Journals etc

Hi everyone! It's an odd hot wet grey day! [Sunday]

Woke up to tornado watches, a few drops of rain---and no air-conditioning in the bedroom. I don't know why that has me so out of sorts, I rarely air-condition the entire house, but I do like the AC for sleeping and the feel of not-soggy sheets. Last July it was the main big AC that died, the bedroom machine was limping on I guess. [Pretty sure I just replaced it the year bfore Covid, 2019. That's only, what 4 years?]  The big AC if set at arctic temps will over time cool my bedroom a bit, but the expense! Plus the silliness of wearing a fleece jacket in the kitchen. 

The Hurricane evacuation guide arrived this weekend. What a waste of tax dollars, there's only one road, one bridge in or out.....

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This month--I budget 15th to 15th of the month---I met my budget goal by almost 10% under goal, so I promptly rewarded myself. Not just w my new Moleskine nature Journal [gosh, $$$ !], 

but also trolling through the used book sites I found this beautiful Marjolein Bastin sketchbook in brand new condition.

It not only has her beautiful paintings, there is also plenty of free space for me to paste scribble journal pages and other things to remember [quotes, labels, special occasions, pressed leaves and flowers]. My current perpetual nature notebook from MB, only the second in my lifetime, has space for the rest of this year, but the out of print replacements can be hard to find. It was less than 15.oo.

Recent entries in Perpetual Journal Part Two:

Daylily:

Was very upset that the ''permanent ink/ waterproof"! Micron pens ran black all over my drawing. May redo and paste a new entry at some point. Even the professional botanical artists on IG do that sometimes.

For week 2 I did only freeform watercolor, trying to capture the beautiful blues Mo and I see on pour walks now.

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Scribble Journal: Just one page.

You'll see a corrected mistake: I had sketched a memory of Illinois wildflowers, orange daylilies and blue chicory which grew in masses in the ditches along the cornfields.  I forgot and didn't read my notes until I was editing the pics---I had colored the blue chicory in as yellow coreopsis, same shape.

Patched in the blue redo.

Penny was kind to say my drawing has improved, but here is last July. 

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Last week as soon as I posted my garden pots update, the marigolds burst into full foliage and bright cutie blooms.

And the zinnias are flourishing.

This is the plant in the wildflower pot that I cannot identify. Maybe a blue prairie  clover? Not my idea at all of ''clover''

 Hilariously Google Images identifies it as ''lesser swine cress''--imagine that. I laughed and laughed. That's an ugly name for a sweet blue flower.

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Sometimes I waste a lot of time and effort cooking. I am always intrigued by new recipes and pretty pictures. This recipe was very kindly sent to me by a woman who I  don't even know, after I admired her delicious IG photo of her 4th of July meal.

!-My version needs work. Orzo must be undercooked and very al dente. 2-It is VERY labor intensive, all that chopping and noodle boiling. 3-It requires 425* oven on the hottest, AC-died sort of day. But yes, the result is LOVELY. Partly a pasta side, partly a salad.

 

Eggplant takes longer to cook/ made separately and got mushy.

I forgot the pignolis.

Delish despite my flubs.

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I have a much postponed IV clinic in about ten days and for some reason it has triggered my cleaning  house instinct.   I always prioritize visual uncluttering. The closets can look like the Goodwill bin, but my eyes want to see neatness. In the big basket where I store computer paper I  found this old Hancock's of Paducah catalog. Oh do I miss these these beauties, I have saved many actually in my quilty library. Their website is impossible, a total fail for me, so no linger a resource. I leafed thru these pages. Oh my goodness, why oh why did I not stockup and buy all these fabulous prints.

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Mo is glaring, because there's no deck playtime today. It's just so soggy out. He huffs and glares and if that fails, he politely paws my shorts leg/ thigh until I respond. Then he flounces up to the sofa back and resumes glaring. Who said dogs can't ''talk''.

Right now I have to stop and finish putting fresh linens on the beds, and I have mending to do for a friend who faithfully believes I will magically have buttons for his raincoat etc. Back soon. New AC may come Wednesday, hurray! [so much for budget bragging, though, right!?]

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

PS [knock wood] we NEVER have tornadoes here at the beach, the ocean dissipates the tornado energy. Though yes I've seen a couple of waterspouts, but they do not originate on the mainland where this weak weather is today.