Or, a “Currently” update…
I have not done a “currently” update for a very long time. Too long, maybe. Anyways, one has kind of been rattling around in my brain so I thought I’d share a bit. Sadly, it is not all of it is good… but that is often life, right?
Remembering — I read this morning that Senator Levin died and it reminded me of an interaction I had with him a very, very long time ago. I was at a gas station filling up my car on my way to work in Saugatuck. Senator Levin and his brother pulled in and while Sandy filled up their car, Senator Levin engaged in conversation with me. I, of course, recognized him and was kind of awestruck that he would talk with me. In our conversation, he asked for a recommendation on a place to eat. I asked him what he was hungry for… fish was the answer. I gave him a couple of options and he asked me where would I go… I gave him my response and he said that’s where they will go then! Such a great man with a legacy that will live on.
Tackling — This morning I have queued up a YouTube video on how to do horizontal mattress stitch. Honestly, it feels a bit daunting with all the “steps” because you bind off X stitches at the beginning of the row for X rows… which creates a series of steps. If I knit this sweater again, I will contemplate doing some knitting math and do some short rows to create the shoulder slant, which would allow me to bind off the row in its entirety (making seaming easier, I think…)
Reading — This week has been a banner week. First, I was finally “next in line” for Uncommon Ground and I stayed up a bit too late reading the past two nights – my plan for today is to get those shoulders seamed and then knit some mindless stockinette and read! Yesterday, I completed my Summer Book Bingo card with the finish of Ian McEwan’s Saturday. A brilliant way to finish my card… I just love his writing. And it is a book that will “sit with me” for some time.
(not) Growing — This summer will likely go down as the worst year ever for growing things. My vegetable garden has been a serious disappointment this year… I planted beans, some peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and zucchini. Lots of things that are just not producing anything. Half of the zucchini have produced nothing… and this morning I noted that one plant has two zucchini starting… so maybe? The summer squash provided only 3 squash… and it appears there will be no more. Normally, I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with but it looks like I will be lucky to get a dozen tomatoes from 6 plants. I am holding out hope for some beans (to date, I have picked 5… that’s right, five beans) because I have blooms (again) so maybe this time I will get some beans. The peppers have had flowers, but no production beyond the flowers. One might think that my problem is bees… or the lack thereof. This is not the case… I have bees galore! So I am not certain what the problem is and Steve is now complaining about wasting water on a garden that is not producing.
(over) Grown — We made a decision earlier this year to not trim the bushes in the back yard in the spring, but rather cut them back significantly this fall. I worried about how “unkempt” the riot of bushes would look like, but I never imagined that those untrimmed bushes would be the source of some surprising visitors this summer! I usually hang a couple of hummingbird feeders, but had not gotten them out yet when the warnings went out about not feeding birds this summer… I was disappointed, because it is just so much fun to see hummingbirds from our porch. But, I never imagined the volume of birds that would flock to our Rose of Sharon… time spent watering in the yard is a joy with all the hummers zooming around. I have seen more of them this summer *with no feeders* than I ever did with feeders. This has caused me to reconsider garden beds and things that need pruning to “look good” … some good food for thought for the fall and winter!
Counting — Nine weeks from today we leave for Michigan. And while it seems like eons away… I know it will be here sooner than I think. I just can’t wait… although I have some trepidations about the trip (thank you, Delta Variant) My fervent hope is that both PA and MI will continue to stay out of the “red zone” as they currently are!
And there you have my “current” thoughts. I hope that you all have a great weekend and I will see you back here next week!
Years ago, when our bedroom was Rusty’s studio, he had potted plants in the window, including bright red geraniums, and we’d have hummingbirds coming right up to try getting at them! It was so cool.
I’m glad that your disappointing garden is countered by a lovely memory of Senator Levin, good reading, and hummingbirds. I wish you all the success on horizontal mattress stitch. If anybody can do it well, it’s you, Kat!
P.S. I do wish I lived next door to you so you could be the recipient of all the beans I don’t want to freeze and excess zucchini.
What a lovely memory of Senator Levin!
I have to think that the crazy weather we’ve had this summer is behind the garden issues. The dramatic fluctuations we had early on had to have confused the plants as well as us. All I can say is that it’s a good thing we no longer have to rely on what we plant feeding us. I never get much from my garden, and this year the roofing project made me start really late, so if I get just a few peas and a radish or two, I’ll be happy. I missing having my usual tomato plants, though.
Hope all goes well with the seaming so you can finish the book!
Sorry about your garden woes. We are (finally) getting a lot of beans, but our tomatoes are just barely beginning to ripen (we’ve had 4-6 cherry tomatoes and 2 golf-ball sized regular ones). Yet our neighbor across the street has plants that are weighed down with tomatoes – I picked another 15 this morning!! Likewise our peppers are slow. The deer even ate the jalapeno peppers!! I’m always amazed to see the hummers at our Rose of Sharon, but this year we only have seen one coming around every few days. Even when the Trumpet Vine was in full bloom we didn’t see them! Sending all the good vibes that your MI trip can go!
I will pray your trip stays as scheduled!! I am so over with living with uncertainty. I’m sure your bushy bushes will be fine through the summer, you have a plan and it’ll be fine. He is planning on some major gardening in a week with the help of my brother in law. Thankfully I am not a participant 🙂
In Colorado (east of the mountains) our gardens are two weeks behind their ordinary schedules, and I also have very few tomatoes, and scarce squash, a handfull of cucumbers…but flowers galore, thank goodness.
I follow your book recommendations. I loved The Japanese Lover by Isabell Allende (your recommendation I think).
Here’s one for you: One Long River of Song, by Brian Doyle…excuisitely written essays.
Here’s to safe travels!
I will need to find a YouTube video about mattress stitch soon. The Big Red Blob, aka Boxy, must have the front and back shoulders joined before I can pick up stitches for the sleeves. ::patting myself on the back for having the foresight to knit the lower body in the round::
Y’know, I get many more hummingbirds in my garden WITHOUT a feeder than WITH a feeder! It sort of defies logic, but I’m happy not having to mess with sugar-water anymore. (Or the ants.) I knit a sweater once that used a new (to me) technique for binding off sloped or rounded edges that need to be seamed later. I saved a link to the technique for my future use – https://www.10rowsaday.com/sloped-bindoff-both-sides. Although it’s too late for you now . . . maybe it’ll work for the next time you encounter “stair-step” decreases??? (Good luck!!!)
I am sorry your garden is not producing as you hoped. Gardening is a gamble for sure and varies from yard to yard. I hope your trip to Michigan comes off as planned. I find the vaccine hesitancy (or stupidity) so very frustrating.