Thursday Likes #162

 Welcome to my 162nd I Like Thursday post.  Thursdays a group of bloggers join LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to share things we have discovered that we like/love.

I had purchased some tomatoes about a month ago.  Then we had rain, and then a couple of freezes. So the tomatoes sat in the yard, and I watched them hoping for some sign of life.  Then it happened!

You can see that there are leaves starting.  Since my time is limited I decided to do cheat gardening.  Don't till the whole garden, mow the weeds, just plant the plants, and use cardboard to help block the weeds.  

Dig a hole, break up the dirt, and remove any weeds.

Fill the hole with water (it had been rather dry, and it was a hot day).  

Place a large cardboard square over the hole, and cut an X.

Fold the sides in.

Take the plant out of the pot and put it into the hole.  Back fill the hold with the cleaned dirt.  Then water.  Place a cage over the plant, with the stakes going through the cardboard. I have read the cardboard prevents weeds from crowding out the plant.  So far it is looking pretty good.

While digging in the garden, as usual I have made some interesting finds.

This bar is pretty long, and it looks like it may have been part of a hand crank for something. 

Another metal bar, and a pink depression glass looking plate. 

My azalea bloomed this year.  I have been babying this plant for 5 years, and it has only bloomed once before.  

 A Rhododendron also bloomed, it was rescued from one of my daughter's lawn customer's yard after they redid the landscaping.  

The Rhubarb is getting bigger.  Perhaps someday it will get big enough I can harvest more than a stalk or two per year.

My parents, sister and nephew went to Hawaii in April and they brought me back this awesome fabric.

It has turtles on it!

My cousin shared this on Facebook and I thought it was pretty interesting. It is called RiverRunner.  You can put in an address, or create a raindrop and you will see where the water will go.  I forget that I live so close to Lake Erie that rain has a relatively short trip.

I read a few books this week while cleaning house, and doing food prep.

Undercurrents the 11th book in the Faye Longchamp Mystery Series.  Faye is in Memphis to run a dig, when she spies a "feral" child wandering through the creek.  When Faye discovers a woman buried alive and learns that she is the child's mother, Faye is convinced that it is an out of the normal murder. Faye with the help of some others discovers a serial killer.  

Catacombs is the 12th book in the Faye Longchamps mysteries.  Faye is in Oklahoma City to attend a Native Arts conference when she and Burt Mantooth are involved in a bombing at an old hotel.  The bombing opens up a subterranean world where the Chinese lived and worked during the early 20th century.  While exploring the bodies of 3 young boys are found, and secrets start to be uncovered.
 

Three Silver Doves is the 3rd book in the Paige MacKenzie Series.  Paige is Tres Palomas, New Mexico to write a story about the local spa with their miracle waters.  Paige meets a local artist that makes jewelry and when a tourist shows up with a similar piece, there are questions Paige wants answered.

Hutchins Creek Cache, is the 4th book in the Paige MacKenzie mysteries.  Paige is in Hutchins Creek to do a story on the railroads.  While visiting the railroad museum Paige discovers a gold coin she starts digging into the past.  

The Hollow of Fear is the 3rd book in the Lady Sherlock Series.  Charlotte Holmes' friend Lord Ingram's estranged wife is discovered dead in the ice house and Lord Ingram is accused of her murder. 

Lord Ingram and Charlotte's relationship progresses, and there are many twists and turns involved as well as Moriarity. 

Now head over to LeeAnna's to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #161

 Welcome to my 161st I Like Thursday post.  It has been a busy couple of days and by the time I finished up my chores yesterday the outside lights had came on and I was covered in dirt, and weeds from weed eating. I now understand why Jeff used to insist that I wear a face mask, I could not believe how much dirty I had on my face, and hair afterwards.  

I have been enjoying my outside lately.  It can be so soothing, even though the next freeway exit 2 miles North of us is closed and they are rerouting them down my road.  (Insert rolling eyes). Early in the morning walks I discovered these sweet violets.

The Lily of the Valley is really thriving this year.  

I am thrilled that my cold is finally kind of getting better and I could smell the sweet scent.  

Yesterday was my day off----there was a lot of outside work to do.  I had mowed the other day, and I needed to weed eat the 2 berms, and along the flower beds.  I also needed to plant the tomatoes that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago.  I had been putting it off because a few days after I purchased them there was a freeze and they looked pretty sad.  I kept watering them, and I see little leaves starting to form.  So hopefully I will get them into the ground today. I did get some of my planters done though.

The barrel planter with petunias and heliotrope.

I love Heliotrope!  The smell is a mixture of vanilla and licorice.  

