Monday, August 21, 2023

Late summer growth, stitching, glasses and patience

 My little nature preserve seen from the bedroom window this morning


I deadheaded the butterfly bush yesterday, annoying a few bees who were busy in there loading up. This is one year's growth.


and the sage is going for world  domination again.


I heard the meter reader snorting in annoyance at having to peer through the zinnias to see the meters


And here's the current stitching, one block finished, one still in progress.

It's very entertaining to decide on color teams, usually three, for these blocks. And when they're assembled they'll look different again, because of neighboring colors.

Several people have commented on the patience it must take to do this kind of work. But patience doesn't come into it, really. It's so absorbing that it draws you along, a series of tiny pleasures. It would only take patience if it were dull work. But it's really one visual adventure after another.

Did I mention that I had my regular eye checkup? And that I have terrific eye health? Vision stable? And that he persuaded me to get reading glasses?? Yes, reader, I succumbed. 

Drugstore reading glasses don't work for astigmatism, which I still have. But it will be restful for close work. Reluctant reader here, not happy but resigned. And he assured me that this rx will be good for years. He stopped short of saying they'll see you out! His dad is my age, so he definitely sees me as an old party. 

Happy day, everyone, don't fight the inevitable! Well, not for too long, anyway.





25 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. When you have trees growing, the small space looks bigger, surprisingly.

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  2. Love the aerial view of your deck! Yes, that sage is muscling out the other plants!

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    1. I slashed the sage back this time last year. This is in a container, the roots probably through the bottom and in the ground beneath. It's relentless.

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  3. You are so right about activities that absorb us. No patience required! The continuing pleasure is everything.

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  4. Zinnias 1, meter reader 0 :-)

    The local creatures must surely love your patio as much as you do.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. There's food here. And when I'm outside reading, they don't worry about me, just hop and fly and buzz around anyway.

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  5. Well honestly, it doesn't seem very hard to push aside a couple of zinnias. It's not like you planted some gigantic, dense, thorny bush!

    I know what you mean about getting mesmerized by a task and having it draw you along. It's a wonderful feeling, actually.

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    1. I think he's fed up of people planting stuff at all! He had an angry run in with a friend recently about a tree which grew a bit since last year! He claimed patios were supposed to be completely clear. No, we live here, it's an outdoor room. I keep clear of him.

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  6. Pretty patio! Our meters are computerized or something, no one comes out to read them anymore. I cut my sage and rosemary about in half yesterday and put it in the freezer. Today will be basil and tarragon. I often argue with the inevitable. I never win, but I try!

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  7. We are all on remote read meters now (they send a signal down the line when pinged from the other end. I know what you mean about absorbing interests. Hours pass....

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    1. I wonder if and when our power company will go remote. And what will happen to those jobs when they do. I remember lamplighters when I was small, coming around with a long pole with some contraption to light street lights at dusk. I think they were gas. Then they'd turn them off at dawn.

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  8. Your little patch of heaven is looking lovely
    I started off with reading glasses. And now I have multi focal’s that I wear all the time
    I too have astigmatism which makes getting classes even more complicated. So the optometrist is the only way I can get any that actually work.

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    1. Yes, I need his expertise and the lab he uses, to get glasses that work for me.

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  9. I've worn glasses since age eight. My script changed yearly until maybe ten years ago, when, except for a "wandering astigmatism", it remains stable. I wear progressive bifocals, so close work adjusts miraculously.

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    1. I started wearing glasses in middle age when the astigmatism got intractable without them. I used progressives and did very well till my 80s when it wasn't possible to correct any more and I had to have cataract surgery. So I've never really been used to having anything on my face. Hence the reluctance, once freed, to go back there!

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  10. My recent cataract surgery fixed my astigmatism and most of my vision. I need a very mild script for close work. After wearing glasses since I was 17 this is a strange feeling for me! I agree with you about patience. Pleasurable activities never require patience.

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    1. Sounds like the effect of the surgery for me too. I shouldn't fuss!

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  11. Sage is like that. I am impressed you've gone so long without glasses!

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  12. We have a Joe Pye plant that grows from nothing every year to above tall fence height. I find it amazing.

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  13. I need a vision check too. Great reminder!

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  14. Yes, stitching is indeed a series of tiny pleasures! I simply cannot imagine not being able to stitch.
    So glad you eye health is good. Readers aren't fun to keep track of as Resident Chef would attest. He would often go around searching for one of his many pairs only to discover he would have at least two pairs perched on top of his head and another pair tucked in his shirt. Now he's had to resort to wearing glasses all the time and at least he has an easier time keeping track of them.

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    1. I'm getting used to them, but I'm more likely to keep them on than forget them. I can't see distance through them, so it gets confusing.

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