At the bottom of my ‘retirement from blogging’ post, I recently added this P.S.: “Over the summer, I thought of a few things I would like to share. Just as my husband retired from a full-time retail job and then stepped back into a part-time job driving a hayride tractor in the Autumn, I will try to step back into blogging at least once each season with interesting news, finds, and projects. Stay tuned!”
The very large and gorgeous Black-Eyed Susan grew from a packet of wildflowers I sprinkled into the planter box shown behind me. In late Spring and early Summer, I was discouraged by the squirrels treating the garden boxes as their personal playground. Half of the gladiolus bulbs I planted in the back were dug up and destroyed. I distributed the seeds heavily enough, though, that after the squirrels lost interest, many of them did sprout.
PRODUCT: Here’s a thumbs-up for these planter boxes, they were easy to put together, take up little room, and grow many plants because of the looseness of the soil. Next year I might add some nylon guard netting underneath the top layer of dirt to protect the seeds. I would definitely buy them again. They are on sale now at Amazon for a great price. I purchased two more for next year. Gadi Raised Bed Planter Box.
PAGES: I was honored when Yvette Prior of Priorhouse Blog approached me earlier this year to submit a chapter for her new anthology, This is How We Create. The book was published this month, and I ordered and received a copy through Amazon. I have been enjoying reading a chapter a day instead of rushing through it to finish. I’ve enjoyed every writer’s perspective so far.
In the back of the book is a section about each author, often with a link or the name of a blog or website connected to them. Going through each chapter and visiting blogs and websites has made reading the book even better. Of course, me being me, I first flipped through to the end and read Chapter 24, written by Yvette. Her kind words about my submission, along with the insights she included about each author and their work, were heartfelt and positive. Being a part of this book has been a wonderful experience. Chapter 8 is my contribution and is titled ‘Crafty Scavenging.’
PHLUTTERS: I raised butterflies again this year, but not quite as many as last year. The large butterflies arrived later than usual. I had a few batches of Black Swallowtail and Monarch caterpillars thrive and eclose on my back porch. Right now, about a dozen Black Swallowtail butterflies are in their chrysalis’ in the greenhouse, and they will not emerge until Spring. Four Monarchs emerged in the last two weeks, and they were large, brilliant, and flew away with vigor.
PHILM & PAGES: Project Hail Mary. I loved the Amazon Prime movie so much that I’ve watched it twice, and it is two hours and thirty-six minutes long. I am also reading the book of the same name, written by Andy Weir. This story is apocalyptic, but also sweet, scary in the control nations have over citizens if things go wrong, and beautiful in a unique friendship. My grandchildren loved this. Good for all ages except very young children. Even if you don’t like Science Fiction, this space fairytale will still capture your heart. If you do like movies like Passengers, The Martian, ET, and Interstellar, you will love it. It even includes a brief, witty shout-out to the music of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
PRESSED FLOWERS & PLANTS: I enjoyed pressing flowers again this summer. I found a new small variety for tiny hearts and other small imaginings. Buckwheat is not a pretty plant, but it blooms in sprays of bright pink flowers. Although, they are a bit thick, they press well in a pourous paged book with a weight on top and here is the secret, pressed in a hot car. I have never found a better and quicker way to press flowers than in a book, in a car, in summer, with the windows up. Almost perfect every time, with little fading.
Buckwheat seeds are available through Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. The photo in the catalog shows magenta; mine were more of a light pink.
PERSPECTIVE: Summer was lovely, with many trips to the beach, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Strathmere, and Ocean City, New Jersey. We ride bikes every day without rain; although I have finally begun to wear a helmet even in the neighborhood, it only takes one fall without injury to make a person say to themself, ‘What if I had hit my head on the curb?’ It’s best to be safe as you near seventy.
Because I am not blogging as much, I had a bit more free time to watercolor, rejoin the Art League, paint seashells, and be introduced to Zentangles at an Art League class. The garden always takes about an hour each day, but it is a joy.
We lost one of my family’s closest friends. One afternoon, as I thought about this lovely, too-young-to-go, beautiful lady, I looked out my window. I saw three birds in the distance sitting on the bare branches of a tall tree. They suddenly flew out of the windowpane frame of my vision, and immediately my spirit was uplifted as I realized that, just like those birds, this dear lady has only flown out of our view. Just because we can’t see her doesn’t mean she is gone. I believe with all of my heart that our spirits are eternal. I believe that, because she believed in salvation and witnessed to others the love of God in so many ways, she is in Paradise with Jesus right now. Do you know this Jesus? If not, here is an Invitation.