Planter 2, you can see the berm in the background, where my weed eater finally ran out of battery.  I really do not want to finish it up today, but it may be necessary.  In the 2nd planter you can see the geraniums, and I also have some lantana, more petunias, and of course with our swampy property a couple of citronella.  

While weed eating the flower beds I saw Columbine!  It has spread nicely!  I love Columbine!

The Weigela is starting to bloom.  I need to prune it back a bit. 

The Rhubarb patch got cleaned up.  While I was working outside I had company, a lot of company.

Bobbin, Girl Cat, Boy Cat, and some new additions including some of the kittens born last year. 

Meet Haze, the kids say each kitten got lighter and lighter, almost like a printer running out of ink.  Wookie is dark with long hair, Tangy is a lighter version of her mama, Haze is even lighter, and Ashes is a very faded gray version.  

Recently I decided to try Misfits Market for organic produce.  Weekly you select your fruits and veggies, and they are sent on your day selected the following week. Things I love, it forces me to eat more fruits and veggies, the cold pack which it is packed with is a gel that is water soluble and safe to go into the environment once diluted.  Downside is for a single person it is a lot of food and I can't seem to eat it quick enough. Some things need to be processed right away such as broccoli, beets, greens, and with my crazy schedule that can be tough.  

This is just a small selection of this weeks produce, apples, manadarins, pears, beets, broccoli, tomatoes, dandelion greens, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers.   Great that I am eating more good stuff, but the chickens get stuff that goes bad before I eat it.  I have decided to go to an every other week schedule and see if that is better. 

I love the bright summer colors of these towels I saw at work.

French bulldogs Hawaiian print shirts in pool floats!

The fun patriotic one.  I considered buying this one to make another drying mat.

Old trucks, dogs, bikes and surfboards.

The only book I managed to read last week was Burials by Mary Anna Evans.

 Faye, and Joe are in Oklahoma where Joe grew up. They are there to bury Joe's mom's ashes with Joe's father Sly.  To help supplement, Faye has been contracted to start up a 30 year old archaeological site which was shut down quickly at the time.  Imagine the surprise when the first pit that is opened has a necklace, pearls, and the remains of a body.  The body is the Dr. Sophia Townsend the volatile archaeologist that was running the dig 30 years ago.  The Muscogee Tribe  who had contracted the dig is surprised so are the people who worked on the dig 30 years ago, who just happen to be involved on the current dig.  How did Dr. Townsend disappear with no one's notice years ago, especially considering how many people she manipulated around her at the time, including Joe's father.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #160

 Welcome to my 160th I Like Thursday post.  Thank you LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color, for encouraging us to find things to like/love in and around our world to share. 

One and a half years....I have went 1 1/2 years during this stupid pandemic without getting ill. I had both doses of my COVID vaccine.  Sunday night while at work my throat started to hurt.  I finished my shift, and headed home.  I curled up in the recliner and slept for a couple hours, and soon my head was congested and my chest felt like I had an elephant sitting on it. No I didn't have COVID.  I had a head and chest cold.  I have spent the past 4 days home, and am finally starting to feel a wee bit better.  I did manage to get rid of the chest congestion finally, right now it is just a congested head and a left over cough.  

In Bobbin's opinion it is all about her and she is enjoying her best life, laying on mom's lap, curled up in the recliner wrapped up in quilts. 

While being sick I have watched the world burst into bloom.  My favorite prairie fire crab apple bloomed its rich maroon blossoms.

The Lilacs have bloomed and faded.  I so wanted to try a recipe I found for lilac sugar, but it isn't to be for this year.

Today I felt well enough to do a wee bit of outside work.  I spent 2 hours just trying to knock down a 25 square foot area of thistle, and save my chives, and veronica.  

One day the chickens escaped and they instantly headed toward my flowerbeds with mulch.  

I sent a text and the kids rounded them back up for the night.  

I have been doing a little more day by day.  I managed to finish 2 charity quilts for church, and started a 3rd.  I have still been cutting strips of the 20's and 30's reproduction fabrics, and I even managed to sew block 12 of my 365 little blocks. 

I have made up for my lack of book reading this past week.  

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas the 2nd book in the Lady Sherlock series.  

Lady Ingram, the wife of Charlotte's longtime friend has enlisted the help of Sherlock Holmes in locating a man she was enamored with long before she married Lord Ingram.  Charlotte is attempting to locate her illegitimate half brother Myron Finch, and a mysterious man if courting Charlotte's sister Livia.  So many twists and turns, I will admit I can't wait to read the next book.  

