I am happy to report that Mom’s cat, Princess Winnifred….

Is still as beautiful and fluffy as ever.

And she still doesn’t like me.

Saturday we finally got some much needed rain, so I turned my attention to some indoor activities.

Mainly, finally doing some painting on all the outdoor garden ornaments I’ve acquired that need restoring.

I learned from my poor goose and swan beaks that my craft acrylics just won’t cut it in glare of the summer sun. I needed an exterior paint that would stand up to the elements. But I didn’t need full sized cans… not to mention how spendy that would be.

Then I had the brilliant idea to get sample-size paints! I got the three primary colours, a white, a black, and a brown, so I can mix pretty much any colour I want. Then I went back and got a nice ginger-cat orange. I have several projects I want to paint up like the boys, so I figured it would be easier than constantly mixing some up.

I spent the afternoon working on a multiple projects – going back and forth as parts dried. In the end, I only finished one.

A concrete Lemmy cat, sleeping on a cushion. And even thought it’s technically done, I’m still thinking of going back and adding a bit more to his stripes. What do you think?

The only other quilt I had to finish was the dinostars

I just love all those fun dino prints!

And of course, more dinos for the back

Like the arrow quilt, this one is in the shop AND part of the sale!

I was hoping to finally finish up the bottom of fairy’s dress on the weekend, but I didn’t quite manage it. There’s just a little bit of shading to do on the underdress.

Then I’m debating on which part to do next. The fox would be an obvious option, but I’m thinking I may move the hoop up and finish the ribbon and top of her dress. It would allow me to put away some of the floss bobbins, which are starting to get a little chaotic!

I guess you’ll have to wait and see what I decide.

The first quilt I wanted to work on at Mom’s was the arrow quilt.

It’s so nice to see this one finally quilted and bound. To recap, this is a quilt I conceived of several years ago (before we moved). I bought the fabric for it, and then it sat…. just waiting to be made.

When I finally set about to do it, it went together fairly quickly for the size.

Those arrows are very simple to make, and arranging them this way makes such a fun pattern. One of those that “Looks complicated but isn’t”

The back is a fun, cozy flannel on theme

And now it’s in the shop, ready for a new home! And yes, it is part of the 20% off sale!

The hot and sticky weather has brought an end to my lovely lettuce beds… it’s almost all started to bolt.

Only my mixed lettuce is left. I pulled everything else up.

That leaves lots of sun can now reach my pumpkins, squashes and gourds. And they sorely need it.

The pumpkin that I started from seed is a sad spindly thing (left), the one I bought already grown (right) is much better, but still could use some bushing out.

The birdhouse gourds don’t look too bad (left) but my lone little buttercup squash could definitely use some tender loving care.

My melon bed on the other hand….

Is absolutely thriving! They have just exploded this last week.

Elsewhere,

I was thrilled to come home and not only find flowers on my peas, but also some very small pods! When things get moving in the garden, they really get moving

My peppers and beans both have flowers

So it won’t be long for goodies on them too.

Over in carrotland…

The jury is still out on how well the starter carrots will do – but so far, it seems ok. Their greens picked up nicely. Hopefully the roots are doing just as well. The seeds that I planted late are starting to sprout too. I’ve got to keep these beds nice and moist in this heat if I want them to survive.

I started my zucchini a little late, but it’s finally starting to pick up.

And I was shocked to see cucamelons already! They didn’t do well last year, but the year before (the first year I grew them) they didn’t start producing until much later in the season!

And last…

I should be harvesting my garlic and shallots, but they are calling for rain all day. If they are right, I’ll wait until it’s a little bit drier.

Anything new in your garden?

I left for Mom’s on Tuesday, and came home late Thursday afternoon (more on the quilts later) and in the time, the garden changed so much….

Mostly it’s just because there’s coneflowers blooming ALL over the place.

And also varying types of Black-Eyed Susans.

And lilies

Of course, there are daylilies everywhere.

So much beauty all around.

But sadly… a war has begun once again…

The Japanese Beetles are back… and I must prepare for battle!

Is there anything sweeter than a cat in a basket?

Despite Furby and Rupert’s best efforts

I’m still not finished the first broken seed stitch sock.

I’m close… I’ve only got about an inch to go before starting the toe. I could finish it up quickly if I would just sit still long enough. And that time may be coming. The hot, gross, humid weather is upon us. Gardening will be reserved for early morning or after dinner… so that will leave more hours during the day to knit!

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! Today is our holiday, and I took the rest of the week off work, so I’m off to Mom’s to do some quilting.

In the meantime, Burton is going on his own Great Canadian Adventure over on our Facebook page (please follow along on his fun each day). AND, for the next 2 weeks, EVERYTHING in the shop is on sale for 20% off! (Reminder to our American friends… we’ve sorted out the tariff mess and are now once again shipping to you! Hooray!)