171 Weeks of I Like Thursday

 171 Weeks of I Like Thursday.  Sure I have skipped a week here or there, and one year instead of doing an I Like Thursday post I did a whole month in November of Thankfulness.  What is I like Thursday?  LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color has been encouraging us for almost 5 years to create a post weekly and share the things we have found during the week that make us smile, that we like/love.  Our ranks fluctuate as people's lives change, we drop out, drop back in, take sabbaticals but LeeAnna has been our constant.  Thank you so much for doing this!

I shared last week that I had started doing some local hikes, and Bobbin gets worn out.  So I have bought a couple of different packs to try.

This is a backpack made by a company called K9 Sports sack.  They have several different models, this is the more rugged one.  We have yet to take it out for a spin....I will get into that later in this post.  Bobbin seemed to like it, but she kind of ends up sitting on her haunches in it.  

This is a front carry pack made by a company called WOYYHO.  I put her in it quickly to snap a pic, and carried her around a bit, but not long enough to see if she liked it or not.   The front pack has a hard bottom, which is covered in a soft fabric so she can sit or lay with her head out.   Neither of these are so she can be carried the whole time, just when she gets tired.  The first has lots of pockets for poo bags, a water bottle, her water dish, a jacket.  The front carrier doesn't have as many pocket.  The front one is easier to get on.

Bobbin is still having problems with her anal glands, and we had an emergency trip to a different vet because of  diarrhea and then a huge bloody stool the other day, and her vet is out of the office on vacation.  She doesn't act sick, but she has had 2 antibiotic shots, and an anti-diarrheal  shot, no food for 24 hours (angry little girl).  She is back on another oral antibiotic for the next 8 days.  So Bobbin will be staying home for the foreseeable future, until we get this situation under control.   

 While I know she can't help being sick it put a crimp in my plans on my days off.  But I did use the time to watch her, and sew.

I got caught up on the SAL I am doing with my girlfriend.   I don't think I have been caught up on a SAL in forever!

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7
All the blocks so far.  I have been using scraps and stash in this quilt. 

I finished all the units for step 3 on the Bonnie Hunter not so mysterious On Grassy Creek, and started cutting fabrics for step 4.  

While I have been sewing blocks I have been trying to tame my string containers either by grabbing stuff to use on my pineapple blocks or a string block.  It works great for a leader and ender. 

It does need to be squared up.  I cut my foundation to 7 1/2 but I will probably trim down to 6 1/2.  

Today I decided to try to use one of the local metro parks to hike.  There are many and one of them (Willow) actually at one time was Jeff's Great Grandfather's land.  I went to enter a park called Oakwoods, and there was no one manning the booth so that I could pay, or even buy a yearly pass.  Went to the nature center, it doesn't open until 1 pm.  Came back out, drove down the road about a mile and entered Willow, again no one at the booth, drove through the whole park and was heading to another section of Willow which is about 5 miles away when that booth was open.  So I am legal at least.  

I shared about the app All Trails and if you use it correctly it will actually show the trail you walked/hiked/biked, and how many miles.

According to the stats I hiked 2 miles....I refer to it as feeding the mosquitoes though.  I tried one bug repellent without any chemicals that I bought at work.  It wasn't too bad, it was a name brand it has natural botanicals.  I have ordered another one which I have read good reviews.  I had read up about how to not attract mosquitoes, no perfume, wear light colored clothing, which is loose.  I still got a few bites, but the swarming around my face and head was very irritating.  

The hike was nice.  There were some flowers.

This is called Yellow Ironweed or Wingstem the botanical name is Verbesina alternifolia.  The butterflies and bees seemed to like it.

There was an interesting log with little tiny fungi clinging to the sides.  When I saw them I thought of fairy stairs leading to the top of the downed log. 

The Huron River, and if you look carefully there are a few swans swimming in the swampy portion.

On the home front, the zucchini has gotten out of hand.  I need to remove some peel and shred for zucchini bread this winter.

I wandered out to my poor pathetic orchard.  The apples are still struggling.  I need a year when the weather cooperates just a wee bit so my trees can get sprayed at the appropriate times, and I need to run an irrigation system out to them.  The pears trees.  One died this past winter, but the other one has made up for the lack.  

