What's Up Sunday

My house was trashed from the bbq last night and I felt bad going to church this morning and leaving the whole mess for The Marshmallow to clean up. He would have done it and not complained but why take advantage of that Goodness? I can use it a better way later, hehe.

So I stayed home. Which really wasn't that hard considering it was beautiful outside today and I had hostas that needed planted. Speaking of which, can I tell you the coolest thing ever? I ordered a combination of 25 hostas from Gilbert H. Wild and Son, a company in Missouri for about $50 (a really amazing price!). They came the other day and I was so excited to plant them in a very shady place in my side yard. I really love hostas. They just make me want to take a nap - don't ask me why. They invoke coolness on a hot day - I guess they remind me of big green fans. So I got them all planted today plus a few annuals that I've been wanting to get in the ground and the dirt under my fingernails and ground into the knees of my pants made me feel earthy.

I love annuals - the bright colors, their ability to grow so quickly in such a short amount of time only to give up the ghost a few short months later. They give it their all with nothing to lose and there must be a life lesson there. But perennials are where my heart is. I plant a few new ones every year, selected carefully. That way each year brings something new to my gardens. I love the way perennials appear to die at the end of the summer but earlier than usually expected each Spring, you can dig under the dead leaves and cast off rubble from the winter and lo, there are tiny sprouts coming through the earth. It is literal hope springing from the earth. A little green promise of coming beauty just when we need it most. My gardens are slowly turning over to perennial beds and it makes me happy to see what's coming and going next.

Later as I lay in the shady grass and stared up into the canopy of trees over me I realized why Native Americans and Aborigines believe that the earth has a Spirit. I felt it - like the earth breathing, all the life under and around me as I lay there. It was like church, only I didn't wear a dress.

On a sadder note, Betty Lou, the new sewing machine is not doing well. Please don't tell me she's a lemon because I would be extremely sad. There's a little mechanical lever that raises and lowers the feed dogs and for some reason, it isn't working. No feed dogs, no movey fabric through the presser foot, no sewey. I had sent out a message to the universe that my old green machine was Freecyclable and I got a few hits but none felt perfect to me so I still have it. And now it's out and I'm using it again. It's not as bad as I remember but it's not Betty Lou.

Regardless of which sewing machine I use, my next project is this..It's a sort of re-made DownEast Outfitters basic tee. Well actually it's two of them, one of which is cut up to make the ruffles for the other one. Mine will have a base of cream with pink ruffles or maybe I should do a pink shirt with cream ruffles. I'll decide later. This project is the one I'm going to do tonight. You know, now that I'm thinking of it, I do have two of those cream shirts and I think one color would be better than two. Hmmm. A cream ruffle shirt sounds cute. Isn't this shirt wonderful? I made a necklace last night that will be perfect with my cream shirt once it's done. I love this stuff!