It is hot, very hot.

We are still in a "heat advisory" as the temps remain around 110+. We do cool down a bit, at 108! The overnight lows are usually in the high 80s to low 90s. Needless to say, Murphy and I stay indoors. He ventures out only to do perimeter inspections and to take care of business. Ambition to create is pretty low.

I have made 2 new pillowcases. Love the butterfly cuff on this one....

just love the black and white check trim and the bee body on this one. These make 9 pillows on my daybed. What can I say, I like pillows.  Lisa and I keep busy with these and now her new project which I can only show one picture as it will be a gift.

Yes Shabby Roses...... they will be on the lovely silver fabric and the backing is the grey print. Lisa is doing really well with sewing, minimal help from me. Proud of her! Our quilt shop is only open for small classes and by appointment only. We found these fabrics rather quickly and were the only ones in the store at the time. 

Must tell you about The Brother Alan. He not only is an excellent landscaper, a good carpenter,  my personal driver, cooking partner, we now add plumber and electrician to his name! I asked him if we could add a light above my sewing area.  

TA DA!!!! a new bright swag light which is just perfect.   The clear glass shade allows for plenty of light spread.  

I have not been a good blogger lately. Some of it is me feeling out of sorts and the other is blogger recently made some changes and it drives me crazy. They did not ask my opinion or get my permission.  Oh well. It is ever so nice to know people care about me. Yes I am well and Alan and Lisa are careful (they work out of the house), I wear my mask when out. My out time is limited to once a week Alan takes me to the market. He tells me "no talking to anyone and do not touch everything". In and out we go. The other time is Lisa and I may go out on her day off to run an errand. They are taking good care of me. It is so nice to chat with you. I must return to more blogging. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. 

Day 2 of the visit....

We had rain last night.... everything is really wet this morning. The irrigation just came on and I heard a lot of water noise. I looked out to the garden and behold there was a fountain shooting into the air! Can not blame Alan for this mishap (more about that later) because when we worked on the system yesterday I adjusted this particular bubbler and obviously had it too open and off the cap shot. After I ran out and got my impromptu shower and found the cap, all is well.
The flight out here was good but they were tired from a long day that stared very early.

The Brother Alan decided that yesterday was going to be garden day. First on the list was to trim the palm tree....nicely done. All of this is a learning experience for him and so far so good.
Then it was time to tackle the Yucca that I wanted removed. I severely cut it back months ago and it came back better than it was and that was not the idea. Too often as I am cleaning the area I got cut from the sharp edges of the plant as it was low to the ground.

Next was to give The Brother a pickaxe... this is where I started to worry.... a dangerous tool to begin with could be more so in his hands! That went really well.... no physical injuries to report. Then we decided to move the very large Rosemary bush to this spot. After we both severely trimmed it down to be manageable, that went in....

right next to the Orange Bells and leaving room for maybe something else. The garden smelled wonderful...like an Italian kitchen. Next irrigation lines needed to be added to the Pond Garden and to a couple of other plants in the area. Once he finished this task we tested the bubblers that were in. Oh no! we had a water break... a small flood began. Once I explained what happened, The Brother dug out the broken bubbler riser and drained the water with the wet vac so he could replace the riser. ( in the photo it is directly in front of the plant shovel) Now, I can not say for sure, but did something happen with that pickaxe?... in fairness, these risers, with the exception of a few are all originals.  Lucky for him I have learned a lot from Don when he helped me install the irrigation lines. I will not talk about the mud bath... it happened when Alan was going to take apart the vac to wash it out. When he removed the hose, mud shot up on him, the umbrella and the glider...lucky for him I was not in range. We won't mention that stepping in almost ankle deep mud would cover his sneakers.... they are outside drying off.

After using up the supplies on hand it was off to Lowes for more. If you are wondering about Lisa during this...she was comfortably sitting supervising before I took her to a hair salon for a couple hours of beauty time. We decided that the Pond Garden would have a fountain and a bed of rocks.... you can see the bags in the lower corner of the photo. We have selected plants to put into this area but it will have to wait until the fountain is assembled later today/tomorrow. Everything is very wet and The Brother Alan is off on unexpected business today. To say that we are enjoying being together is an understatement. He will be gone all day so it is just me and Lisa to relax. I did begin a new beading project but will be taking it apart as I am not liking how it is looking...first time doing this type of pattern. No big deal as it is a learning process. Glad you stopped by and hopefully tomorrow I maybe able to show you a bumble bee and more about our adventures.
Thank you for your kind words and welcome to Alan and Lisa. Thank you for your friendship.

