Friday, August 5, 2011

Adrenaline Rush

The Ault Fall Festival is this week end. Standard small town stuff: a parade consisting of tractors, politicians, horses, and cheerleaders; old (antique) farm machinery display; games in the park for the children; lawn mower races; Sunday pancake breakfast at the fire house; and an arts/crafts fair in the old gym at the high school. So I gathered up a few flowers and vegetables and my lady bug quilt to enter them in the small town competition. Entering such a competition is always a bit of an adrenaline rush. I have no illusions for there are amazing quilters and gardeners who submit their best work every year. Now I am not quilter. My daughter who is an amazing seamstress decided that I should make a quilt some years back. I finally got the quilt top quilted this spring. When I told Jen that I was taking flowers over to the gym, she said that I should enter the quilt, so I did. I had seen one in Cold Water Creek Catalog and deciding that it was far too expensive to buy, I designed my own quilt and with help of my daughter got it pieced together.


There really isn't much in the garden. The cucumbers are producing like crazy, the egg plants seem to be doing well, but the bell peppers are struggling, the tomatoes are quite slow this year, but here are my entries. Last year the egg plant took reserve champion. An egg plant of all things.


Gardening in Colorado has been challenging this year.We had no moisture all winter, then all of our normal rain fall for the year came in May (7 inches), making getting the garden started hard.
We didn't get a lot of things planted that I normally plant and everything else seems to be coming on later.


It's late in the summer now, so some of the flowers are on the down side of blooming. Grasshoppers have invaded, and it has been hot and dry. But there are a few beauties left to choose from: the stargazer lily, new to the garden this year. I planted three that I ordered for White Flower Farms last fall. This one is the first to bloom. I was so excited to see it opening up yesterday. Cosmos: dad always called them weeds, but I love their simple little blooms. So do the bees and butterflies. The sunflower certainly is nothing to brag about because it is one the wild ones that come up every year on their own. Last year mine came in second. I happened to run into the judge who said it was a tough decision between the sunflower and the grand champ. I don't remember what won the grand champion, but it was a deserving award. I'd have been embarrassed for my wild sunflower to win. Finally, a day lily. I don't even know if day lilies hold up once they have been cut. This one was a new bloomer this year too.  It has been in the garden for awhile. My husband ordered it from Oakes Day Lilies catalog and we had sorta forgotten it about. The color does not really show up in the photo. It is a creamy yellow with a blush of pink around the edges.

So later today I will wander over to the gym--we are just a short walk away-- to see the show's results. If nothing else, having my name on a few entries at the little fair lets people I never see any more know that I as still around.

9 comments:

  1. I think your quilt is lovely, such striking colours. It deserves an award!

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  2. Hi Ann, the quilt is beautiful well done for persevering and finishing it, how great that your daughter encouraged you!!

    Your veg and flowers look wonderful, .
    "It is not the winning but the taking part" !!

    I am sure you would of won something, please let us know, good luck. Jackie in Surrey, UK.x

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  3. So cool, Ann! We've never entered any of our stuff at the large-ish fair here. This year I would have liked to enter a pie and a bouquet but we're going to be out of town. Good luck! The daylilies live up to their names: Each bloom only lasts one day, BUT there are always several buds per stem, so just pinch the spent ones off at the end of each day. The smaller buds will swell and open up in succession. (Also, I'm totally jealous of your little vases!)

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  4. I ADORE your ladybug quilt, Ann! It will win a prize for sure. Your veggies are so gorgeous, too!
    It's fun to see your flowers. They look like my flowers. I feel as if this has been a dormant year for my garden. Next year, frost or no frost, I am starting it all much earlier.
    LOVE this post!

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  5. You did that quilt? How long did it take to complete? It's gorgeous!!! I hope you win.

    Your harvest looks very healthy.

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  6. Ann, your quilt is so pretty and looks so precisly put together and seams matched nicely. The design is quite sprecial and you will no doubt take a prize! Your veggies and blooms are great, too and I love the little vases. Nice entries, all! Egretta

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  7. Your quilt is really nice, hope you win something for it! Your veggies look impressive & nicely displayed. Eggplant is one of my favourite veg. And your flower display is really nice the way you have it. Hope the weekend went well! Kelli

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  8. What a gorgeous quilt, you should be very proud!

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  9. Great looking quilt, fingers crossed that it has won a prize!
    The flower arrangement is delightful, too.
    Thanks for stopping by,
    Maggie

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