Perching

Design - "Rendered By"

Designer - Little By Little

Fabric - 36 count Light Espresso R & R linen

Fibers - DMC

Started - 31 May 2010

Completed - 24 June 2010

I simplified the border, messed with the alphabet, added the year, and my initials.

Plenty of perches this time of year.

A male Black-headed Grosbeak on a lovely, leafy perch.

Two Mourning Doves

And a BIG surprise!

A male California Quail

I've not seen one in well over a year.

No sign of a female though...

Flash Back Springtime Stitch

Design - "Rendered By"

Designer - Little By Little

Fabric - 36 count Light Espresso R & R linen

Fibers - DMC

Started - 31 May 2010

Completed - 24 June 2010

I simplified the border, messed with the alphabet, added the year, and my initials.

The Lesser and American Goldfinches provide outdoor decorations when they gather.

This is a young Lesser Goldfinch.

The female American Goldfinches are gathering nesting material.

But they drop it on the ground as they fly away.

They'll begin nesting in mid-June.

A trio of newly fledged House Finches.

I still have a couple of Evening Grosbeak.

The guy.

The gal.

Portland's Urban Gardens - public and private

Design - "Rendered By"

Designer - Little By Little

Fabric - 36 count Light Espresso R & R linen

Fibers - DMC

STarted - 31 May 2010

Completed - 24 June 2010

It's done and it looks great!  I simplified the border, messed with the alphabet, added the year, and my initials.

While in Portland, Oregon the past three days, I had the pleasure of viewing several public and private gardens. 

Pearl District

Sedum and Fescue - Pearl District

Pearl District

Planter Detail

Hotel Modera - Portland - Wall Garden

Wall Garden - Detail

Park Blocks 

The First Day of Summer...Where?

It's been a while since I've posted about "Rendered By", and hey, it's been a while since I've worked on "Rendered By" as well.  Yesterday I got it out, and worked on it for a couple of hours.  I continue to obsess with all the color changes and I think that's why it sits untended.  I do love the use of color and know I will be pleased when it is done, but nonetheless, it is a struggle.

 

So far the new deer fence around the front porch is working well.  My replacement coleus, ferns, and hostas are all thriving.

I also like dianthus!

Yet another grey day - where is summer anyway?

"The Rain is Raining All Around..."

Rain

The rain is raining all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea.

A Child's Garden of Verses

Robert Lewis Stevenson

My mother taught me (I memorized it) the above poem when I was five or six years old.  I think it was to be the start of a great literary experiment, but other than "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", it's the only poem that is in my brain's hard-drive. 

I've made a little stitchy progress on "Rendered By".  It is a bit too primitive for my tastes, so I've tidied up the border and am doing the same with the alphabet too.

As noted above with the poem "Rain", our latest storm has moved in and we've received 0.9" of rain thus far.  The temperature is quite mild, but it is a blustery and unpleasant day.  I went shopping with my Mom and made the following "pick-me-up" purchases.  

A very cute beehive shaped watering can.

Two small Smith and Hawken Strawberry jars.  I'll probably pot them up with herbs and sedums.

Stitching and Eating

I've got all the supplies to start the "Rendered by Sampler" as designed by Little by Little. 

I need a pick-me-up as the weather this entire month has been miserable.  We've broken the record for the number of days in May with rain - and that was by the 24th of the month.  The only saving grace has been decent weather on the weekends, most of the rain falling during the week.  Yesterday was grey and mild, and I thought, "Okay no sun, but no rain either - I can work with that!"...until 3:00pm when the skies opened wide with booms of thunder, and we got over 0.7" of an inch of rain in less than an hour!  We ended the day with over an inch of rain. 

This morning it is pouring and the forecast calls for the possibility of a thunderstorm this afternoon.  All anyone dares to hope for is decent weather for the Memorial Weekend. Gardening is hard for everyone - the soil is so wet and cool that no one dares to plant the hot weather crops of tomatoes, peppers, and corn.

My sister and I did make it down to the Tuesday version of the Lane County Farmers' Market while the weather still held.

  

Though far smaller than the Saturday Market, there was still a nice representation of Produce Vendors...

Plant Vendors...

and Flower Vendors...

Also Food Vendors including Caramel''s French Patisserie and Cousin Jack's Pasty Company.  I had a smoked salmon pasty for lunch - yummy!

The bees continue to work - rain or shine!