More Spring Flowers

My hyacinths are up.  A little straggly because of the heat, but smell wonderful anyway!

Lovely blues.

And some pinks.

And those barely there ones are actually yellow.

 

 

 

 

My First Spring Flowers

As you may have noted from my last posting, the weather this winter has been erratic to say the least.  My crabapple bush tried to bloom last month, two months early, and the buds got frozen out.  So that bush is a bust.  And the wild raspberries in my yard are trying to go for it too.  So there will be a lot less flowers and fruit this year and probably some dead plants as well. If it doesn’t get cold enough to put them to sleep they either freeze to death or use up their food stores and starve to death before spring is properly sprung.

I’m happy to say that it appears my bulbs have weathered this nonsense well (no pun intended) and are beginning their annual show. (Except for the daffys, which are early.)

Peaking through the leaves I haven’t raked off yet.

A purple crocus peaking as well.

My mini irises.

Even if they’re early, I still love my daffys!

My first ‘bouquet’ of daffys! I love their smell. It’s the scent of spring.

 

Amaryllis Blossoms

Three of my Amaryllis bulbs were big enough to bloom for me last month.  Enjoy!

 

 

Can’t wait till next year!

Spring Is Working Its Way Forward

We were somewhat concerned about whether any plants would survive this winter.  Not because it was too cold, but because it was too warm.  The plants were fooled into thinking it was April in December.  My crabapple bush even bloomed.  And my daffodils were up waaay too early.  I still don’t know the fate of my shrubs and perennials, but my bulbs survived!  Unfortunately, before I could get pics of my crocus and small iris a rain storm blew through and flattened them. Fortunately I have pics from last year that never got posted! 😀  Enjoy the beginning of spring!

Lone crocus survivor from this year.

Small bulbous iris.

Bulbous iris colony.

Beautiful crocus!

Beautiful white!

Hope your spring is treating you well!

So Sad For My Plants

The weather here has been sooo screwy.  Temperatures in the 50’s one week then down to the twenties the next week for months.  It was like this to a lesser degree last year and I lost 1/3 of my plants.  They never got to sleep properly.  But with the extremes this year, the plants are thinking it’s spring already.

This was what I was looking at for three weeks through Christmas.  My crabapple bush in bloom.  In December.  It’s not supposed to bloom till April / May.

My daffodils are coming up. In December instead of March.

We just dropped down into the twenties and teens this week. No more crabapple blooms.  And maybe no more crabapple bush.  And, yes, that is a dusting of snow on the ground.

The daffys so far are okay looking, but I don’t know how they are going to fair with low temps for the next two months.  Assuming, that is, that they stay low for the next two months.  How many more of my plants are going to die this winter? Snivel. 😦

(And, oh, did I mention that my yard is a mud pit? I’m not sure if I’m going to have any grass next spring either.)

And The Christmas Rush Begins

So…. I have 2 whole weeks till Christmas.  And I haven’t even started shopping.  This is me:

From The Best Things in Life . . . Aren’t Things 2013 Calendar by Mary Engelbreit

Aside from Christmasy crap, I also need to do critter crap that is way behind.  I don’t want to do it after Christmas when we’re enjoying the holiday (kids home).  And then we have our second Christmas with the In-laws on New Year’s.  Today was a bust ’cause I’m having sleep issues again.  So I’m making a schedule.  Again.  But a few Christmas themed jobs did get done this weekend.

First, The Husband got the screens down off the windows and washed them.  I would love to have 5 minutes with whatever idiot came up with window screens on the inside of the house.  OMG, the mess and the bugs.  Now we’ll need to wash the windows so I can get the lights up.

Second,  the Christmas dishes got washed and put away.  Christmas at every meal.

I can’t even remember how old these dishes are.

Third, the mugs were brought up and now hang on the mug rack.

Running out of room…

My mother showed up to drop off a plant she said had my name on it.

Christmas Cactus!

And I am now sitting here drinking Hot Sweet Cider out of one of my Christmas mugs!  Hopefully, I will get more done tomorrow!

Go Santa, Go!

Mercury Is In Retrograde (YUK) and A Wee Critter Is Found

Random Thoughts

So Mercury went retrograde on Oct. 21 and has been slapping me around ever since.  Remember how much trouble I had posting that day?  A sign of things to come.  Me and the internet and this computer having been having at it ever since. Internet for 5 minutes then no internet then internet then no internet, ARGH!  The Husband did a shutdown and reboot(?) of all things computer and internet related that has given me back internet for now. The question is will it last?  Retrograde doesn’t end until November 10.  So no starting new things, no signing contracts, no buying new cars, expect delays in travel, expect anything to do with communications to fritz out, got the picture?  I am told that revisiting old projects, sorting paperwork, cleaning out clutter, organizing, and regrouping are good ideas till everything settles.

