Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Wednesday's Update

 

Zucchini Plants

It's just over one month since I first had this sciatic nerve pain (first felt on May 8).  I've now had over a week of being pain free, but, today, I've felt a few twinges, which makes me feel a bit anxious.  

Nevertheless, I took a very brief stroll in the garden when M was here.  He watered the front and back garden and cleared the bed where we had planted the broccoli, peas, and some wildflowers since the broccoli had bolted, the pea vines had died, and the wildflowers had gone to seed (although he left the moringa plant in place - it didn't do well over the winter and seems more dead than alive, but, we are hopeful it might revive).  He also picked the first green beans and ... more zucchini!  Including one that had been hiding from us and has grown almost too big!

Green Beans and Zucchini Harvest


This One Escaped Earlier Harvests!

We also found out that the neighbor's rabbit seems to have eaten the sweet potato vines I planted!  Bad Bun-Bun!  Hopefully, the sweet potato vine will grow again!   


In the afternoon, I finished tidying up the sweater I was making for my daughter:

New Sweater

It has not been blocked, yet, but I had my daughter try it on and she's pleased with it.  I have enough yarn left to knit a pair of socks or maybe some hats for the cancer center.  

Afterwards, I started repairing one of my old quilts; it's one I had repaired earlier, too.  As mentioned in that post, the quilt is something I made back in the early 1980s using fabric leftover from various other projects.  It's been used and washed many times and the fabric is worn and tearing in many places and, in some places, the fabric is completely worn away and the lining fabric is showing:

Torn Fabric

Worn Away Completely

I told my daughter it's almost not worth repairing, but, she insisted that it's worth repairing it because it's her favorite quilt! Repairing this quilt will be an ongoing project! It'll be a patched patchwork quilt!

Today, I am grateful for:
- A mostly pain-free day
- Another walk in the garden
- M tending to the garden
- More zucchini and the first green beans
- Phone calls from family and friends

Today's joyful activities included another walk in the garden and finishing the sweater.

Plans for tomorrow include more quilt repairs!

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

  

18 comments:

  1. That is a gorgeous sweater you have made for your daughter, I like the colour. Yeah to the start of a bountiful harvest of green beans; zucchini don't need much encouragement (lol). Glad to hear that it was another painful day, that is most encouraging for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary-Lou. She picked out the color. :) I think, next year, I shall concentrate on more green beans (I planted 2 varieties of beans, but, only one produced plants!) and fewer zucchinis! :D Each pain free day is appreciated and treasured!

      Delete
  2. Another beautiful sweater comes from your talent. I have a quilt from childhood that fabric is worn through from many washings. I'm not sure what to do with it in that I don't want to put it out anywhere, especially with cats around, but I don't want to get rid of it either because of the memories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, June. Could you hang the quilt as a wall hanging somewhere that the cats can't reach? You'd have to sew on a "sleeve" at the back, though which a rod can be inserted for hanging.

      Delete
  3. The sweater is just beautiful!
    I too have a patched, patchwork quilt and after the last washing it need to be a re-patched, patched, patchwork quilt.
    I get so irritated with those zucchini who like to play hide and seek!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Anne. It's funny how we treasure these old quilts, isn't it? We were all laughing about the big zucchini and calling it the one that almost got away! :D

      Delete
  4. That giant zucchini could be stuffed with curried minced beef and baked! Lovely sweater, I like the way the design spreads out at the neck area. As for the quilt, I heartily agree with your daughter that the quilt is worth repairing. The repairs will become part of its beauty as a loved quilt, not just an exhibition item. I have a tote bag that a friend made me years ago, that has a patchwork design applique of a cat on it and I have used fabric that she had leftover to repair the applique more than once!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I must suggest the stuffed zucchini idea to my daughter!ca

      Thank you; I think the cable pattern on the sweater is supposed to look spread out throughout! But, as I mentioned, I haven't blocked this sweater, yet (to be quite honest, I rarely block my sweaters - they seem to stretch nicely when I wear them! LOL!)

      Delete
  5. I can sure understand why the twinges make you feel anxious! Please take it easy today. That one zucchini is huge! You sure have been able to harvest lot of it with plenty to share too. I love the sweater you made for your daughter, it's beautiful! I agree with repairing the pretty quilt. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm taking it easy today! So far, so good!

      It is the biggest zucchini I've seen, I think! :D We should be able to get lots of use out of it! I'm grateful to have enough to share with friends and neighbors. :)

      Thank you; my daughter is happy with her sweater. Personally, I'd rather be making a new quilt than repair an old one, but, my daughter loves this quilt. :)

      Delete
  6. Repaired treasures like your quilt are too full of memories to dispose of. Repairs on top of repairs simply add to its history and it's beauty.

    I love the new sweater, such a pretty colour. You are one very talented lady!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Eileen; I am secretly very pleased that my daughter loves this worn old quilt, for its very softness after many years of use and washings. :)

      My daughter chose the color for her sweater when we bought the yarn a couple of years ago (pre-Covid shopping trip!). :)

      Delete
  7. I'm glad your twinges did not turn into a full on pain event. I'm hopeful that's a sign of your continued healing.
    The sweater you knit for your daughter is very pretty. You are very good with cables and they look lovely trailing down the front of the sweater.
    Oh yes - that wonderfully soft and sentimental quilt deserves repairing.
    I will look forward to seeing your efforts doing that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Debra. Yes, very grateful that the twinges went away and didn't become a flare up!

      The first cable is always a bit of a learning curve and I have to look up how to do the cross-overs, but, by the third cable, I have the pattern more or less memorized and it goes quickly. The central cable was what she wanted. :)

      I added few more patches to the quilt, today. I was telling my daughter the history of some of the original pieces of fabric - "That's from a blouse your grandmother made for me; that was leftover from one of her dresses", etc., and she was asking about some of the fabric with patterns she liked. I've forgotten where some of them came from - there used to be a friend of the family who used to give me bags of scrap fabric left over from her sewing. :)

      Delete
  8. We purposely let a few zucchini grow large, as we like to slice lengthways, hollow out and stuff. Last year G gave me loads of courgettes but all small so I had to either pickle them, or use in cooking (not that I'm complaining). On the other hand, she lets her runner beans grow really big; ironic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter said she liked the taste of the larger zucchini, but, the conventional wisdom over here is that zucchini are at their best when still quite small! I'd have thought that runner beans were best when small and tender! M picked a bunch more zucchini today and a handful of green beans (they are a bush bean variety, not runner beans).

      Delete
    2. The early beans, whatever size, are beautifully sweet and tender but if you let them grow too big the season is shorter as the vine is discouraged from generating more bloom, and hence beans. Dad and I pick ours much smaller than G does, and she was amazed that our plants went on producing for several more weeks.

      Delete
    3. Ah, so that's the secret to keep the plants producing more! :)

      Delete

Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. Your comments are much appreciated. Please comment in English. Thank you.