Good morning from a slightly cool, beautiful California spring morning! This morning I went on my morning coffee stroll through the garden, and while I didn't think I had a blog post in me this morning, the garden sort of told me that I did. I took pictures of the veggie garden and then I remembered we'd had a dinner party and some cute pictures of our new pup, and then my weekly blog post began to take shape!
First important update: doggie is doing fine and settling in so well. He has his issues as all rescue dogs surely do, but he is a gem of a dog and is doing better with each day. He is very much feeling at home in the house and garden. At first he didn't really care to go in the back yard, but now that he understands that he can be inside or outside as he chooses, he is spending more and more time outdoors. I think next week we'll introduce him to the doggie door.
We have named him Biscuit as one reader suggested. It fits him so well and was approved by all, most importantly approved by our grandson. We read and loved the Biscuit books when he was little so that was a factor, but also that his coloring is that of a tasty biscuit sealed it!
Good morning! I’m writing this early, with all the windows and doors open, pulling in as much cool air as possible before the heat of the last day of this heat wave settles in. In a few hours I’ll close everything up, and the house will stay cool all day.
But before anything else, let’s get to the sweater.
This week the sun has been brilliant and the air warm, and we decided it was time to get going on the garden. I've had misgivings all month about the work ahead of us. It's a big job, and this year—and if I'm honest, the last few years too—I've wondered if I still have it in me. I worried that something I'd loved for decades might no longer be enjoyable. The idea of falling out of love with the garden made me so sad.
We've always promised ourselves that when gardening stops being easy, we won’t push ourselves. Still, it was hard to ignore the overwhelming weeds. I wasn’t looking forward to all the bending, and I wished I hadn’t let things get so out of hand. I also wasn’t happy about my husband digging the beds.
We could hire people to do the worst of it, but for us gardening has always meant handling the good with the bad—the fun along with the not-so-fun. Still, a sunny day, an empty calendar, and a handful of pretty seed packets were enough to change my mind.
After planting myself in a particularly weedy spot with an audiobook in my ears, I started with no enthusiasm—just one weed, then another. But somewhere along the way the familiar rhythm returned, and I thought, oh yes…this is why I love it. My hands moved almost on their own and my mind was quiet. It’s a kind of garden meditation, and it felt so good to have my gardening mojo back.
I'm happy to say I'm looking forward to another gardening year, and I hope you'll come along with me. It's still early in the season and there’s a lot of growing left to do.
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| Meadowbound Hares by Svetlana Gibadulina |
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| Daisy Flower Garland by Emma Whittle |
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| Matulda Sweater, free pattern from Freida Franckie |
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| Swaddle Pals by Susan B. Andersen |
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| Spring Pullover by Ngo Quynh The designer uses the same stitch pattern for socks and two cardigans. |
If this idea intrigues you at all, don’t be shy about giving it a try. Stitching the small squares makes a perfect travel project, easy to pick up and put down whenever you have a few quiet moments. It may take time, but there’s no need to rush — the real joy is in the process. Let's jump right in!
Hello, I am Kristen, the writer, photographer, knitter and gardener of the Knitionary blog. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit. To learn more about me click here.
