Snowflakes.....on the patio.......in May

 The ever steady hot days of May find me seeking the comfort of a cool corner of my sewing space inside.  I piddle out in the flower gardens in the early morning and get brave enough to face the heat in the late afternoon , pulling the always heavy garden hose, watering, to ensure my flowers can stay strong and flourish in what seems to be a hostile stage of our climate.

But when all outside and inside work is done....and the quiet hours become my own,

I have turned to my crochet hook, deciding on working my way through a crochet snowflake booklet.

I have managed to crochet 5 and have begun work on the 6th.  There are 12 in all.......and each, just like nature's snowflakes.....are different.

I found a sweet box, with a snowflake theme to stash them in.  For now, they will accumulate in the box, until I decide on who to give the box to or  maybe I will choose to decorate with them. For now, I am just enjoying the process of creating them with my crochet hook.

I have found that instead of starching them and then ironing them, they come out prettier if

I saturate them in the starch, then carefully and tediously pin and block them into the perfect shape onto a miniature ironing board. I let them dry completely this way and then I lay them on a grid wire

patio chair and starch them again until they are stiff enough to hold their shape.(as you can see, I still need a lot of practice in this)

I find it whimsical to see snowflake silhouettes on the patio in 100 degree heat.

It is 102 today........but the trees have their lovely dresses of leafy green blowing and swaying in the wind, and little bits of pink, purple,and yellow color dot the grounds from the wildflowers that are starting to show.

So tell me.......what are you doing on these very hot days?  Do you enjoy basking outside.....or do you retreat to the cool of inside?  Perhaps some of you are just starting your cool Autumn/Winter days?

I would love to hear!