June 2012 - Gardening

To start off, I'm going to pitch a b*tch. Google Blogger has quit supporting my Opera browser & it's putting all sorts of odd code into this post - much of it stuff I don't recognize although I've been writing in HTML here and on the genealogy site for years now. I guess I'll have to decide whether to continue here or to go elsewhere for future blogging. I have absolutely no desire to use either Internet Explorer or Google Chrome! But on to happier topics..

Not much knitting in this post though I've been steadily knitting more hats, crocheting Snuggles to use up odds and ends of yarn and have started making toddler sweaters like last year's.

First up, I'll bore you with a couple more photos of Quinn who is fairly photogenic. The second one is what we call "Quinn belly" or his usual pose when he flops down in front of us for a belly rub.

The roses are blooming again this month.

DH found these for me at a garage sale earlier this month & he's been finding quite a bit of yarn for our K4 group..

I decided to take the easy route to gardening this year after skipping it all together last year. I bought four 1 cubic foot bags of Miracle Grow garden soil & planted the tomatoes & basil directly into the bags after putting them on the deck. The large tomato in the corner is a Mortgage Lifter, then there are four Goliath & four Juliet Grape tomatoes.

Another shot of the tomatoes when I put them in the first week of this month.

They seem to like the bags - you'll notice that the Goliaths are almost as big as the Mortgage Lifter which hasn't grown all that much. We had a heavy downpour last week (think horizontal rain) that bent it over so we had to tie it up afterwards. I'll put in stakes to tie the ones on the outside fairly soon and will probably let the inside ones sort of sprawl across the deck.

Another shot of the Juliets in the end bag.. All the plants are blooming now though they haven't started to set fruit.

I'll try to include more knit & crochet stuff next time. The old Senior Center is now closed and we've had to relocate to the new Community Center out on Joslyn Road about a 20 minute drive. I'm getting used to the IQ - I pull into a parking spot until my driver's door is even with the back door of a 4 door sedan & the 10' long IQ is parked with room on either end. It has a sharp turning radius - it will pull out of one parking spot and into the second one down - kind of fun!!

Playing Catch-Up...

Yes, it's been a LONG time since I sat down here to post.. Let's see, what's happened in those weeks:

1) I planted my garden. Started out with around 24 tomato plants, 4 zucchini & 8 basil.

2) I flew from Flint to Atlanta to Baltimore to visit DD#1 & her family in Pennsylvania. AirTran had good ticket prices, but flying way south to come back north seems a little strange. Had a very good time including helping pick out garden plants & getting them into the ground.

3) Flew home and planted more tomatoes - heirloom ones this time. Eight Mr. Stripy, four Yellow Pear & four Black Krim. We put them in various places around the yard to see where they'll do best. Besides, with the regular garden spot full, we had to sort of fit them in where we could. {g}

4) Went to garage sales, but at one I tripped on the curb, took a tumble & broke a little chunk off the second bone in my big toe. I've been wearing a boot that would look right at home on a StarWars Storm Trooper ever since. X-rays this last Monday show that it isn't starting to heal yet so I'm on mega-doses of calcium & a regular dose of vitamin D.

5) Watched the garden progress very slowly because except for a few days our temperatures have been below normal. Only 64° here at 4 p.m. today. For me, the lower temperatures are wonderful, but I think the tomatoes would appreciate a bit warmer. I have blossoms and a few *small* green tomatoes, but nowhere near what the tomatoes were doing last summer.

6) I've been knitting & reading since moving around in this boot isn't the most fun. FWIW, if you're ever wondering if I'm still alive, check the "Recently Read" list over in the left sidebar - I've been updating that regularly as I use it to check when a book seems overly familiar (I might have read it a year or two earlier). I've just finished the 85th book so far this year.

In knitting, I'm still working on hat/scarf sets for the shelter for homeless vets. I just finished the hat for set #53 and am working on the scarf. Here's the latest batch since the last photo:



I guess that's about all the news. I'm going to recharge the camera batteries and hope to be a better blogger in the future..

I Guess It's Been A While

I hadn't realized that it's been so long since I last posted - days are sort of slipping by faster & faster. I've been knitting though.



One of the garage sale bags of yarn had these crocheted scarves or maybe the beginnings of afghans. Not wanting them to go to waste, I knit hats to go with them.



From the bottom, a knit hat & garter stitch scarf to match; a "fashion" scarf with one strand of purple worsted and various "fancy" yarns in shades of purple & blue; and one of my first cowls in a variegated washable wool in a simple K1,P1 rib.



