WIP Wednesday

Spring gave us a preview of summer today with a temperature in the high 80s, which cooled off fast in the late afternoon when a thunderstorm rained on us. As soon as these first hot days show up our business phone rings constantly with requests for air conditioning work and refrigeration repair. From now on Joe will be running pretty fast to keep up with the calls.

I am proud of myself for getting my Lilliputian Prairie Pond cleaned, refilled, and the new fountain pump installed yesterday. You can't believe how smelly and ugly the bottom of a pond becomes. I used a wet vac to suck up some of the yucky water, but it couldn't get all the sludge in the sand and stones of the bottom, so I jet sprayed the bottom with my watering wand on the hose and use a 5 gallon bucket to dip the worst out, then I just let the water run over until the trash and gunk on the top was gone and left the pond filled with clean, clear water, which I treated with anti-algae chemicals and then added the beneficial bacteria treatment. [While doing all of this I ended up with 2 more ant bites on the backs of my thights; ants must have a thing for cellulite. I have declared war on these critters.] It is so clear I can see the pretty river pebbles on the bottom. This pond fountain is a popular place for the local cats and birds to get a drink, as well as a meditation place for me. Now I have to unwrap, clean and set up my small patio fountain.

As you can see in the photo, some of my prairie plants are already growing and the prairie grass is starting to green up at the roots. This is a hot weather grass so it doesn't get green as early as the blue grass, it also requires only a fourth of the water and only has to be mowed about once a month.

Quiltwise, I am working on some more of my Women of the Bible blocks and I received my piece of Virginia Tech fabric and bought a fat quarter of maroon so I'm ready to make my memorial block.

I am getting ready to attend the Denver International Quilt Festival this weekend; I'll stay with my oldest daughter in Wheatridge and plan to get together with Debra Spincic and Samantha. How exciting to meet some of my virtual playmates! I am also working on a small thank you surprise for Debra and a birthday present for my daughter, but can't

show them here, or they won't be surprises.

A sad postscript to a couple of my past posts about Colorado weather. After all this time another of the women who was injured in the Holly Tornado has passed away from her injuries. Also, on the news tonight, it was announced that the little baby on oxygen, in one of the homes without electricity due to the blizzard, passed away from the congenital heart defect he suffered. Please pray for these bereaved families.

On a brighter note, the state of Colorado brought in mobile homes for the families who lost their homes to live in while they make arrangements to find or build new homes.