What's Blooming at work!

Just a few things blooming at work!
Blue Satin Rose of Sharon (the blue isn't really showing off in this picture.

Annabell Hydrangea 

Lord Baltimore Hibiscus 

A truck also delivered about 200 pots of black-eyed Susan's. I will need to take the time to get a picture of them on the table, it looks like instant field of flowers!


Also I must confess a new addiction to the Starbucks, Tazo Passionberry tea lemonade, it has just the right amount of sweetness to it.

Enjoy the weekend, I know I will, I got the whole weekend off! WOW!

Random

Well, hopefully I can get a break from work, so I can go pay my respects at my uncle's funeral.

But I have been thinking lately about fashion. There are times where I so want to have some 50's chic appearance,  but it can take more time than I want to give. So I lean more towards that natural, sometimes maybe hippie look. I would have to say that is where I am more comfortable. But I guess it all depends on my  mood. It is very much like my music taste, that is almost all over the board. I think that will have to be a whole other post!
I will say my favorite, clothing, etsy stores so far are

• Violet Bella
• Poor Pitiful Pearl
• Lucy Magnolia

I actually  just purchased a dress from Lucy Magnolia, looking forward to that.


Right now I am working on some crochet plush. Working on ideas that  I will hopefully be able to translate the idea in my mind, into awesome yarn creation. My motivation comes from having it mentioned to me that there will be a plushie show in October, in Portland. I need to find out what I will need to do to be a part of it, but I am nervous. I just don't know if I will make some really good stuff. I do have fun making them, and would make more, but I have been afraid they would take over the house. There aren't a whole lot of children in my life. I did send my sister a little monkey I made. I guess I will just take a leap, and hopefully get a chance to be a part of it, and be received well, or at least get some constructive feed back.

Good days ahead!
Tabitha

I can, how 'bout you?

What did I do last night? I canned pickles! or would it be a canned cucumbers that will become pickles, either way, I am so excited to try them. I use a sour pickle recipe, I LOVE sour pickles! I am going to give them at least two weeks to brine, before I try them out. They sealed perfectly, and hopefully they will be an awesome sour pickle. Now I want to try canning other stuff. I think it is too late to find green beans at the farmer's market, so I don't think I could do dilly beans (will still keep my eyes open). I need to get my hands on some green tomatoes, because I learned those are awesome pickled. I would also like to make green tomato jelly. Unfortunately this year I am only growing Roma's so I need to find a someone that will sell me some medium slicing green tomatoes.
Well I got to get ready for work.
Have a great day!
Tabitha

A lot to say at once

Been busy at work. Saturday I got to go to the farmer's market. I got 20 pickling cukes for $4. HOLY! I also got my mom a bunch of sunflowers, just because they are so pretty.



David and I went up to Winthrop to see, my mom, brother and sister. My sister is at the stage where you can't take pictures of her so this is what I got.

Good Morning!


I got her foot next to mine. Mine is not dirty, just weird tan lines from the Keens I wear at work.


Sara's ducks, they are pretty freaked out by people.


My brother is looking for an apartment near school, because they have accepted him, but they don't have enough dorm rooms. I am so nervous for him, but I know he will figure it out. Joe is smart, but still he is my baby brother, I want to see him do well. If I had the room, I would let him stay with me, I know David wouldn't mind. Unfortunately the house is tiny.

Can I just say how much I need one of these?
Poor Pitiful Pearl







Also why I haven't been on , I found out my uncle passed. I know he was battling cancer, now he isn't in pain. It still leaves me sad. I have that one more moment desire. I didn't get to visit with him and the rest of my dad's family on the fourth of July, I was working. I have just been thinking of all the memories I have of him. My aunt and uncle own a place on the lake, and there are a lot of good summer memories there. I should find out soon when the funeral is.

Yippie

All kinds of exciting things lately!

Finally signed up on Etsy and got this amazing soap!


It smells like... soap, and I have never felt so clean! Thanks so much to Rocky Top Soap Shop, next time I would like to try the Bamboo activated charcoal soap.

I just picked up my Anna Marie Horner pattern, Evening Empire Dress. I want to do the first option, since any dress that goes to the floor, makes me look even smaller than my 4'11". Thank you so much to Zfabrics , Mary is so awesome!




I have also been able to enjoy this lovely sunflower for about week.





