Gone To The Beach: 2023/09

Friday, September 29, 2023

September Storm

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Good morning! It was so dark and stormy today, Mo and I overslept. And it's another Friday, as September draws to a rainy end.

Ophelia has resurrected herself and has gained strength! We are expecting rain and thunder, floods.

I have not much to share this week, a busy blur of a get things done week. I had my helper Nikki here to clean, Mo had a spa van day, I had medical appointments. Exhausting.

The good news is my labwork shows an improvement. Not perfect but better. My friend Mel is helping me find high iron foods and supplements, to avoid the ER nightmare from happening again. Wouldn't winter beach hikes, back to my 5 miles a day, be fabulous.

"Mommy, it is raining.

My feet will get wet. Noooooo. Just, no."

As I walked Mo yesterday, I noticed everything is green and soggy. Mosquitos! Tiny mushrooms in the pavement cracks.

This morning I worked on my Scribble Journal, later will do applique prep as next week should be hot and sunny, what an optimist I am.

Amazon brought me the treat of some new paints and beautiful hand made/ tea dyed/ deckle edged watercolor paper and teeny tiny paintboxes. TEMU has similar supplies but I haven't tried them yet; Amazon is same price and so reliable for me--and free shipping.

I have much used, lovely high quality watercolors gifted to me from a blog friend, but just love anything tiny, and these inexpensive mint-sized tins seemed so perfect for drawing autumn leaves and ocean, if only in my imagination.

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My zinnies and the meadow pots are sad. I may lose them early. The marigolds look great tho.

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Friends who must go out are sending pics of local flooding:

And my friend sent us pictures of the surfing beach from Ophelia's earlier visit. It looks very damaged. [It will come back though, no worries.]

More usual views of that area, other years.

Full moon last night and tonight, what in recent years people are calling the Harvest Moon. Growing up, we called the Halloween Moon the harvest moon, who knew. Heavy cloud cover anyway so it will be unseen. Again, another year, below.

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I'm off to find my wellies, my rainboots. Then some cooking. Tonight Mongolian Beef, from Salt & Lavender----and cornbread, just because it's the only cozy thing I am finding in the pantry. stirfry Recipe HERE * edit: Best dinner I have had in months, delish!

Have a great weekend.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Ophelia sent us a rainbow.

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Friday, September 22, 2023

Rainbow Carrots, Liberty Pumpkins and other Stuff Going On

Hi everyone! Hard to believe it's the autumn equinox tomorrow. This is the last Friday, and last day!, of official summer '23, though here we desperately hang on, considering Columbus Day an end of summer omen, and Veterans Day in November the start of Fall. I mentioned buying pumpkins and mums to a friend and she was horrified! #nopumpkinstiloctober

Having said that, the odd upstart storm Ophelia, if she comes here, may usher in a few rainy colder days this weekend.

The weather has been glorious, one Ten Best Day candidate after another.

In the still mornings on my hot sunny deck, the flowers are filled with butterflies. This swallowtail comes for hours, flitting away if I come too close.

[google image]

Then there is the giant Monarch butterfly. He is so big [as is the swallowtail],I think he is a bird when his arrival catches my eye. The wings must be the size of the palm of my hand. [google image]

I was surprised to find this info--yes, the monarchs can have wingspans of almost 5".

I'm also seeing admirals and many yellow sulfurs. The sulfurs are very shy!

I was surprised to find out that 1-they prefer red flowers 2-rest on yellow flowers for camouflage 3-migrate like monarchs, except they go to Florida not Mexico. [I'll put some saved pages about the butterflies at the very end in case anyone is as nature nerdy as I am, wants to read more.

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I prepped handwork so Mo and I can enjoy evry single day outdoors. This one is Liberty Pumpkins. So far it doesn't seem very Autumn Pumpkin-y but it's cute. Pattern by Jan Patek, at 90%, leaves at 80%.

And the next Sarah Sporrer block is Rainbow Carrots [10 cents a bunch]. So cute, easy. It too is reduced in size at 75% plus some redrawing. The blocks are quite random, there's no theme yet/ ever? Next is a Pineapple, of course---and I hope to find the Pumpkin/ Coneflower one for October.

Last i put together some antique indigo/ cadet blue blocks, for a primitive little make-do quilt.

For handquilting if we have power failures. Only to find out I have NO batting for it, just small mini quilt bits. Amazon? Old flannel sheet?

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While i was having medical issues Mo went to friends for more than a week. I think the longest he has ever been away. Looks like he had a wonderful time and was not homesick a bit.

He was wary when he got home,

It took him about three hours to settle in, then he fell asleep--exhausted, with his favorite blanky I forgot to send in the chaos of the ER trip.

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Recent Nature Journal: I'm a bit behind, this is last week. I didn't start this week yet, bad double vision and shaky hands, migraine after infusion day.