A Productive Week

Elderflower cordial

I had a very productive week. We had heat advisories three days in a row, so I did not do much in the garden. I even waited until 7.30 pm or so to water potted plants. Lubber grasshoppers destroyed the two beds of Brussels sprouts so I pulled them all up and cleared the beds. Next time I plan to cover everything with nets. 

Two Lubbers on a porterweed bush

Squirrels are having parties on the passion fruit vine. Every day I find half eaten ripe fruits and uneaten green fruits on the ground. 😢 Today I picked 4 green fruits. I covered several fruits within my reach, so hopefully they will be safe from the squirrels.

County workers mowed grass and shrubbery near the lake. I had seen red winged black birds taking seeds from the bird feeder to the thicket there and assumed they had nests there. I'm sure the huge mower destroyed everything. Poor birds. This is how the area looked before.

Before

Now it looks like this.

After

This week I made my very first elderflower cordial. There weren't a lot of flowers, so I made only a small amount - about 25 fluid oz (750 ml). 

I bought a bathroom sink. I found it at a Habitat for Humanity Restore. There were two identical sinks on display, and the sticker said each was $225! I was wondering if the store workers thought that the sinks were made of gold, when one walked by. So I asked him if the price was correct. He took it to the manager, came back and told me that the sinks were brand new but the price was wrong. It was only $35. He said they had several in boxes, and was kind enough to open them for me. Some had small chips, but I was able to find  one without any defects. I looked for a cupboard as well, but couldn't find the correct size. I was planing to buy a new vanity set from the home improvement store if I hadn't found one at the Restore. I actually went to the home improvement store before going to the Restore. I'm glad that I was able to save money. 

I don't want to spend too much time looking for a cupboard. I was relieved to see the Restore required masks and social distancing, but at other places there were people clearly ignoring safety guidelines. 

I decided to remove the old sink and paint the existing cupboard. I ordered new hinges online so I didn't have to go to another store. I already have some white paint. If necessary, I can palce another online order.

I had 7 skeins of #6 yarn, so I crocheted a small blanket. It's about 4 ft x 4 ft. I didn't follow a pattern and used single crochet throughout. I found it difficult to use super bulky yarn. The blanket looked nice at first. Then I decided to wash it. It came out the washer with big holes! 😮

Holey blanket

I stored it away, but plan to use it on the sofa when the weather cools down. I also made a small dish cloth. I want to make kitchen napkins from old towels so I can reduce using paper towels. That's a project for the next week. 😃

I did another redwork embroidery. 

Redwork embroidery

I completed 10 hours of professional development workshops. And created new assignments for summer classes. All our fall classes, including labs, are going to be online. I need to start preparing labs. I decided to teach live classes in fall. So students and I will meet twice a week via Zoom.  Our dean is leaving for a new position in another state, so we had a Zoom farewell meeting. He has been such a wonderful dean, I hope the next one will be the same. 

I have been doing exercises almost daily. Most days I use the exercise bike, and sometimes do yoga. I increased the time a little by little and now it's about 20-22 minutes. I think tonight I will do yoga. 😊

Have a wonderful week everyone. Stay safe.

XXX

Nil