May we be strong...

Our neighbor has the right idea, but I'm afraid it might be a little premature. 

Almost there... but I'm afraid we may take some steps back because people got bored and decided to stop being safe.  My employer just let us know that we'd be working from home until at least September.  They've taken some big steps to keep the employees that need to be in the office safe and quite frankly, I'm okay staying home at least as long as the 25% capacity rule is in place.  There just aren't enough restrooms in the building to accommodate only allowing one person in at a time.

And, all this time at home has left me plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the garden...smell the roses, if you will.  Yesterday, I did a plant giveaway.  Rob took several plants to put in the front yard and I put the rest next to the street with a sign that gave the names and minimal growing information, like sun and propagation.  I even met a couple of the neighbors and took one into the back garden to show her the plant she had chosen in bloom. 

This is Jacobenia.  It's taken me a couple years to find the right amount of shade for this plant.  It doesn't tolerate much sun at all.  Its currently in the shadiest part of the greenhouse and blooming up a storm. 

This is this year's pride plant.  It's an Asiatic Lily that I bought in a markdown bag of bulbs at the end of the season last year.  I must have done something right because these have started to open, and just look at them.  Such a deep burgundy that they're almost purple.  And, lots more blooms to come. 

I planted Nasturtiums from seed this year in some empty spaces.  This is the first bloom.  Several of these are doing very well and I'm hoping for some good blooms to help fill in. 

The Echinacea is blooming.  I gave several of these away on Saturday.  And, seedlings just keep popping up. 

I planned this basket early this year, but when I explained it to Rob, he wanted more of a specimen plant in this vintage basket.  The basket sat empty and the plants I hand planted in 10 blue growers pots that fit perfectly in the basket continued to grow and fill in.  So, I put them in the basket and said I'd gladly take them out when we had a good enough specimen.  Til then, I think it's lovely.  There are four ferns, four Aztec grass and two variegated ivy. 

Yesterday, a neighbor hired a Mariachi band for Mother's Day to come over and sing for her Aunts and relatives.  The band was in Austin and it was live streamed to her family in West Texas. I only speak a little more Spanish than I did the last time they hired a band, but I was able to start picking out words that I knew and could follow along with many of the songs.  They all had great voices and were very talented with their instruments, but second from the right had a beautiful voice and sang a sad solo that mesmerized me.  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and a great break from being at home for the neighbors that attended. 

 

 

I swear I really am a quilter, and I'm making slow and steady progress on the arc quilt.  But that kind of ditch work requires time to very slowly warm up and most days, by time I've done that, my quilting time is over for the day with hardly anything accomplished.  So, I only pick it up when I have the time to really work on it.  I think I spent three hours Saturday morning and another couple yesterday, but because it's all ditch work, the only thing you can see is the mistakes where I got out of the ditch, so nothing to show. 

 

In the evenings, while we watch TV, I'm crocheting.  I finished a pink baby afghan that has a problem and I'm going to have to do some re-work, so not ready to show it.   But, I also started some granny squares for me.  I have a small tub of small balls of leftover yarn.  Scraps from multiple projects.  And, I'm using them to make a replica of the afghan Amy Farrah Fowler had in her apartment on The Big Bang Theory.  I didn't know until I started studying it that it was also the afghan from Roseanne and The Conners.  25 blocks in and I haven't made a dent in the tub of yarn. 

 

Sydney seems to be doing well.  She texted me yesterday to wish me a happy Man-Mom's Day.  I saw her one day last week when I took her some mail and she said they were currently cleaning up the store, but didn't have an expected re-open date.  I need them to re-open.  I need a new non-stick skillet and they always have the one I like at a good price. 

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I'm over politics.  That's my statement for the day.  It's every man person for himself themselves out there.  Please take the steps you feel are important for your personal safety, because we can't count on the government to even give us reliable information.  Stay strong, stay diligent. 

Lane