Daily Notes- May 6th

 Blooming now--Pansy Orchid. I have two varieties of this type of orchid--the first has flowers that look exactly like a pansy--but sadly it hasn't made any flowers in two years but is still alive.  Perhaps one day.  But the plant pictured enjoys my house and is growing.  There will be several more groupings of flowers on this plant in the coming days and weeks.

Three good nights in a row with our Riley.  Sleeping right thru to morning and looking more cognitive as the days go by.  He still has issues with the beginning of evening darkness.  But a bit of the pheromone gel on his nose and he soon feels less anxious.  I have read that the Melatonin doesn't work for all dogs.  I wish it did. With all my heart.

The small squares quilt is quilted.  And now I have no idea what to do with it.  In this picture, it's already been washed and dried.  Wrinkly.  Because I couldn't hand quilt it I just did random rows of all the colored threads in a basket next to the machine.  The surface tension was quite difficult even for the machine.  And as I stitched I noticed how the squares were warping.  If this had been a school project, I would have had to start over.

I had to jump up and get my rhubarb out of the the freezer.  I promised G another rhubarb custard pie. If I had waited till I was done here--would never have remembered it.  The little quilt makes me think of Spring rhubarb.  My friend Patty has a patch of rhubarb that grows enormous stalks. She invites me to come cut as much as I want--after her island friends get what they want.  My own little patch just hasn't thrived.  I have never been able to take any.

I helped G with the clean up out back yesterday.  I cleaned out the peony bed.  For some reason that neither of us can recall-- we didn't cut the dead stalks out in the Fall.  But it's okay-plenty of nice little red tips coming up out of the soil.  I love peonies.

I have a firm rule that we stop yard work at 4 or 4:30.  I have to remind G that he is old.  Needs to pace himself.  I am thinking I will get out the sharp shovel and give the beds a fresh edge.

I took photos of the daily walk.  A good one of Riley at the end.  He wasn't at all interested in pictures while he was walking.  Or swimming.  Made sure he stayed far ahead of us so no pictures could be taken.  He's just a small orange dot in a field of brown and green in lost of the pictures.  He wears his hunter orange vest year round so we can find him when he's off trail.  He "blends" as they say.