Butterfly, Mika and Blooms

Another overcast day here in Southern Ontario but I won't complain because the temps are supposed to rise and we had a nice downpour last night with more rain expected in the near future.  I love the rain because it means I can spare my back the torture of having to lug the watering can around my property!  In case you're wondering why I would do that....well, I have an acre with various plantings towards the back end of the lot and my hose won't reach that far.  Sure I could join two or three hoses to reach but then that means I have to undo them all and put them all back again!! I'm far too lazy for that and find toting the watering can much easier despite repeated trips to the water source.  Time to install a rain barrel near the barn but I'm waiting to see if the barrels go on sale because I find $90 too much to pay for a plastic barrel with a spout!  :o)

As you know from my previous post, I haven't been stitching much at all but don't worry, I haven't abandoned it all together and expect to get back on it soon once the garden is settled to my satisfaction for the rest of the season.  Gardening, for me, is just another way to play with colour and the reality is, all of my other hobbies will take a back seat when it is time to garden. I did have time last night to go through a few stitchy things (you know, a fondle moment) and realized I hadn't posted a pic of another finish I had this year.  This is the Brushstroke Butterfly freebie from Stitching the Night Away.

I stitched it on an evenweave by SMF (now out of business) and used  'Elk Snout' by Carries Threads.  I purposely left off the brushstrokes at the bottom of the butterfly because I want the project to fit in a perfectly square, smaller frame.  It was a fun stitch!

You all haven't seen much of my Mika girl lately so here she is!!! She is 9 months old now and is such a good girl.  I'm not saying that because I'm biased either; it's the truth!  She's so calm, barely barks, understands most of what I say to her and has a very gentle nature.  A true lady's companion I must say!   Oh and she is so nice towards frogs/toads,lol.  Where I live, there is an abundance of these amphibians and when Mika finds one, she nudges it with her nose and gets so excited.  She thinks the frog is another friend to play with and she's careful so as not to step on it or hurt it with her paws.  The frogs however, are so terrified that they usually play dead after several attempts to hop away,lol.  Makes for great entertainment!
I leave you now with a happy trio from this year's garden.  Left to right: Allium complete with a bee, tall bearded Iris 'Heritage Blue' and unnamed lilac that came with the property.  I landscaped a little corner garden bed this past weekend and will post photos of that project very soon.....well, as soon as I get a few more plants in there at least because it looks nekkid ;)

Cheers,

Erynne