On the crafting front, Nicole and I have embarked on a market bag making-fest. Combining going to the Public Market and sewing has worked out well for us. Over Memorial Day weekend on retreat in an old farm house in W. Walworth we sewed up a bunch of bags for ourselves and friends and family have put in some requests. More details on the bags, how one can get them, etc. later. I have used the bags as gym bags/library bags/work briefcases/grocery bags for the past couple of weeks and I love 'em.
When I haven't been sewing or knitting (which seems to be a lot of time these days) I've been working around the gardens at my house. There's been a lot of annual planting, weeding, mulch laying and coffee ground spreading. Apparently, coffee grounds keep the aphids away from rose bushes and they generally make the gardens happy as well. And who can blame them, I enjoy a good cup ( or 2 or 3) of coffee now and then (or every day by 9 am). Last summer, I saved my coffee grounds every morning and put them around the most sickly rose bushes in the back. A couple of weeks ago, when getting my daily java I noticed Starbucks gives their "pre-enjoyed" grounds away FREE for anyone who wants them to put in their compost or around their gardens. Now, I'll do most anything for something free so I was in for the free used coffee grounds. As much as I like to support the local coffee brewers, I do go to Starbucks every once and a while and I do love this initiative.
Apparently, my roses love coffee as much as I do, because they are going crazy. They haven't bloomed this much ever.
Here's the before: (yes, this is how I feel when I don't have coffee, too)
And the after:
This bush hasn't bloomed yet, but when it does just imagine how fantastic it will be!
And a token black and white photograph, because everything is better in black and white:
Other big things have been happening besides market-bag sewing and blooming roses. The Wowzer is getting ready to graduate (hence the intense gardening and annual planting). Here is the Wowzer with the origional crafter who taught me how to sew and knit and cook. (She's the one not in prom wear).
