The First Iris Blooms

Remember...just a couple of weeks ago I was bemoaning the cold weather that had robbed us of our Spring? Well, apparently irises love a little cold snap because all of them are popping their blooms...and these are supposed to bloom in late May - June! We've been concerned about what the cold weather did to our daylillies, which are still showing signs of the frostbite they suffered on their leaves. And, the Japanese Maple in the front yard lost all of its new, tender leaves and turned black...it's struggling to "come back." So sad looking. Not the noble iris! This photo shows the first to bloom in the backyard, with some light violet ones open on the side yard, and a couple of yellow ones about to pop in the front yard. Hooray! It makes my heart sing to see 'em!

I'm taking it easy today, following a rough couple of days with my back. Yesterday was my first day to try a new muscle relaxer, which...per usual with these kinds of meds...put me "under" with just the least recommended dosage. I actually fell asleep in my chair after supper...holding my knitting in my lap! I could NOT keep my eyes open, no matter how hard I tried! The good news...I didn't have a single muscle spasm in the night last night...well, at least I don't remember having one!

Speaking of my knitting...I've started knitting a long shawl with some beautiful hand-dyed yarn I got about a month ago at my favorite yarn shop in St. Charles, Knit and Caboodle. The yarn is called "Pretty Mix" Tannhauser, which is a mix of silk,mohair, wool, and nylon (25% of each), in teals, greens, and purples (my favorite colors, of course!). I've been searching for just the right pattern, and I think a simple lace pattern I found on the Michael's website will show off the colors of the yarn very well. The pattern is a 4-row repeat, worked on 55 stitches, using size US 15 needles (like knitting with broomsticks!): Knit Rows 1 and 3; Row 2 is K1, *yfrwd, K2tog, repeating from the * to the end of the row; Row 4 is *K2tog, yfrwd, repeating from the * to the last stitch, K1. Repeat these 4 rows for desired length (I'm aiming for 48 inches at the very least, plus a fringe). If I can stay awake, I'll work on it some more tonight!

Speaking of Knit and Caboodle, I went in there on Tuesday to "visit" some gorgeous teal cotton that finally talked me into taking the lot home...since I had found a pattern that I thought would do it justice (I'd ordered the pattern from Just One More Row). While in the shop, I decided to sign up for the Sock Class that starts on Monday for the next 3 weeks. Although I need another project like I need another hole in my head (!), I thought it might be fun...and a way to get to know other local knitters. Connie, the owner, is such a nice person, and I'm sure she will be able to teach me all about joining-in-the-round...something I've just made up without knowing how to do it "right." I picked out some self-striping sock yarn...colors of blue, teal, and off-while...and got the tiny size 2 double-pointed needles. (I've worked on double-points before, making Christmas stockings, so I'm OK with that...but size 2???) Should be fun!

Happy 87 to Nana/Momma/Edith!

We wished Mom a happy 87th birthday last weekend in Louisville, where we started off the night at The Irish Rover restaurant...to get us in the proper mood for The Celtic Woman concert at the Louisville Palace Theatre. Despite a bit of a problem with all the steps in the old refurbed Palace (just ask us where Row AA is!), the usher was able to work it out so that Mom could enjoy the show from a choice seat in the wheelchair section of the Orchestra level...and as her "companion," I got to share the choiceness with her! We ended the evening at Maredith's for cake and presents...the best part, right?

Thomas headed off to Chicago to work for the week, while Mom, the dogs, and I were Maredith's houseguests. It was so nice to be with her for an extended visit! Then, after Thomas returned on Thursday, we took advantage of the excellent weekend weather to get started on the backyard project du jour: building some lattice-work "screens" to create badly-needed privacy for Maredith's patio area. (Yes, Thomas has had to build some version of these lattice screens in Tennesse...twice; in Ohio; in MO; and now in KY. The joke in our family is that as soon as he builds with lattice, we'll have to move. Ha?) In the photo to the left, you can see Thomas with the power auger (a great idea to rent one from Home Depot!), being ably assisted by Maredith (with the post-hole digger...her very own, I might add!), and of course, Gus, the project supervisor. Woo-woo!

