Tall Tales from Kansas

you make do with the blues that are immediately at hand

We had a family picnic last Saturday when it was 90+ degrees outside.  Ninety degree days in May calls for the cooling properties of blue.   Johnson's blue geraniums, blue glass pitchers, blue markers & pencils, blue jeans, blue pots and blue skies.  When you don't have a big blue pool to dive into to cool down, you make do with the blues that are immediately at hand. 

a fountain update

The bowl was filled.  Anticipatory drinks were opened.

Fingers were crossed.

A leak was observed. 

I am assured that a solution will be forthcoming.

They just need a little more time to consider whose approach is best.   

corks and stoppers and sealing gel and sticky putty stuff

How hard can it be to put together an outdoor fountain?  One with a pump that must be plugged in.  The sort with a base and a bowl and a finial (or whatever the thing on top that the water comes out of is called).   Mind you, each part weighs like 50 to 75 pounds, and you have to almost turn over on your head when you connect the pump to the hose.  Those of you who wear glasses just try hooking up a pump to tubing in a place that is hard to reach with your bifocals totally mis-aligned.  Did I mention there are corks and stoppers and sealing gel and sticky putty stuff involved?  

Against all odds my research assistant/personal chef and I got it all assembled.  We let it sit overnight so the sealer stuff would be all waterproof.  This morning we filled the bowl and held our breath. 

It leaked. 

I will only show a photo once it is working.  I hope that will not have to involve a service call of some sort. 

I turned them from long stem to short stem and stuffed them in a little vase

I am not a huge fan of long stem roses.  I prefer the simple, home garden arrangement of flowers.  The exception to this being a big fat vase of tulips.  I go gaga for a big vase of tulips.   This past week I was at a service and brought home some left over roses that needed a good home.   I turned them from long stem to short stem and stuffed them all together in a little vase.  
 
Seven days later they are about on their last leg.  But clearly I had not totally thought through the whole long stem thing.   I am signing up to be a long stem foster parent.  

she lets me come over and visit hers

Cross stitch was one of the first "crafts" I got into.   The design was stamped on the fabric, you stitched the X's on top.  Very easy.  Very satisfying.  Next I moved on to counted cross stitch.  My favorite projects were the Santa's I made at Christmas.  I still love each and every one of them.   About that time my eyes started to get weak and even with glasses it just wasn't the same.  But I always wanted to do something like these.

These amazingly beautiful samplers were "wrought" by my garden mentor Mary Joan.   The craftsmanship is exquisite and the designs are all based on original samplers.  I love the idea of re-creating this fine handwork and passing them down to the next generation.  This is one of those things I want to do, but I know I will not.  I am grateful to have a friend that lets me come over and gaze admiringly upon her work.    She even lets me hold them if I want to so I can examine them very closely.   She doesn't have any museum rules in her house. 

I do sometimes know when to say enough is enough

Some people don't like the Iris.  I would NOT be one of those people.

I like them so much right now that I went outside this morning and cut some to bring inside and put in my Iris vase. 

I do not have an Iris doily to place under the Iris vase that contained the Iris flowers but if I did I wouldn't use it because I do sometimes know when to say enough is enough. 

jelly beans + robin eggs + pastel M&M's

Jelly Beans + Robin Eggs + pastel M&M's = Happy Easter

in a glass jar from Budapest at 6:09 pm

Daffodils on the butcher block in a glass jar from Budapest at 6:09pm on Saturday in Lawrence Kansas.  I don't think I left any details out. 

it says "after dinner" on the packaging but that's a lie

Would someone explain to me the lack of a St. Patrick's Day candy?   Why hasn't Mars Incorporated put a leprechaun-ish twist on the always popular M&M and mixed together some lovely shades of green and marketed them?   I guess they were waiting for me to tell them about it. 

As it is, I have been forced to buy Andes Mints for the last 10 years or so to put in my shamrock basket.    With a last name like Mulvenon (mull-van-un) you know we are celebrating over here on March 17th.   Luckily I like Andes Mints.  I know it says "after dinner" mints on the packaging but that's a lie.  You can eat them early in the morning AND way into the night.  

women who are good at home-repair type things

We had some plumbing work that needed to be taken care of this week. 

I know there are many women who are good at home-repair type things.  I am not one of them.  When Chris starts to act like he might need me to help with something like this I run to the basement and hide.   Not only do I not like home-repair, I am NOT good at it.  No siree.  Not a handy bone in my body.  

Luckily Lewis Mulvenon is generally available to handle any assistant to the handyman duties.   As I was headed down the stairs to hide and he was running up to help, I instructed him not to laugh at that headlamp contraption thing Chris was wearing.   Chris does not find it one bit amusing when I laugh about serious business.