Maybe a stormy day?

I seriously doubt that this day will be really different than the last days.... it will be hot  ...already 95 at 6AM. The temp will be around the 110+ mark again. It is Monsoon season after all. On Thursday we had the first Dust Storm

The poor palms were definitely feeling the winds. The Dust Storms most always come from the East/ Southeast and blow towards the West… that is where I am. If I get the dust it is from the low end of the wall of dust. This one was about 100 miles long and about 100 feet high at it's peak. The debris was flying as you can see in the picture. Today is starting a bit cloudy with a chance of drops. The garden is a mess and the pond also. I am being cautious with all the bees that are about the pond so I will top it off as needed and wait until the exterminator is here on Wednesday to check for a nest. I am all for saving the bees but I also want to save me. The garden needs some trimming. This heat seems to have affected a few of the plants. That mean I must try to get out there before it is too hot...now let me see, the days have been starting at 90+.... guess I will be having a few losses out there. My recent doctor appointment was to a skin specialist.... his advice is for me to be more careful in the sun as I have a few issues to deal with. And no garden work or walking without a hat!
I have a front walkway visitor....

I guess the mating season is over as I am not seeing much of  that activity.... there are not crowds of them out in the courtyard! They are lucky if they are in my garden as I will not be raking up too much debris and they can be safe for now. I am keeping the birdbath as filled as possible for the thirsty birds and the hummer feeders too.

My craft cart is all set up...Tatting, Beading and whatever all sorted in the shelves and ready for use. Now to just grab it and do something. My hand has been rested and feeling okay to create. I have about a dozen beaded baubles and sent one off to my Aunt Rose Marie…

So happy she loves it. I found these glass hearts that I alternated with lavender rounds.... I like how it turned out. I need to make more of the tatted snowflakes so that is where I am focusing on.
I am doing an experiment...

My large Sansevieria plant otherwise known  as the mother in law tongue plant.... needed to be repotted and a section was not well. So, I followed the suggested cutting for rooting and we shall see if they take. The ends are finally dried enough to plant. I have carefully laid them with the tops all in the same direction so now we shall see what happens.
Guess that about covers what is going on around here...or not. It has been nice  visiting with you... thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. An update on the mother EvaP...she has so enjoyed all the cards that you have sent. You really helped her with the transition. Thank you because in helping her you have helped The Brother Alan, sis Lynowl and me! 

A rose for the garden

My day is starting off slow...but since there are no plans it is okay. Better sleep last night. If you follow me on Facebook then you already know about the TV thing. On Thursday evening I lowered the volume and switched to the local news station and clicked off the TV in the living room around 8 PM and went into my bedroom to watch TV and hopefully fall asleep. I was having one of those dreams... I was terribly lost and it was getting dark and I began to panic. I was scared and unable to find my way. All of a sudden I woke... safe from being lost. I looked at the time... 1:30 AM... Then  I heard voices in the living room! Although I could not understand what was being said, 2 people were talking. I muted the TV that was still on in the bedroom and thought...who turned on the TV out there? So, I finally got out of bed to see and indeed the TV was on and loud. I clicked it off and looked around and of course there was no one in the house. All was locked and secure and undisturbed. I returned to my bedroom and thought, it must be My Denny saving me from my dream. I have  mentioned before that I am very superstitious... and I know Dennis watches over me. Now if only he would help with the bees around the pond.
Friday Dianna and I went for breakfast... afterwards she handed me a package. Last week she and Bobby were on a vacation celebrating his good health, his cure of cancer, and on the day of Dennis' anniversary she was both happy for herself and Bobby but sad for me. She saw this rose..

a beautiful large glass solar rose and bought it in remembrance of Dennis. How special is this friend to me.... thinking of me and My Denny. I am waiting for the solar light to charge and soon it will light up at night and remind me of friends who care. It will also remind me of Denny.
The laundry is waiting for me so off I go. I think a cup of tea is in order. The Bissell will stand quietly today.
I would like to share a blog with you....Retired and Taking it One Day at a Time. Stop by and visit and say hello.
As always I am so pleased to have you visit with me...thank you for your kind words and most of all your friendship.