I will be going up North to visit my mom, brother, and sister. I need to make sure to take a lot of pictures. I never take pictures, and if I do it is only a few. I need to make use of my camera.


Have a great weekend!

I think there is something wrong...

With me.
6:00am I am working on the SEAMS TO ME, I'll have one of everything bag. I took a break to get ready for work, and am now blogging. I need to leave for work at 8:40am. I was up making coffee at 5:30am. I am more a morning person.
My favorite part of the day, is the early morning. Still quiet, the only things moving around are the animals, and it is still relatively cool out. I need to get the camera out sometime and take early morning pictures around the house.

For now I leave you with a view from Arnold Arboretum in Mass.




Enjoy the day!


Tabitha

Listening to this month

So I have a bit of a long drive to work, I love to listen to music.
What have I been listening to most of this month?
Well I have a mixed play list of two groups.
The Ettes latest album, Do you want Power mixed with
The Black Keys latest album, Brother.
What a great way to get the day going, all pumped up.
I am off to start the day.

Farmer's Market Saturday!

Hooray!
Farmer's Market day! Portland runs it twice a week, Wednesday, and Saturday. I always work Wednesday, but have been lucky enough to have Saturday's off lately. So of course I must take advantage of this. Best time to go is early, because some stands only have limited amounts. That would be Beep's Bakery, they have the most wonderful plain old fashioned donuts. The small amount of ingredients they use are ones that are good, you can pronounce and know what they are. There were also some yummy looking loaves of bread for $4. I didn't jump on them this time, but I think next Saturday I will have to buy a loaf of the cinnamon swirl. I am a sucker breads, it is a weakness of mine. I also got some beautiful Swiss chard, a gorgeous sunflower, young colorful carrots, and BLUEBERRIES!!! I have some bushes across the street, but these ones called to me today, and I will be making muffins, or maybe fruit smoothies. Fruit smoothies are sounding really good right now with all this heat! I have seen such wonderful pictures of the most delicious looking blueberry smoothies. I will just need to get some plain yogurt for them.
I am also excited about my own garden, and I have pictures.
zucchini blooms!


Jacob's Cline Monarda


Tomatoes!!


and off the garden subject, a better picture of the dress I made

Meetings, and beetles

Wednesday was work day,
It was an unusually long work day, but not completely in a bad way. Most of the day was spent, tidying up the yard before the MELNA meeting. MELNA is Maine Landscape, Nursery Association. The members started showing up around 4, and it really started to get under way around 5:30. The grills were going, people were talking, and touring the place. My day ended at 6 which is normal, but the get together kept going till 7, and a bit after. I got to talk with some people in the industry, and with some people I haven't seen in a while. All really down to earth people, which is what I have loved about the industry, people who are seriously working in the industry are pretty down to earth. This meeting convinced me more that I want to join. It's also a great way to stay updated. Especially on the hottest topic lately, the Asian longhorned beetle.
Asian longhorned beetle is an invasive species, so it is not native, and has no natural predators in the United States. This beetle has devastated Worcester, Mass. How? The Asian longhorned beetle LOVES to eat hardwoods. The native trees of New England are hardwoods, and there was a bad infestation in Worcester. They had to cut down all the hardwood trees in the town, which left them with not a whole lot, if anything. They have been replanting, but it is going to take time, for those little trees to get tall. Maine is on really high alert, because the beetle can easily travel through stuff like camp wood. People come from out of state, bring their own wood to burn for camp fires, and they may also be bringing a devastating pest with them. So please don't bring your own camp wood, buy local. Which trees are hardwood trees?
Hardwood Trees:
Maples
Oaks
Ash
Aspen
Beech
Basswood
Birch
Cherry
Elm
Hickory
Locust
Sycamore
Walnut
There are a few more, but these are some of the more common ones, and Asian longhorned beetles, will devastate quickly. I hope I didn't bore you, I just feel it's important to get this information out.
Now I feel like I made a bit of a downer post. Sorry.
I have to get to work,
Have a great day!

Tab

Well

I finally got a picture of the socialite dress I made. It is not the best picture, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. I will make it up with pictures of what came off the truck at work.



Coral Reef Beebalm


Tomato soup coneflower


yarrow

Little sister!

I can't start this day without recognizing this is the day, my little sister was born. 17 years ago, my sister was born. I have to laugh, to call her my little sister. She is probably 5, 6 inches taller than me.



