Monday

It took me two full afternoons to read through my list of Ragmates blogs. This is not because I was so far behind. Or because Ragmates are wordy writers–some post very infrequently and the daily posters don’t usually ramble on as I usually do. No. It’s because they all seem to stir my imagination and/or curiosity.

I started reading these blogs through Spirit Cloth . . .

Tuesday

Obviously, this is what I did today.

Wednesday

Today I was going to catch up on all the audios at Jude’s blog and the Forever Zone. (My earphones needed charging and I can’t hear well on the laptop.) HA! I listened to and reread the Edge post and . . .

That’s as far as I got. I don’t remember exactly what I intended, but I was inspired by her digital sketch, so I did my own. Of course, I can’t just do a simple digital pencil on image. I used two images of of my work that were on the laptop, digitally cut and pasted, cut and pasted again, did some digital patchwork Though I started about noon, I was stunned to look up and see it was dinnertime! So much for catching up. At least, I did come up with an image that could be inspiration for some future project, maybe.

This looks like a fence in front of a couple of houses. The “house” on the right, with the blue roof, is just the way the patchwork worked out. The “house” on the left with the three roofs was originally up-side-down. I saw how the wavy edge looked like roofs (could be mountains, too), so I cut it out and flipped it. I added some relief light to the black and white woven patches. Before that they looked so flat that they blended into each other and didn’t look like fabric. After I got the “fence” image (before that I was working with it turned 90°) I also added a drop shadow to the fence. I bet a strong line of stitching would reproduce what it did (the way I see it). I like the random wavy line for the “fence” top.

The weather has gotten to me. The heat wouldn’t bother me (under 100°), but it does bother Iqbal. He grew up in India where it’s hotter, but as a nonagenarian he’s become more sensitive to it. So the ac is on. That’s what gets to me. It’s actually cold in the lower level (sewing and art rooms). And the air is okay, but like in winter, not fresh air. I go outside a little bit, but afternoon really is too hot to work outside and evening is mosquito time and they love me too much. Plus Iqbal yells at me, “It’s too hot out there!! Don’t go out!”

Tomorrow I’m going to try to get up early, like 8 or 9 am, I hope. I need to spend some time watering all my potted plants, many of them on the blacktop driveway in full sun, which gets quite hot even in upper 70s, low 80s. The large pots can go two or three days (though they’d prefer not), and I’ve gotten the little pots watered just before or after dinner each day. At the beginning of summer I set up a drip system, but it doesn’t work. 🙁 I’m hoping it’s just something I did or didn’t do and just needs tweaking. Maybe the timer, which I couldn’t figure out, so didn’t use, will fix it. Oh, well, I’ll find out eventually.

I still have two chairs for the deck table to paint. Maybe by Labor Day we’ll have everything finished. I also have two trellises to put somewhere. I have an idea for the arched trellis, but not the flat one. What I really want to do is dig out the driveway since a) the garage is now my art room and laundry, and b) the graded turn is treacherous for medium and large cars and c) it’s a lovely sunny area that plants love and would love better if it didn’t have blacktop reflecting more heat up to them. I’d terrace the curved slope so that it was a level, flat walk from the steps to the road to the deck. I might make my front garden a bit wider. I’d leave the blacktop under and in front of the shed, where it’s flat and functional. In front of the art room, where patio doors replaced the garage door, I’d make a patio that sloped just enough away from the doors. I’d put the trellis at the south edge of the patio. That would involve getting all the dirt out of the drain and if possible, moving the drain farther from the house. Right now, in the rainy seasons, there’s a big puddle just outside the door. This would be a grand place if I won the lottery. I wouldn’t move–just fix and update this house inside and out. I don’t want it to stand out, just not look run down. And I’d return some things back to the original look (like no 70s aluminum sideways windows). . . . If I win the lottery.

• Paint 2 chairs ……………….. by Aug 30 or sooner (?)
• Dig up about 12 squirrel planted holly trees/bushes and pot for Debie ……………….. Sept
• Remove and repot trees growing in the rose bushes ……………….. Sept
• If still in time, cut back ⅓ lilacs, and camelia, and fairy roses ……………….. Sept or later, if better for them
• Frame in bed for asparagus and strawberries ……………….. ASAP
• Trellises ……………….. before winter
• Garden walls (figure out bricks needed for each, prioritize deck garden–get good dirt!) ……………….. planning before March, doing next spring/summer

That’s about as organized as I get for projects