Turning Point in My Summer

I've felt like my peonies have been shaking their angry tight fists at the skies for weeks.

I know I have.

Mid- July and they still hadn't bloomed.

 Rain and grey every day and none of those scorching temps that the States are having.

( oh yes, we in Alaska call those other places "Outside" or "the States"

or "the lower 48'

But wait... could it be?

and I've gotten about a half cup of strawberries from our plants now

So luscious

I may have to harvest these broccoli florets today before the moose gets them.

Things have been growing so slowly with temps that seem to be hovering between 49 and 59 F

( that's 9.5 and 15C)

So far this summer.

The flower baskets have done rather well.

It's a turning point because honey is coming home on Saturday after being gone 5 weeks and then I'm leaving for Maine for a couple of weeks on Wednesday.

I'm already kind of ramping down on making stuff and listing in my shop until I get back.

The sun has come out this week PLUS I have a visitor out here in the boonies.

And I'm shaking this whatever thing that took away my voice for 5 days and had me in scary coughing fits too.

What a change in my spirits now.

Julio's in his early 70's and shows you how it's done staying young at heart.

Here I am trying to show you how my new earrings from Pinmolly look.

I know you can't see them but somehow I like how this photo made me look younger.

must be the hazy reflection....

or the bewildered stare?

trying again...oh well...sorry about that. 

But I love them!

OK, here they are all properly photographed by Tracy

This week I started wearing glasses all the time. 

It's an adjustment and seems to magnify the long distance visual disturbances I was having but seem to be an improvement for up close work and reading.

I hauled out some old colored leather that I had bought way back when.

Sometimes you need to revisit old supplies.

and I had to try designing with my own studnik too.

I got these recycled glass bottle top rings on Etsy.

I thought they would be fun to work with.

You can see a few beads that I won on Petra's giveaway too.

I'm hoarding the extra special ones for the time being...you know how it is!

I won these lovelies with my silly douche bag joke.

I'll have to thank my ex husband for that. I think it's one of the few jokes that I ever remember.

One of my lampworked copper pieces folded over and fastened here.

I thought I'd show you what my copper matchsticks look like before I enamel them.

I was going to show them being torched but the photo came out kind of vague so I didn't.

My enamel piles

and frit piles.

So now I'm going to be on a bit of a break until mid-August.

Most likely I'll be checking in with you all from time to time and perhaps showing you a bit of Maine.

And a welcome to any of you new visitors. I hope you like what you see.