We had a rare day where the temps were lower last week. Waking up early, it was interesting to see the fog in the valley. The mornings have been cool, but humid lately.
In the garden, my one squash is still growing, for now. But it doesn’t seem to be getting ripe.
Same for the tomatoes, lots of green ones. All the grape tomato clusters are still mostly green, but showing signs of maybe ripening this week.
But, one Early Girl did ripen this week, and we will have it on a salad today. It wasn’t really early, though.
My white petunia is quite happy in its teacup planter.
I have a few small, deep pink snapdragons in the flowerbed.
The white ones look a bit different, but the leaves are the same.
They are still pretty and pristine in white.
On one of the cooler days, we ran down to South Carolina to Carolina Panther Training Camp. What fun to see the new players go through their workout.
The coaches worked with players in groups.
The quarterbacks wear red shirts so they are clearly seen. We have four in camp this year, two from last season and two new to the team. One was a draft pick, and one was traded from another team.
Then the players formed up into offense and defense to do plays. Here, Sam Darnold, last year’s quarterback in #14, begins his play series.
Baker Mayfield, number 6, gets a series of downs to play next. They kept going until one of the defensive players caught an interception and ran it back to the goal line. Then we got to see the kickers do field goals from increasingly longer yardlines from the goal.
It was still very warm, but it was beginning to rain as we left. It was lunchtime, so we decided to stop before going home. An overcast day with rain was a good day for some tomato basil soup and a hot sandwich at Panera Bread.
Back home, the geraniums continue to bloom happily. I need to cut this one back a bit.
Oliver wanted a sandwich, so of course I had to give him one.
While he was chowing down, Jack showed up. Jack ran off with his sandwich to eat in peace on the stone retaining wall on the west side of the house. I miss my good camera, the little one just cannot get the close ups. But it is toast, so I’ll have to get another one.
My hydrangeas are blooming in two colors, this muddy pink is on most of the blooms now.
Here and there are a few lovely lavendar ones.
I was reminded lately about the Colors of August table linens I made in 2018, when blogger buddy Diann put her topper on a table. I got my placemats out, and put them on top of a white tablecloth. The Colors of August are golden yellow for sunflowers, orange for ripening peaches, and green for the lush forest. Green apples cover the orchards as the ripening for our September harvest is underway. Luscious Jonagolds, Honey Crisps and Granny Smiths vie for attention between less well known varieties like Sheepnoses.
I don’t have a tablescape with them yet for this year, but here is one from 2018. I used orange chargers, white dinner plates, and lemon salad plates. Green napkins are held with yellow flower pot napkin rings. The centerpiece has yellow, green and orange flowers and leaves in a yellow ceramic basket.
In 2019, my table used the same placemats with the white cloth underneath, with green chargers, orange ruffle-edge dinner plates, and yellow floral print salad plates. The same flower pot napkin rings held sunny yellow napkins. The centerpiece featured a white ceramic basket with orange and yellow flowers with greenery.
The pattern for the placemats is on this link – Colors of August, and the center from the scraps pattern is on Colors of August Improv Table Topper.
The plan for this coming week is more pickleball, some sewing time on the Quilted Jacket Sew Along, progress on my two next Linus Project quilts, and maybe get a tablescape done with those placemats.
How about you? What are your plans for the week? What is happening in your garden?
From My Carolina Home 
You sure set a pretty table! My garden is doing much like yours – I’ll be picking my first tomato today and making BLTs for lunch. The rest are green and showing no signs of ripening. Except for the volunteer grape tomato that is supplying us with plenty for our salads. The cucumbers (2 vines) are going crazy and I’ve canned 2 kinds of pickles and 2 kinds of relish and more to come. I think dill relish next. The zucchini got hit with a borer after only a couple squash, so I tore it out and replanted and hoping for a fall crop. The plants are looking great. Harvested all the beets and pickled those, planted that bed with kale, lettuce, radishes and more beets. Something keeps eating the babies and I’m in a perpetual war with the chipmunks. Looks to be a fantastic year for sweet peppers and I always chop bags and bags for the freezer so I have them on hand all winter. The flower beds are still looking lovely – but I’m not seeing nearly as many bees and butterflies and that saddens me greatly. I did see a large and very unusual striped wasp yesterday while I was filling the bird bath but was not fast enough to get a picture. The hummingbirds are enjoying the Rose of Sharon shrubs but I am rarely lucky to get a good photograph of those either. I did manage to get a great picture of a leopard frog a few days ago though. We have lots of goldfinches at the feeders and it won’t be long before they’ll be heading back your way. Have not had time to sew for several weeks but I have completed 6 quilts so far this year. Maybe you’ll have one of your fun fall mystery quilts again and by then I’ll have time to join in!
Oi, still haven’t found the pattern I wanted to use for the jacket. I don’t think it’s going to happen, again. Over committed right now. Your tomatoes are so beautiful. Oliver & Jack are such sweet dinner companions, who could resist offering a little tidbit. Training camp for the Buffalo Bills has been taking place at a local university. Its a good promotion for the team. A lot of locals drive to watch their games, the stadium is only an hour away.
