181

Because apparently one massive quilt project with no end in sight is the motivation to start another one, and early evening light on he who finished his summer course today by completely rocking the final.


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180

In the lilac bush right next to the back deck, a timeless story unfolds. We watched the serious back-and-forth of the nest being built out of grasses plucked one-by-one from the hill out back and in no time at all, the real work began.

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179

Just socks, Mr. Bunny. Nothing for you to nibble on -- keep working on the clover, please.

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178

It just seems to always end up happening this way; I can't take the vacation days off when I would most like to because things are too busy at work, and then end up at the end of the fiscal year having to take days just so as not to lose them. So without having plans, and with Ken and Dean both busy with their own doings and not able to completely disconnect and go someplace with me, I am doing a little staycationing this week. Took the opportunity to work on Dean's quilt -- so out of practice for hand-quilting! and do some yard puttering. A weirdly mixed weather day, and an amazing sky just at sunset -- I do love being able to just be at home.


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177

After having had Dean's eyes checked each year for many years we stopped, because the last eye doctor said -- he's fine! just bring him in if he ever complains of not being able to see well.  He never did complain (because of course you don't know what you don't know, right?), but we certainly noticed more squinting than we knew was good....


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176

 A small section of the driveway allows me to imagine that we have, in fact, traveled to some far-away, exotic location, some tropical pathway somewhere with birds singing and maybe even monkeys rustling in the trees nearby....

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175

I just remembered that I meant to plant cilantro, too.  I hope it's not too late.... 

Meanwhile all I can say is that we went to see Wonder Woman yesterday and now my phone has a new ringtone.

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174

One little filter applied, and suddenly I'm back in the summer of 1975. I wish I were getting ready to go to camp.

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173

A member of the dogwood family, I suppose.

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172

I was given a small fig tree (which cannot be planted outdoors because it must be brought in over the winter); I am nervous about taking just the right care of it and encouraged by this small sign of success.  Summertime, indeed.


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171

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.

170

It has just been the summer of peonies. These are from a friend at work, who didn't want the abundance to go to waste so she dropped by with  a huge bouquet for me.


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169

Father's Day dinner out.  I should have asked for a sheet of their table-covering paper when I had the chance.

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168

Ken's only happy with the wild rabbits in the backyard when they eat the clover, like this good bunny.  He's less enthralled when we find new plants taken right down to the quick; Dean and I feel that we're pretty much okay sharing with bunnies, but find all the chipmunk damage to be harder to take.  We're not sure what the groundhog gets up to (we know for sure he eats clover, at least) but he seems more like a neighbor that we wouldn't dream of evicting.

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167

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.

166

synchronization

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165

The previous owners of our house weren't really gardeners.  The plantings that were done seem to have been some cut-rate landscaping -- filling in spaces for the sake of having something rather than nothing, with poorly chosen and often poorly planted things.  One happy exception is this climbing rose, which has survived not only their neglect but also the replacement of this fence and some pretty severe pruning.  A twin had been planted on the other side of the gate opening as well, but that side is a corner that gets no sun and so that one was already dead when we moved in.  This one has responded to care with joy and abandon....

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164

It was Wild Kingdom day at the gym this morning, or so it felt -- I saw the Very Large Turtle (about the size of both my feet together) outside in the grasses on my way in, and then through the large windows the young deer was watching my run around the track (making sure I stayed on my side of the glass, I suppose). 

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163

The bud has finally burst, and the fragrance wafts across the yard -- reminding me of all those peonies that my grandfather tended in his neat and tidy little backyard in Chicago.

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162

A rare evening in Boston, in town with Ken to see Pat Methany. The concert was originally supposed to have been in January; we found out just as we were leaving the restaurant from dinner to walk to the theater that the show had been cancelled because of a health issue. Pat was ok, and the show was rescheduled to tonight (he said it was the first time in 43 years that he'd ever not been able to play as scheduled). It was hard to be out late on a Sunday night (esp. for Ken), but the evening was beautiful, we had a lovely dinner, and the show was terrific.

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161

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160

More progress, but still waiting.

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159

SONDER: (n.) the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.
(Art by a student at our school, my friend Yan.)

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158

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.

157

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.

156

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.

155

Still need to plant some milkweed in the yard, but in the meantime we're still being visited by these beauties.

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154

An update; progress is slow! This variety is taking it's own sweet time to unfurl.

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153

A photo a day over at Chicken Blog, too.