Sitting at my computer, sipping coffee (with French Vanilla Coffee-mate), gazing out my window thinking of the fruit trees --

Cherry tree is all green leaves (cherries only lasted a about a two weeks, no more until next June).

Pomegranate tree is no longer full of orange blossoms, it now has fruit producing. But won't be ready until late August early September.

Lemon tree is still producing lemons. I pick them when I can and freeze the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Amazing how it produces even during the winter months.

Plum trees are producing tons of plump, juicy plums. I eat a few each day, but am "plumed-out" from last year (still have plum jelly and a couple 2-gal bags in freezer from last year).

White grapes on the arbor are doing well. I really like it since we trimmed the vines to a 30-foot section of fencing by the arbor. Still need to remove wild growing grape vines by the south fencing. Anyone want free grape vines? Contact me and you can come and dig them up. Otherwise, they are going in the green barrel. Again, still have jelly and frozen grapes from last year. Frozen grapes make neat little snacks, but one can only eat so many grapes over time…. LOL.

Concord grapes are doing marvelous!! Last fall I wove one scrawny 5-foot vine (from neighbors’ side of fence) along the fence line and now it is filling out and is producing ten times more grapes that I got last year. (I only got a couple handfuls of concords last year.)

Pecan and almond trees are a moot point. They produce lots of nuts, but the birds get to them before we can. In my opinion, they are only good for shade trees.

Looks like we will not have a garden this year; we never rented the rototiller to work up the ground. Oh well! Guess I will just keep the grass and weeds cut (mostly weeds) during the coming months and hope for a garden next year.

Took a break from regular embroidery and made a couple more unique (at least I think they are) pin cushions.

Here is what the normal pin cushions look like; simple embroidery stitches and about an inch high. They will be in an array of different colors and stitches.

Some of the pin cushions are made for a "special" reason, or person, and I might not make duplicates of them. This one is for Princess Aeschine, since her reign theme was "BEES"

Just finished 3 leaf pin cushions. I tried to get them to resemble laurel leaves. Might give these to a couple Laurels I know. Think the next ones I will use a brighter green thread so that the veins will stand out more.

I am so proud of myself! I have the one service project completed and ready for delivery next weekend... yeah!!! Plus, the "next" service project I usually would not have started yet, but was bored today and now have one piece completed. I guesstamate (I know, not a real word) that I will actually have the second piece completed by Monday, or Tuesday if I work on something else. I really love getting my service projects completed a head of time!!!

Since I am WAY ahead on my service project, I might take a break from working on them and might make more felted pin cushions. If I get enough done, I can always turn them into the Queen's Treasure Chest.

Plus, it feels soooooo good not to feel preasured working on my projects.

When I first got on LJ, I thought “Hey, an on line journal of my thoughts and daily life. GREAT!! This will save handwriting in notebooks.” I was never so wrong in my life! Not only can Joe Blow from Timbukto read my entries, but so can Royals, Peers, and friends (SCA & mundane). Now I am back to “sugar coating” and “skirting around” my true feelings (most of the time).

I am finding that if I write about my mundane life, some might think I am crazy or need to “see a psychiatrist” (and who may feel the urge to avoid me in person). If I write about SCA related topics, I need to (REALLY need to) watch what and how I say things; as my words can, and will, jeopardize any hopes of advancing in the ranks.

For some unknown reason, people think mundane and SCA life are two separate entities; but then why do they hold what one says in private emails (written supposedly to a friend) against them at SCA events? And then they will gossip to their friends (and other Peers) that “so-n-so said this and said that, so she is not worthy of our Order.” To me, IMHO, people cannot keep mundane and SCA separate, they will always entwine the two, no matter what they say.

Everyone must be at West/An Tir War, as it is very quiet on lists and emails. But, this will give me a reason to work on sewing and making more felt pin cushions.

Actually, not everything is quiet, dogs are going balistic (in spurts) as the college kids are across the street (in college parking lot) setting off whizzies, twisters and small fire crackers. Can't wait till tomorrow evening when there will be more noise.

My pattern for my inkle belt is giving me some problems today, so I decided to put it aside for a while and started to work on a new project -- a pin cushion made from pop bottle caps.

Instead of trying a simple pattern I choose to make a more complex one -- a crown. I already have plans for this one, so I am glad that it turned out better than I expected. It measures 1 1/2" tall by 1 1/4" wide.

Completed one Napkin service project, now to start on other set. Plus have inkle loom warped for belt, hope I can learn the "picking technique" on my own, will know shortly.

Got up late today, 9:30am. It is already 95 degrees and suppose to hit 103 (too hot to do anything outside). Think I will close off the living room, turn on AC and embroider more on napkin project. Am almost dome with them; about a quarter of each left; should complete them by tonight. (Sometimes I feel that I have a needle permanently attached to my fingers...LOL) Then I can start on my yellow inkle belt. Busy, busy, busy!! First, I am going to jump in a cool shower to cool down a bit.

I took this photo of a rose from one of my rose bushes. They fill the front pourch with a lovely fragrance.

I have changed my project plans and have decided to concentrate on just three (yes, three) projects for the next 15 days...
1) finish Royal napkin project
2) work feverishly on A&S banner
3) work on my protege belt -- have design all drawn out, need to warp inkle loom and get working on it.
(So as I do not "burn out" again, I am splitting my time between these three projects, instead of working constantly on just one technique.)

Now am off to drop items to Jaida that she displayed at our Needle Guild A&S at Crown. Then back home to start finishing my projects.

We got a package today from my son and his wife, I waited until W got home and let him open it (as I already knew what was in it).. For Father's Day, they sent W a nice brown leather wallet (now he can retire his old one). For a belated Mother's Day gift, they sent me some deer antler spikes (now I can work on making some nalbinding needles). They range from 4" to 15" long.