A slow start to my day

It is expected to be a hot day again, around 109 so indoors is the place to be. Shortly I will get out to water a few of the potted plants and that will be it. I have a few Denny's Angels getting finished today. Yesterday was the Day of the Bees

this was just a few of them. At one point you could not see the bottom of the feeder! It was so bad that the hummers could not feed. The bees managed to drink a full cup of nectar in a couple of hours. I read on line that you should remove the feeder for a few days and they will forget where to return(?) The feeder is down. Someone also suggested to rub Vaseline on the feeder....not heard that one before. I have had feeders in our yard for 13 years and never before had this issue. This morning a few are hovering around the area then flying off. It is not like there are no nectar producing bushes in the yard.
Thank you for wishing The Brother Alan a happy birthday and the nice comments on the picture I added to the sidebar. Did I mention he will be here on September 19th? I must share this...I had read sometime ago that using auto window wash for the outside of the house windows will do the job. Well, the other day I did...I washed 3 windows and it was super easy and quick. I do need to get a new squeegee though. I have the 2 sliders and the kitchen window left to do. This has been another of my firsts...that's right Denny did the windows.  Slowly the first of this and that will be gone. Oh no, I just looked up and the hummer is at the window looking for the feeder! I will not break down and put it up...no no no. There is another feeder across the yard and out front.

The Origami Cranes have moved into another window and the Black Crow followed as did the Ballerinas. All part of moving things around.

changes (plural noun) the act or instance of making or becoming different

Some changes are necessary in life, some are just good. Yesterday I decided to move and rearrange the DVDs and CDs that we I have. Denny was an avid movie fan and together we have many movies and lots of music. However, some of these I do not watch or listen to so it makes sense to me to keep what I do like together making it easier to find them. This is not to say that I will not watch or listen to what on the shelves, just not my favorites. I have not yet attempted to even use the Home Theater  set up. Instead, I am perfectly content with the TV set up. Still trying to learn how to get more than 4 radio stations! Well, that about covers what I have been up to and now to finish my coffee and after a few household chores I will tat angels. Thank you for the kind words and thank you for your friendship. Did I mention The Brother Alan will be here on September 19th?!

Buzzing your way....

How about a little bee info? I have as you may know, been dealing with bees on our community property. I guess I should explain that I am ...The Bug and Trash Lady on our HOA board. This means these areas are  my added responsibility. Back to the bees.... We have had a large bush that bees built a nest in a few years ago. We thought we had the issue resolved. A couple of weeks ago I found lots of bee activity around the same bush. I called out Pest Control people and they came out and found that the bees burrowed deep inside the root system and that we should remove the bush ASAP. They treated the problem and within a few days all activity stopped. So, the landscaping people cut down the bush but did not remove it...a miscommunication.

Move along to this past week and remember the swarm...more on that in a few. The landscapers on Tuesday removed the bush roots but left the clump upside down (roots exposed). Well, the bees thought this was an invitation to move back in. So once again The guys returned to take care of the problem...

This is Tony spraying and actually digging out some of the hive and honey comb.

if you look carefully you can see the hive and honey. Tony and the guys made it clear that it must be removed today. What happened is that the bees leave a hormone scent in the hive. This calls other bees and invites them to move in. To see how far into the roots they had the hive was amazing and to see how big it was something else. The landscapers returned and took it all away. Ta-Da, no more bees...I can only hope! Now to the swarm, what appears to have happened was a colony was looking for a new place of property to begin construction and the Queen decided to stop to rest. That means all the bees surround her to protect her. Eventually they move on...I just wanted to be sure it was not our community that they wanted to live! With my recent Bee Adventures, I think it is only appropriate that I stitch this:...

http://theprimitivehare.blogspot.com/2016/06/bee-happy.html. The pattern is available in June JCS magazine. There is a kit available through the above link but you must have the magazine for the pattern. I must tell you that today is absolutely beginning lovely outside. The temps are much lower and the sky is partly cloudy with a chance of showers...I just may sit outside and enjoy this after all the very hot days we have been having. I am officially on countdown to Mr H's surgery (next Friday, the 17th). Everything is in order so far. For my long wait at the hospital, I have started to gather a project to take along. To be truthful, I have changed my mind so many times that I am not sure what I am taking!  In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and for your friendship and kind words. Have a wonderful day.