Good Morning! I am new to your blog. Thru another blog I opened your pages the other evening and was so inspired, we have such similar likes. I too, garden, sew, quilt, craft, paint….and follow our Browns football team, or should I say, I did. I was so surprised to get my first blog read from you and read about your new player quarterback, Baker Mayfield. He was our beloved Cleveland Browns quarterback, who got a raw deal here from the Browns. I wish him Luck with his new path, the Panthers. You also inspired me to maybe pull out a jacket I started probably 10 years ago. It only needs some finishing touches, maybe that will happen this week. I do know garden work is happening this morning before more heat comes on strong. Thanks for the morning read!
Love all the pictures of the garden, and your squirrel friends. My little cherry tomatoes are doing well and we also have 1 early girl that has ripened, hopefully with many more to come.
This week I am working on bindings for quilts that are going in our church group’s upcoming auction. Two of the quilts are wall hangings so I need to also add a sleeve as I do the binding.
Good Morning, always like to read and see your garden and table decorations.
your plants in your garden are all looking so good – mine aren’t! the drought and heat here really got them – some are still looking good but not well at all.
Yum fried green tomatoes
Enjoy your site
So much information! Enjoy seeing the fur-kids enjoying their snack – and your snack at Panera is awesome! My garden seems to be on hold! Nothing blooming here so I’ll enjoy your garden! So beautiful. Thanks!
Your gardens and flowers look lovely!
I love your dish collections. Those placemats are lovely too
I have lots of green tomatoes, too – maybe because it’s been so hot? I bet they all ripen at the same time! It’s always fun to see your training camp photos! We’ve been fans of Baker Mayfield for awhile. Do you think he’ll get the starting job? I love the colors of August – your tablescapes are really pretty!
Love your garden, the table settings, and the players in wonderful outfits,. Down here, before a really cold snap this weekend when we will get into the minus Celsius overnight, I am going to try and make a second booklet. Like any new project, practice will give a better result.Off to find a shop with linen thread today. The finer thread I have pulled through the pages too easily and tore larger holes!!Just like sewing and quilting, the right threads and fabric/ or paper, make all the difference, Your wee friend loves his sandwich.
Love those placemats and the bounty of your garden. Even when Kevin was on the HS football team, I had a hard time getting into it! So, good for you — but I’ll stick with flowers, veggies and beautiful quilted pieces! It’s raining here at the lake today. Yesterday was 90, so no complaints, really but I’d love another swim!
I do love roaming around with you in your garden and on your excursions.
I wake each day with lots of plans but inevitably life takes over and so the list of plans gets longer as the week goes by.
I am looking forward to warmer weather so that I can get outside and start planting. I sowed some tomato seeds in the hope that as soon as it starts to get warm I will have plants to put out 🤞🏻.
With the weather being wet it does give me sewing time. I have for years ‘made fabric’ from bits and pieces of offcuts and I find that it now has a name ‘crumb fabric’. I have used it to make throws, bags, even table mats. Makes me feel so virtuous using up the rubbish!! :))
Love seeing Oliver and his mate come for their sandwiches, they are so cute.
Thanks for another happy, chatty newsletter.
Carole, we had a most wonderful tomato crop this year and then the raccoons discovered it. Your flowers are looking healthy. Love the tablescape a!
How fun to see the Panthers practice. I’ll never forget when my sister-in-law whi lived in Foxboro MA for many years went to the Greenbrier to see the Patriots practice. She was on the elevator when Tom Brady stepped on, and she just about wet her pants with excitement, lol.
I have a few things in the garden I’ve had to purge this past week due to cane bores, plus I have one coneflower that’s not happy with all the rain we’ve had (and how the terrain slopes such that it catches all the rain in thay bed). At this point I’m thinking of how I’ll work the landscape plan this fall.
Pretty colors of August. I love those placemats.
Have a great week.
In spite of the hot weather, things are slow this year! We did some carrots this weekend, and finally have some tomatoes ripe. The cucumber are just getting started, so pickles are on the agenda for next weekend.
The zucchini and cucumbers have multiplied in the garden and we’re trying new recipes every day. Today we had cool cucumber and dill soup and bacon zucchini fritters. Both recipes are keepers.
You got some super images of the Panthers! My family went to see an NFL practice a few years ago and we so enjoyed it! I enjoy following football and college basketball. I used to play basketball so that is my favorite sport to follow.
I cut out the jacket muslin for the quilted jacket and surfed the web for what others have done fabric wise so I can firm up the look I want to go for. I’d like to make progress on the sew along project this week.
Thanks for sharing all the uplifting pictures with us!
I had to show my husband the pictures of Oliver and Jack eating their little peanut butter sandwiches. We have so many little gray squirrels and I love watching them along with all the birds that seems to be hanging out in our backyard. We have a very small garden and our 4 tomato plants are doing well. Yes, that’s all we planted besides flowers. We planted a yellow tomato variety called Carolina Gold. They are a very low acid tomato and very sweet tasting. Great in a BLT also!!
My hubby rebuilt great shelving in my sewing room so now I am hoping to stay more organized! I sorted out everything before I restocked my shelves so now I am ready to sew again! Yay!! So many quilts and projects (in my mind).
Thanks for your inspiration! On that note, I’ve got to get busy!
You can never figure out a garden from year to year. With our garden in Maine, the tomatoes didn’t start ripening until the end of July or the first part of August. Then they started ripening all at once.