The garden, the quilt, the heat, the podcasts, the movies, and aging

We are in the throes of our hottest months of the year - August and September. We have danger warnings this week, with temperatures reported, by Yahoo, of 94 degrees. That means it's knocking 100 and maybe plus here, at least in the sun. Our actual temps are always higher than the reported-by-Yahoo temperatures. It's worse in other parts of the nation; but we expect this each year and it's simply a matter of preparedness and an expected lifestyle change for this season. It gets up to 90 degrees in my little non-air-conditioned porch room where I sew, so sewing is generally a morning-only activity. Where heat isn't expected and prepared for, people suffer and become ill - and sometimes don't make it!

The plants are so thirsty after sitting in the searing sun. On days when the sprinklers aren't scheduled to run, I give them a good drink with the hose. I water a few of the plants daily, even though they receive the sprinkler water, either because they are new (two hibiscus plants) or are in containers (my basil, for one, and a few others).


This year, we have a couple Amerias - one pink and one lilac - for our summer garden. I don't recall if we've had these before, but even if we have, I don't think I have ever examined them for their unusual blooming patterns. I was deadheading them a few weeks ago when I discovered that I needed to look carefully to see which stems had bloomed and which hadn't. These pictures aren't very good, but here's a pot of Ameria's. Notice the fuzzy one in the red circle (I used auto focus with my camera and realize I shouldn't have done that). That's a flower that's in the process of blooming. It looks pretty much like a flower that has already spent its bloom.

These flowers start out like many others - a nice little ball with the flower inside, rising on its stalk. When the ball opens, you see the inside ball with many sections. Each of those sections contains a tiny bloom! I'm probably doing a very bad job of describing it, but the whole thing just makes me smile. What a wonderful invention! I am humbled to see such a thing! Wikipedia has a tiny article about them at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armeria.


To illustrate the size of the pod of flowers (yes, one single pod), I'm holding one here.



I am finally on the last border strip of the big quilt. I have two sides done and two more go to - 107+ inches per side with a small meander. Although I haven't counted, I know that I've used more than a dozen spools of thread since I started the quilt. Lots and lots of stitches; lots and lots of thread; lots and lots of hours. Here's the kicker on this next to last step, working this border - I can't see where I've sewn on the multi-color brown/black/gold border! I have to keep lifting my pressure foot and shining a light on the fabric to see where I've been and where I need to go. Ah, I don't think there's any way around it. Even if I had used beige thread, as I did on the main body of the quilt, I wouldn't be able to see it. Even something like bright red wouldn't have made a difference. Moral to the story - just remember that unusual fabric for quilts may present some challenges. Notice that the moral isn't to use unusual fabric, I must just remember there may be a cost!


Here's a corner of the border, just to keep the historical record in tact!

In the meantime, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Issues, Etc. LCMS podcasts and have learned a lot about Lutheran theology as it's practiced by those closer to St. Louis than we are. The podcasts aren't controversial at all, but they are thought provoking. I really enjoy them. And then there's The Story (http://www.thestory.org/) podcasts. What interesting stories Dick Gordon finds, what interesting people he interviews. I feel privileged to hear those stories of the lives of other people. I've also listened to some books on tape, and recently borrowed Karen Armstrong's The Great Transformation from the library to put on my iPod. She's such a thoughtful religious scholar. She probably is controversial to some, but I enjoy her approach and realize that she's documenting the answers to her search. I am not offended. Krista Tibbets' Speaking of Faith podcasts are also always enjoyable as she explores many ways people believe.

And the movies! I've begun renting them from the library now, and I watched Mrs. Brown (Judy Dench) twice yesterday. Such a story.

So, patience, Sue! The quilt will soon be done and you can clean the room; in the meantime, there's much to enjoy that otherwise would be missed. There's a whole community out there communicating interesting stories and thoughts.

And speaking of aging. It does funny things to you. Although we have planned (and paid for) the trip to Israel in December and we're really looking forward to it, I've had this knawing feeling of loss as I remember the fun Lauren and I have had taking little risks on our own. I am loathe to give those up. At age 70 - only a few years away, we will no longer be able to rent a car abroad, and that will mean we will be at the mercy of others to transport us around. Not that having others transport us is bad - we enjoyed our tours this year, and they're probably not much more expensive than doing them on our own, but there's something about being together and having to figure things out for ourselves that's priceless for us. So next year, we are going to spend our birthdays and anniversary in Great Britain, exploring England and Scotland. Our first week, starting about April 23, will be on a narrowboat which we will navigate through the Llangollen Canal; the second week will be in Scotland in a town called Aberfeldy, located east of Balmoral; and the third week will be in a town in the southwest of England, in Devon (Exter) near an estuary. God willing, that is! As long as He is, we are. We're not going to volunteer to stop until we have to!