Cowls are addictive, fun to knit & I'm hoping that they will be good sellers at our Sr. Center craft show in December. The top one is a teal, blue, green mohair in a mistake stitch rib; the middle one is a multicolored pastel boucle in garter stitch; and the bottom one is the Birthday Cowl pattern in brown White Buffalo Elanna Plus - a discontinued yarn. There are two more that I forgot to take photos of before putting them in the case at the Sr. Center - a grey & white marl in a Feather & Fan pattern & a light blue mohair with a little K2tog, YO lace around the bottom.

In other news, we've had frost so the garden is gone and only the peace rose in a protected corner by the front porch is still blooming. The trees are changing into their fall wardrobe of golds, reds & oranges and a few are already bare heralding the start of the grey season of winter. Time for homemade soup, afghans & more needlework.

Nothing Special Going On

... but I've been getting quite a bit of knitting & crocheting done while watching the Olympics in the evening..


I think this is a scarf that a Red-Hatter would love. It's worked on size 17 needles with one strand of a dark purple worsted throughout combined with different "fancy" yarns that all contain red or purple. It's draped over my antique swift because the scarf is about 7' long and I couldn't get it all into a photo if I laid it out on the carpet.


The afghan done in "brain-dead", "crazy" or "box" stitch (I've found it listed under all those names)is complete. I started another one while at K4 today but this one will be striped vertically instead of horizontally for the simple fact that it turned out wider than I thought it would - or I may decide to frog and restart as it wouldn't be that much of a problem to get to where I am now. This new one is going to have wider stripes of color as I found that I spent almost as much time deciding what the next color would be on the one above as I did crocheting the row.. {g}


Two more "Dopey" baby caps with fun fur trim at the front. These went into the case at the Sr. Center today in hopes of selling them to earn money for more yarn.


And this is where my third pair of Summer of Socks 08 are at the moment. I turned the heel last night, finished the gussets and am starting the leg. The shades in this #551 Vinca colorway are so soothing.

In other activities, I've been hanging around on Plurk quite a bit which is fun. I'm still teaching knitting & crocheting on Mondays at the Sr. Center and joining in for the fun on Thursday afternoons & our K4 group. As I mentioned earlier, I've been watching the Olympics in the evening, knitting away and reading during the commercials and transition times between events. It's been a quiet week. Our tomatoes are starting to ripen. We had BLTs over the weekend thanks to the Early Girls, but now the Beefsteak & Better Boys are ripening and we have lots of grape tomatoes for munching - so much better than last year when the deer ate the plants down to nubs..

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Quite well at the moment, thank you..


Remember how small the tomato plants looked when I put them in? They're getting bigger every day.


Just about every one of the plants have blossoms and small tomatoes.


These are the ones I can't wait for - grape tomatoes, my version of summer candy.


The zucchini is blooming, but so far none of the blossoms have baby zukes behind them. I may have to pull out the catnip as it appears to be crowding the zucchini out - something I never thought would happen given the size of the plants I used to get at the other house.


And, finishing up the edible part of the garden, here are the potato plants which are doing nicely despite being up against the south foundation which usually produces too much bounce back heat for anything to grow well.


On to the pretty parts of the garden. Mom's Peace Rose came on strong again this year. This rose is almost as old as I am and has been moved successfully several times.


These lilies were already in the front flower bed when Mom & Dad moved here in 2002. There are a few more of them every year.


Along the side of the garage, the larkspur self-seeded and makes a nice contrast to the Marguerite daisies behind.


The 7-Sisters rose is blooming along the east fence in the back yard.


I don't know what this is - probably a weed - but it's pretty.

Not much knitting in this post, but I finished the second 50x65" afghan about an hour ago. Will try to get a photo before I turn it in. I'm still working on the first SOS08 sock. Whatever possessed me to try a spiral ribbing pattern when I have a new computer & a stack of good books? The sock went quickly until I got to the leg, now it's creeping. I joined Plurk in order to get Wendy's SOS08 sock pattern for members. There's a link to my page up there in the sidebar. I'm enjoying the new computer - especially the sound card that lets me listen to streaming audio of Grateful Dead concerts. You knew I was going to do that, didn't you?? {g}

The Garden Is In!!

Hopefully, we've seen the last of the frosty nights until late fall because I put the garden in on Saturday.



First in were scarlet verbena in the front bed backed by six of eight basil plants. The hostas behind the basil have reached their full size so shouldn't interfere.


Here is the entire bed that's located below the kitchen window (unfortunately, all I can see from the window are the branches of the forsythia blowing back and forth). There's a pink clementis in the corner, a number of orange lilies, some beautiful dark red & bright yellow lilies, the hostas, a peace rose that Mom bought when I was still in elementary school, myrtle & violets besides the annuals that I put right in front. The myrtle & violets are invasive so more of them will be pulled as the summer progresses and the other plants need room.


