Winter

Winter

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Odds and Ends

When I do a post like this I always want to title it. " New Crap I Made." I just think it might be a trifle tacky so I will stick to what is safe.
It has been a good week and it has been nice to try my hand at making things again. I am a trifle rusty, so it is like learning how to do wood again.

Here are some different sticks of dynamite. ( Made out of wood, NSA, NOT REAL DYNAMITE) I thought I should add that just in case.


I used a round wooden dowel, that was in Ron's shed. I always find such great things in there.  He even cut them for me on his saw which gives such nice smooth cuts.

These are the square ones made out of another piece of wood, but I think I like the round ones best. I just used re-bar wire for the fuses. I found at Home Depot where they sell re-bar, they have the nicest wire.

I also made this flag out of a piece of wood that had been part of the play house. It didn't turn out like I thought but it is okay for an outside door.


I think it will be destined to go out on my chicken house once July is over.

That is where I put my current and past wood projects. They look nice out there. The chickens don't mind.

This is my latest little pin-tuck. I was getting ready to iron it because I was all finished and Ron came in and looked over my shoulder and asked. " Why does it say Freedo?"  I looked at it and died laughing because I had forgot to stitch the "M" So now every time I look at it I call it my Freedo bird. The patten is from Shelly Auen by Primitive Stitchin.


Of course my shelf that all of it sits on. It makes me happy to have red and white blue things sitting around.

I just had to show you this, it is a cantaloupe that has almost tripled in size since Monday. I couldn't believe how much it has grown in a couple of days.

I was out there and I think I told you how I planted a row of sunflowers with a row of Jack be Little pumpkins, so the pumpkins would grow up the sunflowers. I took a picture so you can see that it is working and it looks so neat.


I just love those little curly cues clinging onto the sunflower.



Of course, you have to see the Jack Be Littles. I really am feeling like a miser when I go out here.


The sunflowers that the pumpkins are climbing on are called Black Cherry. I love these so much because they are just so dark and the center looks like it is filled with tiny lights.


I had to show you a picture of the other side of the pumpkin patch. This is where the big pumpkins are growing. The place is filled with bees buzzing away working in these blossoms. The only bees I see have observed are  the little wild bees. I never see honey bees. I also noticed the other pollinators, there are bumble bees, and little moths, and the moth that is called a Dusty Miller. They really are wonderful pollinators. There are these funny looking wasps and we have these bees that live in the ground out here. The place is just filled with all sort of insects. At night, the crickets make the loveliest sounds of summer. 

  I love this great bush of a sunflower. The finches do as well. I am going to be hard pressed to be able to collect seeds. I caught this guy having breakfast.


I know it isn't very good but I couldn't get any closer as I was afraid he would fly away. He was really bright yellow. and black. So tiny too. He looks like a normal size finch in the photo but he was not much bigger than a hummingbird. So as I am not a very good identifier of birds. I am sure my birder friends will know what he really is.

Well should go, I am granny today. We are going swimming so I imagine, by tonight I will be called " Toast."

Have a lovely Wednesday,
~Kim~

" They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
       Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
         They danced by the light of the moon."

---The Owl and the Pussycat,
        Edward Lear, 1845

( Runcible spoon- :  a sharp-edged fork with three broad curved prongs 
coined with an obscure meaning by Edward Lear
First Known Use: 1871

19 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

i like your crap! very creative. freedo made me laugh. LOVE ron's bonsai tree sitting there!!!

Gail said...

I love your stuff. You are very talented.

Funny about putting your things in the chicken house. I used to hang my art in the barn when I had horses. A tour of young school children came through. One asked why I had art in the barn. Before I could answer another child said, Horses loved art too. It makes them feel at home.

Your garden looks fantastic. Crows, rabbit, deer and other wild multitudes have enjoyed my sewing of seeds. I have a few sunflowers that were saved in the yard and one HUGE pumpkin vine in the middle of the woods in an old burn pile. It likes it there.

Our figs were frozen back. Our plum blooms were frozen and we have very little. Twelve to fifteen a day. Just throw them in the freezer til I get that bag full and start another.

The growing season has been funny this year.

Alica said...

You are so creative, Kim! Wanna come decorate my house?! Your garden looks absolutely beautiful...everything about it. I guess your thumbs must be pretty green! :)

cards4ubylouise and other treasures said...

