a little

I need to stop apologizing for not getting much done other than work.  Going somewhere, doing a job and getting paid for it is a valid excuse for not sewing as much, right?

But I do like to have things done to share in addition to earning money, so...

I did spend a little time on the tiny landscape...

Surprisingly, Lily didn't bother me with the thread, but when I tried to set it down for a photo...

Maybe I shouldn't have tried to use her as a backdrop?

Yep, definitely should have chosen another backdrop.  She doesn't look too happy here.  But this is the best you get because I didn't take any other photos.

I might do another.  I'm thinking maybe a waterscape?

Probably do that before I pick this up...

Freddie's new favorite place to snooze - my bin of scraps that I don't know what else to do with.  (Usually the bin is in the closet that Lily in enamored with.)  I came home the other day and found him here.  He got up before I got a photo of him loafed in the bin.  He didn't get out, he just gave me the stink eye.  (Seems I'm getting a lot of that lately!)

I also did some work outside, now that it's safe to plant...

Not the best photo and you can see my shadow self standing there, but you CAN see I planted a garden.  (And I highlighted my rock pile - those came out THIS year.  There was no pile when we started - neighbors and friends took all last years rocks.)

I have six tomato plants - two varieties, one bell pepper, a basil, a rosemary and a dill plant.  Two rows of beans and one hill of cucumbers that I hope will not take over the entire space.  The tomatoes have cages already and I'm contemplating what to do to maybe help keep the cucumbers under control.  The fence is up - a new kind this year, so we'll see how it goes.  It's taller, so I can't weed over it and I'm not sure I like that.  Once these plants get bigger, getting between them is going to be harder.

I plan to can tomatoes this year, so I'm hoping these six plants will produce a good amount.  And I'm still debating about getting a dehydrator, even just if it is for the herbs.  (From what I've read, they do a better job than the oven.)

I also finished just one book.  It was pretty good, but my head just wasn't in the reading this week...

While one might believe the story is about the miniaturist, it is not.  That character plays a part in the story, but it is more the story of a household in the late 1600's in Amsterdam.  I didn't realize it was a mystery, though about halfway through it became clear that it was.  Not a whodunnit type, but definitely some strange things afoot that come to light as the story progresses.

Some of the mysterious happenings are explained, but in general I felt like I was overhearing a conversation and only understanding parts of it through much of the book.  Perhaps that was intended, perhaps I just am unaware of the history of this place and time enough that I missed things.

Overall it was a good book and I enjoyed it.  It was a fast read despite my taking a week to get through it.

The next one...well...someone somewhere recommended it, and it sounds interesting, but it's non-fiction, so it could go either way.  I haven't started it yet, but today for sure.

Now it's time to get my bathroom rug out of the dryer (a furball present this morning led to an unexpected load of laundry) and get myself cleaned up to face the day.  

Happy quilting and reading and gardening!

Katie