Miscellany of a Cheshire Cat

• Most creative tribute to George Carlin today at Indexed.
• King Arthur Flour has an awesome baking blog. Complete with step-by-step photos for the tricky (and non-tricky) bits. I can feel like I’m baking even if I’m too hot or too busy to actually do it! Seriously, it’s an awesome blog. Late summer there will be baking motivation!
• Here’s some random Neil Gaiman. Just because.
• I have a large amount of basil growing fiercely in my raised beds. I have a Fop who likes hazelnuts. Has anyone ever tried hazelnut pesto? I see a couple of different recipes floating around the web. (And if anyone in the area wants some fresh basil, let me know!)

tags: baking, basil, gardening, george carlin, indexed, king arthur floure, neil gaiman, photographs, tributes

So, I have mentioned to several people that my rose bush exploded with flowers this spring. Here’s some evidence. Now, a week after this photo was taken, it’s looking a little calmer, but this rosebush bloomed through October last year so it’s just a matter of time before its second round of buds show up.

It’s gray again today but the tornado watch is over. It comes as no surprise that no tornadoes whisked through the neighborhood. Some impressive thunderstorms blew through though!

I’m on my second big cup of coffee for the day in hopes that will wake me up a little more. Right now I’d be content to go take a nap.

tags: coffee, gardening, gray day, roses, weather

The Peonies have POPPED! They are a lovely pale pink. Pink isn’t really my color but I’m beginning to accept it in my garden.

So, this weekend was not quite as productive as I’d hoped but I still achieved stuff! Friday evening was a delightful bbq, bunny and chat fest at casa di Ian and Annys. I had 3 cups of coffee that day so I got my second wind around 11 pm and ended up chatting with Annys until all hours while the boys played with and talked about their swords. A fun evening with a high concentration of laughing and giggling!

Yesterday I braved the Joann Fabrics. I now have fabric to make a mock up of a viking dress. I also have some yarn to beta test a headband pattern with. Linens & Things on Rte 1 in Springfield is closing so I also stopped there for a few things… Really I went in to find a fan (which I purchased!) and ended up with a drawer organizer and espresso pot. Oops. I haven’t made proper espresso in ages. Watch out world!

Today I woke up with a super-duper annoying headache which pretty much killed the first 4 hours of the day. The new raised bed containers for the garden are all ready for dirt though - so I did get something done. I also ran to Home Depot to get dirt. Dirt is remarkably heavy. I ended up only getting enough dirt for 1 container as I wasn’t sure I could fit more in the little Subaru. Turns out I could have quite easily, but oh well, I was pretty sure my muscles weren’t up for it anyway. (Side note: the Subaru is a really smooth ride with 10 cubic feet of soil in the hatch.) I got it all out of my car but not out back. Tomorrow I’ll start filling the first container, hopefully get to the point of planting and maybe even make another Home Depot run.

Best part of all this weekend? It was really relaxing. I was, at no point, feeling rushed or pressed that I had to get anything done “or else.” Yes, I need to get those containers filled so I can plant the rather enthusiastic hot pepper plants and such, but I’m not stressing about it as much as I have been known to do. Relaxation is such a novel thing and yet it really shouldn’t be! Maybe I just need more practice.

tags: espresso, gardening, peonies, pink, relaxation, shopping, weekend

Spring Passing / Summer Promising: A short series.
So often we celebrate spring or summer. But right now, in my garden, it’s the time when spring is starting to wan while summer is not yet ready to explode.

The flowers on the azaleas and the pink bush of doom are starting to lose their flowers. I’m really excited by the progress the peonies are making since being transplanted last Fall. They have settled in and taken off! I was concerned when I planted them that the soil was too low quality for them along the fence. Apparently I was wrong. I can’t wait until they start blooming! The two new rose bushes are in the ground and I’m hoping for flowers this summer but not holding my breath. The other rose bush is already budding up a storm and I’m not sure the new ones will catch up.

After a few chilly gray days I’ve been opening windows to try to get the house to warm up. Ah… the thermal glory of stone walls. I wish they went all the way up instead of just the first floor!

tags: azaleas, flowers, peonies, photographs, photography, roses, spring, summer

I went to an SCA event this weekend - Ducal Challenge over in Baron Sands. I know, this was rather shocking since I hardly ever go to events. It was a lovely, gray, cool and breezy day. We arrived late, but there was still fencing to be had for the Fop and fighting for me to watch and snap a few photos of. The problem with riding to an event with the King’s Rapier Champion is that you have to stay for Court. I did finish stringing a green garnet/carnelian/amber necklace during Court - now I just need to add the clasp.

After the event we headed to Casa di Thomas & Marion for some food, socializing and a viewing of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings with RiffTrax commentary. The silliness of MST3K + the extended storyline of Tolkien = highly amusing movie. (It was still amusing despite my need to sleep.) All in all a good day.

