Falling down, the back 20, and a beautiful sunset over the garden

One of the things I like about being a consistent writer is that I have an easier time with deciding what to put to virtual paper to start my blog posts. 

This isn't a coffee date, but I am drinking tea. 

Sleepy time tea, if you must know.  Will I stay awake long enough to write a blog post? Maybe. 

And I think I just broke a cardinal rule of blog photos. I think I read somewhere that the first photo should be really eye catching.  That coffee mug is more than 25 years old. 

Oh well. 

After a light evening of cross stitching I thought I should write something after almost two weeks since my last blog post. 

I've been steadily busy with things.  Not all things that are terribly exciting to write about. 

On the health front, I've leveled up a bit on how I feel. So I've been a bit more active. I wish I could say I had this significant improvement and I'm doing *so* much better.  I'm grateful for what improvements I have. It's slow going.

I took one day off work and went and participated in what I'm going to call a "Take your wife to work day." I went and worked with my darling husband for the day.  It was fun. Well, as much fun as that particular work can be. It was a nice day, weather-wise and there was a nice view of a river for riparian entertainments when we had lunch. 

I didn't have my phone with me so no photos of that one. Sorry. 

One day we decided to try fishing before the work day started. I think we got to the lake just after 6 a.m. Nothing was biting.  Pretty frustrating. 

As I was pulling the kayak back to the truck I stepped into a hole that someone dug out in the sand, and down I went. It was one of those slow motion things where I knew I was going down as soon as I felt my foot step in to that hole. I didn't feel anything when I landed. I think I might have even laughed a little bit. 

I certainly felt it the next morning. Ugh. ... 

And yes, I made it back home with time to spare before clocking in for the day. 

One weekend we decided it was time to head out to the back 20 and put fresh batteries in the game cams and make sure nothing was destroyed by bears. 

We found hazelnuts ... 

And blueberries.

We realized we haven't spent much time back there this summer.  Things are a bit overgrown and still very green, considering the lack of rain we've been experiencing.

Fortunately no damage to the shelters.

When I put fresh batteries in the game cams I was surprised to see the cameras were still turned on.  We forgot to shut them down when we finished hunting last year. 

It was fun going through the thousands of photos. There were some that were interesting and I'm going to share them here, in no particular order. 

Tom turkeys.

Porkie!

This one kind of hurts. But it's cool to see this fella made it through the hunting season. 

Hopefully this fox will stay far away from the chickens.  Though I have heard that one of my neighbors suffered a fox attack and lost some chickens. 

Turkey closeup!

Kitteh!

Wolf? I've heard wolves have been spotted in the area. 

Bear! 

Another kitteh.

Looks like two porcupines arguing. 

Same bear?

In other news, we picked our first cherries and raspberries. 

We've been eating the raspberries as soon as we see them.  I don't know if we'll be good and save enough for a small batch of jam.  Eating them fresh off the canes is just SO good! 

Cucumbers are coming fast and furious now. I harvested these this morning. 

In past years we've collected a couple each evening and enjoyed them with ranch, or in salads. This year the plants are really productive and I think I'll finally have extra to make some dill pickles.  Yum! 

The weather this week was not very conducive to recording a garden journal video.  I may be able to record one this weekend, depending on how things go. 

Yes, I have been crafting.  My crafting has taken a nosedive. I'm okay with that, however. 

My USA 250 cross stitch. 

And my Farmyard Friends. I finished July's assignment. It was a deceptive amount of stitches. More than 600, I think. It took me three evenings to stitch these five quilt stars.

When I went to tuck the girls in tonight, I remembered my phone so I could take a photo. 

They weren't too impressed with me. 

I'm glad I took my phone with me.  The sky was gorgeous tonight. 

I tried taking photos over by the garden.  This was the only one that turned out. 

So I guess you get a bit of a sneak peek of the garden.

Flosstube #49 A birthday finish! (July 22, 2026)

 

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~~~~Cross Stitch~~~~

~Works in Progress~

Project name: USA 250

Started: April 12, 2026

Finished:

Designer: Wrought Iron Stitching

Chart purchased: Etsy, 2026

Fabric: 14 count Aida, brown hand-dyed by me

Floss used: 832, 824, 3866, 3777, 898

By Wrought Iron Stitching

**************

Project name: Flea Market Flowers

Started: March 1, 2026

Designer: Lori Holt.  

