Gardening season

We've had so much rain lately, you can just hear the grass growing out there! But we have been able to enjoy a beautiful spring, and even my pansies haven't felt the effect of heat yet, so they are still in gorgeous bloom. Everything is suddenly blooming--roses, peonies, iris, daisies, coral bells, lilies, I wonder how the hummingbirds can make up their minds on which flowers to pick. Kind of like being at a salad bar I guess, pick me, pick me! We put out the oriole feeder, but the oriole is stubborn, still going to the hummingbird feeders. Maybe it doesn't like the generic label on the grape jelly I bought. We have to pick more lettuce, it has never looked so good. But that could also be because the rabbit fencing is working, yeehaw!!! Lost the first little canteloupe seedlings to the cool wet weather, so we planted seeds. We shall see. Anyway, here's our garden so far! Oops, forgot about that clematis--it is doing much better now that the garden gnome is in place--must like company!

More jewelry projects

Graduations and Mother's Day arrived, so I got busy on some projects. Made a few bracelet and earrings sets for two high school grads, a "rain forest" stretchy bracelet with buri root and mahogany seed beads for a teacher, a blue bead medley for my nephew's wife, who recently graduated medical school and another blue bead necklace for mom for Mother's Day. She wanted something to just pop over her head, so I lengthened it, and still put an "S" clasp on it.

Still celebrating Spring!

Our garden and flowerbeds have never looked better this spring--we have had just the right amount of rainfall (yes, and sometimes too much but that's life), nights are cool, days are comfortable--I love MO in the spring! Our dogwood finished blooming, and all the fallen petals created a white carpet of "snow" around the birdbath. Our screened porch is fixed once more, so we are enjoying it, sitting outside without mosquitoes, bumblebees and wasps hovering around. We had hail damage, golf ball sized holes in the cover, but we got it recovered, this time with opaque fiberglas, so hopefully a little stronger for the next hailstorm. Acrylic just didn't do the job. Now Vallee cat prowls out in her screened jungle, and Molly looks enviously inside from the deck or ground. My houseplants love it too, and when we dine outside, it is a wonderful retreat, to see the woods, and watch hummers on our feeders.

Book pages

Found another really cute craft book for summer crafting--it's titled "Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Critter Bags: from stuff stashers to beach bags to pillowcases" by Mary Link, and it IS the cutest craft book to whip up something quick and painless, amusing and useful for summer toting around. Already found a few I want to make for grand nieces and nephews, and this book has totes that will appeal to boy or girl. At the end of each chapter on each different tote, Mary has a page of "personality" add-ons, ways in which you can transform the basic critter through all kinds of humorous or scary looks. She has a pouch on the back cover with templates to assist, so if you don't know how to make the right beak or tail, or webbed feet or shark teeth, there you go! Indulge yourself with a creative critter bag, and I bet the kids will be stealing your critters in no time!