ART, VEGGIES, BIRDS, FLOWERS

The altered cut-offs are done! Or at least they will be after I heat set everything. I didn't even think about stamping, until Rice put up her video of that today. I really had nothing to stamp on them, since I had, unfortunately, jumped the gun and handwritten on them. (Gosh, it would have looked SO much better stamped!) But I wanted to try out her method while it was fresh on my mind. I didn't have the same ink and all that, so I used what I had. I was amazed at how well it worked! Before, I have always made a sloppy mess of stamping, but not one out of place smear anywhere, this time! Now I just hope that my ink will be colorfast enough to stand up to washing. Only time will tell. The numbers? Since I couldn't think of a single thing to stamp - well, that didn't need the letters G and Z which are missing - I decided to put the prefix to my cell phone number there in hopes that I will eventually be able to remember it, if I see it enough. I have trouble remembering numbers usually, and since I almost never need to tell someone my cell phone number or call my own phone or anything, I have never been able to remember it, even using my various 'tricks for remembering numbers'. We'll see if this works.
Isn't that a neat lettering style? I found the letter stamps at Goodwill a few years ago. Not a complete set, but they were only 50 cents.

I cooked the first of the squash today. The boys were over this evening, and as usual Mathieu was anxious to check the garden for things ready to pick. I think it was about 5 squash today. Later, Ray Burris called and we were talking about squash, and Mat ran to the refridgerator and then back to me and said, "Tell him we have 14!" I was sure it wasn't that many, but when I counted later, that's how many it was. I had taken Ray and Becky some chard and some mesclun the day before. Ray said he is growing squash too, and also eggplant. He said he'd bring me some soon. I like eggplant cubed and sauted then put in spaghetti sauce.

There are so many birds in the backyard this year, it seems. Maybe it is just that I am sitting out there more than previously. I've seen a green jay on two different days. I don't know if it was two birds or one who was hanging around daily. I've also seen at least two different varieties of hummingbirds. They are around all day, getting nectar from the vitex tree blooms, the pineapple sage, and other flowers. They try the hanging pot of geraniums too, but I don't know if it has nectar or not. The nastursiams that Mat and I planted are blooming, and the zinnia are almost ready to bloom. Other than that, it's been (mourning?) doves, Mexican doves, grackles, blackbirds, sparrows, barn swallows, pigeons, and scissortailed fly catchers. I think that is it for the past few days.