"I started photographing my domestic world and writing not just about what I had made,
but why I made it, examining the thoughts that accompany creativity and the act of making."
Jane Brocket from The Gentle Art of Domesticity p. 189 UK edition

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Busy as a Bee on a Bloom!

Are your days buzzing with busyness?  Mine seem to be!  I have made some effort to try to get a clear photo of a bee this summer like some of the photos I have admired in other blogs.  This is the best I have managed so far.



The Hollyhocks prompt fond memories for me of my Auntie Ruth in West Boxford, Massachusetts, USA, who for many years had some like this blooming next to the side entrance to her Stone House Farm home.


 This past week in between painting and packing and cleaning chores for moving I was resting in a chair on the front porch when I saw a big fluffy mama raccoon and I think four of her babies scurry across the driveway intent on reaching the huge old cherry tree to feast on the very ripe cherries that are on the grass.  I just barely caught a glimpse of mama behind my garden cart and a baby's tail to the right of her.


Then I cautiously moved around the house and got this shadowy view of mama who was posed ironically by a "caution" tape workmen had put down while installing a new internet line.


While preparing to move I still have been meeting with my stitching friends at church who are committed to knitting and crocheting blankets for babies who are admitted to the preemie NICU at a local hospital.  My current blanket is at the bottom of the photo.  Do you see the squash on the table?  One of the ladies is not only a prolific blanket maker but is also an avid gardener.  She brought her surplus squash to share!  So kind!


The current heatwave we are experiencing here near Portland, Oregon, has been great for ripening our blueberries.  I wish I could share them with you because they are delicious!


Although we did not meet our goal of having the house on the market by July 1st, we are very nearly ready for realtor photos and the next phase of the moving process.  I miss interacting with many of you who have struck up a friendship with me through blogging and appreciate so much those of you who visit and leave comments here in spite of my erratic posting here and erratic commenting on your blogs over the last two years.

As I go now to paint two closet shelves I am wondering are you busy as a bee on a bloom?

Blessings!
Gracie xx

14 comments:

  1. Hello Gracie lovely to catch up with you. Those blueberries look delicious I love them. Usually quite expensive here. I am busy with all sorts of things - as usual. Last week I went to see my Mum - we stayed a couple of nights with her as it is a tiresome journey. I am also crafting and have a fair bit to accomplish.
    I hope all goes well re putting the house on the market. Take care Anne x

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  2. Hi Gracie, you do sound busy these days. I'm glad you're having a good summer and getting closer to listing the house. I really enjoyed reading your updates today. Take care.

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  3. Moving is one of the hardest things ever. We keep postponing our eventual downsizing move. Keith thinks we need to wait until I retire, and I think he's right. I don't think I can do it on top of teaching, even with summers. I need my summers to recover!
    I love hollyhocks and those are beautiful specimens!

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  4. Good job on the bee and raccoon photos and how fun for you to share your blanket group! I've missed your posts and am glad you took a break from all your house preparing to touch bases with all of your readers and friends. You have really worked hard and I hope the house sells fast for lots of $$$!! I hope to see you again soon. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  5. Hello sweet Gracie! I’m glad you’re finally moving closer to listing your house for sale. It was good to catch up with you a little bit. I’m glad you have a group of ladies to meet with and make blankets for a good cause. The raccoon and bee photos are wonderful. So much wildlife close to home. :-). Take. Are my friend.
    Blessings always,
    Betsy

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  6. I know how hard and stressful it can be putting your home on the market. It WILL be worth it in the end once the hard work is behind you and you have found your dream home. Take care.

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  7. Hi Gracie. It is lovely to catch up with you. You sure keep busy :-)
    I am glad that you are having a good summer and that you manage to do some crafting and knitting with your friends from church, in between all the packing and painting. I hope you are not finding the upcoming move to stressful. xx

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  8. Hello Gracie, I am a first time blog reader who stopped by for a visit fri. A fellow blogger’s site, Mamas Mercantile, and in reading some of your past posts learned that you live in Oregon! And that’s where we will be traveling to cisit friends who live in Springfield, OR...indeed it’s a small world. Also, I wish you success on the house selling as we went through that process a couple of years ago when we moved from VA to NH where we now live in a former textile mill. I enjoy meeting new blog friends and invite you to visit our blog when you have some time, which I know is limited these days. Good luck with the house selling process.

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  9. Blessing back to you Gracie ♥ Lovely post and enjoyed almost listening to you talk. My grandies would love those blueberries. Nice you are having warm weather. Wonder what Canada will be like when we arrive end of August.....

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  10. Good to see you posting Gracie. Amazing blueberries, ours are still green. Hope your house moving goes easily. B x

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  11. Bee photos are hard - they like to hop around too much! What a lovely color on those hollyhocks.

    Mama raccoon looks very cautious. And those blueberries look absolutely delicious.

    Hope the packing and house prep continue to go smoothly.

    P.S. Will I see you next week in Portland? Hope so!

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  12. Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you are caught up on my little life. You definitely have a busy time of it right now with prepping a house for sale. I hope it will be ready soon and sell quickly!
    Those blueberries---oooo, yummy!

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  13. So nice to see your post, Gracie. Somehow I didn't know you were near Portland; we spent a night there recently on our way to Cannon Beach. Where are you moving to? I volunteer at the UW hospital working with the Antepartum ladies and know that the NICU appreciates blankets. They also need hats, so I bet your hospital would, too.In fact I think it was at the Twisted yarn shop in Portland that I first heard about the Purple Hat project,

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  14. Thank you for stopping in to write a post Gracie, I know you must be so busy getting that house ready. My thoughts and love are being sent your way. The raccoon story is delightful.

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