She was born when I was 10, and then I moved down to southern Maine when she was 10. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her through most of her teenage years. I have taken her surfing, and she went with us to Salem last year. I have visited her in the summer. I call, and I have written, but being a teenager can be pretty busy. So we haven't stayed connected that well. I wish I could spend more time with her.
She likes to cook, is looking for a job, runs a treadmill every morning, and likes to hike. She has some piercings, hasn't gotten her driver's license yet, and graduates next year. She has mentioned she wants to get tattoos and I just hope she thinks about what she really wants on her forever, and she finds a good tattoo artist. I have thought about taking her with me, when I get one done. She will be 18 next year, and could do as she wants. I have seen some really awesome tattoos, and really awful tattoos. She is my sister, I want to see her get some awesome work done. I got off on a tangent. Any ways!

Happy Birthday to my little sister!!!

Just in time

Good morning!
Shocking morning for me. I went and sat down at the computer, I thought I would balance my checking account. I found an odd charge that just went through this morning. I don't know the website, and it is supposedly based in California. I called up my bank, and was told it was authorized on Monday. No I worked all day, and didn't even use the computer that day. I have to cancel my card, and go to a branch to get a new one. But the biggest thing is I feel very shaken, and angry that someone, would steal from me. I thought I have been so careful with my card. Clearly someone found a way to get it. They didn't clear out my account, but it's my money, and if I hadn't been paying attention how long before I would have lost a whole lot more. I am in no way rich, and my job is cutting back on hours. I am trying my best to cut back, and save, because the winter job, just doesn't pay as much. It reminds me again, of how people can treat each other. I am sound a bit dramatic, but I have worked at a bank, and I had one member who came in adamant that the check that came in the mail, was real. We tried our best to explain it is a scam, she even told us she had called the number and they said it was real (of course they would!). But she was desperate to believe. There was a hold put on it, to try and protect, and by the end of the month, the check kicked back.
I am just so glad I found it this morning and took care of it, I may not get that money back, but I still have enough to pay my bills, so I made out pretty lucky compared to what has happened to some people. Hopefully the rest of my day can be much brighter.
There is a truck coming in today, hopefully they will come early, so we are not unloading plants in too much heat. There will also be a lot of watering today. At least it shouldn't be as hot as it was on Monday, but still the humidity!
I did find my camera (hooray!), but the birds have flown from the nest (oh well). It would have been neat to at least have seen them learn to fly, and take off.

I leave you with a picture from one of the drives that David and I took.




Tab

4th of July weekend

I was so happy to get a chance on Saturday to see my mom, brother and sister. They came down to camp out in the pop up camper, my mom just bought. Mom is not much of a planner, and had to call around to find a place, because it is of course 4th of July weekend. Thankfully she found a place and I got to see my brother and sister! I even have pictures, maybe not all that great, but I am getting better at getting out my camera and using it.
Sara and Joe


Joe and mom



I got David to use my camera and get Sara, me, and Joe.


Not the best posing, but the better posed picture, came out blurry. They will only let me take so many pictures of them, before the pictures start to get really crazy.
We sat around and talked for awhile, and it was really nice. I was so happy to see them.

What did I do on the 4th? I got to work, YAY! wait! what! Yup the garden center stayed open all day, it was hot and sunny, perfect weather for swimming and BBQs. I pruned roses, sweated, had a few popsicles, drank lots of water, reapplied sunscreen, and helped some of the customers that actually showed up. There really wasn't a whole lot of customers, and most of them wanted annuals. I got home at 7, and showered, relaxed, had some chicken wings, and a Harpoon UFO. I know, not very exciting, but after being out in the sun all day with around 90 degree temps, I was not full of a lot of energy. I also had to work the next day. Monday was a bit busier, still just as sunny and hot. Also a sparrows nest had been discovered, in a pot of black eyed susans ( we have put a hold tag, so nobody tries to buy it). The two babies are pretty big, and I can't believed we missed the nest for so long! Why don't I have pictures? I can't find my camera! I know it is around the house, but it sprouted legs and is hiding somewhere on me (possibly snickering). I hope I find it in time, so maybe Wednesday I will get action shots of maybe babies learning to fly.
This is not the first time I have seen a birds nest in an awkward place. Last year it was in a dwarf burning bush shrub, (the customer came back after they realized the nest, thankfully mom came back to the nest). I don't understand how they think those places are safe, plenty of people walk by, and move the plants around, and we water them.


Tab