Thomas removed the railings from the deck, and that really opened up the space tremendously. I joined in the fun by treating, sanding, and staining the deck...which was in need of lots of TLC due to years of neglect. Then, I primed and painted the wood that went into making the screens. Eventually there will be two "side wings," one to join the one they finished before we had to leave on Sunday. In the photo on the right, you see the first panel going into place. One down, seven more to go!

Also, while Maredith and Thomas (and Gus) worked on setting the posts, I grabbed a shovel and set about working on the landscaping in the front yard. When Maredith bought her house, one of the first things she did was remove the hodge-podge of plantings that made the front look ragged and neglected. The house is a traditional red brick with white trim, and Maredith decided right away to change the flesh-colored (???) shutters to a Federal Blue (see the photo). The previous owners had planted one of every kind of bush you can think of...you had to look hard to see anything that matched! Plus, the bushes were planted too close to the house in the first place, and they were badly overgrown and poorly trimmed. Not anymore! As of Sunday afternoon, Maredith now has 5 dwarf Burfordii hollies (Ilex B. Nana) in front of the windows, to match the giant holly on the corner of the house, under the side bedroom window (she left that one in place); 7 gorgeous evergreen boxwoods in front of the front walkway, to give some depth and definition to the entrance; and 4 burning bushes, that were jumping out of the confines of their pots...maybe they will grow quickly and hide a (necessary, but not-so-lovely) chainlink fence on the side of the front yard. Maredith had already put out beautiful multi-colored pansies, which are coming back nicely after the cold snap, and they are now joined by blue Georgia Speedwell and phlox, along with several transplanted irises and daylillies (we'll all be surprised by their colors, as I'm not sure what came from where in our yard here in MO). To say we had a busy weekend sounds like an understatement!

Although it's still a WIP in Louisville, we'll shift our focus to our own backyard project (remember the bridge and the new waterfall?) this weekend. And, possibly get a start on the garden...surely we've seen the last of the cold weather for this area until October or November??? I'm eager to get some tomatoes growing...or, I won't be able to harvest one on July 4th!!

Bridge Over River Adsit

Did you have a nice Easter? Hope so.

Ours was a quiet one...just the three of us. Maredith stayed in Louisville, having dinner with a friend and her family. She made our favorite...strawberry cake...which was a hit!

Look what the Easter Bunny brought me! Can you tell what it is from the picture?

It's a new bridge that will grace the pond area off our back deck. Of course, for this to work, we had to:

1. Drain the pond and clean it.
2. Remove all the rocks that surrounded the pond.
3. Remove all the plants in that area, relocating some to a temporary bed for replanting later...and some in pots to go to Maredith's house in KY.
4. Find a plan for building the bridge that I liked...and that Thomas thought was buildable. Then change the plan.
5. Order the materials for delivery..."hello, Home Depot?" [A helpful hint: if you go to HD to place your order, don't do this on the weekend. The Contractor's Desk is staffed M-F only, so on the weekends, you have to get all the SKU numbers yourself...for all your order. Bummer.]
6. Cut and begin assembly in the garage...have you heard how cold it's been outside around here lately? Thomas worked hard on this step over the weekend. [A lovely byproduct of this step...our garage smells fabulous! I just love the smell of wood shavings and sawdust!]
7. Move the whole production to the site...before it got so heavy we couldn't pick it up. Thank goodness for that versatile wagon we got a couple of years ago at Sam's Club! It made a perfect "barge" to transport the bridge. [In case you haven't noticed, the decking on the bridge isn't attached in the picture...so, we could still lift the pieces & parts.]
8. Saturate the new lumber with a product that helps treated wood "receive" stain. Behr (Home Depot again) calls it "No. 63." Or, is it "No. 62?" I forget. One is for new wood...the other for "aged" wood.

That's where the project stands today. I finished spraying the wood last night, and it has to "cure" for 24 hours. Of course, it will have to be above the 40's for us to paint...and we are still looking at night-time temps in the 30's around here.

I'll update the photo to show the progress we are making on this project. I'm so excited!