Every season is one of becoming, but not always one of blooming. Be gracious with your ever-evolving self. — B. Oakman
If you have followed along on my season journey this year, thank you… I appreciate you being here so very much.
July…oh, July. You were so much July… sigh. If you like hot, sultry weather… this July (at least in the south hills of Pittsburgh) had all that and more! Since I have moved well beyond the “change” I have found that AC is just too much for me but I live with a person who thinks that a blast cooler is really optimal… ugh, ugh, ugh. I combat this by sitting on the porch but this July it was just way too hot to do that. Add in the smoke that arrived and settled in the Mon Valley and lingered… well, you have the imperfect storm that kept me inside…bundled up in sweaters and socks.
This month, my main focus was keeping my attitude on the good side of the scale… and the struggle to do that was real! I am thankful for my daily stitching practice… every opportunity I have to “get out of my head and into my hands” is a very good thing! I have found that doing a bit of stitching each morning really helps me set the tone for my day. It might be the greatest therapy ever! Those few minutes lifts my spirits, makes me feel I accomplished something, and, more importantly, that I have nurtured my creativity.
During the month I caught up on some self-care… I went for my annual mammogram and my first DXA scan. Now, here’s the rub… even if results aren’t what you expected… it is still a very good thing to take care of yourself. If self-care is not part of your seasonal existence, it should be! My DXA scan identified me as falling in the osteopenia category… which is not great. But a few messages with my doctor’s PA and I have increased my calcium/vitamin D3 intake and am working on adding in some weight-bearing exercises to my week. (although, honestly… I am struggling to see the logic of how doing exercise with my arms will alter the head of my femur… where the osteopenia was identified…) The mammogram was not without surprises either and I have to go back for more images… but not until September so if they are not finding it worrisome, I am not finding it worrisome.
The other struggle combatant I made liberal use of was television… thank you Fùtbol, The Sheep Detectives, and Project Hail Mary. You all helped me along this July and I am grateful for your distraction! Now don’t be thinking that I am suddenly a “full blown soccer fan”… I am not. But I loved timely distraction the games provided this month. And I simply loved The Sheep Detectives and Project Hail Mary and I highly recommend both films if you find yourself with a couple of hours of “enforced indoor time”! Ha! (All that TV Time also helped me in the making department!! I added a sweater and a hand sewn top – plus an almost finished second sweater – to my wardrobe thanks to all the watching I did!)
I have taken a lot of classes over the years at MDK, but they have never offered a crochet class… until last Friday. The delightful and unbelievably talented Toni Lipsey taught Granny Squares 101 and I loved every single second of it. I finally feel like “I got it” in crochet. Perhaps it was her being a fellow Michigander and her speaking was music to my ears… There is nothing quite like a Michigan accent… sigh. Or perhaps it was her gift of teaching… anyways, her words, my brain, and my hands all clicked together and I am quite excited about my results! I love her method of beginning a granny square with a magic loop! No hole in the center makes a neat and very tidy granny beginning. I learned about granny clusters, bridging the gap, how to alternate beginning rounds for a much tidier square, weaving in ends, and joining squares together! It was the best class ever… and if you ever have the opportunity to take a Toni class… DO IT! She is brilliant!
In my yard, the bee balm this year was not as spectacular as last year… but my late blooming alliums were stunning! And the bees showed them lots of love while they were blooming! But all good things must come to an end and as such, sometime this week I will cut them all back which makes me very sad. I have this huge gulf in my garden as July draws to a close. I don’t have much that blooms in August and I need to work on remedying that!
There you have my July of Distraction… what about you? How was your July?
Photo by Kadir Celep on Unsplash
I will remember July mostly for the hot weather, humidity, and smoke. Despite the not-so-terrific weather you have certainly used your time wisely with daily stitching, and sweater and top making. The crochet class is intriguing. I often think of granny squares as simple enough that even I can do it, but there seem to be many ways to make the process better. I’m going to have to pay more attention to MDK classes!
Yeah, July was filled with heat, humidity and smoke. It also seemed to fly by. Some weeks were full time with Iris which was delightful (and easier now that she is walking/running and not really wanting to be picked up all the time!). You have taken so many classes through MDK and that is awesome. I received the email about a free class of my choice and I’m going to go with the Brioche one!!
I have been trying to focus on how lucky we were to get that unseasonably cool weather last week after the heat, humidity, and smoke, because those were so miserable. Unfortunately I’m in the time of my life when I am often warm even in the AC, and this time of year I just feel like I’m melting all the time. I can’t wait for fall weather! I’m glad you made good use of your enforced time inside and am looking forward to seeing your crochet projects!
The beginning of the month here was very hot but last week and this week are delightful with warm days and no humidity – my favorite kind of summer weather. If you need August blooms, I would suggest sedum and rudbeckia for perennials and zinnias and cosmos for annuals. Lots of color and texture with those!
The summer struggle is real with the heat and humidity. The MDK class sounds like lots of fun and granny squares could use up a lot of scraps. I look forward to seeing where crochet might take you. Zinnias and black-eyed susans thrive in late July and August here but your area might be different.
I know that it is not without controversy as a garden plant, but golden rod is a reliable fall bloomer and polinator attraction.
It seems like you made the very most of a very July July, Kat! I, too, loved the futbol, The Sheep Detectives, and Project Hail Mary. I also heartily recommend the Remarkably Bright Creatures movie as another cheer-you-up tv option. I have a lot of experience with granny squares — but haven’t made them for a number of years . . . so I signed up for the MDK Toni class, too. I wasn’t able to join the group on Friday (my dad had a doctor appointment . . . ), but I’m looking forward to watching the replay so I can learn her tips and tricks. (I have plenty of scraps . . . ) Here’s to a pleasant August. And I heartily second Laura Kate’s suggestion for goldenrod. (There are varieties that are not so thuggish . . . ask me if you’re interested.) Another reliable late summer bloomer is the good old Autumn Joy sedum, which looks great with non-thuggish goldenrod. Also . . . garlic chives and onion chives (in the allium family) are just coming into bloom in my garden around . . . now. XO
PS – Weight-bearing exercise – including weights – is THE BEST thing you can do to fight bone loss. Let me know if you need a cheerleader. XO
you are in my daily prayers every morning!! I hope your bones get strong and the mammo is not a big deal. I do not like summer at all so I can’t say anything positive about it at all, ha ha.
I think it’s a real privilege to follow along with your Year of Seasons. Thank you for sharing it out loud! I’m so glad you got your DXA scan—and that you’re nudging readers along. It frustrates me that insurance doesn’t cover it sooner. Lacking logic there (no surprise). The thing about building bone vs muscle, as I understand it, is that lifting weight for muscles is (largely) site-specific. But the weight and pressure on the skeleton, anywhere, triggers the bone-building process—thereby adding mineral layers to your bones in general, *not* site-specific. Which is kind of awesome, especially if you’re happier doing seated bicep curls than you are doing dreaded weighted lunges. Ugh!
Cheering you on from here. And I loved reading about your class! I always feel like my granny squares are a wee bit ‘fudged’….so Yes to that class!!
XO