The heat finished off my garlic, and by mid month, it was in the shed drying.

Total bulbs of garlic:  88.   I will share with my daughters, and save enough to plant in October for next year.

Garlic is one of the easiest, most satisfying things to grow, in my opinion.

My shed is perfect for it, sometimes I just go out and sit there, it's lovely and quiet, and I love the smell of garlic.

I am still only weaving ONE towel a day, since my shoulder is such a whiner, but they do add up, and here is the last warp, all hemmed and washed and ironed.

I'm quickly on to the next warp.  I hate having an empty loom.  It somehow seems criminal.

I watched a You Tube video, and hung some of my garlic up like this.  I may do the rest, it was so easy.  I love the way it looks, too.

Even though it seems too early, my friends who grow onions say theirs are done, also.

They were all falling over in the garden, and the green parts were starting to turn brown, so I pulled them all, and now THEY are drying in the shed.

I haven't counted them, but there's plenty.

I'm starting some egg towels, the original ones I made.  I can't make the egg shapes because I sold the Megado, that had 16 shafts.  

It just wasn't the loom for me.

I'm keeping it simple these days, and it seems to suit me.

The thoracic surgeon appointment is in a couple of days.  I can't say that I am

not a little anxious about it.

But then I tell myself that worrying about it is a waste of time.

What will be, will be.

And far be it from me to have the power to change one whit of it.

My ribs don't hurt any more, and I'm not short of breath, and for both of these 

things I am very grateful.

It's difficult when you are pushing 80, to not think in terms of how much time you have 

left on this planet, and also to wonder if you will be lucky enough to 

stay functional and on your feet while you are here.

I often think that it might be construed as maudlin.

I prefer to think of it as being realistic.

I know for one thing, that I will in future have the utmost respect for 

stairs of any kind.

I still am surprised at how much damage could be done from the 5th stair

from the bottom.

So perhaps I have slowed myself down a notch, and I try to be more 

mindful.........which reminds me so much

of my English mother.

Every time I would leave her, she would say, 

"Mind how you go."

I never realized what incredibly good advice that was.

Update

Since my last post, I am much improved after my fall.  My ribs hardly hurt at all anymore.

I also had an iron infusion, since my iron had tanked, the doctor thinks the bleeding from the fractured ribs contributed to that.

My breathing has improved greatly, though I find it a little difficult at times to take a deep breath.  I am sure when I see the thoracic surgeon at the end of the month, he will take another CXR to see how the pleural effusion fares.  I hope it has decreased and will continue to do so.

I do NOT want surgery....in fact, I am trying to visualize him saying that it is not necessary.

Positive thoughts.

Goldie has also recovered from his injuries after being beat up by an unknown assailant.

He slept for days, and ate cooked chicken, and eventually was allowed out for a few hours in the garden.   He didn't get full "day outside" privileges until I was convinced that he was OK.

Even now, right after dinner, I go out and call to him, and he comes right in, and stays in for the night.

No more dealing with outsde critters at night for him.

I think he's ok with that.

I have been back at weaving, trying to limit myself to one towel, or maybe one and a half towels a day.  It makes me happy, and it agrees, so far, with my shoulder.

I am trying to accumulate 200 towels for the guild show in November.  It's a boost to my budget that I really don't want to give up.  I have 145 right now, plus what is on the loom.

I think I'll make it.

I've also been playing with watercolors.  I realized that I am not the kind of artist, using that term very loosely, that is going to paint a landscape or a portrait.  I like to paint things that are whimsical, maybe not entirely realistic, and I like to be able to finish a project in one sitting.

I started with cards, and I now have a box of greeting cards that I intend to use on every occasion that comes my way.  

I have also used the plethora of cards as a nudge to send one, for no reason at all, to friends I just want to touch base with.   It reminds me of those days, remember? when people dropped a line in a card, or a note, or a letter...in the mail....to people that they cared about.

I want to do more of that.

And I've started making bookmarks, which are even more fun.

Here are some of the cards.

And here are some of the bookmarks.

I have already given a lot of them away to friends and family, and when they have all had their pick, if I am still having this much fun making them, I am going to take them to the library, and let the librarian give them away to whoever might like one.

It's a gift to me, to have something that I love to do, if it makes someone happy with the finished product.  The only cost really is the paper.  Watercolors last for a long time, and the tasssels are from leftover warp threads, that I would normally either toss in the garbage, or give away.

So far, the summer has been exhausting with the heat, and weaving and painting are my solace.

Praying for our country to find its way.

Garden photos next time.

Later..

Hilary