These were just gathered up from the ground that had been knocked down from the last few big storms.  If there were any holes or anything another armload went to the chickens. 

My one field looks like a fortress with a wall of these.

Cutleaf Teasel or Dipsacus laciniatus.   These are easily 6-8 feet tall.  What is funny is once you get past the wall of teasel the field is fairly open, wild roses, some trees, grass.  I can see where animals have been using it and bedding down so they feel safe.  

The volunteer sunflower is blooming like crazy.
 

There are so many flower heads all up and down the plant.  

I love the Anise Hyssop.  

It took over a planter, and completely moved from the bed.  Did you know that hyssop was an astringent?  That it was mentioned in the Bible six different times?  I know the bees and butterflies love it, and I love the licorice scent.  

Books for the week.  I have a couple of re reads so I could move on in the series.

Death by a Honey Bee by Abigail Keam.  I don't know why I haven't read more of her books, because I enjoy the main character Josiah Reynolds.   I decided to re read this book so I could read the next in the series.

 I think the publisher's blurb is the best.

The Josiah Reynolds series is not just another formulated mystery series. They are not cozy or fuzzy, but they do try to be humorous and witty. Sometimes they succeed. Each novel/novella has a stand-alone mystery, but the stories are also about the continuing life saga of a middle-aged Southern woman as she faces many serious obstacles. Josiah faces the world with sarcastic humor and a number of quirky, oddball friends that can only be found in the Southern town of Lexington, the heart of the Kentucky horse country.

In this book you are introduced to Josiah  a middle age widow, that raises honeybees and sells her honey at the local farmer's market. When her nemesis is found dead, face down in one of her hives, the local policeman is in a hurry to pin the murder on her.  

The 2nd book in the Josiah Reynolds series is Death by Drowning.  Josiah is recovering from her previous run in with Detective O'nan when she is asked by a friend to look into the death of her nephew that has been ruled as an accident.  Josiah with her hunky live in physical therapist/body guard make up an interesting team.

I am looking forward to the next book.  

Since I seemed to have a bee theme going, and it is set in Oregon.  My next book was Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy CoCo.

Wren Johnson runs the honey boutique called Let it Be where all things bee, and honey related are sold.  Beeswax candles, cosmetics, honey candy just to name a few.  Wren's life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon the body of Agnes Snow who is clutching a label from one of Wren's beeswax lip balms.  

Murder of a Small-Town Honey by  Denise Swanson was the next book I read. 
 

Skye Denison left Scumble River with big plans, and one of them is to never return.  After obtaining a degree, and a career setback, she is back in Scumble River working as the psychologist for the local school district.  

When Skye stumbles on the body of a dead TV personality, whose persona is not what was presented, Skye must find a way to clear herself of the murder. Who is this person really and who would want to kill her? Unfortunately Skye discovers more people wanted her dead than alive. During Skye's snooping lots of small town secrets are discovered.

Lethal Licorice by Amanda Flower is the 2nd book in the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries. 

Bailey King has recently returned to Harvest, Ohio to take over her families candy shop Swissman Sweets and care for her recently widowed grandmother.  In this book Bailey is allowed to enter the Amish Confectionery Competition in place of her recently deceased grandfather, but there are many that feel that an Englischer should not be allowed, especially out of town candy maker Josephine Weaver who has been the most vocal.  When Josephine is found dead in a local churches organ--killed by licorice which is it well known that she is allergic, her niece a young woman going through her rumspringa, or running around time, and Bailey herself are the top suspects.

My final book is Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander.  Set in the small town of Ashland, Oregon where the world renown  Oregon Shakespeare Festival is located is the first in the Bakeshop Mysteries.

Juliet Capshaw returns to Torte' her family's small town bakeshop to lick her wounds after suffering from a broken heart.  Juliet discovers Nancy Hudson dead in the shop one early morning, there is something definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.  Nancy was the new board member of the OST as well as the fiance of the man trying to take over Torte'.    

Now go and check out the other I Like Thursday posts at LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color!