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Another bit of ‘fun’ was an intestinal virus that came to visit last weekend.  I still feel like all my ‘go juice’ got drained away.  When I can sleep, I’m hitting 10 – 11 hours at a clip.  *sigh*

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” It takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow.” — Attributed as Unknown or Proverb

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“Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu

Life At Our House

Not much to tell.  It’s been a whole lot of nothingness this week.  I did, however, get in the mood for food.

Fresh sourdough bread and Cranberry Pumpkin muffins.

Out In The Yard

When The Husband grabbed a couple of hours to mow, he found a wee surprise under one of the flower pots.

I did not handle this wee fellow who was maybe all of 3 inches long. Just gently scooped him on to a leaf and moved him. So by process of elimination on what lives around here and what my yard has to offer, I believe he is a lead phased, Eastern Red-Backed Salamander. (Normally they have a red back.)  They eat all kinds of wee crawlies that live in the leaf litter and soil.

These guys have no lungs, they breathe through their skin.  They must live where it is moist, for if their skin dries out they will suffocate to death. They also do not require a water source for their eggs. There are no intermediate stages, so eggs are laid in leaf litter or under logs.  The young that hatch are fully developed baby salamanders about an inch long.

It was such a nice surprise to know my yard is safe enough for these guys to live in it.  I rarely, rarely use anything poisonous in my yard.  (My big exception is getting rid of fire ant colonies. I refuse to be constantly attacked in my own yard.)

Our header today is Bee Balm or more properly, Monarda.  Everything loves this stuff.

So pretty. It is a member of the mint family and can be used for tea or to spice up dishes.

Mugs

Yes, another old favorite.  Have I mentioned before that this is one of my favorite sets?  I leave it up on my mug rack all year round.

It’s now 11:14.  So time to go.  Fingers crossed this posts the first time around!

Recipe Post for Saver of Bugs

Life here is still a mess.  But neglecting me hasn’t changed anything except make me even more miserable.  So I’m working on shoving things back in place for myself.  Recipe posts for Saver is an easy way to get back into blogging.

Here ya go, Saver:

Rich White Bread

• 1   cup milk
• 2   tbls. sugar
• 2   tsp. salt
• 2   tbls. shortening
• 2   pkgs. active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115-ish – just not hot)
• 2   eggs
• 5 1/2 to 6 cups flour

— Put shortening and milk in pan and heat till shortening is melted.  Add sugar and salt.  Let cool to lukewarm.

— Sprinkle yeast on warm water and stir to dissolve.  Add yeast, eggs and 2 3/4 c. flour to milk mixture.  Beat with a spoon until batter is smooth and sheets off spoon.  Or beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

— Add enough remaining flour, a little at a time, first with spoon and then with hands, to make a dough that leaves sides of bowl.  Turn onto lightly floured board, cover and let rest 10 minutes.

— Knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Round up into a ball and place in lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

— Punch down, cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.  Turn onto board and shape into a ball; divide in half.  Shape into loaves and place in 2 greased 9 x 5 x 3″ loaf pans.  Cover and let rise in warm place until dough reaches top of pan on sides, fills corners and top is rounded above pan.

— Bake at 400 degrees 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.  Place on wire racks and cool away from drafts.  Makes 2 loaves.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread

• 2  c. milk
• 2  c. quick rolled oats, uncooked
• 1/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1  tbls. salt
• 2  tbls. shortening
• 1  pkg. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 5  c. flour (about)
• 1  egg white
• 1  tlbs. water
• extra rolled oats

— Warm milk and shortening in pan till shortening melts.  Add 2 c. oats, brown sugar, and salt.  Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

— Sprinkle yeast on warm water; stir to dissolve.

— Add milk mixture and 2 c. flour to yeast.  Beat with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, 2 minutes.  Or beat with spoon until batter is smooth.

— Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.  Turn onto floured board; knead until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place in lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down and let rise again until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

— Turn onto board and divide in half.  Round up to make 2 balls.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Shape into loaves and place in greased 9x5x3″ loaf pans.  Let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Brush tops of loaves with egg white beaten with water and sprinkle with rolled oats.  (I usually skip bothering with the egg white and just use water.)

— Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.  (If bread starts to brown too much, cover loosely with aluminum foil after baking 15 minutes.)  Makes 2 loaves.

Shaping Regular Loaves

• Turn risen dough onto board; divide and let rest as recipe directs.
• Flatten dough with hands.  Then with rolling pin roll it into a rectangle.
• Starting at the narrow side farthest from you, roll tightly.  Seal the long seam at the end well.
• Seal the ends of the loaves by pressing firmly with the sides of your hands to make a thin, sealed strip.  Use care not to tear dough.  Fold sealed ends under.
• Place loaf, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan.
• You may lightly brush top of loaf with salad oil or melted butter.
• Cover and let rise according to recipe or until doubled or until a dent made by gently pressing sides of dough with finger does not disappear.

