Celebrating Mo! Seven Year Adoption Day

 

Good evening friends! As another band of icky June showers rolls through our beach area, Baby Mo is sleeping happily on his big boy bed. [Usually he sleeps in the little donut bed and uses the larger bed as a pillow, sigh.]

What would I do without my little faithful companion? Life would be lonesome and dull; I am very grateful that this little being shares my life and world with me. And so each year on June 8 I make a little party for Mo, in recognition of the blessing who came to me seven long  changing years ago. Sweet and curious, all big eyes and huge spaniel ears, he walked off his chartered pet flight and into my heart.

This year we had ice cream.

Twice!

And he wore his pretty blue bandana from the spa lady.

Then we had our quiet hours outside, one of Mo's favorite things to do. Mo had a jerky stick, another favorite.

His gift is a new special tag, for my magical sweet boy.

He snoozed under the zinnia pots 

and just this once he was allowed to bark at some workmen in a big pickup truck.

I love you, Mo!

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June is a quiet time here at the beach. Despite record 90* heat in the city, it is cool here, almost chilly. The water is still very cold, I think. I'm wearing shorts but a cashmere winter turtleneck on top.

As mentioned before we often have afternoon rain, ugly dark and dreary,

Two days in a row....

The deck garden enjoys this weather. I found out what the bright blue flower is, Blue Globe Gilia, a western wildflower. It and the coreopsis are attracting wasps. I wonder if wasps pollinate like bees do.

Globe Gilia

The Blue Gilia was a seed in a packet I sowed two or three years ago, and must have laid dormant until its moment to shine this spring. seed packet

After my quilt gift fiasco last week I felt a bit uninterested in sewing, though Silent Night's central Snowman is now hand appliquéd. Lots of little fussy pieces, coal mouth, carrot nose. Next up is the House.

Instead I'm doing mingy little household chores. Too much joint pain these damp days for much needed jobs like curtain and slipcover washing, instead I removed and laundered the flannel sheets, put crisp white percale instead. And I repainted my ladybugs that are part of my garden art collection.

This sweetie has lived on my deck for about, oh 20 years? She had entirely faded to just grey wood and rusty legs. I replaced her marble eyes awhile ago, with found marbles and now did a paint touch up. Yes it ruined her original paint and patina but trust me, in a year or two she'll be all weathered and folky again.

This is something new! Wonderfully bright, very graphic and eye catching signs that mark the Oystercatchers' nests. Kudos to the wildlife people. I love the design, would like a poster or a beachcombed sign.

This is the usual kind of sign posted. Pretty sure the rowdy kids and scofflaw unleashed dog owners NEVER read these dull if informative signs.

More soon. Please forgive the photos, I am having majorly awful blog-killing photo issues. And the situation just gets worse and worse.

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btw if you follow me by email, and most of my readers do, that will no longer be an option provided by Blogger. So maybe bookmark Gone to the Beach until I figure it all out. I'd be sad to lose you guys, my friends and readers.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

old pics, celebrating World Oceans Day

June! ~ Deck Garden Project and other Little Stuff

 Hi everyone! Are you happy to welcome June to our midst? June here is hot, cold, and very rainy. Bugs emerge from hiding, eeew. I am terrified of bugs, yep it's a phobia. The seeds in the garden are sprouting and flourishing. Last weekend's rain really got them going.

Need to try to thin and transplant! These are my zinnias.

Nasturtiums.

The coreopsis is beginning to bloom. Year five, I think. They self seed.

The lilies are slowly growing. This is perhaps their 10th year?

The pumpkins seeds sprouted! How fun if  grew a real jackolantern.

The Mexican Hats seeds from Lori D  are small but look good. Wildflowers rarely transplant well, I will wait a bit.

And what are these odd blue flowers? I planted bachelor buttons last summer, with no result? But these aren't bachelor buttons.

More mystery weeds in this pot.

I do love my garden art. 

I painted this ladybug to brighten her red wings.

Looks like Mr Sunshine needs a touch up too.

And this is a new art glass Hen. My kids knew I wanted her after I saw them at Home Goods and got m this one. It is darling! Has a solar battery and will light up someday, once activated and the sun shines.

The pansies love the cold and rain. Very rewarding little flowers, as always.

The colors bring me such joy. This blue!

Mo is very happy to be out again, enjoying his chair and cushion every day. Of course he always chooses MY chair.

"Will there be ice cream, mommy?"

I finished this Tiny Baskets quilt, only 3' square. I had forgotten its button flowers. Not sure what purpose it serves, though I did want to practice making tiny fine binding.

It has a little display clipboard, magnetized for hanging.

And. I started Julie Porter's new sewalong [FB Farmhouse Cottons Freebies] but I do not like my first House. Need to reconsider or set aside. Her sample blocks are reds and browns/ tans, a favorite combination of mine. But also, as always, I'm finding it hard to understand her patterns. I only do well when I redraw patterns myself. Hahaha the roof is like a too small hat!

Oh, I almost forgot the big new: today when L and ran errands, NONE of the cashiers or checkout persons wore masks! I could see smiles. And the grocery lady packed my reusable bags. Wow. Return to normal? L and I wore our masks anyway, tho we are vaccinated fully.  But then we went to a medical lab for bloodwork for me and there it was all masks and distancing/ no seating. Line out on the sidewalk, glad the rain had lightened up. Masks make my glasses fog up, so it was very hard to see the check in screen or the paperwork. Is there some reason we cannot have slightly larger darker print?

have a good weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......