June 23, 2009

It's Summer!

Hey, would you look at that? It's the middle of June. We've gone past the longest day of the year and are now heading full speed into fall. Just that pesky matter of July and August to get through.

Well, since my last post, a lot has happened. JT and I celebrated three years of marriage. My sister and her boyfriend came out for a visit. Then, Dad and Grandma came out for a visit. It was a nice parade of family, and we were fortunate that the weather cooperated as well.

Here's me with Grandma (who reads this blog -- hi, Grandma!)

JT and I went with dad and Grandma to the new Capitol Visitors Center -- very cool -- and to the national botanic garden. It was really nice to look at all the flowers, including this begonia:

I also joined Elspeth on a verrrrry long bus ride to see Sara in Brooklyn. Highlights of that trip included visiting Brooklyn General (love!)

and putting together a delicous cheese dinner with help from the folks at Stinky Bklyn. Great little shop and super helpful!

Try the Seal Bay Triple Cream. It's phenomenal.

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The outside of the house is coming along nicely. We planted some new Hydrangeas and took some giveaway Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans) from a neighbor. The Susans are still a little touch-and-go, but they haven't withered yet, so we are optimistic. The hydrangeas are thriving -- and since we planted them, I feel like I'm noticing hydrangeas everywhere!

The garden is exploding. Here's a picture I took on June 8 (when I intended to blog!).

Since then, we've had about 5" of rain and all of the crops are super-happy.

The tomatoes, squashes and peppers have all flowered. At this point it's just watering and waiting!

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In puppy news, Sam has gotten over his fear of water. He jumps in the fountain by the dog park after playtime. And he's figured out that the hose is not a torture device, but rather a giver of water.

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I am still knitting. I have two projects on the needles. One is a secret and will be revealed in good time (by the end of the summer, I hope). The other is the Apres Surf Hoodie, for me:

I am knitting it in Sundara Fingering Silky Merino, which is heaven to work with. I've completed the back and am onto the first sleeve. I am still trying to decide if I am going to knit it as designed -- as a pullover -- or split the front and turn it into a cardigan. I think a cardigan would see more wear from me, so I need to figure out how to do the maths. I have one and a half sleeves to knit before I make a decision!

Finally, some crafty news: After thinking about it and talking about it for a long time (years!), I broke down and ordered a sewing machine and enrolled myself into a learn-to-sew class. I'm not sure what will become of this, but it's fun to learn about a new craft. I checked out a bunch of sewing books from the library and am trying to learn the lingo. And I bought a tiny bit of fabric, as called for on the supplies list for class.

Sewing commences in mid-July, so check back!