End of June

chest and one of warped drawer bottoms

This month is flying by way too fast! Lots happening outside including a day of rain today.

A week ago my sister-in-law and I went shopping for "used stuff." We went to some lovely antique stores and some real junk stores and some things in between.  At the last store we were at, I came across a used chest that seemed just the right size to use in my kitchen. I had been contemplating getting a kitchen island and found one for about 300 dollars that was nice. Instead I decided that perhaps a chest of drawers would be just as good and a lot cheaper.. The chest needed some work- drawer bottoms were warped and the chest needed a little glue here and there and a lot of cleaning. The cleaning part took nothing but a little time and elbow grease. I took the drawers out and construction made it very easy to replace the bottoms; they just slid into a slot around the sides. So got a piece of oak and had the bottoms cut out- sanded a little and put a coat of mini-wax. Wanted it to be a bit higher and looked at numerous options when I saw our old TV cart with casters on it.. Got those off (thanks, John) and put them in the holes already on the chest legs and it's just the right height.  Rubbed the chest with some good furniture oil and replaced the wooden drawer knobs with white ceramic and voila and kitchen island for less than $100.  Took the table out of the kitchen (we never sat there) and it's now on front porch. Rearranged a lot of the kitchen today and happy with my new chest/kitchen island!

The Wytheville Chautauqua Festival ended last week. I attended several master gardener sessions as well as several nights of music and had a fun time. One night I sold T-shirts and other festival items from 4-7. Lots of nice people there and spent a couple nights with my cousins Mary Jane, and one night with John, Jim, and Mary Jane's brother, George.

John and I went on a bird walk and learned about bird songs and calls. I also went on a tree walk (in the rain- I was the only one who went) and learned lots about trees.




John and Jim went on their annual (though say it's their last) Appalachian Trail Walk. Sounded like it was quite a challenge this year and their feet were not happy with the trip. They seemed to have some fun though and met lots of nice people on the trail.  The picture is at the start of the trip - they didn't look this good when we picked them up!

In the meantime, Mother nature is making things continue to grow. Flowers, weeds and vegetables all have had growth spurts.

Daylilies, roses & sweet pea in bloom here

We've been able to eat lettuce, radishes, jalapeno peppers, and one banana pepper (another on its way). Lots of other things seems ready to produce; there are little green tomatoes, a cucumber about to grow, flowers on many other plants. We can't wait!

White Hydrangea just beginning to turn white

Garden continue to grow - no veggies there yet

We've been eating the lettuce