There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth ~ Leo Tolstoy

 

'There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, 

goodness and truth.' ~Leo Tolstoy

Our Hydrangea Serrata Pretty Maiden in a vase

Related link:

{5 Varieties of Hydrangea Are Blooming Now} | previous post by me

I'll Be Darned - I DID IT AGAIN

 

After a long wait and search... I finally found embroidery floss in the matching color with my legwarmers.

I've hand knitted them from soft baby wool...

On the fold-over in the back, there was a hole...

My search ended at Herrschners, where I found the matching embroidery floss

Craftways Very Light Teal Green 1036 Embroidery Floss from Herrschners was it!

Did use the full floss as that was about right for matching the baby wool.

ONLY $ 0.40 for one skein  Made from long staple 100% Egyptian cottton, which is recognized as the world's finest. This high-quality mercerized 6-strand divisible floss is dyed in rich colors with a luxurious sheen. A delight to stitch with and perfect for all your heirloom-quality projects. 

Yep, I'll Be Darned - I DID IT AGAIN

Out came the antique sock darner and I put it to work.

Using a thick needle for threading the full floss, all 6 strands!

Here is Speckie girl, the naughty feline that made the hole... 

Sorry for the poor selfie!

See that tongue...? She really is a naughty one! See post below about her...

But Speckie girl promised to NOT DO THAT AGAIN!

My Mom would have done a far neater job... but I'm glad I closed it up in a safe way.

Done and taken outside for the best color effect.

Happy that those damaged stitches no longer can run further!

Related link:

I'll Be Darned - I DID IT | previous post using my antique sock darner...

{Naughty Feline} | Speckie girl very active during the night unloading shelves with sweaters onto the ground...

{My Hand Knitted Leg Warmers Then and Now} | previous post

{MY CLOSET LOOKS LIKE A NEAT STORE} | previous post by me and Speckie girl loved to rake things OUT onto the floor and work them!

The FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA

 As most of you know, both husband Pieter and I got born with dirt under our fingernails... being the son and/or daughter of a professional market gardener. Growing fruits and vegetables, delivering to the auction for supplying grocery stores.

So... that made us knowledgeable for starting a GARDEN; right?

We had moved into our newly built home in November of 1990... 

NOT SO!

Here I am on August 11, 1991, looking in horror at all the soil that got washed out from heavy rain, such as often in summer in subtropical Georgia.

We just got back on August 9, from work and living in Indonesia...

WELCOME HOME!

So after pulling weeds for one day and Pieter working with his weed eater, it was me on the shovel to fill wheelbarrows. Yes, we had two of them!

Pieter in turn wheeled them to the spot for filling it in.

Where did I shovel all that dirt?

Under the newly built house, where after opening the metal door in our staircase area I screamed because we were looking at a mountain of dirt. 

Yes, our 'not–so–great-contractor' left it all there and just built the foundation around.

We dug out a big section as we needed it desperately here and later in 1995 we dug out more. 

In 2004, husband Pieter dug out the remaining 60 tons (!) for filling in on the left side of our garden and constructing the Rose Suite. See posts below.

Oh, life can be so very glamorous!

Did wear my new bikini while at the shovel beneath the hot/humid home in the basement... 

Bikini had arrived in the mail.

This was it, a Gottex bikini with a silk cover up...

Haha, nice and glamorous work uniform don't you think so?

Easy for jumping right under the shower after the day is over and rinsing it all off.

Pieter did the heavy pushing of the wheelbarrow and filling in of the dirt, while having his implant lens out of place... As got diagnosed in the morning. He went next day, after this big job, for the re–positioning of his lens under a light anesthesia.

Rest of the day relaxing... (Pieter!).

On August 20, we put a mixture of spent compost with peat moss between our azaleas as each tropical rain shower washed out the dirt. Hoping they will grow and spread out faster and hold on to the soil!

Oh, on May 16, the previous time off from our work/living in Indonesia (we were there two months at the time...) we both had laid these cross tires in the spots we wanted.

A company that took care of our garden, had laid them and not to our liking.

Yes, those suckers are heavy but we managed!!!

That lantern now was in the wrong spot and Pieter moved that at another later time ...

So much to handle in the four weeks we got off from work in Indonesia!

On August 28, we went again to a certain low spot near a larger creek behind the street where we used to live. We dug up nice patches of grass to fill in the bare spots where everything got washed out from heavy rains...

Our heavy duty wheelbarrow ready for a ride!

Pieter with his heavy duty spade!

Yes, we used our Mercury Sable wagon very intense, after bringing it back home from working/living in Italy...

It got cleaned up well for carrying our suitcases again on September 1, when we would fly back to work and living in Indonesia... 😉

The wagon could then rest for two months at the parking lot of Atlanta Airport... 

Grabbing those sods by their sprites and helping unload.

We always worked as a team!

Unloading some right at the trouble spot...

HOPING they will stand their ground this time!

Yes, the lawn is still covered with straw in order to avoid further erosion...

Living on such a steep slope for sure was not easy to start growing grass!

But with perseverance we managed.

Related links:

Our Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | previous post with video from Middle Georgia Magazine showing a NICE garden

{The Construction of Our Rose Suite - Part I} | previous post about digging out the entire basement and using those 60 tons of dirt to fill in low areas in our garden

{The Construction of Our Rose Suite - Part II} | previous post

Then and Now | previous post where I wear the very jeans skirt from 1987 and in 2020...