Weekend.

How I spent my free time on Saturday:



After working over at school for a couple hours, grading and rewriting abstracts and analyzing data, I planted 36 zinnias and 36 celosias in my front gardens. They should get bigger and fill in in the next few weeks. I also planted three tomato plants. Yes, it's pushing the season, but I'm interested to see what results.

There's some saying - it's either Confucius or Lao-Tsu - about how it is good to work with your head in the morning and then work in the garden in the afternoon. I think he was correct, whoever it was who said it.

I find garden work to be tremendously "centering." Every year I say "I really don't have time to mess with it, I'll just clean everything up and leave it be" but every year I find myself drawn to the greenhouses to see what they have.

(I think I'm going to have to play with my camera settings; the bright-sun pictures are not as good as they could be).


Wilbur also appreciates the celosias.

How I spent my free time on Sunday:

I finished the most recent fat-quarter quilt project. This one is made of (mostly) Makower fabrics in a winter scene series. I used the pattern called "Broken Bricks" out of the first Fat Quarter Quilts book.


I had to really work to piece the back (not shown). I wanted to use something out of my stash but had no piece large enough that worked with the quilt. So it's another Frankenbacking but I did get a 3 yard piece of blue that I had bought for pillowcases and never used out of the stash and into a useful purpose.

Here's a close up of the quilt. I like the little pink inner border, I think it's just surprising enough.




(Oh, and this morning in church? The kid I had formerly referred to as a "troublemaker" in the Youth Group joined the church. And who walked up to the front with him, to provide moral support? One of the kids who had teased him and messed with him in the past. I don't know if it was totally the kid's idea or if his mom suggested it to him, but it makes me happy that he did it.)