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.

Monday morning, probably

 When everything's huge, you realize it's late summer. The yellow daisies, rescued from an empty house, the white chrysanthemum several years ago bought as a seasonal little thing, now permanent. The sedum Autumn Joy ready to go pink in September, the Montauk daisies will bud white after that.

Hi

At that point the front yard will be all about pink and white with a bit of purple remaining in the Russian sage. Some yellow will remain from the nameless daisies which I won't deadhead because the goldfinches love the seeds. Earlier in the year the color scheme's yellows and purple.

I have to lift iris again, since they hardly bloomed this year, even my fancy rebloomers. I think the groundcover is choking and covering the rhizomes which means foliage and no flowers. Need to do some serious yanking out of groundcover and replant the iris. Cooler weather needed. Also energy. 

And with next year's crops in mind, I'm starting to save and dry Roma plum tomato seeds from my farm toms.

 My own are still green, too soon.  But I'm thrilled that the tomato blight which made home growing impossible for several years, seems to have disappeared.  Nothing worse than mild blossom end rot to cope with.

 Don't you love how I yarn on about crops and disease and blight as if I had a back forty, rather than a few square yards and pots, which I have to defend from rampaging landscapers?

And down the street the gnomes seem to be multiplying. Good year for gnomes.