Sunday was absorbed by making brunch, calling mothers, running errands and such. I made bacon and I think the smell has only just now, 2 days later, disappeared. There’s nothing like walking down the stairs or coming back into the house and thinking, “Mmmmm, bacon!” I got a pair of rosebushes at BJ’s that I need to get in the ground today too. The basil plants I started from seed look ready to be planted al fresco but the peppers need another week before they go outside I think. Hurray for another week of impending puttering in the dirt!

Yesterday was a busy day of work and grocery shopping. There’s nothing like needing to be very productive on a Monday that is already filled with meetings!

tags: ducal challenge, gardening, lord of the rings, rifftrax, sca, weekend

Yes, another quilt. I love this one. The rich colors and textures as well as the intricate fabrics on the girls’ clothing. Unfortunately I didn’t get a good, crisp shot of this quilt so the detail is a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Today I was fairly productive. I prepped 2 bits of garden to receive herbs and pepper plants! I displaced some of the sod that had taken over the garden bits and mixed some topsoil into the rather clay-like soil. I’m hoping the additional soil will help. I did plant a couple of the pellets of chives I started but I’m going to wait at least another week before planting the basil and peppers.

The flowers I’m sprouting are coming along more slowly so they won’t end up outside until June at this rate. Which will give me time to work on the front flower bed! Right?

While I managed to tame the backyard shrubbery this week, I’ll be getting some help with the taming of the Muppet Bush out front as well as the rest of the shrubs. I will need to trim back one of the azaleas after it’s done blooming. Its pinkness is encroaching further onto the lawn than I would prefer. It’s not as far as out the Muppet bush, mind you, but still a little farther out than it should be. And the short little shrubs may just get pulled out. I’m undecided. I don’t really like them, honestly, but if I take them out I have to figure out what to replace them with. The front bed has that same clay-rich soil too. Anyway, that’s a puzzle I can figure out next weekend.

Tomorrow I get to pack and head to the airport again, much to the chagrin of a certain gray cat.

I’m not a big fan of traveling for work on a Sunday, but it’s easier than traveling first thing Monday morning for a meeting that starts a 10 a.m. Not to mention the fact that I don’t have to worry about flights running late or any other issues with travel making me miss the meeting. And it definitely beats getting up stupidly early on a Monday morning to get to the airport with all the other business travelers. I need to work on some presentations before the Monday meeting anyway, so my weekend is already tainted with work anyway. Blah!

While I’m bad at shutting down my work computer in the evening, I have been pretty successful at taking weekends off… unless someone is running late on getting me presentations we need prepped for Monday’s 10 a.m. meeting, for example. I feel like there’s some balance that way. The work laptop is usually off and put aside from the end of the day Friday until the beginning of the morning on Monday. Without such a rule, working from home in this job would have a real probability of eating my life.

And on that note… time for bed.

tags: chicago, gardening, international quilt show, quilts, work

Another favorite quilt from the quilt show last month - this one is titled “Persephone” and was quilted by Peg Collins of Alamosa, Colorado. (Sometimes I did successfully get the info card in the photo!) I love that the edge of her gown is the edge of the quilt. The division between winter and summer is perhaps predictable but beautiful all the same. Persephone seemed an appropriate quilt to post for May Day.

More garden work is planned for today after work, which also seems appropriate. I want to get those beds prepped for planting before I go away next week. (I fly out Sunday, actually.)

No cat casualties yet today but Tennyson is definitely pushing it.

Coffee was applied early and will be applied often today. I didn’t sleep well and needed my brain to be awake for my 9 a.m. meeting. And my 9:30 meeting. Whee! All went well and productively so the coffee must have worked. But how long will it last?

tags: chicago, coffee, gardening, international quilt show, may day, persephone, quilts, sleep

Wednesday… half way through the week! HURRAY!

This quilt caught my eye because it was quilted with metallic thread and the whole piece really worked. I love little vines like that and the flowers are beautifully done. The dragonflies or butterflies are lovely - not so cute as to detract from the fantasy feel of the quilt as a whole. Plus the detail-work on the dragonflies is just amazing. I’m apparently a sucker for tiny stitches, especially if I didn’t have to sew them myself!

This evening I spent about an hour taming one little corner of the garden. (And it wore me out!) 2 little shrubs and 1 big, flowering, tree-like thing are now more under control. I had meant to turn the beds as I want to add a little topsoil and plant my peppers and herbs out that way… however that didn’t quite work out. I got distracted by the big, flowering, tree-like thing - it always wants a lot of pruning and has tons of dead branch bits. Now it has significantly fewer dead bits and is less intrusive on the yard.

I also pulled the latest crop of ivy off the side of the house. I always feel slightly sinister pulling ivy off the house - I have pure hatred for the horrible vine that can do much damage to the stone walls. Okay, maybe I feel more than “slightly” sinister. It feels so odd to hate something so green and lively. But the ivy wants to consume my house so it must be stopped.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll find some time to turn the beds and run out to pick up a couple bags of topsoil to cut the clay a bit. I wonder if this weekend is too soon to put the seedlings in the ground… I’ll have to ask my Dad about that. They’re still pretty short, except the chives - the chives are ready to take over the world I think.

