1. In June I went to the Daylilly Festival at Oakes Daylilies with friends. It poured almost the entire time we were there or I might have shared the adventure with you. Even though I have basically said that I am not planting, at least not planting perennials I did come home with a couple of medium to short daylilies, which I new would happily fit in a couple of bare areas in the front, areas the previous owner had filled with annuals. Two of those daylilies have put out buds, one of them bloomed Wednesday.
Oddly the two daylilies that seem determined to bloom are the two that did not look like they were adapting well. We have had a lot of rain, at least through the first week of July, and these areas were perhaps a little more waterlogged than daylilies prefer. Then again, perhaps it is not odd, a plant, I suppose, like any living thing, wants to reproduce. I wonder if the plant has enough gumption left for me to transplant it, or given that we are currently in a dry period, if it is best to leave it where it is to recover, waiting to transplant in the early fall, before the rains probably recommence.
2. Tikka and I are out on adventure. The contractors have been busy working at my house since yesterday morning. Due to the nature of the work being done, we were asked to vacate for a couple of days, so we have wandered over to Asheville. North Carolina. Tikka is a pretty good travel companion, happy to rest quietly in a hotel room, as long as we stick more or less to our normal routine of meals and walks, which is not difficult to do, and even though summer camp is fun, I think she'd rather go than be left behind.
3. Yesterday evening, the plan had been that I would walk Tikka and then go back out for dinner, but downtown Asheville seems to be a pretty dog-friendly place. Tikka is a very social girl, mostly well-behaved, but social nonetheless, and she loved the opportunity to meet her four-legged compatriots, as well as to stop and say hello to anyone who said "hello cutie" and asked if they could pet her. We were out for a while and somehow ended up stopping at a place with a lovely shaded patio and some nearby musicians. I stayed for dinner without taking Tikka home first. She got her water bowl and settled happily under the table, while our menus were brought out. Yes, our menus, as there was a doggie menu as well. Alas Tikka had already dined, although she might well have preferred a bison burger with quinoa.
4. We had arrived in the early afternoon, after spending an extra hour and a half on the freeway due to an accident in the middle of a construction site, and I was tired and hungry. I found a tapas bar, where I had a lovely glass of chilled Albariño, and a couple of small plates, one of which was the lovely, and delicious, plate of sardines shown above.
5. Sated, and probably foolish, I meandered back to the hotel. I passed a store filled with looms and yarn and fibers for knitting and felting, basket making supplies, dyestuffs, and all kinds of fabulous things. I don't have my own studio set up yet, or my loom, but I am eager to learn and play. I wandered around, contented to let myself remain dazed. I'm not ready for more supplies, I just needed to observe the riches. I kind of like this jumbled photo of multiple looms, looking outward onto the street because it captures my sense of dazed abundance, exactly what I wanted to remember from that first visit.
My midday walk was foolish because I neglected to apply sunscreen when Ileft the hotel to go to lunch, and although I probably only spent about 15 minutes or so in the sun, and another 20-30 following my meal, (already after 3) I did get a sunburn. I had applied sunscreen before leaving Knoxville, since I have a history of melanoma, but that had been hours before, and the altituide is higher as well, although I do not know if it is enough to make a difference. It may be. I recognize that I have been growing more lax over the years with sunscreen, and I do struggle with the issues of burning, vs UVA (more likely implicated in melanoma), vs vitamin D absorption. Although I haven't burnt in day to day activities, I've noticed that even though I apply a broad spectrum sunscreen daily, and wear a sun protective shirt if I work I the yard during the hours when the sun is high, I have gotten a little more color than usual on my arms and chest just from day to day short-term exposure. I've bee lax, and this is a reminder that I need to improve.
