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What’s old is new again

Our new "raised gardening beds." Water goes down the PVC pipe from the hose and collects below the soil in each tub. From there it's to "wick up" and reduce the need for daily manual watering.
Our new “raised gardening beds.” Water goes down the PVC pipe from the hose and collects below the soil in each tub. From there it “wicks up” and reduces the need for daily manual watering. In theory, that’s how it works. We shall see.

Gardening, rug hooking in Albuquerque – what’s old is new again for us here in Albuquerque. At least for Tom and me.

First the gardening. In Massachusetts, planting didn’t happen till mid-May, even early June some years. Not here. Pansies started in late February, and this week we were at Lowes buying herbs and flowers. Today we started planting. Forget the garden bed in the middle of the yard or digging into the soil, though. Instead of dirt, our yard is basically hard-packed sand. So Tom did some – pardon the pun – digging online and came up with these contraptions on the left.

Given how dry it is here in the high desert, they’re supposed to help with watering too. Next week, we’ll pick up a large horse trough and tomato plants. Back east we used to do yard work on automatic pilot.  Here it’s gardening 101 all over again.

 

New mat made out of bed sheets.
New mat made out of old bed sheets.

Then there’s my newest rug, one I previewed a few weeks ago in the Experimenting post. I’m just finishing it up now – whip stitching, of course. (From last week’s post, you know how much I love doing that.) The fun thing about this mat is that it’s hooked completely out of bed sheets on a latch hook background. It came out nice and fluffy. Perfect, perhaps, for a bathroom. Already, I’ve been out collecting more sheets at my local Savers so I can start a new one.

I’m so excited to be giving new lives to old linens and clothes. Recycling, upcycling, whatever you choose to call it, keeps stuff out of landfills and looks pretty fine as well.

Whip stitching along the bottom of the bed sheet rug.
Whip stitching along the backside of the bed sheet rug.

Many hookers have branched out to alternative fibers these days, if only to add texture and other layers of interest to their rugs. Please post pics of your experiments on High on Hooking’s Facebook page.

 

 

 

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Preparations

It’s Easter week and there are all sorts of preparations to make. Okay, we”ve had time for a little New Mexican exploration too.

Monday, Tom and the dog and I headed over to a part of Petroglyph National Monument

The view from Petroglyph National Monument looking south down the RIo Grande river valley.
The view from Petroglyph National Monument looking south down the Rio Grande river valley.

that we’d never visited. For those not familiar with the park, it “protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.”

We observed very cool rocks and their lichens. (This is for you Karen Miller of Karen Miller Designs.)
We observed very cool rocks and their lichens. (This is for you Karen Miller of Karen D. Miller Studio.)

The national monument – which stretches about 17 miles along  Albuquerque’s west side, right near our house! – also includes several volcanic cinder cones. We hiked up one of them and were treated to fabulous views of the Rio Grande river valley.

 

 

As I mentioned last week, I was juried into a big farmers’ market here, the Rail Yards Market, which starts in early June. I’ll be vending about every other Sunday morning through September. That means I need to get on the stick and make several small mats. They tend to sell better. While there are a fair number of hookers in these parts, the general population is far more used weaving as the prominent fiber art. Here’s hoping they embrace my slightly less than traditional offerings. All I can do is try.

A new 8"x8" mat almost completed. Just needs to be pressed and finished off. Woo hoo!
A new 8″x8″ mat almost completed. Just needs to be pressed and finished off. Woo hoo!

 

The Colors of the Southwest show is next week! While I finished hooking “Ribbons Over Albuquerque,” it needs to be sleeved. It’s due in by Tuesday or Wednesday. Guess I better get on that too.

And lest we forget, it’s Easter week! When I joined a church out here, I volunteered to be on the Art and Environment committee. Turns out not to be as sexy as it sounds. It means that I help to take down various decorations during holidays and put up liturgically appropriate ones. At Christmas time, I did a lot of ironing for them too. We’ll see what’s in store for me Friday and Saturday. I’m hoping not to break any glass candle holders this time.

 

Some kind of tiny, yellow flowers on top of the cinder cone at Petroglyph. They were well protected from the crazy winds we've been having.
Some kind of tiny, yellow flowers on top of the cinder cone at Petroglyph. They were well protected from the crazy winds we’ve been having.

To those who celebrate, I wish a Joyous Easter.  Enjoy your own preparations. To everyone in the northern hemisphere, I bid you a happy spring. Albuquerque is full of flowering trees and shrubs. And pollen. Don’t forget the antihistamines!

Lilacs before Mothers' Day. Who knew that was possible?
Lilacs before Mothers’ Day. Who knew that was possible?

 

 

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