Star Wars Chores

Home at last! We've just returned from a "working vacation" in Orlando, Florida. Emphasis should be placed on "working," because, although we had fun, there was very little "vacation" involved!

First, we brought up our boxes from the basement. Items in these boxes had to be individually bagged and priced.


Bosewichte was happy to help in any way that he could, either by staying as well-rested as possible...


...or by utilizing his supervisory skills as we packed.


We filled this cargo van to the brim!


We grabbed snacks and drink, and only 18 hours later...


...we arrived at the main event!


That's right! We made the trek to Florida to set up a booth at Celebration V. We have an eBay business, selling vintage toys and collectibles, so this event was right up our alley. There were celebrity appearances by Darth Vader...


...and even George Lucas, referred to by those in the collecting field, jokingly, as "The Maker."


Our little 10 x 10 space was absolutely crammed full of merchandise! I was really proud. Several people stopped to tell us that our booth was their favorite. Visitors exclaimed over vintage items they hadn't seen since childhood, and pointed out various examples to their children. It was a good feeling, helping them relive those happy times.


It was good to go, but even better to get home again. I never feel quite comfortable, being away.
Who would make sure that the garden was truly being watered enough?




Who would notice all the unusual happenings, like this caterpillar pulling a small pebble from his back...


...or these aphids, devouring a vine?


What about catching those moments of beauty, like this cosmos, its petals illuminated by the sun?


Or this butterfly, gracefully perched atop a zinnia blossom?


Who'd bring in our daily tomato harvest?


So you can understand how glad I felt to pull into our driveway!

Once home, it was business as usual. The garden is full of butterflies and hummingbirds. A delightful new addition is the goldfinch, a tiny yellow bird with black-tipped wings that loves to sit on the swaying zinnia stalks and delicately pluck seeds from the drying flowers.


Goldfinches are songbirds and a bit of a rarity in the city. I love being able to provide a habitat for them!

We caught another raccoon. The little devils continue to climb onto our roof and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage, despite our deterrents. This little fellow was quickly relocated to a more rural location!


I was thrilled to see this black swallowtail caterpillar in the bronze fennel. I watched him carefully, and was lucky enough to catch his next stage...


The molt!


When I checked the dill, I was stunned to see not one, not two, but at least TWENTY black swallowtail caterpillars at work!

Some people kill caterpillars, because they're destructive, but I never would. I love black swallowtail butterflies, and I greatly enjoy watching these fellows at work. I read a book as a child called "Rabbit Hill" by Robert Lawson. It was about the perils of a rural community of animals, who greatly benefited from the arrival of a new family at the local farm. The family believed in living in harmony with the animals and not fighting against them, and it really influenced me. There's enough dill for everyone here, and I certainly don't begrudge them a few stalks.

Caterpillars really are interesting creatures. When roused, two orange antennae emerge from their forehead in hopes of frightening and intimidating an enemy. The antennae are quickly retracted when the alarm ceases.


They really are eating machines. This caterpillar gnaws at the base of the dill umbel.


This one prefers the sweet yellow flowers.


Their stubby "feet" are uniquely suited to their needs.


I stumbled across a chrysalis. I don't know if it holds a butterfly or a moth, or what it will look like when it emerges. It's pretty amazing, just the way it is. I can see the curve of the wing on the shell...or is that a coincidence? I also see small, spiny knobs that remind me of a caterpillar's back.

The curves are very precise and the coloring is remarkable. A chrysalis doesn't need to be hanging to "hatch" properly, so I carefully slid it between two old bird nests on my potting bench outside. I will be keeping an eye on it!


I may be keeping an eye on it, but how many pairs of eyes are on me as I work in the garden? There's Clarence, who's never far.

And, of course, there's mantis...


...after mantis...


...after mantis!


September is nearly here and I'm looking forward to the changes the cooler weather will bring.

I've finished a little knitted toy recently. I used Cascade 220 wool, which is one of my favorites. It's a great quality wool that has a delightful "sticky" quality when knitted. Toys are great instant gratification projects for when you're too busy for - or too weary of - a more detailed project. Just a pair of arms and legs, knitted in the round..


...a small head, joined to the neck...


Two flapping ears and a handful of stuffing complete the project. This little elephant will go to my new nephew.

No special cooking this week...I've just finished yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Our lives have been really busy and I don't expect things to slow down any time soon. We've been praying for guidance and are making some important decisions about our future. We'll see what the future holds!

Things With Wings

Gathering fresh vegetables and herbs from my little kitchen garden is intensely satisfying. They seem brighter, bolder, and zestier than what I retrieve from the produce section of Wal Mart, as if the produce there was a wax facsimile of the real thing.

I especially love my tomato plants.

Every part of the plant seems positively infused with tomato scent, which attaches to your skin and clothing as you work. Burt's Bees has been able to replicate this scent in one of their facial soaps, which gets me through the cold, tomato-less days of winter.

