Blog Slacker!!!!

Well, it's been just way too long since I last posted, and I can't catch you up in one post about everything that's been going on around Tuckaway, at the looms and with life in general.  So..... I'm not even going to try!

The garden is finally coming along after an extremely wet spring.  This is the second year for the asparagus, so no picking until next season, although it was very tempting.  We did pick a bunch of rhubarb and had enough to share with Mom and Dad too.

Tomatoes and pepper got a late start, but are coming along nicely now that we've had some sunny hot days.  In fact last week's temperatures were the highest in any 7 day period since 1940..... and back then there was no AC!!!!  The sweet potatoes and Yukon Golds are both grown in large black nursery containers that have had the bottoms cut off.  We plant the seed potatoes at ground level and then continually pile leaf compost and hay into the pots until the plants reach the top.  We also don't roto-till our garden.  We continually add leaf compost and hay to the soil, and then just pull it aside when we need to plant.  The hay helps conserve moisture and control weeds. 

Spring is a busy busy time for me at work and that is one reason that there has not been any regular blogging going on.  But, as the saying goes, you have to make hay while the sunshine.... and the phone's ringing!!!!

We also celebrated a milestone birthday in our family the beginning of the month.  My Mom turned 70 this year, and the whole family celebrated with her at a quaint little restaurant near Cowan Lake.  We also celebrated my nephew Christian's 16th Birthday this month.  Hard to believe that he's already 16, and will be a sophomore at the Dayton Regional STEM School this fall.  He spent until the 8th grade being homeschooled, and his younger brother Cavanaugh and sister Annika are still homeschooled by my sister-in-law Loa.

One of the greatest things about summer to me are the flowers!  We do mainly perennials, but have to plant a few containers of annuals, and Chris has a passion for houseplants, me, not so much!

Zinnias are just beginning to bloom, but I love them for cutting and they remind me of my Gram!

This is in front of the front porch, the container on the left has a Kong Coleus (yes, one plant) a Bonfire Begonia and some Lysmachia or Creeping Jenny.  I love the orange and chartreuse colors!  The fern on the right is one of our favorites called a Macho Fern. 

This hanging basket has more of the Bonfire Begonias, but these plants have overwintered in the basement for the last two winters, so that means this is a three year old plant.  I have to confess too, that during the winter most of the houseplants come in to the basement and basically get ignored.  Amazingly, they usually perk right back up when they are re-located to the outside around May 1st or so.  Our frost free date here in Dayton is actually May 15th, but we do cheat a bit.  The basket hangs from one of the three large ash trees on the property.

Last week when it was so hot, even the dogs were not very motivated to move from the front porch! 

There has been a little weaving goin' on around here, but not near as much as I'd like.  Still trying to build up inventory to be able to have some stock to begin selling.  The beige tones and rusts really look sharp with the mixed warp that is currently on the Union 36. 

I've also been wanting to do a black and tan rug using denim, and finally got around to it with the same mixed warp as in the previous photos.  You'll also notice that on this rug I also used a temple.  That's the wooden tool that spans the rug and keeps the outside edges stretched.  Hilary at Crazy as a Loom uses a temple, and I had a couple but really never gave it a try.  Well now I am won over, and will keep using the temple, especially on the denim rugs!  Thanks Miss Hilary!!!!

On the upstairs Schacht loom, we've been using up the rayon chenille warp doing some great scarves.  As I've said before we put a lot of warp on the looms.  This means a lot of weaving before you can switch to another color combination or style of item.  But I do love, make that LOVE the colors in these scarves!!!!

Oh my gosh..... I almost forgot another huge event of the Spring..... we got to tour the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville Pennsylvannia.  We made the trip in for my cousin's wedding, and took the opportunity to make a little sidetrip.  

We even cleaned up for Kurt and Lyndsay's wedding!!!!  What a great time of celebration with them.  Will share photos of the happy couple in an upcoming post!

Well, that gets things caught up a bit.  Hope everyone is having a productive and enjoyable summer!!!!