Hammock time!!!

It's MUCH too hot as I write to go outside and lay in the hammock, but I have been lucky enough to find a few hours of Hammock time this summer.  It is glorious- one of the most self indulgent things I do in the summer!  For any who don't know, my house sits in what used to be a cornfield.  I waited a LONG time to have a shady place to set  it up.  It's only a few short feet away from my front door, but when I'm out there, I feel like I'm on vacation!

Watching the Poplar leaves rustle in the breeze

The leaves make a soothing sound as they dance in the breezes we enjoy out here in the boonies.  It's kind of hypnotic, very relaxing!!!

Home Sweet Home

Looking toward the garden that needs so much attention

I couldn't get closer to them.  All four eggs have survived!

The mockingbird babies are growing quickly and will soon leave the nest, thank goodness.  The parents are quite aggressive in guarding them and have been chasing me right out of the gardens, even around the corner from where the nest is!!!

Daddy taking off to dive bomb me!

We had our meeting of the Art C Girlz at Lori's rental cottage on Silver Lake.   Those of us who had finished our "book page" challenge piece shared them. That was what I could not show last post.  So here it is for you now.
I had bits left over after I trimmed the patchwork, so I made a second smaller piece.  I call the small one "view from the Interstate"
The challenge was to take a portion of a picture and blow it up, then use the basic shapes in the picture to create a small quilt for a book page.  (We use old upholstery samples since they already had the grommets!)

Hard to see the part I used- it's the curved bridge way in the background!

My picture is one I took as we drove out to Portland, Oregon last July.  I think this was near Akron, Ohio.  The visual texture of the urban landscape appealed to me.  I had a blast making this piece and am thinking to do it again on a larger scale.








The green tip of the week- since I have been doing this myself to keep my flowers alive in this extended period of hot dry weather- is to save the water from doing dishes, or take a bucket in the shower with you to catch the run off.  Use this water in the gardens.  It conserves water, and the soap can actually keep pests away!


I am grateful for:
The summer TV season has finally started on the cable networks.  (LOVE "Wilfred"!)
Iced tea made the way my Grandmother made it.
Cool summer salads.
My Zinnias and the one Angels Trumpet blooming in spite of the weather.
The luxury of a nap in the hammock!