Complete: 

Fabric: 14 count Aida

DMC: 347, 3328, 3712, 760, 761, 922, 729, 471, 937, 3345, 3814, 993, 598, 597, 322,  08, 07

Stitch-along with Alison, @Mrs.AZfamilyzooStitchesAlison, and Mair, @sincity_crossstitcher. Chart purchased at Fat Quarter Shop. 

********************

* Secret Stitch (Wish I could share)

~Finished Cross Stitch~

Project name: Cherry

Started: June 26, 2026

Finished: July 1, 2026

Designer: Lumi Stitch

Fabric: Aida 

Fabric Color: White opalesence

Fabric Count: 14 count

Floss Used: DMC 321, 777, 816, 987, 3347

Birthday SAL. Link to purchase chart: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4511249821/cherries-cross-stitch-pdf-pattern?ref=shop_home_feat_3&sr_prefetch=1&pf_from=shop_home&pro=1&sts=1&dd=1&logging_key=be624eb9e4f8fa9d423138662b60b17d5c9e8c77%3A4511249821

~~~Knitting~~~

~Current Knitting Project~

* Vanilla Socks

Project Name: Vanilla Socks

Started: July 11, 2026

Finished: 

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici

Colors: Blues

Needle Size: 2.5 mm

**********

Project Name: Porcupine Island Shawl

Started: June 16, 2026

Designer: Denise E.M. Bartels

Where I got the pattern: Ravelry link - https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/porcupine-island-shawl

Needle Size: U.S. 2 / 2.75 mm

Yarn: Deep stash Forbidden Fiber Co

Yarn Color: Wisp - Blue

Guage: We don't need no gauge. 

~~Finished Knitting~~

* Vanilla Socks

Project Name: Vanilla socks (vinca yarn)

Started: May 29, 2026

Finished: June 27, 2026

Needle Size: U.S. 2 / 2.5 mm

Yarn: Vinca JL

Yarn Color: greens, blues, with a bit of red

~~Various and Sundry~~

I made a project bag.

Woolenvine Tutorial - https://youtu.be/qJKkLBxjLz4?si=3C5QOQPYv7K5BUmh

Other lovely people who are mentioned in this video

Alison  ⁨@Mrs.AZfamilyzooStitchesAlison⁩  

Mair  ⁨@sincity_crossstitcher⁩  

Kim  ⁨@TheSnitchStitcher⁩  

Milka  ⁨@megastitches⁩  

Patty  ⁨@StitchingWithMyKitties-xe8qz⁩  

Holly  ⁨@hobbiesofholly⁩  

Sarah  ⁨@SarahsStitchySpot⁩  

Judy  ⁨@Stitchingbunny1127⁩  

Bridget  ⁨@dawsonsstitchery⁩  

Katie  ⁨@Jeremiahs_Mom⁩  

Kara  ⁨@Seeingstitches⁩  

Sherry  ⁨@sheralynleigh1844⁩  

Heather  ⁨@themirrorimagestitcher⁩  

Hannah  ⁨@LadybugStitches⁩  

Denise  ⁨@BlackRibbonStitchStudio⁩  

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*Etsy shops and other shops you should check out*

Forbidden Fiber Co. 

   https://www.forbiddenfiberco.com/

AZ Family Zoo

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/azfamilyzoo

   https://azfamilyzoo.com/shop

Mudpuppy Stitchery 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/MudpuppyStitchery

   https://www.patreon.com/cw/MudpuppyStitchery

Lumi Stitch 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/LumiStitch

   https://ko-fi.com/lumiselenedesigns/shop

Disorderly Stitcher 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/DisorderlyStitcher

Black Ribbon Shop 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackRibbonShop

Ladybug Stitches 

   https://ladybugstitches.com/

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadybugStitchesShop

SamBrie Stitches 

   https://www.sambriestitches.com/

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/SamBrieStitches

Sweet Autumn Stitch 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetAutumnStitch

Stormy Blue 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/StormyBlue

Northwoods Stitcher 

   https://www.ebay.com/usr/northwoodsstitcher

Milka 

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/milkasrealm

   https://www.milkasrealm.com/

Billy Griffin - Stitching with the Griffin

https://the-emerald-emporium.bigcartel.com/

flosstube, cross stitch, crossstitch, garden, gardening, wisconsin, zone3b, zone4a

A bit of a reset

 I bet you thought I was going to title this one "Smoke!" or "I survived the great smoke-out of '26!"

Nope, I thought I'd try to be a bit unpredictable and *not* talk about the wildfires right away in this post.

*ahem*

It was another one of those weeks which flew by, and I was left a bit perplexed by this when Friday evening rolled around.  How? The week was fairly quiet, thanks to it being an off week at work, and staying in the house, mostly, to avoid the smoke from the wild fires that are burning up by the border. 

Monday was publishing day, which went smashingly well. Tuesday through Thursday went by in a blink. I did a lot of spinning for Tour de Fleece, and touched my crochet projects a bit. I even recorded a garden journal video ... Wednesday morning, I believe it was. 

Can I just say that when I realized Wednesday was the 15th I was shocked. SHOCKED that the month was officially half over. 

