet to be filled so I’m pulling double duty for tasks on a daily basis. They had hired someone but two weeks before her start date, she backed out, so now I’m doing these tasks for the foreseeable future. It’s really super frustrating.
The summer is over all too soon but there were many days of swimming and floating in the pool, BBQ on the firepit hubby made, family and friends visiting and starry nights stared up at with my hubby while sitting in front of a glowing fire pit. Our garden was very abundant in its growing of string beans, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Sunflowers also grew to dizzying heights of at least 12 to 14 feet. They’re at the point of cutting off and roasting the seeds in the oven. The corn didn’t do as well. It grew the tallest I have ever seen in my life. Hubby is 6’3 and when he stood next to it and raised his arm straight up (8 ft) the corn was a good 2 feet above that. Though it grew tall, the ears were small and not very full. Not sure if it was all the rain in the beginning of the summer or what. Tried growing purple beans but they were not nearly as productive as the green ones. I swear we picked no less than 50 pounds of beans and there are some on there now that are beyond eating due to age. I’m going to let them dry and plant them next year. Lots of jalapeno’s, so much so we are going to try pickling them. Italian oregano regrew from last year as well as the thyme. We also had basil. We tried onions and carrots but they didn’t do well. We waited till mid July to plant the squash and pumpkins trying to avoid some vine boring bug that killed them last year. I think planting them that late has made them not grow as well. Banana squash, baking pumpkins, Hubbard squash all have fruit but not as big as it should be by now. Normally you plant it in May but the bug comes out of the soil shortly after that. I read online some where it said to wait till mid July to plant to avoid those bugs. Next year we will try mid June and see if that avoids the bug but makes the fruit produce better. I found it amusing a pumpkin i had at the stairs by our drive way that rotted some and collapsed before I cleaned it up, must have left behind some seeds and now there is a pumpkin vine growing there tracing up the wrought iron hand rail to the steps and snaking along the lawn. There is one decent size pumpkin already turning orange there. Something was eating the flowers earlier but no longer. Hopefully they grow. We grow these and bake/puree them and give to the dogs with their food for fiber. They love it. So much so they became snobs and wont eat the canned pure pumpkin we gave them when we ran out of what we grew from the previous year. Silly corgis.
I was given my own office at work finally. It is VERY decorated with dozens of pictures of my family and friends on one wall and on top of the filing cabinets, a tapestry on the wall behind me that looks like the forest and on the left of my desk is a cork board with documents I need to reference on a daily basis. There is a waxing/waning moon in a filigree cut out over my door and a tapestry bell pull I made of Iris hanging in the side light window next to the door. Its a very eclectic room. Very cozy and inviting is what people tell me when they came in. I love the privacy and not feeling like I am sitting in a fish bowl any longer. While I don’t have a window, I do have a sky light that straddles the wall between my office and my neighbors and it brightens the room significantly enough I don’t need to have the overhead light on.
NY Sheep and Wool is fast approaching and I am excited about it. I honestly don’t need any yarn (Yes, you heard me)but I enjoy the time with my friends, who are traveling out from western PA and Ohio, walking around, looking at patterns and notions and of course there is always the fair food that is just yummy. The specialty places come out like roasted Brussel sprouts with melted cheese, fried artichokes, lobster rolls, etc. I always pick up new insoles for my hubby’s boots made of sheep’s wool which are excellent for padding and warmth in the winter when his construction jobs keep him in the cold. In March we had a knitting weekend at the friend’s home that lives in Pittsburgh and we went on our own yarn crawl to stores around her town. And we also agreed on a poncho we were all going to make with our own color choice and started it. They are wonderful friends that broadened my knitting knowledge with new stitches and how to color change, lace knit, etc. It was a wonderful bonding weekend and I look forward to spending more time with these ladies in a couple weeks.
I must run, things to do and all. Ill be updating my embroidery blog next. Until next time….
Ciao!
Eat, Pray & Suck it Up! 