Day 14 ~ Flowers

Here's is long view of my rose.

As many of you know, I volunteer as a gardener for the grounds of my church in downtown Colorado Springs. I get my fix of flowers by performing a service to my fellow parishioners and experience the joy of watching the blooms come in their appointed time. I have planted over a dozen roses, countless Spring blooming bulbs, pruned all the roses every Spring, dead-headed, watered, planted annuals and weeded. I don't have much of an opportunity to create a garden at my home as my HOA frowns up me digging up the water wasting, to no benefit sod. That, and there is no outside water source available to the owners/renters as the HOA really, really don't want ANYONE washing cars in the parking lots... That said, I have a garden in containers that are currently producing carrots, radishes, chives, oregano, rosemary, lettuce, tomatoes and hopefully potatoes. There are also a rose, an Easter Lily, daffodils, grape hyacinths, nasturtiums, yarrow, violets and a morning glory. Most of my flowers are Spring bloomers but for the yarrow, nasturtium and the morning glory. My lovely rose is, I believe, an Elizabeth Taylor and it is on it's FIFTH bloom of the season. The deer haven't dined on it as yet, thank you so very much. Here's a close~up of a rain be~dewed single rose.

#101 of 365 - Watch Tower or A Day Spent Rallying Around the Town.

The first thing we did this morning was to head south to pick up Rebecca and the BOM pattern for guild. Then far out to the east of town for the guild meeting. Met our Cheryl's lovely mother, Violet whilst there. Then after, a quick trip back to Rebecca's for some packages she needed to mail. Then we headed back to the west and downtown Colorado Springs for a sushi lunch at Yoo Mae and then a wander along Cascade heading north to look at the sculptures all along the streets as we went. We saw 34 thousand plus Helios, a snowman with rocks in it's head, giant metal koosh balls scattered across a lawn next to the giant Spanish dancers on the lawn by the Money Museum.

Also there were stone plinths, metal and glass figures, stone carvings, bronze sculptures and Patrick Dougherty's woven wood sculpture on the Colorado College campus.

During the wander, we saw bulbs about to spring into bloom, checked out an herb garden behind the McAllister House and found out that I qualify as a senior citizen at the Money Museum. Le sigh... I showed Rebecca the climbing roses we, the Grace Gardeners planted yesterday along the ugly chain link fence on the south side of the church. Then it was back down Tejon to Poor Richard's Book Emporium to meet up with Erin again. We also noodled through the goodies in the front part of the store. Rebecca and I felt up some kewl journals, no, really we did. We talked yarn with one of the clerks after she admired my Summer with Ishbel. I also saw the coolest pair of half chaps that would so work as part of a Steampunk outfit.

We walked east back to the parking garage which is over the bus depot. Which is when we got a closer look at the Watch Tower, which I am looking through in the above photo. There were black Suburbans and dark sunglasses abounding when we got there. The exit to the depot was blocked off by a bus and there were ARMED TSA agents littering the sidewalks. We still don't know what was up with that. Erin could only say, Mother, you would leave a baggie of bay leaves on the front seat of the car, hah, hah, hah...


In the end, Rebecca and I had a loverly day of art for art's sake...and by the way, Rebecca, I was right, it was a hawthorn.

Erin and I hit the Sunflower and saw a red fox just chillin' on a neighbor's lawn on the way there. Spooked the USPS guy right out...

Gardening and Ravelry in El Paso County

Or how I spent my Saturday.

Today being the first Saturday of the month was also the regularly scheduled meeting of the El Paso County Crafters from Ravelry.com. We try to all get together on this first Saturday to learn from each other, share what is going on in our lives, show off what we are working on and listen to each other's problems. i.e. Stitch and Bitch!

Here's a picture of Sheila and me (in the hat).


Sheila has just got me started on the Knit One Below stitch which has been driving me buggy along with the Shawl from Hell. Sheila was working on a lovely ripple stitch afghan.



Here is a picture of the Knit One Below. It creates columns as you stitch. It's a kinda kewl technique. I am knitting this swatch from Noro Blossom and Encore Worsted in a mauve colour. I believe that it will be a sketchbook cover when it is finished. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sheila. It all now makes sense.









Here's a picture of Jean and her sister in law, Suzanne.

Suzanne was working on a latch hook rug and Jean was knitting a washcloth.








Here's Sheila and Wendie. Wendie was working on a few things. A hat, I know for certain.

We did miss our Rebecca, who's away in the Flatlands (Illinois) awaiting the arrival of her grandbaby, and Anita, who is finishing up her children's game season and Wendie's Mum. eta: I totally forgot our Mel, another waiting on a baby to come.












Photo of lupins in the garden.



In the morning, I worked in the Grace and Saint Stephen's Episcopal Parish church garden and communed with the plants, sunshine, observed the many faces of Pike's Peak as the hours rolled by and said hello to the church's neighborhood dogs who were watered in the St. Francis fountain. What a joy to see so much activity occurring on our corner here in downtown Colorado Springs. There was also a student piano recital in the Nave and a quarterly Altar Guild meeting in the Taft Hall as well.





Stacey in the garden looking over her patch.

Some of the neighborhood dogs enjoying the St. Francis Fountain. The fountain had been inoperable since before we got the building returned to us, but was repaired and put back in service this week. Thanks Be!