A Sharp Solitude by Christine Carbo is the 4th book in the series set near Glacier National Park.  In this book we are not with Monty the National Park police, but FBI Agent Allie Paige.  Reeve Landon is the father of Allie's daughter and has been accused of murdering journalist Ann Marie Johnson after spending the day with him and his dog doing research work on scat. 

Reeve's past, Allie's past all come together.  

Isolation is the 9th book by Mary Anna Evans in the Faye Longchamps Wolf Mantooth archaeology series.  Faye has shut Joe out after the miscarriage of their daughter, wandering around their island digging holes.  Joe's father Sly has come to visit, a man that Joe doesn't have a whole lot of use for.  A man who spent years in prison. 

When the lady who owns the local cafe' and marina is murdered it is enough to get Fay out of her funk.  

Finally I read Tulipomania by Mike Dash.  It is the history of the Tulip from the steppes of central Asia

to the lush imperial gardens of Constantinople.  Mike Dash made the history interesting how this flower rose to be one of the most coveted commodity in Europe.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts.  

I Like Thursday #159

Welcome to my 159th I Like Thursday post.  Thank you to LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color for encouraging us to find things that we like/love during the week.

It is fun to see all the growing things around.  

I love apple blossoms. My poor trees are struggling.  I needed to spray while they were dormant, but once the weather stayed above 40 degrees for a 24 hour period it was too windy.  

My trees had very few blossoms.  

In the field I saw these wild strawberries.  

 

I spied a butterfly, 

I thought this petunia originally looked like a dark purple. 

Maybe it is more of a maroon in the sun.  

While wandering around the property I spied these teeny tiny flowers.  This is called birdeye speedwell, it is a Veronica.

I have an app on my phone called "Picture This"  I will say that it is one of the best plant identifier apps I have used.  One thing which is neat about the app is it will show many photos of the plant, it will give you the scientific names, but it will also share an excerpt of the poem by Andrew Blakemore: 

The speedwell and daisies are blooming together
Their colours entwine in the grass where they grow,
So rich is the land and so verdant the pasture
As a carpet they make with sweet patterns that glow,
Like the blue of the sky and the bright golden sunshine
They rise from the green on this bright summer's day,
Wherever they shine I'll be happy to wander
For I'll never tire of their wondrous display. 

The other plant I saw had these lovely little yellow flowers.  

It is called mock strawberry. 

I spied a chicken basket at the feed store. 

Many years ago at a quilt shop which is no longer in business I saw a basket.  There was a pattern, but I didn't buy it, thinking perhaps in a few weeks I would return to the shop.  Life happened, I sent them an e-mail inquiring the name of the pattern, and filed their response in an e-mail folder.  I wanted to make this basket to use in my bathroom to hold dirty clothes. 

Recently I went through my e-mail folders and found the e-mail and went on a search for the pattern.  

 

Knotty Basket. 

I started acquiring the necessary supplies to make one.  

For a  girl who doesn't have a lot of time to go searching for supplies, I do shop online a lot.  I will say that finding the necessary items has been a trial.  

I have pulled fabrics trying to decide which ones I want to use.  

I am leaning toward using fabrics 2 and 3 from the bottom.

I did get a little sewing in this week. I managed to get 5 of the little blocks done.

block 8

Block 9

Block 10

Block 11

I managed to read/listen to a couple of books this past week.

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas---what is Sherlock Holmes was really a young society woman?  Charlotte Holmes does not like the idea that she must marry and bear an unhappy, unfulfilled life.  When announced to her parents that she would rather attend school an agreement is made, but Charlotte discovers that her family had no intentions of allowing it.  The only option would be to "ruin" herself, buy getting herself into a compromising position.  Once done though, the mother of the married man that Charlotte had use is discovered dead, and Charlotte's father and sister are the suspects.  

Legally Blind Luck is the 7th installment of the Braxton Campus Mysteries by James Cudney.  I really enjoy this series, James has created characters that you find yourself invested.  In this book, Kellan and his family are mourning the loss of his uncle, Kellan is now the guardian of this uncle's teenage son, and there is an upcoming exhibition at the college of African art.  Kellan's uncle is suspected of having been in possession of a cursed talisman, which everyone is looking. 

Welcome to Piney Falls by Joann Keder.  Lanie has the perfect life, the best house which she is constantly renovating, a great job with one of the most prestigious office supply company in the world.  Lanie decides to take a creative writing class at the local college and is given an assignment to write about a town that suddenly changes it's name.  When Lanie's home burns to the ground her life is turned upside down, and she is pushed by a friend from the creative writing class to go research the assignment.  Lanie arrives in Piney Falls, Oregon.  A town with a lot of secrets.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color and check out the other I Like Thursday posts.