This summer is speeding by and it's certainly not going the way I thought it would.  Nothing bad, I should clarify. It's just that I thought I'd have more time to do things, read books, watch interesting movies ... And here the summer is practically over. 

"No it's not," you might be saying. I always feel like summer is on the downslope once Independence Day rolls around. Usually my focus is on the garden and enjoying the fruits of my labors, and think how there is not enough time to do all the things because the garden is producing so much. 

I've been a bit brooding about this.  If I'm using the word correctly. So I decided to take a break from some things this weekend. Mainly crafting and I cut back on the interwebs.

I tried a new television program, and I read a book. 

The television show was Ride or Die, on Amazon.  I like it well enough, I suppose. It's one of those programs where I don't know how they could do a second season if they manage to wrap all things up by the end of the first season. 

The book I read was "The Wedding People". I enjoyed it. I started it on Saturday and finished it Sunday evening. 

On Friday I decided to try and find a map showing the path the smoke was going. A few friends who live in Virginia posted on social media that the smoke had reached their state. I was surprised to read this.

It took me a bit of doing to find a map that showed a broader picture of the country affected.

That same day I pulled up Watch Duty, to see all the current wild fires in the country. 

So depressing to see how many wildfires were marked on the map. 

And then to see how close the border wildfires are to my area. 

Friday evening a storm rolled through and helped with the smoke. 

Saturday we made the trek to town, for shopping and I got to see what things look like since the smoke hit the area. 

For the most part, the smoke is gone. Thankfully.  There's still a bit of something, and you can definitely see it on Saturday when you were headed towards Duluth. 

Smoke off in the distance. 

On the High Bridge

Overlooking Lake Superior.

Around midday we went for a bike ride to one of our usual spots. No issues with biking. 

There was maybe one boat out on the water. 

I picked my first official harvest of raspberries. 

Oh, now that I think about it, I should start freezing the berries as they ripen (as long as the birds don't get them first) and when I have enough, make a small batch of raspberry jam. Oh, yum! 

I couldn't break away from the crafting totally. I did knit a few rounds on my vanilla sock. 

So that was this past week, in a nutshell. 

Garden Journal #7 - The garden is wild (July 15, 2026)

 

Hello! I am a gardener in Northern Wisconsin. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting with me today, and listening to me chatter about all things gardening. If you have questions about anything, please leave it in the comments. The garden is indeed getting a bit wild. The recent heat spell has been thoroughly enjoyed by some of the plants in the garden. Others have decided it's time to start putting their energy towards setting flowers. There is a cameo from the chickens. Other channels mentioned in the video Katie  @thehomesteadingrd  Kristen  @ShiftingRoots  Ashley  @GardeningInCanada  Milka  @milkagomez24  Becky  @CalKingOnyx  Becky's blog - https://sketchesandmore.blogspot.com/ Items I use for seed starting: Indoor greenhouse I use https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/greenhouses/centurion-reg-4-shelf-mini-greenhouse/1209/p-1642874262961937-c-10122.htm?srsltid=AfmBOooyFucnmcnMc0LXlJId1HS0AwKdqv8fBE1o07f4MA7vt1KBK1l1 Heat mats - https://a.co/d/0ai02JBL Grow lights - https://a.co/d/0gr6WIqK Tub I use for mixing soil - https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/concrete-cement-masonry/concrete-accessories/shape-products-reg-all-purpose-tub/1891221/p-1444441873972-c-5642.htm?srsltid=AfmBOoqrK4PcpL49xEVffA8skArfP_CTJkYeiQ8exu6S6Qn9NliCA5o_ 2 inch soil blocker I have - https://a.co/d/06KA6zRL Microblocker - https://a.co/d/006gMNHr Plant labels - https://a.co/d/06i4cLhh 1020 trays I use https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/1020-trays-and-flats/products/extra-strength-1020-tray?variant=17288967094362 https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/collections/1020-trays-and-flats/products/1020-shallow-microgreen-tray-veterans-support-collection?variant=51678257021296 Read my writing over at https://amniconstudio.blogspot.com/ - sign up to receive new posts by email. Want to stay connected? Follow me over on instagram. https://www.instagram.com/amniconstudio/ Email: AmniconStudio at gmail.com Free Patreon for project cards https://www.patreon.com/c/amniconstudio The easiest ways you can support my channel: Subscribe Comment Give this video a thumbs up Share with a friend garden, gardening, wisconsin, zone3b, zone4a

Enduring the heat

