A busy 5 days - this is going to be a long post!

After work on Wednesday last week it was nice and cool outside so I figured I had better get to doing yard work before the heat came. The weeds were taking over and I needed to beat them back! I started with the mugo pine bed. Here's the before and after

The bed in front of the studio window wasn't too bad so to finish out the evening I pulled the weeds, cut back some of the marigolds, and pulled up the jalapeño plant that was buried in the marigolds

The plant was in good shape, it had two blossoms, and the root ball came out in one piece so I decided to dig a hole at the end of the bed and replant it. I put a piece of wire mesh around it and plastic mesh on top to keep the deer from eating it. We will see if I get anymore jalapeños. After doing some trimming with the weed wacker, I called it a day. It took 3 hours and 15 minutes and one wheelbarrow of stuff.

Thursday morning was cool so I was back out working on the curb bed, the zebra grass, and the center bed. The curb bed wasn't too bad at all so it didn't take that long to pull the few weeds, trim down the Shasta daisies, and edge the grass.

The zebra grass was starting to spread so it was time to reel it in. I cut a piece of mesh, wrapped it around the plant, and tied it with yarn to chinch it in. I sure made that sound easier than it was! LOL! On one of my trips out I bought some cording and retied the mesh. I knew the yarn would not hold after using it last year. If I didn't do this the plant would splay out and it would be 8 - 10 feet across.

The center bed was a mess even though I had weeded it not that long ago. The weeds under the mugo pine were out of control. Three hours later I had all three beds done and another wheelbarrow of stuff! What's left under the mugo pine is some California poppies.

Thursday night the band had a show in Cleveland right on the lake. It was too windy to put up the merch tent - 14 mph - but then that was one less thing we had to pack up after the show. The sunset was so beautiful!

I got to bed at midnight so I was a bit tired on Friday. I did have a hair appointment, did dishes, stopped at the library and worked on my sampler for Sampler September. I am working off pictures of a sampler I found online - no chart.

Saturday I stitched and went to the grocery store to get a few things to take to my son's house for the end of summer party they were having. I was a nice party and I got home just after the sun went down. Sunday it was getting hot and humid so I went out early to work on another planting bed. This bed in mostly in the shade all day. I hadn't weeded it this year and it was a mess! Three hours later it was looking so much better. I put up the new mesh fencing that will be easier to handle.

I had enough time to get something to eat and a shower before I had to head downtown to another show at the Pizza Fest. I ended up parking 4 blocks away which isn't a bad walk since it is downhill. Afterwards, it was a long walk back up the hill when I was so hot, tired and my thigh was hurting. There was a nice crowd and a couple people I work with came to the show. Thank goodness the show was 4 to 5:30 so after we got packed up, I was home a few minutes after seven.

Monday was all about staying home and doing laundry, baking a cake, and quilting on the flannel quilt. I got a new bundt pan and I wanted to try it out. Lately I am into bundt cakes. I need to make a cake for a birthday next month so I want to practice with the new pan and a recipe I hadn't baked before. The center didn't rise quite like I thought it should, but once I flipped it over you couldn't tell. Throw some glaze on it and it was a perfectly decent looking cake. There wasn't as much definition in the design so I think I will invest in another pan with more character.

This was too much cake to take to work so I texted both my neighbors and asked if they would like some. Yes, was their answers. LOL! I told them I was practicing so there will be more cake coming their way. I heard no complaints.

I am 31% done with quilting the flannel quilt. It is going pretty quick and I am happy with how it looks.

I was sad to see Jimmy Buffett had died. My brother toured with him for 3 1/2 years and it was fun to go to the shows and watch the people. Everyone in the band, the dancers, bodyguards, crew and the wardrobe lady were always so nice to us when we went to the shows and got to go backstage and see everyone. I remember I was working at the bakeware plant and my brother asked if I could bring some pans to give to everyone. Well, you would have thought we were giving away gold! They love getting the pans. I did get to meet Jimmy one time and shake his hand. I also had made him a quilt which I was told he took on tour with him.

Jimmy saw a folding TV tray table my dad had made and asked if dad would make one for him. He wanted it for his laptop when he was sitting on his bed in the hotel. Dad was honored to make him one and my brother asked me to make a bag to put it in so it didn't get dinged up on the bus. My brother got me this autographed picture

and I made a quilt using a pair of Jimmy's pants I ended up with in a box of fabric from the wardrobe lady. RIP JB.