What have I been doing for the past 2-1/2 months?

My blog has been rather quiet.... really quiet actually. I was away for 7 weeks in Idaho teaching at the University of Idaho and doing some other things. I returned to Portland to discover that although my vegetables had not grown much, the weeds REALLY had grown. So for the past two weeks, I have been alternating weeding/gardening with housecleaning.

To sum up, here is a list (with visuals) of what I've been up to:

1. New nightshirt for the spouse
This was one of my first projects of the summer.




2. My students made the front page of the local paper with their designs for the local roller derby team.
Here is a link to the article:
Daily News Roller Derby Article on the UI's Facebook Page



3. Did some yard work, garden rototilling and landscaping for the parents.
My sister and I put in a new flower bed for Mom and Dad's anniversary, as well as doing some plant moving and tree trimming. I am still sore from this.

4. Went to Las Vegas for 5 days with the spouse for our Lucky 13 Anniversary.
We were lucky and had beautiful weather and good shopping, but the slot machines were NOT aligned with this luck. Here are some beautifully inspiring pics from the casinos and shops:









My new super, favorite brand:AllSaints Spitalsfield






5. Acquired my great-grandmother's Davis New Vertical Feed Sewing Machine
It has been sitting dormant for 20 plus years... but Dad put a few drops of oil on it and the treadle worked, and it sewed! This is a needle-fed machine (no feed dogs). It has all the attachments, now I need to locate a manual (the mice ate the one with the machine) and spend some time practicing. As it does not require electricity, my sister pointed out that I can sew outside!






6. And I got a motorcycle for my birthday



Now I need to pass the written test, get my permit, ride for a bit, and pass that on-bike test and get my endorsement.

Very Cool Recycled Wear

Take a look at this incredible range of recycled clothing:

Designer Turns Trash into High Fashion



Amazing talent and such inspiration.

My poor blog!!!

I didn't realize that it has been a month.... yes, a MONTH since my last post! This is mostly due to the incredible amount of rain in Portland that has prevented us from continuing work on the fence project.
Here is its current status:



Last Saturday was very sunny, so I sped out to IKEA and purchased the chaise lounges before they were sold out. Mister e and I were able to use them for about an hour and then it was back into rain.

I was gone for a week at the University of Idaho helping the students put on their first ever fashion show:
UI Clothing, Textiles, and Design Fashion Show
The students did an amazing job! We are already debriefing and planning for next year. Get your tickets early if you want to come. We sold out this year.

On another note.... the Royal Wedding is tomorrow!!!
Kate Middleton has a lovely sense of style:



I am curious to see her influence on the masses... and to see what her gown looks like, of course.

The fence continues....

As is typical in Portland, it rained off and on all last week while we were working on the fence. This is what it looked like after we had all our work clothes, coats, and rubber boots on.


Not terribly inviting, but we persevered. We set the posts with concrete. These will support a screen of narrow boards running horizontally. This screen will serve as a backdrop to the fireplace as well as a privacy screen.



Is it level? Why, yes it is!!! because we are that good!


View from the front.


And there was a lot of mud to navigate. Very slippery stuff.


Don't set your box of fencing nails in the rain puddles on the fence. The box literally came apart in 30 seconds. We had to switch to a plastic mixing bowl.


Then we took a break while the concrete set up and went Glow-in-the-Dark Miniature Golfing!



We also did a little shopping too. How about these lovelies at Kate Spade?





Makes me think of spring.... I can't wait for some warmer, drier weather.

Project-o-rama... Day 3... I think

Since we do not own a pick-up, we rented one from U-Haul. Be warned! They do not want any scratches, dirt, dents, or mess on, around, or inside the pick-up when it is returned. Especially the decals!! Heavens, do not scratch the decals! Honestly, why do they think people rent pick-ups!??!
So the debris was carefully packed into the delicate pick-up and hauled off yesterday.





Much of the rest of the day was spent planning/designing the fence. So that today we could start executing.
Here is the existing fence with the left side all scrubbed and the right part not. Quite a difference!


The scrubbing was my job this morning. My hands are so sore that I can barely type. After the scrubbing, we starting laying out the location of the fence posts... and that's when the challenges showed up.
We worked with our neighbor and dug a trench along side his garage foundation. This should have been done years ago (like three owners ago) but it needed doing before we put in any fence posts.




And just as we suspected, when the trenching was done, there wasn't enough dirt left to support our planned fence design. So we are modifying some things. Here is the spouse chipping away at the cement squares that were attached to our brick fireplace. In the foreground you can see all the bricks, stone, and concrete parts we dug out of the ground during the trenching.



And over here on Craigslist are the cement squares if you want them!
EDIT: They are gone!! I LOVE Craigslist.

We are now off to buy fenceposts, cement, and wire mesh.

Stay-cation/Project-o-rama Progress

Yesterday was pruning and plant debris removal day. We are preparing to fence the open sections of our perimeter fence to contain Irving, so he can be in the back yard with us and not take off running through the neighborhood. This is the back of the house...


Here is what we removed....


The side garden was also cleared out....


As was the area around the patio...


Yes, the motorcycle is still there. More on that later.



The fence is all clear of vegetation in preparation for scrubbing and Irving proofing.





Here is what is blooming outside...









Apparently this color tastes the best because all 4 plants have been eaten. Darn... and I really like this color too.


Peonies coming up! They like their new location.



This morning is loading all the trimmings into a truck and hauling off to the yard debris place. Better get moving.