We finally got our first real days of summer here in Portland over the weekend, with it finally hitting 80 degrees (a record for us, the latest into the year to hit 80!) and things warming up and sunning gloriously after weeks of gray and almost nonstop rain. The weather turned a 180 over the course of about 24 hours on Friday, and Matt and I took full advantage. It was also the Portland Rose Festival here this week, so over the weekend we went to the carnival (I haven't been on any kind of ride in years- I balked a little at the cost, but it was actually worth it for the rush of fun), took in the Grand Floral Parade, visited the Ocean Watch yacht before it commences its final leg of its circumnavigation of the Americas, barbecued with friends, went to the farmer's market, walked through Washington Park and the Rose Gardens, and spent lots and lots of time in the back yard, eating at the little patio table one of my neighbors put out, and soaking up the sun. Whew!
Yesterday I found time in the afternoon to sit inside for an hour or two and finish up some mending for Matt (the final pieces that were in exchange for his helping pay for sewing machine repairs) and sew up some new napkins for my kitchen. I will post pictures soon! While I sewed, Matt made delicious fresh lemonade sweetened with brown sugar, and cooked down some more frozen strawberries. He separated the juice and pulp and froze them in ice cube trays, to go into lemonade and ice tea for extra flavor. I am so pleased with his endeavors in the kitchen lately- he has been very enthusiastic about learning how to cook (he didn't do it much before he met me), and he is honing his intuitions about food and flavors with lots of success!
I ended the weekend in a mad fit of work, staying up till midnight last night putting the final touches on Tighe and Lisia's wedding gift, which I officially finished on Saturday (six months after starting it. Ahem). Since they are coming to Portland today and will be here all week, I had to get it all finalized and wrapped and put away before their arrival. I was exhausted, but very pleased, and now it is all ready to go. The wedding is one month from today!
Tonight will be busy. Tighe and Lisia are not staying with me (no room!), but nonetheless some cleaning is in order- my apartment is an absolute shambles after a busy week last week and a weekend of hardly being inside or paying attention to the condition of anything indoors! I have barely ventured into my garden recently, with all the rain, so I really need to get out there and pull some weeds and thin some things. (I did have my first salad entirely from my garden last week- kale, snap peas and green onions!) So I have my work cut out for me once I get home from work, cleaning and organizing and gardening and preparing to have company over most of the evenings this week! It will be so good to see Tighe and Lisia, to get lots of good time with them before the wedding week, which I am sure will be fun but hectic, with them trying to see so many friends and family in from out of town.
So. I will post some pictures as soon as I upload them, and in the meantime I hope you have a peaceful, fun, and productive week!
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