Daily Notes- May 28th

Can't sleep.  At 10:30 or 11 pm, my eyes are heavy and I go to bed.  At 5 or 6 am I am awake.  Sleep is finished, even though I try to sleep more.  So here I am at the computer at 9 am, already tired, already cotton headed.  I read the paper, ate my breakfast, having my large coffee as I type.  Low 50's outside so I am also cold.  The plants stayed out over night.  They look okay.

G has taken the front panel off the oldest compost pile and my plan for the day is to sift as much of it as possible--tossing the uncomposted things into bin number three-- and the sifted compost, in the wheelbarrow, to the garden for the flower bed.  Weed grass is already germinating and coming up in the paths.  If left, the grass will be knee high overnight almost. G only had Round Up.  I said no--not where food grows.  So today we have to find a safe weed deterrent.  A blow torch would do the job and also set fire to the beds and possibly the woods.  Flame thrower?  Tall weeds mean more ticks. I have had Lyme disease-have it, I guess.  Don't know if it goes away.  We find ticks on us and last night one on the kitchen counter.  It's like all of Maine is infested with ticks.

I planted the two small grape vines Patty gave us.  She was growing them for her friend Rick.  He died.  So, these two are Rick's grapes and will be that for as long as I know Patty and probably as long as I have this land.  Rick's grapes.  At some point, when I wasn't looking, the old grape vines have made lovely pink buds.  I can now see which vines are dead and cut them out.  The cuts run. Water or plant juices running, dripping from the cuts.  I wondered if it would taste of grapes.  No.

I have many packages of dahlias to plant.  I bought one.  It was enough.  Daughter bought us more. Now it is too much.  It will be late for the planting of them.  But flowers in September are nice.

I washed that odd black and white fabric that could be cotton or not.  It's cotton.  The wash and dry made it soft and it finally ripped easily (I rip, I don't cut) and now it needles easily.  Must have had quite a lot of sizing. I tucked a small piece in the pot with sumac water.  It colored just enough to knock back and dull the white.  I may put more in the sumac water.  Heat it.  Let it sit until tomorrow or the next day. I think Jude would define this process as "deadening" the color.  I think if a bunch of cloth that doesn't go together is soaked in a deadening water--when they come out they "go together" because the base tint is the same.  They all have a familiar tint.  Like cousins.

We are having a class break.  Jude has gone to see the sea.  When she gets back we'll continue. I do have to make some components and some segments.  I still have no stories to tell.  No spirit animal for emotions and thoughts to run thru.  I do have my little felt crows.  Perhaps they are just waiting to say something?  The ones who visit the yard--always have much to say.  But right now--no crows are visiting.  Which is odd.