Gardening Frustrations

So we are dog-sitting a friend's pup. I had JUST got the stray we recently took in to stop digging/eating all my gardening efforts when we took in this friend's dog. Upon arriving home yesterday, the "new" pup had completely DESTROYED a few of my "prized" plants. URG!

Additionally, it has been so oppressively HOT the past few days that I've been unable to do anything in the garden. I desperately need to get my fall garden completed and get my new plants in the ground but it will all have to wait...a little longer.

I'll probably be canning some more pickled chipotles this weekend as the jalepenos continue to produce well (even though pretty much everything else has bit the big one).

Knitting projects continue SLOW-LY! Sewing projects even more slowly....but they are eventually getting done.

I'll try to post some pix of recent progress here in next few days. Keep cool!

When You Can't Find It... Design It

So I wanted to knit up a dishcloth with a "design". My DH being a HUGE University of Texas Longhorn fan, I decided that I would knit a longhorn onto the dishcloth. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a knitting pattern for the longhorn that suited my needs so.... I graphed one up! I'm excited about giving this a go and will post a pix of the finished dishcloth when I "get er done".

Try, Try Again

I have to start over on the wrap jacket I'm making. I had about an inch done and had to “frog” it last night. I'm hoping to start over today. What is “frogging” you ask? Well, what sound does a frog make? “Rip-it...rip-it”. LOL... New knitting term I learned and considering how much I will be using it.... I just find it funny. Maybe I'm tired. Anyway, I screwed up on the stitching beyond repair (somehow missed counted several and didn’t catch till too late...I'm sure trying to cast on and count while the kids were running amok didn't help.) so I had to rip the entire one inch (which I realize doesn’t SOUND like much but it was to me) out and try, try again.

Here's hoping I get my cast on number correct this time and that the continental stitch method enables me to move a little faster through the project....again, we'll see.

Let's Dig In & Get Started!

Wow...I'm blogging. That is too weird. Never thought I would get around to starting a blog. Of course, as with most of my "projects" the trick will be to keep it up.

That said, I welcome you if you are reading this. Mainly created this as a means of sharing my adventures, through "trowel and error", in gardening, knitting, sewing, canning, remodeling and whatever other projects happen to fall on my "to-do" list. Also spattered in here will undoubtedly be comments and pix of my better half and the kiddos.

Enjoy reading/viewing and commenting. Thanks for stopping by and taking some "thyme" out of your busy day to visit me!

I've been quite busy the past few months with project after project...or perhaps it would be most appropriate to say, "Starting" project after project. Every time I mention another "idea", my DH shakes his head, usually because he knows that inevitably he'll be pulled in to help with it as I have a tendency to get in a WEE bit over my head/skills level. Thank goodness he loves me so.

Our first garden yielded a decent crop this year...



so much so that we had to take up canning. The following pix was our first batch of canning (taken a few weeks ago). Since then we've canned several quarts of salsa, some more pickles and more pickled chipotles (YUM!)



In addition to veggie/herb gardening, I've been quite busy with regular gardening as well. My newest gardening hobby is plant propagation of ones I find that I love. My most successful, or rather the one I'm most thrilled about thus far is my Bat-face cuphea. Fell in love with this little plant the moment I saw it and since I live in the city with the largest urban bat colony in North America...well, it seemed appropriate. Perennial in Zone 8.



Lastly, just because I thought it was pretty, a pix of one of my red cannas that bloomed. Nothing fancy, just a Canna, plain and simple.



Well, that is all for now. Must run. I'll try to post some of my knitting adventures later. Cheers!