The other day I was out poking around in the garden. I was pulling weeds out of the parsley planter, when I noticed something…

And then I saw a second one!

And then a third!

Three little Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars. This is the butterfly they turn into.

I’ve never had caterpillars in the garden like this, so I decided to document them. Dave got me a big rubbermaid tub to put their planter in (to keep them safe from predators).

After a couple of days, we had to go out and buy them more parsley plants, as they’d quickly eaten my paltry little patch. We planted some sturdy sticks in with the parsley, as they quickly approached the size they would be ready to make their cocoons.

A day later, one was missing. He’d managed to get out, and unfortunately, he overheated on the patio stones (It’s stinking hot here).

The other two were actively trying to escape, so I pulled the planter out of the rubbermaid tub and set it by the garden. As much as I wanted them to make a cocoon in the planter, at least being near the garden would give them a bit of a chance if they decided to leave.

An hour later, another one was gone. But there was still one left! And he was on a stick in the planter, in “chrysalis” position!

I was hoping to document the process to cocoon, but it’s a slow one, and apparently most of the magic happened overnight, or early the next morning. When I next came outside…

And now we wait… 10 to 20 days to a butterfly! I really hope I can get it on film for you all!

Before my vacation last week, I think I mentioned my one goal was to complete the Rainbow in the Dark top. When I had the setback with the purple blocks, I didn’t think that was going to happen. But late in the week, I sucked it up, got ripping, and sewed everything back together properly.

This one was a little too big for the design bed, so I had to get creative.

And after an afternoon of steady sewing…

The completed top fit the bed much better. Finished, it’s about 72″ wide x 84″ tall. A nice decent size to throw on the bed for an extra layer, or toss over a family on movie night. I’m keeping the binding simple with plain black (I have to pick some more up on pay day – this used up what I had in my stash) and Mom has a nice chunk of a simple white plaid with red and blue stripes for the back.

Hopefully I can get it quilted this weekend and in the mail shortly after.

Yes… it’s been three years since this adorable little ball of black floof…

…wandered across my path, and effectively took over my life.

Now he’s a magnificent ball of black floof!

As you all know, a little bit of a ham. But he is also 100% sweetness.

Our life just wouldn’t be the same without our Lord Burton Bearbottom.

While the flowers are blooming beautifully, the edible parts of my garden are just getting started.

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Those pictures include Sweet Banana Peppers, San Marzano Tomatoes, Loch Ness Blackberries, and Everbearing Raspberries, and of course, strawberries!

 

Beware of invasive species…

… they will make themselves at home and crowd out your other plants.

 

(In his defence, the plant was dying before he sat on it… I just haven’t gotten around to putting something new in the pot.)

Thankfully, my week as calmed down a bit. Yesterday was downright lazy (other than mopping some overdue floors). The weather is hot, humid and hazy, so it just sucks the energy right out of you.

Still there’s always a little bit of drive to do some knitting.

Dave’s birthday is 18 days away. There’s still lots of time to complete the second sock, but I don’t want to dawdle either. Besides, it’s waaaaay too hot to work on that darn, stinky cardigan.

Before all the vacation drama of the past few days, I had a free afternoon. So I sat down and decided to bang out the last purple blocks for Rainbow in the dark. It took several hours, but it all seemed to go swimmingly…

Until I started laying them out with some of the other blocks…

Huh… well something isn’t right…. at first, I thought it was that I’d just added an extra row of purple. But no… it couldn’t be that simple…

If you follow the number sequence, you’ll see I went wrong at number three.  On the purple block, number 3 should have been a purple rectangle.  But I did black… and it threw everything off. It also means that all 11 blocks have to be ripped back right to the start, and done over.

Sigh… but that’s for another day. This one is in a time out until I can face it again.

As you may recall, I’m on vacation this week. Usually my vacations are pretty mellow affairs. Some sewing, some knitting, some gardening, and maybe a day out thrown in the mix.

But so far, this one has been a bit of a whirlwind.

It started bright and early one morning with a three hour trip northward. I packed Dory up and Mom and I headed to reunite the Johnson 5.

We had a wonderful day in the pool with my sister-in-law, and nieces.

My brother cooked us a fabulous dinner and then we hit the road for another three hours driving home.

I fully planned on sleeping in the next day…

But as soon as the birds started chirping (or at least not long after), Dave woke me up and conscripted my help at his Grandma’s in Mississauga (about 40 minutes away).

A 50-year-old beech tree had dropped a rather large branch on her garden shed. Thankfully no one was out there when it happened, and other than some very slight damage to the roof, the shed is fine. But that branch (limb really) is a MONSTER.

Dave and his uncle attacked the leafy end branches with a sawsall, and tossed them my way. I broke them down with a pair of large clippers into manageable pieces the garbage men will take to the compost facility.

Once denuded they still had to get it off the roof. It was heavy, but with a little ingenuity, and the help of the ladder for support, they managed.

Now it, and the branches that were too thick for the clippers, are awaiting Dave’s other uncle, who has a chainsaw.

And you’d think helping out would earn me a day of rest… but no…

The very next day, were up up early AGAIN – hopping into Dory for another road trip (this one 2 hours one way).

Through Kijiji, Dave found a guy with a bumper for his Bonneville. Pontiac didn’t make Bonnevilles for the Canadian market in 1967, so parts can be very hard to come by.

This very nice gentleman had a mansion (yeah, a literal mansion) with a very large shop that had somewhere between 15-20 classic Pontiacs in varying stages of restoration. Dave was in heaven.

I think Dave wanted to move in. And I would have happily driven away in that Beaumont (if it had an engine… which it didn’t).

Now I’m hoping that’s all the driving I’ll have to do for the week.. but at this rate… who knows! I need a nap!

 

We had a break in the weather so I sucked it up and pulled out the barnyard cardigan again

I’ll spare you another picture of it all spread out. I’ve added another ball, but it still just a giant hunk of smelly, grey knitting.

Still, I should be able to finish the back up this week – then it’s onto the last front.

Although I haven’t been sewing quite as much as I once was, those little L&E two patches were really piling up.

When I started this project, this little box was overflowing with 2.5 in scraps. Now it’s almost at the bottom. Since I will need 2.5 squares for the diagonal blocks as well, I decided it was time to start sewing all the two patches…

Into four patches.

Once the two-patch basket is emtpy, I’ll count my four patches and decide if I need to make more. If not, then I can start on those diagonal blocks!

Here’s where all my quilts are at

• Blockhead quilt – Waiting for next block
• Bramble patch – Still sourcing fabrics
• Walk like a dinosaur – Still making toes
• Rainbow in the dark – Only purple left!
• Bumbleberry sampler – 10 blocks to go
• L&E – As above!