Snaggy Saturdays in Montana

 I spent a lot of quiet time among these fallen logs in Missoula, not far from the hospital (a family emergency brought me out here). Observed on June 17, 2020.

Reflective Evening After Some Nursery Therapy

 Since I got a late start and would like to move things along with the food garden, I decided to get some annual and perennial starts at Sunnyside Nursery. Kate came with me to talk shop and stuff our cart full of plants. I'm looking forward to getting them in the ground this week. My goal is to have everything on its way by my birthday on the 23rd.

In other news, I'm continuing to work on face masks, and it's good to have something tangible to contribute to the world, as small as it might be. Gardening and sewing is giving me some bit of purpose and focus, so I'm just going to lean into it for the time being. People have been requesting masks, and I'm excited to share more of what's been going on with my outdoor projects. I hope to turn this into my rhythm for the next few months.

Here's tonight's sunset:

New Graduate!

Caera now has her Master's in Social Work, and I couldn't be more proud of her! Wow, this is a hard time to be finishing grad school (and a thesis) while a pandemic is going on. But we all survived, and we'll be celebrating online in June.

Mandala Progress

Kate and I have been hard at work on the rock wall. We have enough of an outer section finished to be ready to plant. The center has been seeded with sunflowers, chives, marigolds, zukes, and cukes. I had some succulents that needed a home since last year, so I tucked them in along the rocks. I also discovered I must have had some potato scraps in the compost I dumped into the center garden, so we might harvest some potatoes out of this. An allium of some sort is growing out the scraps, too. I love volunteers!

Sewing Masks for the Pandemic

Anyone need or want masks?

I'm sewing cloth masks based on this pattern. I like this one because it has a good fit, and it's customizable. It's 2 layers of cloth with a pocket for inserting an additional filter, whatever one prefers. There's a pocket for a nose wire, which can be taken out for washings, and/or replaced with something else or nothing at all. I've been using pipe cleaners for the nose wires, just because I have a lot on hand. I make the tie string with braided or crocheted cotton yarn, which has worked best for the folks in my household, but this can be replaced with whatever one wants, or threaded in a different way. I'm using materials I have at home, so I can't guarantee the most exciting fabric patterns or matching colored thread.

The way I figure, masks are going to be part of the new normal for quite a while, so it's good to have several on hand. I'm not the fastest seamstress, but I do have the time, so this is something I can offer. Let me know if you're interested, and we can work out the details. I don't want money for them; I'm giving as many away as I can make.

Seattle Times Article Brings Perspective about the Asian Giant Hornet

Panicked over ‘murder hornets,’ people are killing native bees we desperately need

Seattle Times

People, get a grip. Yes, the Asian giant hornet, now famously known as the “murder hornet,” is one huge scary wasp, capable of decimating an entire colony of honeybees and savagely stinging and possibly killing humans who get in their way. 

But since last week, when it was reported that two hornets were spotted for the first time in Washington state, the national panic has led to the needless slaughter of native wasps and bees, beneficial insects whose populations are already threatened, said Doug Yanega, senior museum scientist for the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside.

Walking Around The Neighborhood

Well, we're in a pandemic that I fear will be going on...indefinitely. Aside from the work in the garden, my daily walks around the neighborhood are pretty much my only exercise. And you know what? I'm grateful I can at least do that. I'm often joined by one or both of my partners, and there's always something interesting to look at. I'm getting very familiar with the minute details of the flora and fauna I encounter every day.