Notes on Bread

• When baking time is up, tap loaf lightly.  It should have a hollow sound.  If it doesn’t, put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes and try again.
• Be sure to take the bread out of the pan to cool on a rack or it will get soggy.

Green Beans with Sour Cream

• Can, Bag, or Fresh Green Beans
• 3 to 4 Tlbs. of sour cream
• 1 tbls. Parmesan or Romano cheese

— Cook and drain beans.  Add sour cream and cheese. (As you know, your dad prefers to double or triple the sour cream and cheese.  But this is the original recipe minus the sesame seeds that no-one would eat on the beans.)

Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes

• 5 lbs. of potatoes (9 large)
• 1 – 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese
• 1 c. sour cream
• 2 tsp. onion salt
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbls. butter

— Cut potatoes into roughly 1 in or so chunks and boil until chunks mash easily with a fork.

— Drain potatoes and mash or beat potatoes.  Add remaining ingredients and mash or whip to desired consistency.

— These will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

— If you want to make these ahead of time and reheat, place them into a 2 quart casserole, dot with butter and bake at 350 until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Old Fashioned Fudge

• 2 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tlbs. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

— Combine first 4 ingredients in pot and cook at medium heat until a little dropped in cold water forms a firm ball that does not dissolve.

— Pull from stove, place on trivet and add butter and vanilla.  DO NOT STIR!

— Let cool 20 minutes and then beat until fudge begins to go from glossy to dull or flat looking.  Pour quickly onto a greased or lined plate or into a greased 8 x 8 pan if you want to cut into uniform pieces.  Enjoy!

Fur Babies and Other Critters

Not my idea of comfortable, but Stitch is happy.

Out In The Yard

Our header today is:

This is a Psithyrus, a cousin of the Bumble Bee, enjoying the blooms on a White Profusion Butterfly Bush.  They are the ‘cuckoo’ of the Bumble world.  The Psithyrus Queens invade the Bumble Bee nests and ingratiate themselves into the colony.  Once they are accepted they kill the Bumble Bee Queen, who stands very little chance because of the heavy armor of the Psithyrus. She then takes over the colony using the Bumble Bee workers to raise her Psithyrus babies.  Note the shiny, hairless, armored abdomen.  This is one way to help tell the difference between the Psithyrus and the Bumble Bee.

Night All!

Just Touching Base

Random Thoughts

So life has been making me crazy.  It’s taxes, which my husband’s work screwed up and we’re probably going to get stuck paying the penalties.  It’s financial time for my daughter’s school and I’m late – again.  It’s getting my son’s admissions and financial shit done so he can start college in the fall.  And I need to get him a passport for the school trip in June.  Oh, and did I mention the sleep deprivation that’s helping me function so well? (heavy sarcasm)  And, of course, Boston.  So I’m a little bonkers right now.

However, I did want to try to get at least 100 posts up this year.  Hopefully, I’ll do more than that, but that’s at least 2 a week and I’m behind already! 🙂  I need to start making notes.  I think to myself, “Oh, I should put this on the blog.” and then it scoots right out of my brain.  Notes, I need to make notes.

I have nothing profound to say today.  Just touching base.  Hopefully, I’ll get all the financial crap out of the way by Wednesday and have myself a sleep in day.  And then it’ll be onward and forward.  Spring is here and there is sooo much to do!

“There’s a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen

Life At Our House

Saver came home for the weekend.  It is always nice to get some daughter time.  Saver came home because Spider Bait was given his Eagle Scout award.  I cried.  Saver cried.  We were so thrilled.  He doesn’t like his picture on the blog or I would show you how handsome he looked all dressed up.  You’ll have to make do with a picture of the pin I got ’cause he’s an Eagle Scout.

Dad got one, too. Only it says ‘Dad’ on it! 🙂

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I caved and bought a rosemary plant and a basil plant (I have seeds).  Even though the basil is still a baby I pinched some leaves and made a tomato sandwich.  *sigh*  I wish it was summer all year.

Yum!

Fur Babies And Other Critters

I’m going to climb wherever I want to!

Mmmmmm, Saver’s home.

Out In The Yard

I took these pictures about 2 weeks ago.  My crocuses’ last hurrah.

Little irises and crocus

Lotsa purple

Stripes!

Mug of the Day

I cannot remember how I got this mug.  There’s a story.  I just cannot remember it right now.  *sigh*  Saver, how ’bout you?

Look At Those Hyacinths Go!

My Hyacinths have been sitting and waiting patiently for the weather to turn.  Remember this picture from a post or two back?  This is what they looked like on Monday:

Hyacinths are peeking!

On Monday the temperatures went up into the 70’s with lots of sunshine.  By Tuesday afternoon they looked like this:

And we’re off!

Us, too!

This morning, less than 24 hours later, they looked like this:

Ta Da!

We’re working on it!

Clearly, they don’t believe in wasting time!