Taking August Off and Taking Off in August

 Unintentionally, I have taken off most the month of August from blogging. Sadly, I haven't even done much of my Tea Shop Mysteries reading. Some of the time was spent at my new job - cleaning high end lake homes and resort rentals.

While the work wasn't elegant, it was a good job and I liked my boss. Sadly, I had to quit because it was wreaking havoc with my back injury with having to carry a vacuum up and down stairs while vacuuming said stairs as well as having to buff all streaks out of glass shower walls and doors. Sigh.

Other activities include enjoying the summer flowers. This beauty sprang up under my birdfeeder.

Early this month we were finally able to have alarger reception to celebrate the "apocalypse wedding" that happened in March. It was a good time of fellowship concluding in a cookout with just family in our backyard. I decorated the cake.

I've put more time into finishing the newlyweds' quilt and finished the top last week.

I hope to get it to the quilter next week.

Blurry picture, but I wanted to let you know that Charlie approved it.

I've also harvested quite a bit of peppermint, apple mint, and chocolate mint for warming teas this winter.

Chocolate banana bread made several households happy.

H. found at least eight monarch caterpillars, shared about four with our neighbors, the cousins, and we got to enjoy watching the rest form chrysallises and the "hatch" into beautiful butterflies.

I got to make my annual garden pilgimage to my favorite place of inspiration. This time I got to do it with my husband which made it special. He'd never been there before and, while he's not a gardener or plant-lover, he enjoys beautiful things and "yondering."

Beside flowers, bushes, and trees, the gardens are filled with imaginative and artsy stuff that always gets my creative juices flowing. I need to plan to come here earlier in the season next year so I can work on imitating some things throughout the summer.

I don't particularly care to imitate this last one, but it's funny anyhow.

So now that I've taken most of August off, how am I taking off in August? Well, I'm getting geared up for homeschool schedule, both sad to lose some of the freedom and happy to have something of a more regular schedule. We're also planning a little vacation/staycation before getting into our studies. We'll see how it goes with the whole social distancing and masking and all. I'm also taking off in making and selling quilt tops on eBay. It's kind of fun. 

I hope your August has been fun.