And it is still raining

We are in the 3rd day of rains....most of the time it stops mid day. I do not mind the rain except it can cause havoc on the roadways. It so seldom really rains that people forget how to drive and forget that because we hardly have rain the roads are slippery. Oh well, I do not have to leave the house (that  I know of) so I will sit and stitch and drink hot tea today. I snapped this picture the other day....

this bee just had a grand ole time in the marigold...he will not be around for the next few days. I am sure he is hiding and keeping dry. I managed to complete Singing Pin Bird...

Keep a green tree in your heart....
and perhaps a singing bird will come. I am pleased with the stitching...the finishing was a bit finicky, but it did turn out okay. I wish I had more of this linen and I do not know name or color but it suits this bird. Yesterday I picked up linen to start my January calendar piece from the Snowflower  Diaries SAL. I am missing one DMC thread as I forgot to get it while at Jo Ann's...I think I will substitute for another green. I chose a darker linen and hope to be able to use it for all 12 months. Nothing fancy or expensive.

I bought a Hyacinth and it will have to be content this morning with light from the lamp...I think it will be purple...anyway, I will enjoy waiting for it to open. Twenty days and The Brother Alan will be here....but who is counting! Right now I need a cup of coffee and something to keep my stomach from yelling. I am so glad to have you visit. Thank you for your friendship and kind words....have a wonderful day.
PS: It is almost time for my Un Birthday! So be sure to watch for it.

I got mail

A beautiful day is starting here...sun shining, waiting for another cup of coffee to brew. I guess you do not know this about me.... I brew one mug of coffee at a time...I hate coffee that has been sitting awhile. The only time that I brew more is when I want some left for iced coffee and I love my iced coffee. I must get to the post office this morning. I have an Easter package to mail out to 3 children back in Rhode Island. I don't mind if they get it a day late....I am sure they will not care. Yesterday I got mail...a RAK from Deborah...

wow...a Shepherd's Bush Autumn pattern, buttons lace trim, fabric flowers owl print fabric and the Tulip Pin pillow that I loved from her blog post! I love the pretty sheer red with gold roses pouch that the beads were in.... and a note from her with tea pots on it. She certainly knows what I like. I am so lucky to have this package...thank you Deborah...wish I had an email addy for her, but I will also post to the Random Acts of Kindness blog so hopefully she will know how happy she made my day.
Do you know about the Easter Treasure Hunt   that Jo organized? Well be sure to return here tomorrow for my post and a link of the other posts. Bee update: The Pest Control guy came and sprayed the nest...said it is very large and he hopes they got it all. He also said that only 75% of the bees are home at any given daylight time.... who knew! I am happy to share some time with you, thank you for visiting and the kind words which make my day. Hope you have a wonderful day too.

Middle of the month...middle of the week

I love Wednesdays...  not sure why. It is my day off, it is the half way of the week, and today it means the month of April is half way over. I began to post yesterday, but then got sidetracked. I do not know how or what, but I never made it to the computer. Did you miss me? Are you wondering about my Arizona Bound story? Well, as for the story, shortly I will continue with the May part of it.
I have been so busy. All Is Well is almost stitched and I am planning my finish. Doll is coming along nicely and the Thistle tatting too.  I must say the quilt is looking pretty good. I am embroidering 5 squares on the white fabric. Totaling enjoying this project.

These petunias are a lovely surprise... Mr H did not plant them. They are appearing all over the backyard in the brick cracks. This is the first to bloom. What a treat. We are being careful not to step on them, hence the watering can is placed to protect it. The seed from former plants have spread here and there with the wind.Right now the yard is ablaze with color and the bees are happy and the hummingbird has his choice of nectar. Speaking of bees.... we found a fairly large bee nest in one of the shrubs just outside the courtyard on the sidewalk.  No spraying has worked. I called our Pest control company and they will be out today to deal with it. I hate to destroy nature's creatures, but this could be potentially dangerous. Just this morning on the local news they reported a young man was stung 35 times. Although the ones in our yard never bother us, these present a different situation and I am not taking chances as they 2 feet away from  the path where we walk. Well friends, time to get one laundry out of the dryer and the next one in. Of course I want to return to my stitching also. Thank you for chatting with me and I hope you have a great day.

