June jottings

Phew, June is ending and sometimes it feels like maybe not a lot is going on, but looking back things happened. I did some making, we took a quick weekend trip, the garden is going gangbusters, and we got some house maintenance done. Without further ado a bit about what’s been happening and what I’ve been thinking about this past month.

Rediscovering makes

One thing that’s happening these days is that I have enough clothing I’ve made that’s seasonal that I forget about things I’ve made because I’m not wearing them for a good chunk of the year. This month I pulled out a tank top that I’d forgotten about but turns out I love it. A regular occurrence when I finish sewing or knitting something is that I’m not always sure I like it, but putting it away and not looking at it for a bit is so helpful. And that happens when I pull out summer clothes I made the year before, the long break lets me reevaluate things and it’s really helpful.

I also took some time this month to take a t-shirt dress where the neckline turned out wonky and fixed it. It isn’t absolutely perfect, but you’d have to look very closely to see that things aren’t perfect which makes it wearable! In an effort to not waste and consume as much I’ve been trying to go back to things that I’m not wearing and figure out what it would take to make them wearable. Not everything can be saved but it’s been really good for me to think it through and try. It’s also helpful to think through these things as I look for what I want to add to my wardrobe and make next.

AAA Baseball

The very first day of the month found us at a AAA baseball game and I think it may have been my first one. We saw the Sacramento Rivercats, which is a part of the San Francisco Giants system. It was a good game. Plus the AAA games always have funny things in between innings and they’re much more relaxed in a way, which I enjoy. The night we were there was celebrating dinosaurs so all of the inbetween inning entertainment centered around them. Side note: it was also interesting to be in the stadium where The Athletics (currently in Oakland) will be playing starting next year until they get their stadium in Las Vegas. I’m not sure how the major leaguers are going to enjoy playing in a AAA stadium, it’ll be an interesting transition.

Looking out from the seats of a baseball game with netting in the foreground, players on the field, and in the distance a yellow bridge, the scoreboard, and the rest of the stadium along the right side.
AAA baseball from our seats that were fairly decent.

Crater Lake

We day tripped to see a college friend of G’s who was nearby and saw the big blue lake that is always beautiful. It’s also funny to be at home and it’s incredibly hot and then you drive 2.5 hours, go up several thousand feet and there is snow on the ground and it’s comfortable and not too warm. Since there was so much snow on the ground the rim drive wasn’t open, so the park was also delightfully crowd free.

In the foreground some snow and cedar trees with a large very blue lake in the middle ground and an island rising up out of it filled with pine trees and in the background mountains with a sprinkling of snow on them.
The unbelievable blue of Crate Lake.

House projects

Even though we live in a 5 year old house, it still needs maintenance. We were going to hire out some things, but instead decided to save the money for other things by doing one project ourselves. G and I have sealed a fence in the past and so we know it’s a job that isn’t fun. But a weekend rolled around with cool weather and we decided to go for it. I don’t love doing it, the smell of the seal is awful to me, but we got it done in two mornings and it felt good to get the job done.

We also got some mechanicals serviced and checked and a help with a few other things. These are small things in the grand scheme, but it always feels so good to get it done and not have to think about it anymore. And, as an added bonus, we’ve saved some money and have room in the budget for something fun.

Blueberries

Four years ago I got three tiny blueberry bush starts and put them in the ground. Last year I got a few cups of berries, but these bushes still weren’t that big. This year we got a decent harvest, with a quart so far and there are more berries still ripening. I love them fresh off the bush and breakfast has been berries with yogurt and a bit of granola.

A glass bowl filled with blueberries to the very top, sitting on a brown table with the edge and corner visible in the background.
Look at all these berries, loving getting a decent amount this year.

Hummingbirds are back

I finally got our hummingbird feeder filled and put out amongst the flowers and within a week we had birds using it. As has happened the last several years the rufous are fighting over it territorially and the Anna’s are swooping in while they fight to quietly take some good long draws from it. Gotta love a bird that sees an opening and grabs it.

Brewers Socks

A pair of legs with one that has the bottom of the foot propped against the other, each has on a sock with blue variegated yarn and yellow stripes at the cuff, a yellow heel, and a yellow toe.
One quick make photo, a pair of socks made in the colors of the Milwaukee Brewers, using a custom colorway I got while we were in Milwaukee last month.