I’m having a remarkably productive week at work so far too. Yes, I’m startled by this myself. I think the vacation was well timed. We have a lot of big status meetings to prep project managers for in the next month. It’ll be crazy. I wonder how long this fabulous focus and mental energy will last. Luckily, today Tennyson has stayed off my conference calls as well as my computers. He’s snoozing comfortably in his bed on the corner of my desk right now. Very cute, very non-hazardous in his current state!

And I just now noticed that the rainbow-maker is not on the window… I’ll have to see if it fell.

tags: chicago, gardening, international quilt show, quilts, yard work

This weekend was good for my brain. I don’t feel fried at the moment, just drowsy… and the coffee is starting to kick in. I am no longer NOT getting sick, which means I win!

Connectivity issues Saturday morning resulted in some organizing and cleaning of my desk. My desk has always been a challenge to keep neat and organized. I am perhaps as neat as I have ever been these days with a mere 4 piles of organization going on. I am often tempted to give into the entropy, but I like to put my work computer “away” for the weekends and have some hope of finding a clear spot for it on Monday morning without requiring a bulldozer. The internet eventually came back and I decided I needed retail therapy.

The Mall is always an entertaining place. Yesterday was no exception. People really do wear the most remarkable things. Of course, some of those remarks must be made well out of earshot of the subject else feelings might be offended. Retail therapy yielded some new clothes and a cute, little USB hub. Now I can connect everything at once! I’m currently using my tablet as my primary pointing device (variety is the spice of life which staves off RSI!) though I keep misplacing the pen in plain sight. I may have to attach a ribbon to it.

I am finding myself completely uninspired for anything creative though. This is irksome since I need to pre-load Monster Cat this week as I’m going out of town Wednesday through Saturday. I did get Wednesday’s episode started last night. Of course, now I want to go back and tweak it. I guess that’s a good sign. I have a lot of creative projects on my perpetual to-do list that I’d like to start crossing off!

Some of my seeds are starting to sprout too. Little tiny basil leaves and strands of chives are the first to put in appearances. One of the pots of oat grass (the one on the heater) is showing growth a couple inches high already while the other two pots are just under an inch of green. Coincidence? I think not. I really do adore my sun porch. The plants do too - especially the ones that get to sit on the heaters.

tags: creativity, indoor gardening, organization, retail therapy, shopping

That’s right, folks! Scandalous photos of Spring-like things that will depress and exasperate my dear mother especially since they got 5 inches of snow on Friday. Shhh… don’t tell her.

Oh. Hi. If it’s any consolation, dear Mum, it was too chilly to work outside, at least given that I’m fighting off a cold or something.

This weekend was almost really incredibly productive! Instead it was just soft of productive. Yesterday the Fop woke up not feeling well at all and decided it was best not to go to Mudthaw. When he eventually felt more human we hit a movie. Superhero Movie falls squarely in a genre I really don’t care for but I hated Spiderman so much, I thought it would be fun to see the parody. Indeed, it was fun - it turned out to be a little better than a series of jokes and spoofs strung together by virtue of each skit involving the same characters and it was definitely far superior to Spiderman. Don’t get me wrong - it was still a dumb movie, but it was a parody of something I felt needed to be parodied and I enjoyed the silliness and stupidity. Leslie Nielson is still quite a crazy, dead-pan man. Pamela Anderson still has boobs that defy the laws of physics. (I’m surprised more physicists don’t try to give her a ticket for that as a pickup line. Then again, she probably doesn’t hang out in many locales populated by physicists.) I’m not saying you should go see this movie, but it didn’t suck. If you do go, stay through the credits because there are several more little skits in the final credits that look like they got cut from the movie.

Now that the Denny’s near us has improved its service AND eliminated its smoking section, we’ve gotten in the habit of having breakfast/brunch over there like once a weekend. So this “morning” involved Denny’s then a trip to Home Depot for indoor gardening supplies. I may or may not have over-purchased. After an afternoon of standing in the sun out on the enclosed porch, I have transplanted about a dozen plants and started seeds for 3 or 4 types of hot peppers, chives, parsley, basil, white echinacea flowers, columbine and 3 pots of oat grass for the kitties. I have a plan for a raised bed herb garden. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the peppers yet.

In other spring news, again don’t tell my mother, the peonies that Janet gave me in October appear to have weathered the incredibly and depressingly mild winter quite well in their new beds. I can see the beginnings of new growth poking up through the rather clay-like ground I planted them in. Finally there will be flowers in the narrow strip between the driveway and the fence! Fierce peonies! The plum tree is budding, as seen here. The rose bush is starting to show new growth as well. The lilies have already popped up new growth and the lone tulip is deciding if it’s going to bud or not. It’s good that I have already given up on winter (despite the fact that my desktop image is a photo of a pink flamingo lawn ornament under snow), otherwise all this spring stuff would be hard to take.

Oh, and dear mother? Yes, this is revenge for all the photos of snow you sent me.

tags: buds, flowers, gardening, indoor gardening, photographs, photography, plum tree, snow, spring, weekend, winter