Chilly in Arizona

The winter temperatures have finally arrived and I am not happy. No indeed. It is almost Spring and I do not like to put on socks and long sleeves now! It will soon be March and to me it means Spring. The garden is not happy either.....a few plants look unsure of what to do next. So far the "alien" Snail Vine is not slowing down but my lovely geranium is thinking about calling it quits. So spoiled I am with the usual Arizona warm temps.
I should begin by telling you that my legs are finally feeling better, still very tender in certain areas but a lot better. It is a longer process than I thought it would be. Still using all the prescribed medications so I still start my morning a bit scattered in the brain.....some would say not too  different for me! I did keep busy yesterday.....I started tatting another Snowflake

I would have been a littler farther along except I cut the wrong thread and voila! had to start over. So I took a break

moved to my sewing corner and cut out the clothing for Dolly. All set to sew...almost. Trying to decide on the dress part...so I took a break.....brought something into the garage and decided to start to paint my mail box. Our "mailboxes" are really a mail slot from the outside of our garage and the mail drops into the garage. In my case the former owner had built a box for the mail to drop into. The inside area is now painted and today I will do the outside which is still inside...right. The only time to do this is from Saturday afternoon to Sunday as there is no mail delivery. Just adding a bit of color to an all white garage interior...which is quite boring. So, as you can see I did start a few projects and took a few breaks and today will hopefully get back to all of them. Finishing just one of these projects would be nice.
I did enjoy the Olympics especially the Curling and the skiing. Not so much the skating this time. I am not a big baseball fan so sports for me will be on hold for awhile. Guess if it gets warmer I can turn to gardening. Finally found the number of the guy to sharpen the tools so I will be calling him today. He is a mobile van and will sometimes come to you. Getting organized is the goal. Well, I think I need to go sit for awhile until the sun rises and my light-headedness lifts. Thank you for taking the time to visit and for your kind words. Thank you for your friendship.

****there are 8 more days in the countdown****

A garden walk and tatting

Well it did rain and is still drying out. Since it is still dark outside I can only tell you that the air is nippy. I have been watching the Olympics and did a bit of tatting

 The basic ice drop with a heart border.... but Olympic Curling got in the way....
I baked a basic bread late yesterday to have with my Penne and Shrimp bake dinner.... very good if I say so myself. I have enjoyed trying new recipes. I would like to show you the view out of my kitchen window....

This is what is left of my tomato plant and of course the "alien" Snail Vine.  It truly grows before my eyes!

If you really look closely in the center of the picture you will see that it is now growing toward each side! As soon as I can use the step ladder I will attempt to bundle it up to the top of the arbor....before you can not longer walk beneath it. And such delicate blooms...

They are unique in how they curl around itself and such pretty shades of lavender. Soon I will be showing you my lavender blooms that are getting ready.

this little bundle of cherry tomatoes may be the last that I get. I will just leave the plant which is right next to the "alien" and on the other side of this is

the Red Lips Salvia. The hummer visits it daily and it is a lovely bright spot to see out the kitchen window. It probably would do better in the ground but for now this is where it grows.
Across the garden is

Fairy Duster....which has doubled in size and doing well. These feathery blooms do not last long but are so bright and fluffy. I am enjoying taking care of this garden which my Denny established and loved so much. I know he would approve of my additions.
Thanks to Don for helping me to install all the drip lines, my watering is now self care and makes it much easier for me to enjoy what work I need to do out there.
Today the plan is to attach the doll's head so she can think and help me pick out clothing fabric! I think I will carefully bring the bin into the house so I do not have to stand in the garage choosing it all. My restrictions will probably be lifted once I see the doctor on Tuesday. Hopefully my right leg will start to feel better too. Hope you enjoyed the garden walk. Thank you for your caring emails and encouragement and kind words. You are wonderful friends...thank you for your friendship. You have helped me immensely these last 8 months. 

What a week....and it's only Thursday!

Rain.. yes indeed there was rain in The Valley of the Sun yesterday afternoon. The official measurement was about 1/4 of an inch and the first really measurable in 130 days. Well, it is a desert area!

There were bubbles in the birdbath! It did not rain heavily here but enough to be steady for a short time. It was nice and we do need it but at this rate the drought will continue.
Thank you for the lovely messages on Valentine's Day. Another one of my firsts to pass. The Brother Alan called to check on how I was feeling since the latest procedure which was Monday. To be honest, it is not as painful (but it is badly bruised) as the right leg which is still so sore. Those bruises are starting to fade. Tonight I get to sleep without bandages or compression stocking...that should feel good.

I stuffed and stuffed and began to put the Tilda doll together and I even tatted a little yesterday. Found an unfinished tatted Ice Drop started so I thought it was time to finish it...neither of the projects got finished! I did watch the Olympics. It is so hard to watch the figure skaters when they fall or fail to complete a technique. I know the count of medals is important but for me it is to see the accomplishments of all the athletes. Years of work to get to the competition is a reward in itself. The skiing is my favorite and the Curling. Still learning about the rules and stuff but I enjoy the how and why of the game. Today will be another good day to relax and watch more of the games.
Guess that about covers what I have been up to this week. The Bissell needs a walk but I am not suppose to do that yet...gee, I feel bad! Since the air still has some rain drops in it I can forget about cleaning the yard, oh wait, that is not on my okay to do list...gee....guess I will just sit and do some crafty thing and watch the Olympics. Glad you visited with me today. Thank you for the kind words and for your caring friendship.

***friends are kisses blown to us by Angels*** unknown author 

Off to see The Wizard

Oh what a gloomy morning. The sky is grey and the air has a chill. They say it may rain and it certainly does feel like it will.
Yesterday Honey, AKA Keith, came by and I got a few computer lessons. He makes it all so simple! He also moved my fabric bin for me. So the doll will get some clothes....still in the stuff her stages. Then we watched some of the Olympics before he headed home. The chicken and escarole soup did get made but not the Pizzelles and we know I will be a bit loopy this afternoon so not today either. I will be off to see The Wizard doctor later this morning for the right leg procedure then I will have matching set.  The steri-strip from the incision came off and of course there was a little bleeding. I remembered all the medical supplies I had to get when Denny was ill and sure enough, I had steri-strips so I am all patched up.
I guess I should talk about the Dove couple.

Doves mate for life....which is good but also sad if something happens to one of them. They have a great system for raising their 2 younglings. One is with the nest at all times. He sits on the nest during the day and then they switch off and she remains for the evening. Once the babies feather out then they can be left for periods during the day. I do not know when they decide that their mate is gone and it is time to move on, and how long they remain by themselves. It seems that is what happened here with my Dove pair. One returns everyday and sits before flying off. The one egg will never be nurtured. I will remove it so that maybe another pair may come along and stay. As sad as it is, it is what nature is all about. When you open your garden to all you must accept that.
Glenda will be taking me again today and it will be the last of her escorting. I so appreciate her as my friend. Glad you stopped by and I thank you for your kind words and for caring about me. Thank you for your friendship.

****22 days but who's counting!****