** I can not believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last got onto my lil' computer and wrote on this blog...there has been so much work done on projects around the house...now I'm tired and sore, but all the work is DONE!! The major painting/texturing in the front bathroom is finished and now the fun part will be getting the fabric for the curtain, deciding which shade for the wall color and getting some new odds and ends for storage. Some of the old glass jars with metal lids had to get thrown away. I was suprised to discover that the rims of the lids had developed rust and were not looking too good. Major sadness. But, being resourcefull, my youngest looked at me and said, "Well, just go get some new ones.." ~~ You better believe that was the best thing to hear..I mean, being given the green light to go and SHOP ~~ It's something I very rarely do, so having someone say GO AND PURCHASE didn't take too long to sink in. Now I have to make sure NOT to go overboard in Big Lots or where ever I find treasures.

The youngest and I have the garden pretty well finished. A couple plants still have to get set out, but the majority is growing nicely. We transplanted tomatoes, green beans, and I built up 3 beds for corn. Got the potatoes planted earlier and they are growing like crazy in their part of the garden. I made sure to apply LOTS of compost to the bed for them, and my youngest made the discovery of a rotted tree trunk right next to the garden beds. So, while he digs up the leftover wood from the tree -- we apply that on top of the vege beds, and it has helped a LOT on keeping the beds nice and damp. It's been up over 85 already, and right under the mulch of wood and other stuff from an old compost pile, the soil is wonderfully damp and cool. I try and make some compost tea at least once a week, and a good dollop of that on the plants has gone really well. I gave a drink to the perennials last week, and some old yarrow plants have taken off in the front flower beds. I'd just about given up on them, but after 3 drinks of compost tea, I have 5 new plants taking off, and 3 have some new flowers on them. Very pale shades of pink and one with yellow. The lavender is smelling wonderful, and the whole plant has blossoms on it, along with some flowers on the pansies...still!! Our corn in the vege bed near the white picket fence is coming up better than I'd thot it would. The bed didn't get really mulched and dug up till just before planting, so I wasn't too sure if the corn would come in decent. Ha -- goes to show what I know. 15 - 20 plants so far, and I made up a new bed and planted 10 or 15 more last weekend. Some basil was set out yesterday just before I made up some homemade salsa for dinner, and wouldn't ya know it...when I went to check the plants this morning, something had chewed a couple of leaves off one of the plants..but left the leaves on the ground. HA!! stuiped lil' critter..thot they'd get something Tasty...Suprised them! Hope they get sick..

Anyway -- haven't had a chance to do any Art these last couple weeks ~~ all my energy has gone into the garden and the house. I'm kinda payin' for all the physical work ~~ my left hand is pretty swollen, and my left foot is too. But the work and effort is so worth it. The bathroom walls came out just the way I wanted them to (Picture will come later) and even The Husband noticed A) That something was different and B) That there was a new color on the walls. (Even tho it's just the white primer...) "Did you do that work?" The Husband sez...My Mercy!! My last good nerve is just about to snap...Why is it that Just Sometimes I feel like running away and never ever coming back?? Hmmm....

There are several projects that have been getting some development on the little work table, but nothing more than little piles of papers, stamps, paint bottles moved here and there and some watercolor tablets moved from one side of the studio to the other..I know there will be something to show for all of it shortly, but just not yet. The Husband said I should take a break and play with my paints, but I told him I'm too tired right now to do much thinking about color harmonies and paint choices. Next week after I get the storage things and the curtain made for the bathroom, THEN I'll get the projects put into gear. Right now I'm enjoying just Sitting in My Own House!!

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who has some very nice little baby oregano plants that need transplanting...and wouldn't ya know it...the extra large flower pots I was GOING to plant them in, already have something ELSE planted in them....sigh...