The other day, Dave remarked to a neighbour that he’s never seen so many hummingbirds in the yard as he has this year. And he’s right, they have been super plentiful. But it helps that I have so many plants they love to visit.
That said, I haven’t been able to get a decent shot of them.
I got lucky the other day when I was out front taking pics of the monarchs (which have also been plentiful this year).
They aren’t the best shots, but I think they are the best I’m going to get this year.
Now that it’s September, these little beauties will start heading south soon.
Now as for these little hummers….
…it’s been a banner year.
I see them at least a couple times a week, and sometimes multiple at a time.
They are certainly welcome visitors any day of the week!
When I started this project, I was lamenting to Mom that none of my needle minders were jiving with the spooky them. So of course, when she showed up, she had a new one for me!
That’s much more on theme!
We both did a fair amount of stitching while she was here. (She’s working on the cross stitch version of the quilt she made me.) Because of that, I was able to finish up the first section – with the exception of the few orange bits. I may just finish them up during the week so I can start the weekend with a fresh section!
Just because I can make my own quilts, doesn’t mean I don’t love receiving one as a gift. Especially when it looks like this.
This pattern is called Flea Market Flowers. I saw a picture of a heavily quilted version on Facebook a while back and just fell in love with it. I showed to to Mom… and she took it as a challenge, lol!
She came for a visit this weekend and brought the finish quilt along with her! I told her she should have saved it as my Christmas gift, but she didn’t want to wait!
And it is amazing! Just look at those blocks! And that quilting!
Today is last day of August… and the garden is just as beautiful as ever.
The sunflowers are still going strong. Mine are looking beautiful, but they aren’t as tall as my neighbours.
They peek over the fence at me every day.
The Black-Eyed Susans are amazing this year. I split one of the big clumps up so I have them all through-out the garden.
The perennial chrysanthemums are blooming nicely.
I got some more annual ones from the front boxes and pots. Normally, I do a couple colours, but I decided to just stick with the rusty orange this time.
And last…
Two of my favourite roses. Left is Chicago Peace. It hasn’t done great because it was shaded by the white Butterfly bush. But it died off this spring, and I didn’t put the new one in the same spot. Since then Chicago has gotten more sun and she’s thriving. Right is Koko Loko – new this year, but a rose that had been on my wish list for a long time. I’m so glad I finally got my hands on her – isn’t she stunning?
It’s the time of the year when the basket in the kitchen is almost always full of fresh produce.
When I started growing the peppers, I wasn’t quite sure when to pick them. I was actually waiting to see if they would get any bigger…
They didn’t grow more, but they did start to turn red. I thought they were all green peppers… so that was fun!
And look at this!
We finally got a zucchini! I added some bone meal to the pot and it seemed to help. More rain has probably made a difference too. Either way, I’ll be grilling this up for Dave in a day or two.
Like wise the beans have perked up:
We won’t get a tonne of beans, but we might enough for a meal or two.
The fall berries are ripening nicely! I’ll probably do a batch of raspberry jam soon. The blackberries don’t make it in the house unfortunately.
We even have the odd strawberry, though they are small.
Today, I was going to post about our trip to the lake on the weekend, but I haven’t had a chance to download my pictures from my camera yet.
Instead, I’m going to share with you a little recipe…
15-minute Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce
This came from one of my fave gardening shows, and added a few things last night when I made it for Dave. (I don’t eat pasta… or tomatoes)
Ingredients
Pile of tomatoes (I used my Yellow Pear Tomatoes)
One small shallot
Cloves of Garlic (measure with your heart)
Fresh herbs from the garden – I used thyme, oregano and parsley
A glug of olive oil
A knob of butter
Chop all your veggies and herbs fairly finely and throw in a frying pan (you can use a pot too – whatever works). Throw in oil and butter. Simmer on medium high heat until everything is cooked and sauce-like…
Toss it on top of some freshly cooked pasta and enjoy!
(Dave likes hamburger on his pasta so I fried some of that up too and put it on but that’s totally optional). He declared it was “Good” and when I asked it I could make it again he said “Yeah.” So in Dave speak – that means it was really, really good.
It certainly smelled amazing! And I took great satisfaction that all the veggies and herbs came directly from my garden. Even if it’s not something I’d ever eat!
It’s isn’t all beautiful butterflies over here… nor should it be! The insect world is vital to the health of our environment, but the truth is… it isn’t always pretty.
But it is always fascinating!
I’ll get the spiders out of the way first, because I know not everyone loves them.
Last year the garden was spider city, but the haven’t been quite as visible this year. Dave also declared war on all my porch spiders because they set off the security cameras – he’s constantly out there sweeping their webs away.
The one on the left is a Cross Orb Weaver… they are super common (and usually on/around the porch). I think they have really pretty patterns. The one on the right is a Tan Jumping Spider – and while it looks quite large here – it was smaller than a dime. She was hanging out on the gate but she didn’t’ stick around long for much of a photoshoot.
This next one was a super lucky find.
A cicada in the green! I’ve only ever come across their molted shells before – never one still kicking! This one was hanging out in the sunflowers out front. Certainly a face only a mother could love.
This next one was rescued from the fire.
It’s a Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar. We were sitting around a fire in Neighbour Bronson’s backyard and I noticed him inching along a branch that was just thrown in. Naturally I pulled him out and took a picture. He’s not poisonous like some fuzzy caterpillars, but he can cause irritation if you touch him (I did not)
And last… this is not bird poo on the pussywillow.
This is a caterpillar – it’s either a Viceroy Caterpillar or a Red Spotted Purple Caterpillar. The two are very similar and I am not learned enough to know the difference.
Either way, I’m thrilled to have spotted him (there were actually two!) munching away on my pussywillow. It means more butterflies!
Stitching went more or less as planned this weekend.
Burton and I settled in our chair each night to work away on it. When I started, I was a little worried only working in one colour would get to me… but so far, I’m loving it.
We didn’t get a tonne done – cross-stitch is a slow, meticulous process….
But we finished up the vines around the mouse, and our second jack-o-lantern. Just another cat left and the first section will be done!
I was determined to get the Sanderson anklets done before the weekend so Wednesday night, I sat myself in front of the TV and knit and knit an knit and knit….
… and ran out of yarn! As you will recall, I was using up what was leftover from the first full pair. And apparently the second ball was a little lighter than the first. Happily, I do have two more full balls, so I wasn’t stuck… but I did put it away for the night.
Thurday after work, I dug out a new ball and Lemmy and I enjoyed some fresh air on the porch while I finished them up.
It didn’t take long
And then they went right on my feet.
While the days are still nice and warm, the evenings are definitely cooler. It’s definitely my favourite type of weather!
Wandering Cat Studio 