Weird weather & deer

The month of July here in northern Indiana was the coolest July on record (going back to 1893). Our local TV weatherman said we had only 4 days that were normal or above normal temps. We set 3 record low high temperatures for July and our average daytime temperature was only 67 degrees! You can understand why the warm weather veggies in our garden were sitting there doing nothing. I shouldn't complain about how cool it's been. Other parts of the country have been sweltering in 100+ degree heat.

Turn the calendar to August and watch it change! As our daytime high is going down, the actual temperature has gone up. The last few days we've been in the low 90s or high 80s, much warmer than it has been here since late June. The warm weather crops are making up for lost time. Summer squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, are finally coming in. The sweet corn is setting ears and we got our first crop of bush beans. (It also may be the last. Covering the bed with Birdx netting has kept the deer out. Sigh...a bunny rabbit has burrowed under the fence and is working on the plants.) The okra plants have grown noticeably bigger every morning. No blossoms yet.

Here's what I spotted out my patio door one day last week---a doe and 3 babies! The pictures aren't as clear as I would like. I was afraid to open the door and scare them away. The deer are getting quite bold. Usually they would come around at dusk or dawn. The deer around here are getting so used to humans that they come out during the day. This photo was taken about 2 pm. One day driving down a road near us, a mother deer and two babies crossed the road. Thank goodness everyone stopped for them!

I've made great progress on reorganizing my craft room. Strike that, my design studio. I feel that is a much better name for that space. My yarn, fabric, and spinning fiber has been sorted into bins and shelves. I love how it looks! I've thought of posting pictures but I'm not sure I want to share how much stash I really have. LOL!

Hubby looked at what I had accomplished and says, "Why don't we paint the walls, put in new flooring, and a ceiling fan?" I groaned. Why didn't he suggest that BEFORE I did all this work? I told him if he finishes some of the projects he has started around the house (baseboards, finishing doorways, cabinet kickplates, patching holes, etc.) I might consider it next year. Hubby has a habit of starting lots of home improvement projects but never quite finishing them. It drives me crazy!

I've sorted out 3 bins full of yarn to swap/sell on Ravelry. Check out my trade/sell folder if you are interested. Still to come is a cleanout of all my sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, and spinning books and magazines. There's a groaning bookcase full in my studio, plus more in the office and the living room. It's definitely time to pare the collection down to more manageable levels.

Lots of designing is going on behind the scenes. I have a bunch of patterns in the works at various stages. I'm hoping to have at least one pattern finished by the end of the week.

I've submitted a few designs to be used by the Holiday Mystery Gift Along group here on Yahoo. You'll have to wait and see what they are. :) The HMG group is a fun one with lots of things to knit (and crochet) for holiday gifts. The 2009 season of patterns begins on September 19th.