This bed is in the back yard along the east side of the house and next to the compost pile. I put four grape tomato plants in on the left and there are two cells of zucchini toward the right (only one showing). The other plants are walking or Egyptian onions, a couple violets & lots of catnip for our feline babies.


This isn't a great picture, but it's the area we dug up this spring for garden space. I sort of stuffed the tomato plants in as there are 4 Better Boy, 4 Beefmasters, 4 more Grape, & 4 Early Girl in this space plus the two extra basil plants that didn't fit into the front bed.


Remember the perennial geranium that I posted a couple times earlier this spring when it was first coming up? It's now in bloom and will continue to blossom for most of the summer.


These iris which Mom brought from out on the farm are close by along the east side of the garage. They aren't anything special other than they bloomed out at the farm for as long as I can remember along the south & west foundations. Like the cabbage & 7 Sisters roses, they invoke lots of memories.

I turned the heel on the second Vinca #10 sock last night and started the K2, P2 ribbing for the leg. No knitting photos this time. Tomorrow morning at O'dark thirty, I get on a plane at the Flint airport heading for California and a visit with my daughters, son-in-law & grandchildren. Lots of stuff left to pack!!

A MeMe Redux

I just realized that I left out 3/5ths of the MeMe from Sallee's blog. That's what happens when I blog late at night {g}...

3. Snacks I enjoy: I haven't been indulging much recently, but I love Wheat Thins with the yummy salmon dip that my DH makes, tabouli, salsa with white corn chips, guacamole & (strange as it may sound) elbow macaroni with butter, salt & pepper.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Set up college funds for my grandchildren that would see them through doctorates if they wanted, have our private road paved so none of us (10 houses) have to put up with potholes anymore, add a sunroom on the back and plant some tall evergreens along the fence so we wouldn't feel like we were looking into the neighbor's yard behind us, order lots of yarn for our K4 group, donate a wide variety of knitting books to the local library. We aren't really into accumulating a lot of "things", so there isn't a whole lot that I want or need.

5. Places I have lived: All in Michigan: a farm a mile north of Berville; the dorms at Oakland University, Rochester; Centerline; Clawson; Pontiac; Walled Lake; Waterford & here in Lake Orion.

6. Jobs I have had: Research assistant for several profs; babysitter; file clerk; waitress; teacher; mother; electronic assembly; machine tool detailing; computer programmer; office manager for a software company; printed circuit designer.

Now for that To-Do list for today - not everything was accomplished. We put off the cemetery trip because there's a frost warning out for tonight and I didn't want to plant flowers just to have them killed by frost.



The garden did get finished, but it still needs to be raked even. It's not very big, however I'll probably expand it next year. There's an area on the east side of the house that will hold at least four tomato plants and I'm hoping to get a dozen in this spot along with basil & a couple hills of zucchini.


Here are the seed potatoes cut into chunks with an eye in each and allowed to dry overnight to form a callus so they won't rot when planted.


About half of them in a trench along the south foundation of the house. I back filled lightly so I have soil left to mound them when they start coming up.


The corner flower bed. The forget-me-nots are still blooming, the hosta is up and the poppies have large buds. This poppy was a volunteer that started showing a few leaves a couple years ago. It had one flower last year and is going to have at least three this year. It's one of the red orange ones. I wish that poppies transplanted well as I have a pale pink one with burgundy centers at the other house that I wouldn't mind having here.


This is how most of my blogging is done recently - with cat in lap.

Monday MeMe

Ok, it's going to be Monday if I can finish in 13 minutes, otherwise it's going to be a Tuesday MeMe.. I found this on Sallee's Knitnana Blog

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was working in the CAD department of a local company that assembled surface mount electronic assemblies for various companies. It was a good job that I enjoyed and still miss. Unfortunately, the next company I worked for - a telecommuting position doing the same type of work - saw fit to outsource the work in 2002 to someone in China for 1/12th of what I'd been paid.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

In that it's almost midnight, I'll write the list for tomorrow:

1. Water the lawn so that the grass seed that was scattered on Thursday has a chance of survival (the rain that was supposed to show up today and tonight whimped out.

2. Finish digging up the garden area so that I can plant before I head for California on the 3rd to see my daughters & grandchildren.

3. Make a belated trip to Richards Cemetery to decorate the graves of my Grandparents, Greats & Great-greats.

4. Fix a decent dinner for one of my "eat days" - 25#s down since late January!! I've been dieting by eating one day and fasting the second.

5. Small tasks: plant the seed potatoes I bought a couple weeks ago and that are now cut into sections and drying on the kitchen counter; continue knitting on the sock from the "Loud" skeins of Vinca yarn that I started this evening; update my reading list on the blog template (probably do that before I shut down for the evening).

That should keep me busy enough. {g}

What A Difference A Needle Makes

I mentioned in my last post the difference the Brittany DP needles made in finishing the sleeves of Grandson's sweater, well, I just found the difference between size 1 & size 2 sock needles.

