weekend winding down

Saturday was the nicest day we've had in ages.

Cool and breezy.

After morning chores and doing the recycling, Piper and I went for a walk by the pond.

It was overcast, but very pleasant.

And after a while, the sun appeared!

The air was crystal clear. So much to see and admire.

I had carried my sketching chair into the woods, hoping to paint outdoors for a change if the mosquitoes weren't too bad.

And they weren't! The really vicious late-summer mosquitoes are still here, but they weren't out in huge numbers. So I chose a nice spot to set up my chair and sketch for a while at the edge of the wetland.

But every time I reached for my sketchbook, this happened:

No sketching allowed!

Fair enough, Piper.

It was such a perfect afternoon.

The very faintest beginning of Autumn in the air.

We had a great time, and I let Piper decide when it was time to head home.

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That was Saturday.

This was Sunday:

I think Piper's weekend was a success!

I hope yours was, too :)

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wordless wednesday

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sunday sunset

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stormy monday

After three days of cool weather - COOL weather! - there's quite a bit of rain in the forecast. I did barn chores early this morning, so the goats would have access to hay inside shelters, instead of the paddock picnics they've been enjoying recently.

AZALEA and MALLOW

 The sky was overcast so I got right down to the garden to harvest vegetables - beans and kale for myself, and a little chard and okra to share with the goats as I walked back up through the herd. I was back in the house at about the time I usually begin chores, and still dry, which made me feel all smug and efficient.

Another batch of green and yellow beans went into the freezer, and I steamed a bowl of snapped beans to add to the Pyrex cornucopia (a cornucopia is a food container that's never empty, right?) of bean salad in the fridge.

My pole beans began to struggle during recent days of heat, before I noticed and began to water them - something that had not been necessary even once earlier in this Summer of Continuous Deluge. They are still flowering and producing. I should write an entire post about these pole beans. They are wonderful.

While in the garden, I selected a few zinnias to provide color and cheer in the house should there be the predicted series of murky days ahead. 

They are also likely to become models for more of my Daily Markmaking efforts. Zinnias have turned out to be fantastic subjects for sketching. There is a great deal of variation from one flower to another, and they are a lot of fun as well as a challenge to draw and paint. Or maybe the challenge is part of why they are fun?

Here is one of the green zinnias, growing in the second raised bed:

And here, the very next day, is the same zinnia from a slightly different viewpoint.

With a special guest!

According to the Internet of Dragonfly Identification,

this one is a male flame skimmer - Libellula saturata.

My plan for today - after the chores and the garden and the photographing and so on - was to do a lot of housecleaning. Planning, it turns out, is different from doing. The rain started while I was downloading photographs, and both Moxie and Della anchored me solidly in place. So I decided to write this blog post before disturbing the cats in my rigorous pursuit of a tidy kitchen.

I may be doing that housecleaning stuff at about suppertime.

Meanwhile, I hope these zinnias help get your week off to a cheerful start.

If you sketch them, let me know!

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wordless wednesday

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anniversary

Two years ago today, Moxie and Della were coaxed into this carrier - can you see tiny Della in the back? - while I waited for their paperwork from the good folks at the Pat Brody Shelter.

They bonded pretty quickly. Immediately, I would say.

These were taken the following morning:

As they've grown, they've developed many interests.

Both enjoy knitting.

And of course, there is hunting.

Anytime, any season.

Hunting is important, but so is plenty of proper rest.

And not too much time on the computer!

Happy anniversary, kittens.

You certainly keep things interesting!

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