steamy hot afternoon with 70 mph winds............

This is the 19TH day of rain....the rivers are swollen...the farmers fields are saturated... the humidity is highest of this year... and I do believe the weather is making some people cranky.  Someone  tried to go fishing this morning on a swollen stream...in a canoe...and had to be rescued by firemen who put themselves in danger of drowning to retrieve these silly fools.

the steam was rising up from my day lilies.....

 this is a cotton sweater vest I am working on ...keeping my hands moving....with simple crochet stitches

I like the meditative stitches in variegated cotton threads that create a furl on the edges ...the colors remind me of the day lilies blooming today in the wet gardens....





it was if ...they, my day lilies were pleading to me to bring back the sunshine....the grounds are green and lush but even the gardens need a reprieve......









I made a silly card for a young friend who is away at camp for three weeks in West Virginia.  I hope a small note after one week away will bring a smile to her sweet face.  All I can think of is the continuous rains we have experienced here...but with young spirited women I am sure they are making their own kind of fun.  Her brother is away at baseball camp...and the littlest one is attending camp here in Newark.  The back to school ads are out and on TV... it seems as if children get shorter summers with each years passing. 

I am anxious about my doctors appointment tomorrow ...to begin and evaluate the depth of the cataracts.  My left eye is so blurry and there is a pressure behind the eye ....the meeting hopefully will
set up a productive plan for repair.  I found myself enjoying making this small card...I have been unwrapping my vintage glass containers to wash and store my favorite buttons.  I have tried to busy myself with ...scanning my back issues of Somerset magazines and other publications.  I have picked up a few more ideas for the adults who are exploring Nature
and enriching their observations with making their Art.

My body is in a transitory progression.... the limited eyesight is so frustrating so I am so hopeful to be able to get back on target.  I am thinking of two friends who have each lost one of their parents this week.  The pain and sorrow will seem overwhelming but with their hearts will begin to remember the grace they have received over their lifetime.  Another artist Libby Lehman who has had a stroke survived her surgery to install a permanent shunt to relieve the building pressure.  If you are a member of the quilting community you will recognize this name.  Libby has taught and inspired quilters for over 28 years...she has taught all over this globe and is widely recognized for her playful thread play in design and surface textures.  I am sending our a wish for prayers for my dear friend as she recovers on this journey back to good health.  Imagine and Live in Peace,  Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart