August, The Gazing Ball and the Sewist

My Gazing Ball rests in a little triangle of a garden by the front steps. This is not the first, this is one of several. Occasionally a victim of a bump by a tractor or a gardening tool, the prior inhabitants of this pedestal even fell victim to curious deer. These little things are pricey. The red, the most expensive because of the gold dust that is used to get that color to sparkle in the sun. The current one was the least expensive, sort of a plastic feeling glass, bought at a discount overstock store. It is on year 3, not bad right? History tells us the purpose of these trinkets in the garden is to ward off evil, bring good luck, spy on young lovers and alert a considerate host when guests might need attention? Gotta love it, I just thought it created a mirror like reflection for my flowers. 😀

The month to harvest the garden bounty, August is a gift. The tomatoes and zucchini are just waiting with some onions to be a vegetable pie. I usually cheat with a purchased pie crust, I saute the zucchini with some olive oil, the thinly sliced onion, and garlic, sprinkle in some Italian seasoning, top with tomatoes. A bit of shredded cheese and that's it. What a savory lunch that can be. 

  August is a month of mixed benefits. A beautiful, often sweltering month in my part of the woods, the bounty of the Summer gardens abounds. I walk (limp) around to examine my flowers and plantings, consider what I will dry for Fall bouquets and what I will save from the herb garden. I am a little behind this year, but I will catch up. 

So, in this season of my life how will this last month of the Summer unfold? I am looking forward to testing some new patterns from Style Arc. I have purged some worn clothing and donated much more. I suspect I am not alone in finding that my clothing needs are much less than pre-retirement. I have recognized that I am not in a rush to finish things anymore, so what would normally require an afternoon to construct now takes a day or two. I make my projects fit the time I wish to spend. And as a result, my productivity has become less than I want. I need a boost. I need to load a quilt top or two onto the Coronet, and I want to work on some little home-dec pieces.

In a recent email post, Cathy Hay remarked..."From time to time, we all struggle to find the time and motivation to sew consistently. I mean, maybe all the time, right?" 

• I will likely be gone the entire month of August. Reset is required. Enjoy the beautiful last month of Summer! I absolutely savor this time of year. We have some birthdays, some local travel, and some big projects to finish. Probably not too much sewing:)