I like the stuff you made....those dynamite sticks look like fun. And your garden is looking great.

Julia said...

Kim, your wooden projects looks dynamite. Pardon the pun, I couldn't help myself. I love what you did with the little pumpkins, very smart to have them climbing up the sunflowers.


Freedo is a good name for a freedom bird. The little bird must be a juvenile finch. I'm not a bird expert either but I usually look them up in my little bird book.

Hugs,
JB

Mary Ann said...

Kim, I am finally getting to read blogs again after our move, and you just gave me the best ideas for my new garden next year! I loved this post!

Nellie said...

I love your red, white, and blue accents, Kim. This is definitely the season for those colors, though I love them at any time! Also love those Jack-Be-Littles! The cantaloupe is doing great! We have one almost ripe! Yay! One of our daughters has a dog she named Fredo, I think from a Tolkien character. I thought of him when I read about your needlework. xo Nellie

Jacque. said...

WOW...you have been keeping busy. You do such a variety of things, it's always fun to see what you've been up to. Love the 'freedo' story. haha. Those dark sunflowers are just gorgeous. xo

Kerin said...

Dear Toast,
Your 'crap' is cute!! {bet you a dollar that is the first time you've ever seen that sentence typed}

It's so nice to have little crafty projects going. I feel rusty too.... guess it's been a while since I've been crafting.

The sunflowers are all gorgeous, and it's pretty awesome that the Jack be littles' are climbing up the stems of the larger sunflowers. I wish we had thought of that last year.

It's a hot day here, but no swimming pool in sight. Just the A/C turned on, and bottles of water along side a good book.

Enjoy your day with the Grands, and don't get too scorched.

K.

Debbie said...

love the stuff you made...those dynamite sticks are soo cute. I like the rounds ones best too. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the dark sunflowers...soo pretty, Yes, I played grandma yesterday and I went to bed bushed and slept like a baby, lol. Hope you enjoy your day!

Beth said...

Lots of great stuff that you made! Your garden is looking wonderful!.

Pom Pom said...

Hi Kim! I was a granny today, too. Tired.
We've had lots of fun commotion, though.
Your garden is looking so amazing! I love the cantaloupes!
Such pretty wooden creations, too!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Love the "crap" you make. Wow look at your garden it is doing so well. Hug B

Debbie said...

I love the crap you make as well, I never put my patriotic decorations out, I think I kinda forgot!

The garden is looking so awesome, that's so rewarding for you!!

Meg said...

Haha I like "New Crap I Made" that's great! I just loved walking around and seeing how everything is growing today. It was so nice, especially since our garden is just dumb and hardly growing anything. Thank you so much for having us today. Like I said, I feel alive again. I miss talking to adults lol! I hope we didn't wear you out too much. ;)

Three Sheep Studio said...

I love all the wonderful wood things you made for July 4th.
Your gardens are beautiful ! I really like that "bush" sunflower.
It is so much fun to be "Grammy", and I laughed at the "Toast" ending, which is pretty much how I feel at the end of every day !!
Rose

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I had to laugh at "Fredo" ... my youngest grandson likes to spike his hair when he gets out of the pool and calls himself Fredo. ;-)

If that single zucchini we have doesn't get some mates soon, I may have to ask you to send some of your pollinators to us. ha!

And I too got a chuckle out of the comment about being called Toast. I certainly was by the time I took the Ts home yesterday. Being a grandma is hard work, but it is SO worth it!!

Anonymous said...

Our cousin used to live in Fresno and she said that every year she would plant a nice garden but in the heat of midsummer she never wanted to go out and take care of it so it didn't do well.

Your garden shows what incredibly vigorous and lush bounty can be had by people who are willing 1) to live where the summer temperatures are often well over 100, and 2) to do the daily work of irrigation and weeding, and then **picking**!

That first picture of the pumpkin growing up the sunflower is a winner -- I added it to my Art Screensaver folder.

Miss Debbie said...

love your projects...especially the dynamite! Your garden is doing great. Love the jack be little pumpkins! We've put peas and beans in the freezer this week. Going to pick blueberries tomorrow. Hubby's green beans are doing well...I think I see some canning in our future!!