I Like #178

 Welcome to another week of things to like.  

My dahlias are still blooming but many are now being afflicted by the same leaf mold fungus that has just killed almost all my zinnias.  I had problems with it last year too, and I need to figure out a solution because the plants all just look terrible.  This plant, so far has been spared,  This was an almost dead six-pack of something I rescued off the 1$ clearance rack about a month ago.  I wasn't sure how it would do in the middle of the summer, but it's flourished and now has fun yellow blooms!  I love how different the texture is from my other flowers.  I feel like every time I post that I don't know what something is, you guys come through for me, so if anyone knows what this is, feel free to let me know.

I'm a lefty, and I just had to sigh when I went to use a new-to-me microscope the other day (the scope is on an air table so it doesn't feel vibrations or bumps when you use it.  Even the microscope table is for right-handed people!

My work geranium is blooming again!  I rescued this when a former mentor moved away.  It doesn't bloom often, so I'm always glad when I see it flowering!

I finally found a use for my grandmother's cranberry depression glass compote!  I inherited a bunch of depression glass from her, and enjoy routinely using a lot of it, but I never had anything to do with this piece.  I  guess originally it was for serving fancy desserts, but I'm more of a cake and pie dessert person so this always sat moldering away.  I got it out this week though to store my clean masks!  I wear a clean one to work every day then wash at the end of the week and needed an official "place" to store the clean ones that was sufficiently prominent I wouldn't forget to grab one in the morning.

We have lots of big toads in the backyard, but this little guy was new!  I found him while cleaning up, he's only about an inch or so long and a completely different color from most of our toads.  Not sure if he's just a juvenile version of the regular ones or something different but it was fun to see him.

While outside on Saturday I saw this gorgeous (and gigantic) grasshopper.  That green and speckle pattern is just fantastic and he sat so still for me.  He was very big (much longer than the toad above actually).  So cool.

I got a watermelon from a roadside 4H fundraiser out in the country the other day.  I don't usually buy watermelons since I live alone, but I wanted to support the fundraiser, so I stopped.  Turned out to be delicious and orange!  I've never seen an orange watermelon before!  Really like cantaloupe in color.

The pups are loves as always.

I made a couple of ear-loop savers this week.  Most of my masks are the tie kind but I have a couple ear loop ones.  I know there are patterns out there, but I just sort of made one up.  I think they're actually a bit short, I may make a couple more that are longer.

While walking the dogs on a new path, I saw this amazing sunflower tree!  So huge! So pretty!

My mother of thousands is loving being outside.  She does ok inside through the winter but always comes outside in the spring feeling a little fragile and anemic but by this time in the summer she's just flourishing.  I always love when the babies start sprouting babies.

I'm not much of a selfie person, but after months of sweats/shorts and tshirts at home and only slightly more effort (jeans and tshirts) at work, I finally went through my closet, dug out my cute clothes, and started to make an effort for some cute outfits (including mask pairings). 

I also posted this week about my latest knitting project which I finished,  click over here to see more.

I hope everyone is hanging in there in the year that just keeps on (now with horrifying forest fires and a hurricane).  Click over to Lee Anna's for more things to help stay positive!