For all the talk I do about being a blogger, I sure am slacking in that department lately. 

I meant to write last week.  Seriously, I did! 

I have no idea what happened to last week. It was one of those weeks that just *flew* by. 

So this post is in part to remind all you groovy cats that I'm still here.  I've just been busy. With everything and nothing. 

On the work front we were headed towards a publishing day. 

I had a doctor appointment.  I got some good news. Yay! 

I did a whole bunch of crafting. A lot of it on the secret stitching I'm working on. ... I thought I'd record a flosstube this week.  The timing just never worked out. 

I decided to just let it be an "off" week.  If that makes sense. Just go with the flow and not have any structure. 

A few highlights from the week: 

On Tuesday we used our new fancy pressure washer to work on power washing the house.  And by "we" I mean my husband did the work, and I kept him company. 

Hmmm maybe I should have taken an "after" photo, too. 

Wednesday was my doctor's appointment. After the appointment I cruised over real quick to the mart of Wal (Ha!)

I picked up something that my hubby has been wanting for a while. So it is sort of an early birthday present. 

The boys brought it in to the house, and I started putting it together.  Another part of the birthday gift. 

I'm sure it took me less than an hour to pull together. 

A lot of boxes and packaging. The directions were pretty good. 

Voila!

To say it's been a hit would be an understatement. 

Friday I seasoned it and we've used it every day since. 

If any one has any tips please share them. Thanks!

Friday evening, after a chat with a fellow crafty friend, I decided it was time to *finally* make the sock project bag I've been wanting to make. 

I decided to follow a tutorial by Woolenvine and cut out the fabric. 

Saturday, once the weather got warm out, I went back in to the house and sewed the bag together. 

I only thought about taking a photo when I was making the wristlet band. 

It took me a little bit longer than I hoped to sew it together. I made a couple of rookie mistakes and had to undo a bit of work, before redoing it. 

Overall I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.  I haven't made a bag like this in many, many years.  Close to 10, maybe. 

I promptly grabbed some sock yarn and cast on a new vanilla sock. 

Okay, so it's hot out there, right? It's hot all over. My area is not used to really warm temperatures, because we are next to the world's largest air condition, which is known to everyone as Lake Superior.

I noticed on my camera roll that I was saving screenshots from various days showing what the current temperatures were. 

Tuesday, 10:57 a.m. - 74 degrees F, with a real feel of 87 degrees

Tuesday, 1:32 p.m. - 80 degrees F, with a real feel of 94 degrees

There were more, but I won't keep boring you. 

We had some pretty warm temperatures this weekend.  Each day last week was gradually getting warmer and warmer to what the local weather people were calling a heat dome. 

"A “heat dome” high-pressure system will keep the Northland hot, humid, and dry Sunday night and Monday. Low temperatures will remain in the 70s, with highs in the 90s. Feel like temperatures will be in the triple digits. A west breeze will not help in keeping us cool, and it will also keep fire weather dangers very high and extreme."

So yeah, it's getting hot out there. No. It is hot out there. Tomorrow is supposed to hit a high of 98. Who knows what the real feel will be like. The humidity is doing it's part to make it feel like a gross armpit out there.

Today I brought Feffer in to the house, after making sure the girls (chickens) had plenty of fresh water.

Sweet little Feffer.

This is him settling down into the sweet spot of where the fan was blowing across my lap/

He was a sweet boy while we was in the house. Though there was one time where I had to corral him while I went and took care of the evening meal.

Oh the thumps I heard! Even though he was right in the cross breeze of a fan and was just fine.

When I was done with what I was doing, I picked him up and set him back on my lap. He was so happy. He was bopping around and crawling all over me. At one point he climbed up to the back of my chair.

He sat up there like a little potentate who was surveying his kingdom.

When I sat back down, he came over by me and immediately tickled me with his whiskers, before crawling back down to settle in my lap.

He's such a good bun.

More than likely he'll be back in the house tomorrow.

So that's a "quick" little update on what's going on with me. I'm hoping to be more productive this week. With the heat how it is, we shall see.

A few photos from this evening, when I went out to tuck the girls in.

Beautiful sky tonite.