Staying Busy!

What a week! I've decided to quit asking myself if I can get busier--because invariably I can! It goes back to that old adage about "Be careful what you ask for--because you may get it!" Remember that one? Well, I think I'm finally learning that lesson. Again.

I'm still acclimating to the new teaching schedule. Acclimation as in I come home from class on Thursday afternoon and take a nap! Fridays are supposed to be my paper grading day. It's turned into my "Answer the PHONE" day. I tell people my left ear is still recovering from having the receiver pressed it against it constantly on Fridays.  Like calluses, it takes time to build tolerance and extra thick skin! I don't get as many papers as I would like graded--because I'm on the phone. That puts me behind my schedule. Any delay in grading papers or answering the phone one more time spills over into my gardening time. 

What?!??! I like to spend a bit of time every day in my gardens other than getting up at dawn and waiting until after sunset to water them. It's the only way I can keep up with the weeds. I'm telling you now--I'm growing a fine crop of binder and tumble weeds. Too bad they aren't edible--I have a yard full of them. 

 I walked outside for some "alone time" the other evening between classes and found one of our ferals in the pot that's home to catnip. She had been sitting in the pot, loving on the plant. I asked my beloved husband for some hard cloth to make a barrier so the 'nip will survive long enough to be harvested. It's not pretty but it's keeping the plant from being loved too much!

I did some more planting of flowers on the other side of the walkway and the front porch. 

 Here's another view. That's blue delphinium and lavender pincushion. The columbines and calla lillies are behind them.

  Can you tell I love purples and blues?  I need a few more plants in that bed for the summer-fall flowers. That's where most of my daffodils reside for the spring. I've also got to set the rock border up so it's a bit tidier.

 When we first moved into this house, I planted a raspberry-colored salvia that has come back every year. It's beautiful.  And yes--that's one of the new crops of tumbleweeds growing in the background that needs to be pulled. Again. 

 The garden is not doing as well as I hoped. Only the wax beans, green beans, and the zucchini seeds have sprouted. So I've been adding plants. The plants are doing well, despite the heat.  What is pictured are Roma tomatoes, cinnamon and sweet basils, and oregano growing. 

 One of the other things we've managed to accomplish this week was more tree trimming. Actually D did the tree trimming. I just helped. As in I got conked in the head a couple of times from tree limbs either coming down or being piled up. I was constantly distracted by "Man Muscles." Most of you ladies know what I mean. Let it suffice to say that we will be celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary in a couple of months and I still get distracted by D's Man Muscles in action.  

  I realized yesterday that I hate Siberian Elm trees. They shed worse than my cats do during shed season. Every time there's a bad storm or high winds, the yard fills up with branches. It makes raking a year round chore. Siberian Elms send out millions of seeds, most of which have sprung up in my garden. I'd be fine if they blew into someone else's yard or garden patch--but not mine. Actually, I suspect that the ones germinating in my garden came from across town or even across the state since Siberian Elms are invasive.  I hope someone can use this lot as firewood for the winter to keep warm. 

 Fun surprises this week in the mail! My friend Debi sent a box full of beads for me to play with! I'm not done sorting them, since sorting beads is not quiet work to do on the phone. 

 These beauties make me drool! It was such a great mixture of gemstone, glass, Czech, acrylic, and shell beads. I have plans for those sky-blue peacock and the porcelain beads! They would so match a set of polymer clay flower beads I purchased from Mary Ellen a couple of years ago. The blueberry quartz would work well with the blueberry quartz rounds that my friend J sent me a couple of weeks ago.  

I ask you--can a bead addict ever have too many beads?!?!?!?!

Speaking of beads...My friend Elizabeth, over at Turquoise Skies, is having a giveaway. There's still time to check it out and get signed up for it. So get over there and comment on her blog to be entered in her fabulous giveaway!

Have you noticed? I'm either hung up on gardening or beading. Well, here's another. I'm in the Second Bead Soup Party, hosted by  Lori Anderson.  My beading partner is Dana James who sent me some fabulous beads. You might remember the post I had about them not too long ago. 
The Bead Party opens up Saturday, June 19th and runs through Saturday, June 26th. Stay tuned to this blog for details. I'll be posting my own creation debut on Thursday, June 24th. I'm really excited because of the beads that Dana sent me were beautiful and fun to work with! I hope you take the time to check out some very talented and creative artists--there's nearly a 100 beaders, jewelry designers, and artists who signed up for this round the world event! Woooooooohooooo!