I gathered these tomatoes and basil leaves last week. They were sliced, tossed with mushrooms, onions, and cheese, and folded into a rustic wheat tart. Julia Child is a genius!


I stopped short on my way into the house after one of my gathering sessions. Surely my cosmos had only been in bloom for a few weeks, but the spiky brown spheres were unmistakable: my cosmos are going to seed.


Looking around the garden, I realized that they weren't alone. My Queen Anne's Lace was beginning to fold in on itself and develop unique barbed spikes.


My blackberry lilies, which were speckled spots of bright sunshine only last week, now sported leathery green pods. The small black seeds that give this plant its name are now forming inside. Once mature, they make a beautiful addition to dried flower arrangements.


My yarrow, too, has lost its ruby-tinged top and is producing feathery slivers that catch the breeze and waft away. I let yarrow grow wherever it likes in the spring, because of its beautiful flowers and fern-like leaves.


My dill, which took so long to grow, has really taken off. However, I spotted several brown and dropping stalks. I'm drying some seedheads now; soon I will use a few to make dill pickles for the winter.

I've started the gathering process. I always bag up as many seeds as I can, to save for next year's garden and to give to friends. A ziplock bag is the sophisticated equipment I use for seed storage.


I've had a bonanza of "things with wings" in the garden lately. I've had so many hummingbirds that I've taken to examining my lilac bushes for nests. I don't have a feeder up, but they have plenty of flowers to gather nectar from. They are much too clever and quick for me to catch with my camera.

Everything is rushing, rushing to prepare for fall. Butterflies have been gathering nectar in droves. I've never seen so many, and they're absolutely fearless.

This common buckeye uses its natural coloring to frighten predators.


A stately monarch butterfly sips nectar from this zinnia. I never realized that their bodies are speckled, too!


Limenitis arthemis astyanax pauses on this hydrangea leaf.


The Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is one of the more common butterflies in my region. His body, like that of the monarch, mimics the pattern of his wings.


This butterfly's brilliant orange wings are only matched by the flower he chose to feed from.


Cabbage butterflies (Pieris rapae) are notoriously skittish. It's difficult to catch them in repose, but my patience was rewarded when this fellow lighted nervously on a leaf, paused long enough for a photo, and then fluttered away.


I'm entranced by this small butterfly, the field skipper (Atalopedes campestris). His coloring is a bit plain, but he has four undulating wing sections that work in conjunction, smoothly and effortlessly, to deliver him to where he wants to go. He's a bit skittish, too, but I get close when I can and watch him feed.


Not everyone is feverishly gathering food. This carpenter bee naps quietly in the gentle curve of this flower.


A bug-eyed leafhopper watches passively while the garden hums around him.


A grasshopper, camouflaged so well that I nearly missed him, sleeps the day away in this pile of pebbles. I was reminded of the fable of the ant and the grasshopper. This fellow certainly brings it to life!


A dragonfly snoozes on a plant stalk.


This fat squirrel is one of many that watches me work. She nibbled lazily at a walnut, stretched, and then ambled away.


I didn't get much knitting done this week, but I have a good excuse: it was my second anniversary! My husband is very dear to me and I wanted to make it a special day for him. First, I ordered a rubber stamp of a tree trunk that had our initials, J + T, carved on it. I made "leaves" for the tree by cutting small slits in the paper, curling green ribbon, and threading the ribbon ends through the slits. I secured them with tape on the other side.


I ordered the "Message in a Cookie" set from Williams-Sonoma. The kit comes with three cookie cutters - a heart, a rectangle, and a star - and three sets of the alphabet, cut into individual letters. These letters, pushed through grooves in the cookie cutters, form whatever message you'd like to spell. I wanted my husband to know that I loved him and never took him for granted, so I decided to spell out some of his attributes on sugar cookies.


It wasn't entirely successful. Despite careful dipping in flour, letters like "E" and "G" became quickly gummed up with dough. I had to pry it out with a fine-tipped knitting needle, but still came up with results like this:


That's "RESPECTED", not "INFECTED"!

I cut my cuticles on the sharp edges of the grooves, and three band-aids later, I had to admit defeat. I couldn't complete the entire batch, but completed enough to get the message across. I do recommend this kit, although you need lots of patience and lots of time to get the desired result. For me, it was a labor of love. Happy Anniversary, Todd!



The best sugar cookie recipe I know comes from Food.com. The dough is easy to work with, and the cookies are awfully good.

Best Ever Sugar Cookies
Makes 60 cookies

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups butter, softened (no substitutes)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Frosting (optional)

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 1/4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a separate container, stir together dry ingredients, and then gradually add to the creamed mixture until completely blended. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut cookies, transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

I may have to take a one-week blogging break due to an unusually busy schedule next week, but I'll be back in two weeks with another update!