Hello, September!
Finally harvesting veggies!
Happy September! I was taking a dip in our stock tank pool today over lunch and marveling at how quickly the summer passed. We were so busy, and time simply flew by! I hope you are well and are enjoying some beautiful days. I am already starting to see signs of the changing seasons — migrating birds, browning grass heads — even as we are finally reaching a harvest in the vegetable garden.
Our unseasonably mild and wet summer, while absolutely delightful for gardening, has meant a later harvest of tomatoes and cucumbers and nearly NO dahlias so far. It has been a strange summer here to be sure.
But I am so thankful for all of the moisture, and the new Wildlife Garden is THRIVING because of the rain. Planning a big project like this feels a bit like playing the lottery. We could have had a dry, ghastly summer like Texas has had which would have made keeping these little plants alive and thriving much more labor intensive: more watering, providing artificial shade, and worrying. Instead, the rain has allowed all of those little plants from High Country Gardens to reach into the soil, put down their roots, and even BLOOM!
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit, Salvia sylvestris Caradonna, and Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm blooming in the Wildlife Garden.
Scrophularia macrantha and Coreopsis verticillata Moonbeam are blooming together, too.
To learn more about this exciting new project, check out the new Wildlife Garden section of the website!
There is also still room in my new class: The Art of the Word! Sign up before it is filled up, though! I’m so excited to be teaching this again, and I hope you’ll join us for this live Zoom class in October. More info here:
Did you see the Blue Moon the other night? Here it is shining over the Shade House — magnificent!
Blue moon over the Shade House
The Shade House is one of our favorite places to be these days — cool and shady and so comfortable all day long.
I will have some BIG news to share with you next week, so stay tuned for that. I’m really, really excited about this! I mean: really excited! That’s why this is in BOLD! OMG! You’ll see it first on Instagram, so be sure you are following me there.
Until then, I have some other exciting news to share! HoseLink, one of my partners, is having a month-long sale: 10% off all watering and gardening 😊 Retractable Hose Reels, Weed Puller, Secateurs, Sprinklers, you get the idea – all 10% off! I genuinely LOVE my HoseLink hose reels, and I highly recommend them. And their sprinklers are fab, too!
Here’s my affiliate link in case you are going to do some shopping:
Go get those discounts!
OK. Stay tuned for the BIG news next week — it’s exciting! And until then, happy gardening and happy September!
Cheers!
Angela
New Online Journaling Class!
Join me for this fun class in October!
I will be teaching The Art of the Word — an altered book journaling class again this fall!
October 21 and 28: 1-4 pm MST
Online via Zoom
This is an online class through Two Hands Paperie. The course cost includes all class materials, and we will do lots of great journaling exercises and fun activities. It’s a relaxing way to spend the day, and I would LOVE to see you there!
To register, click the link below.
Class description:
Give an old book a new calling by transforming it into an altered book! The paper in older hardbacks is perfect for art, and an old book can become a treasured place for sketching, painting, writing, and collage. An altered book is also fantastic for journaling on the go – easy to take traveling or to tuck in a bag for moments of inspiration.
Angela K. Nickerson, a writer and inveterate journaler, enjoys using an altered book for her art. She introduces you to the work of art journalers she admires and shares remarkable examples from other creatives. Whether you’re new to art journaling or do it regularly, their examples can infuse your practice with inspiration and new ideas.
In the first meeting of this two-session class, Angela shows how to prepare and transform a vintage book. Use her simple method to cut out, paste, and mark up the pages. She’ll also introduce you to a number of techniques, one of which is layering cutouts through several pages to build up a scene. By the end of the session you’ll have christened your altered book with an exercise or two.
The intervening week provides time for you to personalize the cover and work more on the pages inside. Everyone shares what they’ve done in the final session, then Angela demonstrates some more techniques to expand your repertoire. We’re particularly drawn to the way she uses words and phases on the page. She is a writer, after all!
This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 10 days after the class.