Love is the flower you let grow.

John Lennon

Love is the flower you've got to let grow.

John Lennon

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/flower.html#8J3oUMv1V5x2E05x.99

Love is the flower you've got to let grow.

John Lennon

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/flower.html#8J3oUMv1V5x2E05x.99

I see the moon and the moon sees me

What a spectacular sighting last night. Mr H and I went to a Stargazing at the Challenger Space Center here in Arizona. When we returned home I decided to take a picture of the big bold moon...

this is with my camera, a little blurred, but nonetheless, a lovely view of the moon.  I did use a tripod to steady the camera, but I guess I should have used the timer too.
One of the astronomers took this next one with my camera through the scope...

All in all, my picture is not too bad. The detail of course with the massive telescope is wonderful. Tonight is the real full moon so I will try again to capture a better picture.
Speaking of pictures....
my tatting is improving. I owe it all to Debra of course, but also to Shirlee for finding Debra for me all the way from Kentucky... and to Nicola for her encouragement sending me the book and DVD. Of course it is also that all the encouragement I receive from you my dear friends that I have succeeded so far. Adding beads is really, now listen to me, quite easy...

I think a few of these will look nice on the tree this year...what do you think?

And as if this not enough to keep me busy, I have worked on the doll.

yes, I am aware that it is correct to add beads and accents at the finish of stitching, but I just had to do it now!  I always feel that I march to a different drummer. Anyway, she is looking quite presentable now.
An update on the bees.... Mr H said they did not look like the regular bees we have in our garden and around the pond, these unidentified bees are now not able to crawl into the space as Mr H sealed it off. I have not been able to find a picture yet to identify them.
Tomorrow is our monthly stitch group meeting. Today I plan to stitch and maybe start another tatting snowflake or something. I am still working on my Angela exchange and ..... well, I have a list a mile long! I smell the coffee so off I go. Thank you for the kind words and emails and for spending time here with me. I would love to get together with each of you and sit and chat face to face! Have a wonderful day....

Good day yesterday...off day today...

Just not feeling myself this morning. I do not like the person that is here today....just not feeling too well, nothing major, just my stomach is unhappy. A few pills and I hope by the time noon rolls by I will be okay. I think it may have been the brussel sprouts last night... but they were so good.Yesterday was a nice day. I got to visit with Debra and learned how to add beads to my tatting.

I did a practice piece and today will start the Christmas Tree with beads ornament! I have to get use to the new larger shuttle, but as long as I move slowly with it, I will feel more comfortable. Just when I finally felt comfortable with the regular one.  I am using some inexpensive multi colored seed beads for this one, then I will make one with nicer beads.
On Wednesday after our visit the tree trimmers arrived to take care of the palm trees....

to watch him climb to the top of this swaying tall skinny tree....then using his very very sharp cutting tool, off come the palm branches... a mountain of debris that is quickly picked up by the workers and put through the  shredder.  Our courtyard has 9 palm trees and as soon as it is started, he is finished. The Grackles swoop in to grab any seeds and bugs.... the lawn is raked and by the time Mr H was up, he did not know they were even here.
We found a possible bee colony. I was watching a bunny on our front pathway and I saw this bee enter the bottom of the frame of the front bedroom window... he did not come back out and then another slid in. Never knew there was a space there! Mr H immediately sprayed the only insect spray on hand and we taped off the window bottom. Last night one tried to leave but got caught in the tape. Today Mr H will seal it off permanently. Just how long has this been going on?  If this continues, I guess we will have to call someone in to check. I do not want to hurt the bees as they are so important to pollination for the flowers, but I also do not expect to allow them to build nests in the outside house wall. Never a dull moment around here. This  morning as I picked up the newspaper, a lizard scooted  from under it....thank goodness it decided to run the other way and not into the garage. That has happened once before..... took a few days before it found it's way out. Well, think a cup of tea is necessary.... glad you visited today.... thank you for the kind words and emails that I so enjoy. Have a wonderful day...