My friend Sallee (Knitnana) uses size 1 needles for her socks so I thought I'd take my pair of Harmony needles for a spin. You can see the result on the right below.


I started out the toe with 12 stitches on each of two circular needles, knit my usual 5 row rectangle, then picked up two stitches at each end, and the stitches off the second circular for a total of 28 before I started my increases. I was working along when I realized that this toe was not going to fit my foot. I was getting 11 stitches to the inch instead of the 8 stitches Sallee gets on #1s. Now, I usually knit to gauge with the needles recommended for a pattern and I'm not a tight or a loose knitter. Just to see what would happen, I took the other skein of OnLine sock yarn and started working it on size 2 needles only using 10 stitches on each circular to start and working up to 60 stitches for the foot. What a difference as you can see on the left! I'm getting 8 stitches to the inch and the sock toe is the same size as the Marine Blue Heather pair that I just finished which means it will fit. I'll continue with this pair, frog the toe worked on 1s and maybe, just maybe, calculate out how many stitches and rows I'd need to make a sock that would fit on the #1s.


Out in the front flower bed, the forsythia is blooming along with the tulips & violets. The hostas have just broken through and look as though they doubled in size since I planted them two years ago for Mom.


Remember the little pink nubs that were just showing a couple weeks ago? They were the first sign of the perennial geranium which has now leafed out. Sometime soon, I have to get part of the back yard dug up for a vegetable garden as I want a few more tomato plants than Mom usually put in along with basil and maybe zucchini. It's still too early to plant - we had a heavy frost the other night but thankfully the perennials & the roses are tough and came through without any loses.

Spring Has Sprung

Here's how I've been spending at least some of my time recently:


The flower bed by the front steps, just under the kitchen window, was over-run by myrtle. I've been slowly ripping it out along with some of the wayward violets that were also trying to take it over. I'm not done yet, but I've uncovered tulips, lilies, and some other plants that weren't doing too well before I started.


This is along the side of the garage. Several years back, my friend Kim came up from Kentucky for a visit and brought along some plants for Mom's garden. This is a perennial geranium that started out as a very small plant. Over the past couple years, it has spread to the point that a bushel basket would no longer cover it even at this early stage of growth. I'm not removing all the leaves from last fall just yet as, while our recent temperatures have been in the 70s during the day, the forecast for a week from now includes some pretty chilly nights. At least they've changed the forecast for the better as SNOW isn't included anymore.


The first daffodil bloom - there were originally four bulbs planted here but only two have come up this spring.


Remember the last early photos of the Seven Sisters rose? Those little leaf buds are developing into actual leaves.


And in the bed in the south-east corner of the backyard, a couple more daffodils are making an appearance. This is another bed where the myrtle is trying to take over and will need to be ripped back so I don't lose the other plants.


The tulips are showing the first signs of producing buds. I have no idea what color these are going to be.


Against the south wall of the house, violets are already blooming. The day-lilies get an early start in this area, but later in the summer the bounce back from the foundation makes it difficult to keep things alive.


And the rhubarb!! The stems aren't long enough to pick yet, but you're looking at cobbler on the hoof {bg}

I have been knitting and will try to get photos of some of the latest projects but it has been so nice out and without mosquitoes so far, I've been trying to get as much done as I can.

K4, Shawls & Flowers

Our K4 meeting was today. Lots of fun, as usual..


I turned this shawl in at the meeting. It's the feather & fan pattern again but this time without the row that's knit on the wrong side to form a ridge.


In the close up, the left & right slanting decreases can be seen - if I'd used the K2tog six times that's used in the version with ridges (the baby afghan pattern over there under free patterns in the side bar), I don't think this stockinette stitch version would have turned out as nicely as it did.


While I was out on the deck, I took a couple photos of the cabbage roses. I should have done this a couple days ago when they first came out as they're starting to lose petals in the heat we've been having. These roses were on the farm when my parents & grandparents moved there in 1940. In 2002, when Mom & Dad were moving over here, I managed to dig out three little bits of root that have, despite being moved several times, spread.


They're even coming up through the cracks on the deck!


Here is this year's garden. Please ignore the weeds between the tomato plants as I haven't had time to get out there with the hoe. The weed-free aisles between rows are courtesy of our next door neighbor with his smaller rototiller. There are three clumps of basil in front with at least 5 plants in each clump - pesto on the hoof! The rest is taken up by 32 tomato plants - 12 Grape, 4 Early Girl, 4 Big Boy, 4 Super Beefsteak, 4 Goliath & 4 Celebrity. The grape tomatoes are already blooming and everything has had a growth spurt in the heat we've had the last few days following quite a bit of rain.