that fence is kicking my butt

My hands hurt. Day after day of clearing that fence. And the last three days have been hot and humid. June hot. When I came in yesterday about 1:30 after my two hours, I was soaked. Had to peel my clothes off. My sister had come over earlier while I was still waking up and having coffee (she's an early riser, I am not) and worked on the fence for almost two hours as well. Between the two of us we got another 6' done.

Since this is all in preparation for getting a house there on that corner for her (beside the fact that it just desperately needs to be done) she's helping but because we live on completely different schedules, we work on it at different times of the day. I put in another hour today late morning. An hour was all I could do as sweat was rolling off me almost from the beginning. It was too hot for Minnie who stayed with me for about half an hour and finally tired of me slinging vines and branches her way and crept off to the house. I didn't blame her a bit. I quit when I started feeling a bit faint. Did I go in? No. Since I had on my jeans I climbed down in the ditch and picked dewberries. I've only been picking every other day so this is my third time (though I didn't pick the ditch last time). They're really starting to come on now. Today's haul.

I wasn't as wet as yesterday but an hour after I came in, even after my almost cold shower, I felt like I was still radiating heat. We're supposed to get rain and some cooler temps starting tonight or tomorrow.

So my birthday is the end of this month. Marc was going to throw a birthday party but that's been postponed. I always buy my own birthday present, usually a piece of art. Last year I bought this engraving by British artist Nancy Sutcliffe.

3 1/2” dia.

This year I bought a mosaic piece from Texas artist Aly Winningham. I'd seen her work at the Rockport Art Festival the last two years and planned on buying a piece this year but now all the art shows have been canceled. She updated her website with her inventory and sent out an e-blast to people on her mailing list. It arrived yesterday.

Bird in the Hand

6 1/2” x 18”

I have daylilies. In April. It seems early but five different varieties are either blooming or putting on buds. I even had one plant blooming in February.

And the walking iris is blooming.

I finally pruned back the four knockout roses in the front yesterday evening. They were scraggly with almost zero foliage. I should have done it in February but I wasn't sure I was going to prune them back this year but they looked so bad, I did.

I need to get in the kitchen and do the dishes. Apparently all the elves are in quarantine too since they continue to fail to show up.