Around the Yard ~

I am not sure how I manage to be busy all the time and accomplish so little.  I have pulled a few (very few!) loops on Shady Spot and have been working on binding the three little door prize mats for the September hook in.

Yard work always needs to be done.  As usual, the damn deer have been enjoying my hostas.  

Passion flower vine is so invasive, but the flowers are most unusual and beautiful.

The variety of morning glories that reseed every year are also quite invasive.  I just don't have luck with the pretty blue ones.

Naked Ladies, aka Resurrection lilies did well this year.

My black eyed Susan vine is growing like gangbusters, but I have had only a few flowers 😞

Random shots around the yard.  The gardens are starting to look a bit tired.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Another One Bites the Dust ~

Sadly Anne Bond's rug camp near the end of September has been cancelled.  I have a few small group rug hooking events this summer ~ groups of about 8, 14 and 18 ~ that I hope and pray are not going to cancelled.  I need normal in my life.  I am still in such a funk.  I thought by now I would have another hooked snowman finish to share.  Sadly, my progress is uber slow and I can't blame it on spending time cross stitching because that has been set aside in frustration.

Since a post needs at least a few pictures . . . 

The clematis that once lived on my parents' farm.  I've had it for 20 years and it was at least that old when I got it.  It is simply beautiful every year.

I guess I've never been so up close and personal with a dragonfly.  I had no idea they had transparent wings. 

Thanks to the Evening Stitcher, Denise, Vonda, Kay and Linda.  You are all no reply-comment bloggers so I could not respond to you personally.  Just know I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog and comment.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Better than Nothing ~

I finally picked up my hook yesterday.  Not much to share, but something is better than nothing, right?  It's Christmas gift #2 :)

I don't want to start a larger project until my Cindi Gay class next month.  I've chosen a largish (for me) eagle pattern from my stash.  It looks like the class is really going to happen!!!  It will be my first real outside adventure in more months than I care to think about.

A few more pictures around the yard.  Last night a storm came through and we got some much needed rain.  Not nearly enough, but once again, something is better than nothing :)

I love this birdbath that I picked up at a yard sale for a couple bucks last year.  Have not yet seen one bird in it.

My lone little ruffled petunia in my old wheelbarrow.  The only flower since the deer decided to eat them :(

Don't you just love peonies?

One of my two little rose bushes.  I pretty much have a green thumb but not much luck with roses.  I need to get some spray because the leaves are being seriously eaten on both the plants.

The baby bathtub is filling in nicely.  Very invasive spiderwort in front.  They are pretty when in bloom but afterwords are quite scrappy looking.

Porch on the north side of my house.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

I hope everyone is still healthy and not yet too crazy.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Around the Yard ~

A little tour around the yard ~

In spite of it being very dry, plants continue to do well.

This pug wind spinner makes me smile.  A gift from hooker friend Melissa.

On the south side of the house.

Metal rooster hiding in the plants.

The north side ~

Miscellaneous blooms ~

I never got around to moving the baby bathtub planter to the garden.  Maybe next year :)

My mom bought this old wheelbarrow for me at a garage sale 25 years ago or so.  This year I have become a real believer in Miracle Gro.  Over the years I used it sporadically.  Every year I planted wave petunias and they never did very well.  This year was no exception.  I decided to try a little Miracle Gro (several applications) that had been languishing on a garage shelf and they have been blooming prolifically and really filled up the space.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Invasion of the Spiderworts ~

Doesn't that sound like a cheesy horror flick from the 50's?  Spiderwort is pretty, but another one of those uber invasive plants I have in my yard.  I have two different shades of purple.  The flowers close up in the evening, and when finished blooming, get very scrappy looking.  I just read if you cut them back to 8" - 12", they may bloom again.  Usually I cut them to the ground so may have to try the more conservative approach this year.

My jungle :)

I've always loved daisies.

Still not much hooking going on, but I did hook these sunflowers.  I forgot to take better pictures before I took them to guild.  They are a couple more door prizes for our Hooktoberbest hook in this October.  The flower on the right is very washed out, while the one on the left is close to the true colors.  

Hopefully I will get something inspiring on my frame soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ~

Bright sunshine.  Blue skies.  Temps in the low 80's.  Summer is here ~ at least for a day or two.

At long last I got my teeny tiny little pond cleaned out :)  DSO modified a pump for me that I am using this year to pump water.  The iron hummingbird was a gift from my younger son for watching his dog one weekend.  It sits perfectly on top the old sewer tile I had sitting in the garage.  The perennial geraniums are almost done blooming.  They get kind of scrappy so I will cut them back and get more flowers later in the season.

Congrats to Julie ~ My Primitive Heart.  She is the winner of the little hooked hit 'n miss mat.  Thanks to all who entered and left such kind comments.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tulips Fini ~

Happy Sunday, dear friends.  It is a beautiful day on Ohio's north coast.  I've gotten a few much needed yard tasks done, most importantly cleaning out my little pond.  Usually it is done in May, but the weather did not cooperate . . . plus it's just a nasty job cleaning out all the rotting leaves so I did procrastinate a bit.  

Tulips, a pattern by Cathy Stephan of Red Barn Rugs, is FINALLY done.  Started last October in a class with Cathy, it was put aside and nary a loop was pulled until a few weeks ago.  It is now bound.  It just needs a final steaming and a rug label made :)  This is the best of my lousy pictures of the rug :(

I must have at least 30 patterns on linen and many more than that ready to transfer.  Plus two rugs that are kitted.  I normally don't buy kits, but one was bought second hand and I purchased another from Tricia Travis at rug camp in April.  Nothing is screaming . . . or even saying . . . hook me.  I need to decide on a project tout de suite.  I have not yet dyed the wool necessary to finish Antique Floral that was started at rug camp  so can't do much with that.  Decisions, decisions.

I've showed this clematis in years past.  Dug from my parents farm, it survived being run over by the lawnmower and eaten by the cow.  It must be at least 40 years old and is just such a prolific bloomer. 

Thanks for all the fun comments on my last post.  I guess there are many wool obsessed hookers out there.  I am amongst good company.

Last chance to enter my give away.  Check it out here.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren