And just like that, my eldest granddaughter has graduated from high school and will be headed off to university in the fall.  My sweet Doodle Bug is brilliant (she wrote and published a novel at 12 and it is quite amazing) and talented (she has the voice of an angel) and beautiful.  I could not be more proud of her!!

Becca and family came for the graduation and of course Erica and entourage.  We booked in at the Comfort Inn and Suites that I was the GM at years ago.  It is such a lovely hotel with a nice wine bar and outdoor fire pit.  While there we visited the local quilt and yarn shop…both just A++++ and drove by all our old haunts.  The kids had a great time swimming in the pool and we enjoyed the wine bar and fire pit.  The week end was everything I had wanted it to be and more.  The only missing thing was Christina and sweet peas.  But oh so many memories were made, it was indeed perfect!

Returning to Walla Walla was so bittersweet.  Oh how I miss that community.  I love the greenery of the PNW, but I miss the small town friendliness that is such a trademark of Walla Walla.  I am planning on perhaps a few more years here and then I will return as it is where I want to retire.

Back home and back to business as usual.  This trip we took the dogs so we did not have the worry and hassle of finding a dog sitter, plus they are always much happier to be with us.

I did not get a great deal of knitting accomplished, but I did get the Jujuy shawl cast off and blocked.  I love the shawl design, but I am unsure of the color choice.  I wanted to use some of my natural dyed as this was for the natural dye knit along hosted by Lindsey of A Wooden Nest.  I used Juniper berries for the ivory, Madder for the coral, and Logwood for the grey.  This shawl blocked out huge like the impressionist shawl I recently completed.  It was a fun knit and went quickly.  I love how the lace sections really opened up with the blocking.  This will be a nice light shawl for cool spring and fall nights.

 

While away a I received a few packages from Amazon.  I had been wanting the Principles of Knitting by June Hiatt since seeing it on a podcast.  And I love love love Denise Schmidt’s embroidery books.  They are so beautifully illustrated with her paintings and drawings and just delightful. And notice that adorable apron they are laid out on!

I also found a few pieces of cute fabric on an IG destash.  I haven’t  purchased much fabric lately as we have slowed way down on the Stitches Plus Purls project bags and it seems knitting has replaced sewing this past year.  But the beauty of hobbies is that you can pick and choose what you feel like doing and are never at loss or bored having nothing to do.  Isn’t this all just cuteness overload!  Look at those mice….adorable!!

Of course there were the usual estate and yard sales that I had to visit once I returned home.  Without my bestie it is now solo going.  But I did find some lovely items.  A few Hummels, which I do adore.  This was one of those collections started for my daughter, Erica.  But as with collections it just rather has exploded and I am seriously in love with them.  Good thing she doesn’t want them until her children are grown!

I did happen upon a sale with lots of lovely home dec pieces and could not resist this large painting.  Not sure yet where it will go but it is absolutely lovely.  I may hang it in my office at work as it is such a serene scene and we can all use all the serenity at work that we can get…right?!

This gorgeous and rather large sampler  was stitched by the sellers mother in law.  Such a shame to sell such an heirloom.  But then I guess many aren’t as sentimental as I am.  Look at the close up and how lovingly this was stitched.  I love it!  It is all scenes from the Bible.  Such a treasure!

Also found some nice home dec pieces that may well end up at work.  While I have scaled back on adding more tea cups to my collection, who can pass up a Royal Daulton thatched cottage?!  The chickens will join those I am collecting for Becca.

When I stumbled upon this darling little doll bed I had to grab it.  It is quite dirty and needs a thorough cleaning, but it will be just the place to store my extra quilts in the guest room.

With my bestie, Mia’s departure she entrusted me with there care of her plants.  Needless to say I now have quite the jungle.  And I took a few too work as well!

With the arrival of June was the beginning of summer term.  I had taken only one class spring term so decided I better play some catch up in summer.  Psychophysiology sounded interesting and it is…but it is also a difficult class!  I have thoroughly loved working on my PhD and could not have picked a more interesting or timely program than Mind Body Medicine.  Although it is difficult and writing major research papers once again is a challenge, I have loved the learning process!  I have learned so very much that applies not only to my personal life but to my professional life as well.  BTW I love this picture of my maternal and paternal grandmothers.  They took a trip to Canada and this photo was snapped.  Both such wonderful role models and the perfect back drop to keep me motivated and ever desiring to learn and grow.

The weather here has remained cool which I am LOVING!  We are set to have the heat arrive this week.  I prefer a temperate climate with temps ranging between 50s to 70s.  Luckily we do not get much heat in the PNW and if it does hit it does not remain for more than a week or so.  The gardens are going wild, but still not enough sun to really produce well.  I do have lots of raspberries and blueberries ripening this year and the transplanted strawberries are beginning to bear fruit as well.  The herbs are doing well.  It’s just my veggies that are quite the disappointment once again.  Even with all the cutting back of the trees, their leaf canopy has spread over the entire yard with just few openings here and there.  But it is what it is….

Blissfully,

Patricia