One early morning, I heard a strange bird call. When I opened the kitchen door and looked up, I saw this red-shouldered hawk on the tallest branch. I guess he was hunting.
I finished the placemat. It got a bit ruffly, I'm not sure why. I'm pretty sure that I didn't miss any stitches. I blocked it and now it looks a lot better, though it's not a perfect circle. I crocheted this using 100% cotton kitchen twine. This is the
pattern. 😊 No matter how busy I've been, making this placemat made me so happy.
During the week I didn't have any time for yard work. On Saturday I weeded a flower bed, and around raised beds. It's been raining almost daily and weeds are so happy. I planted a pinwheel jasmine cutting in the front yard. A couple of months ago a neighbor gave me jasmine cuttings from his tree. Two cuttings started growing, but eventually died. Last week he asked me how they were doing. When I said they didn't root, he offered more cuttings. The other day when I went out to get mail, I saw he had left a pile of cuttings outside the patio. I hope these will grow well.
There are lots of tiny papayas on one tree.
I think this is a type of squash. It's a volunteer vine appeared from the compost pile, so I'm not sure exactly what it is. It has been flowering over a month now, but ants eat them. 😢
The other day I made spring rolls. Not the authentic Vietnamese ones, just my quick version without shrimp. I used rice vermicelli, lettuce, onions, tomato, cucumber and a bit of green jackfruit. 😀
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Spring rolls
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I went back to making to-do lists. There are so many assignments in each class, so I don't want to forget things. Every night before going to bed I make a to-do list for the following day. Tomorrow (Monday) is my busiest work day, so the list is all about making new quizzes for three classes. I plan to do it during office hours. Making lists makes me feel more organized. I've never done meal planing, and sometimes I wonder if it would help me. I don't have any frozen meals now, because I ate them all. Hehee. I have to remember to freeze at least small portions.
Have a wonderful week everyone. Stay safe.
This week I'm grateful for:
1) Online shopping
2) rain watering the yard
3) free crochet patterns
4) friendly neighbors
5) Miss Marple on Hoopla
6) touchscreen laptop
7) video chats with Mom and sisters
XXX
Nil
What a lovely photo of the hawk against that pink dawn sky! Your crocheted placemat is very pretty and turned out really nicely, I think. That was nice of your neighbor to give you more jasmine cuttings to try and root. I hope they all root and grow for you. Your papaya tree is doing so well! You really have a green thumb, Nil. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you are safe from the hurricane and your week of classes go well. Take care.
Papayas! Wow, how amazing. Well, it seems so to me, here, where the apples and pears do well but nothing as exotic as papayas.
ReplyDeleteThere's something very special about making something isn't there - knitting and crochet makes me happy too.
xx
I hope the jasmine cuttings grow for you -the perfume is lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to have good neighbors. I'm thankful for mine, too. The crocheted placemat (or "doily" I think I'd call it) looks pretty. Have a fabulous Monday!
ReplyDeleteHi Nil, Nice to hear what you are getting up to. You know I just love spring rolls using rice vermicelli and salad vegetables I must do it more often with Summer coming up, and the dipping sauce for them is just the best. Your pawpaws continue to amaze me, I buy the red pawpaws which we enjoy for dessert with yoghurt and they are delicious. Pawpaws here in the tropics suffer from some disease or other. If I could crochet like you it would make me very happy too. I hope to prioritise reading your blogger instructions for tabs net week so hope I can manage it with this new interface. Have a lovely week, Pauline x
ReplyDeleteLove your placemat, Nil. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteMegXx
Ha ha Miss Marple, me too 😁
ReplyDeleteYour crochet work looks lovely. I know what you mean about it making you happy just to see your placemat. I feel the same way about the various knitted afghans around my house. I hope the jasmine will root this time. We have a very healthy Madagascar jasmine in our front courtyard. The fragrance is wonderful. Good luck with writing all the quizzes.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you like the placemat, it's very pretty and your work is so neat. X
ReplyDeleteI love seeing different types of birds. The papayas would be an amazing treat to have a tree in my yard. Papayas do not grow around here, but we do love them. Lovely crochet work too. I make Vietnamese spring rolls from time to time too and we really enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteA lot of papayas! So neat. Your placemat looks great! I wonder what kind of plant that is....Andrea
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh at the papaya tree! It is loaded. Lucky you Nil! Your placemat is beautiful. I'm glad making it made you happy. :)
ReplyDeleteYour placemat looks lovely. I always love looking at pictures of fruits/veggies from your garden. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful hawk, Nil. Your garden is so impressive. I love that cluster of papayas. Your placemat is really pretty, too. Thanks for the link to the pattern.
ReplyDeleteI liked the crocheted placemat, Nil, and it looked nice beneath the flowers. Hawks are always looking for a meal as it flies or runs by and hope this one didn't find any in your yard. Jasmine should be a lovely plant to grow.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful picture of bird in tree
ReplyDeleteYour doily came out lovely. That hawk looks daunting. I hope the "little" critters ran for cover. Jasmine, I hope you have better luck with the next batch of cuttings. Do you plant them directly, or are your rooting them first?
ReplyDeleteI planted several cuttings directly in the ground, and it looks like they are already dead. Another one is in a jar of water, but there are no roots yet. 😔
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