Was doing laundry and happened to look down under the sink/tub in the garage located by the washer and almost had a heart attack!! I saw about 6" of a slimy looking tail coming out of the sticky mouse trap -- a SNAKE!!! I am back in the living room and am NOT going into the garage until hubby gets home and r-e-m-o-v-e-s that snake!! I hate snakes!! I called him at work to inform him and he says (trying to be funny) "Want me to bring it into the house so you can take a picture of it?" NO!! And I mean H-E-L-L N-O!!!!!@! He can finish the last two loads tonight.

EDIT: It was not a snake, but an 8" long lizard. It is all now out in the trash.

Friday:
Weather was nice and sunny, but cool breeze for set up. At bedtime, a bed slat broke as Josephus climbed into bed, he had to position totes to support broken slat. During the night, somehow I passed out and found myself on the floor at the foot of the bed in our pavilion (think it was a combination of drinking cyzer and cordials on top of taking a sleeping pill). Will watch myself for a few days to be sure.

Saturday:
His Majesty riding in after morning court started with arrows in his shield, with His knights in tow with blood on their faces, commenting that they were attacked by An Tirian scouts was great to see. (Prelude to W-A-R!!)

I ran the A&S display in Sabrina’s absence (she was ill and did not attend). The display was to run from 10am to 5pm, but it was so windy (and things were blowing like crazy, even though most were pinned to the table cloths), that I asked Catherine Lorraine if I could end the display at 3pm – which she agreed under the circumstanced. All in all, we had over 50 items from 12 members for the display. I think it was a very grand A&S display.

Those that brought items were; Catherine Lorraine, Ceiwein, Aelia Appolonia, Caiterina nic Sheamus, Isela de Bari, Tangwystal, Francesca von Hesse, Jania of Cold Duck Manor, Theiadore Groves, Felicia, Jaida and myself.

We had 31 devices on display for the Pennsic Cloak Project.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to run the display; it was a wonderful and enriching experience for me.

Titus Scipio Germanicus won the crown tourney, he will become our new King; and he was fighting for Eilis ni Roibeard O'Boirne

OH! OH! And the bestest (I know, not a word…*S*) thing that did happen to me this weekend is that I am now a “protégé”!!!! Catherine of Wessex OP asked me to be her protégé!! She took me under her “wing” officially.

Sunday:
We hit stop and go (more like a crawl) traffic just before the raceway; took us one and a half hours to travel one mile (lakeview Hwy to the 37/121 exits). Got home at 10:30pm and went to bed for a decent nights sleep.

If there is one person or more on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

Is it sane for an old lady to hear songs from the past and they bring back long, dead memories of her youth? Is she being senile or nostalgic? Is this normal to remember days gone by that can never be relived and loves lost? Each song I found has a special meaning for someone that I loved and lost…..
All I Want to Do by Heart

Every Breath You Take by Police

Hungry Like a Wolf by Duran Duran

Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooly (1958)

Their Coming to Take me Away by Napoleon the 14th

Father Figure by George Michael

Father Figure by George Michael

I’d do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf

Love Will Keep us Alive by The Eagles

One Tin Soldier by Coven

Lying Eyes by The Eagles

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics

Saturday Night by Bay City Rollers

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul & Mary

These last few days have been wonderful; not too hot, not too cool. I was hoping the weather would stay cool for Crown weekend; looks as though Friday will be high 90's for set up but Saturday & Sunday will be low 90's & high 80's. Great weather!!

Early morning harvesting.... While I was out trimming new growth from the trunks(?) of the grape vines, hubby was harvesting cherries. Last year we barely got a quart of cherries, this year we are doing better. We now have 2-gallons (I store them in glass jars while picking, this is my measuring technique) of nice, deep purple, plump cherries. Guess pruning the tree and watering it special was beneficial after all. Time to make some cherry pies!! YUMMMM!

The grape vines ran wild last year all along the fence line, guess the landlord did not take care of them as they should, and we had 4 different sections of wildly growing grapes (green seedless grapes)....
Section 1 ran from the garden gate about 20" to the left and down alone the fence line for another 20' and then up the pecan tree. We have since cut and pulled all the green grape vines from this section (except what vine trunks were on the neighbors side of the fencing). I am trying to remove all green grapes from my side of the fence in this section. We cut and pulled what vines we could reach from the pecan tree, now there are no grape runners going up the tree. The neighbors also have concord grapes, so I was able to start one small runner from over the fence onto my side, this way, we will have our own batch of plump, juicy concord grapes. This grape vine I am having run from the corner fencing to the garden gate. I will also be more able to control the amount of concord vines in this section.

Section 2 ran from the right of the garden gate 32' along the fencing and up the pomegranate tree. This is also the section that has an arbor to provide a shaded area on the garden side, this arbor is covered with grape vines (this arbor are I want to keep as is). We did cut and pull the wayward vines from the pomegranate tree and the last 10' of fencing. We also trimmed the new growth from the main trunk of the grape vine. I am finding out that these runners need to be trimmed continuously!! I really do want to keep them contained to the arbor area.

Section 3 runs about 30' past the pecan tree (it looks like they started to build an arbor but never finished it) along the fence line. This section has also grown wild and is growing in the garden area. We do plan on digging up these grape growths and getting rid of them (I can only make just so much grape jelly). We do eat the grapes when they are fresh, at least I do.

Section 4 is further down the fence line, almost to the end of that fencing. We will be getting rid of this whole section, hopefully this summer.

The arbor section will provide us with enough green grapes to last us (not to mention what I will GIVE away). This means that I can make white grape juice (all natural with NO preservatives)and more white grape jelly. The concord section is now filling out nicely and is abundant with grape clusters (more jelly and juice...*sigh).