A Bloom Boon

This is one of my favorite times of year...when everything is just starting to pop in the garden. My amaryllis plant is experiencing unprecedented growth...six beautiful, long-lasting blooms so far this year.

My tiger lilies are doing well, too. I bought one limp lily clearanced to .99 several years ago and planted it. The second year, a few small lilies came up, but each year, they grow and spread nicely.

The ditch lilies are up, too! Ditch lilies, or Hemerocallis fulva, are great for poor-soil areas. You may have seen great patches of them along the highway, hence their nickname. They thrive without attention in dry soil and full sun, so are perfect for areas of your yard that other things won't grow in. Be cautious, though. They don't play well with others and will quickly choke out competing plants in their vicinity.

My yellow yarrow had its first blush of color recently.

My favorite, though, is the hot pink. Each year the patches grow and spread. I can't imagine my garden without these colorful plants.

The feverfew bush is blooming...

...and I've gotten the first bloom on my "Endless Summer" hydrangea.

I love seeing all the individual petals unfurling.

The small dill patch from last year came back and spread with a vengeance. Dill seeds insinuated themselves into the cracks in our concrete driveway and grew rapidly. They smell delicious when you back over them! :) Thankfully, we have dill all along the fence line, too.

The first zinnia bud has appeared...

...as has the first cosmos bud.

My mallows have grown nicely and are just starting to go to seed. I planted cosmos around the mallows to provide a nice leafy 'cover' for the ground, and so that I'd patches of tall orange flowers to cover up the stalks when they go to seed.

Like every year...a surprise! I've got 6 or 7 larkspur plants growing in various parts of the garden. How did they get there? I don't know, but I'm really enjoying them while they last! An interesting fact: giving someone a specific type of flower denotes a particular meaning...i.e., a carnation means friendship, etc. Be careful who you give a larkspur to, though...larkspurs signify fickleness!

Insects have had quite a time with my flowers this year. I don't recall it ever being so bad before. The leaves on most of my zinnias have been eaten down.

My oriental lilies have fallen prey to another invasive insect, which has swarmed all over the leaves and buds, causing them to shrivel.

I don't use pesticides on my plants. Thankfully - I think - I've got more praying mantises than ever before. Another ootheca has hatched recently. These tiny mantis nymphs are still swarming all over the area near where they hatched from. They'll eat many, many garden pests.

In another part of the garden, this young praying mantis, from a different ootheca, looks alert on a leaf.

A lightning bug rests up for his nighttime performance. I've always loved lightning bugs and miss seeing them...there are so few of them in the city, compared to what I am used to in the country. I've read that lightning bugs are fast disappearing. Human encroachment on their habitats - woods and meadows - have decreased their numbers, but they also suffer from something called 'light pollution'. Lightning bugs communicate with each other with the flashing light of their abdomens. They can get confused with all the lights they see - headlights, lights from houses, street lights - and become unable to signal properly for a mate. That's why I love having big, messy gardens with pesticide-free insect control like (shudder) praying mantises...not only it is beautiful to me, but it can provide a safe haven for all types of insects.

Spiders are another great form of insect control. I found a large funnel web spider web behind my phlox. I know that like praying mantises, spiders are good to have in a garden. I'm still a little afraid of them, though, especially aggressive ground spiders like wolf spiders.

I seem to be obsessed with hover flies lately. I've bee photographing them on the yarrow...

...the feverfew...

...and on random leaves and stems. I can't help it...I think they're quite beautiful, with their tidy proportions, nicely lined wings, and evenly patterned abdomens.

Being on vacation recently gave me a chance to start a new knitting project. I wanted to make a slouchy hat in one of my favorite colors, mustard. This hat was designed by a Scottish woman who was born in the Shetland Islands and who recently released a book of patterns inspired by her life there. This particular hat uses a traditional lace pattern called 'cat's paw'. It didn't look like much after I finished it, but therein lies the magic of blocking.

One supper plate later...

...and voila! It's a perfect fit, and comfortably slouchy. I can see grabbing this hat in the fall, just before a long, brisk walk.

Another knitter sent me a surprise package this week, of vintage buttons. I love buttons of all kind, and these were beauties...pearly pinks, silvery bell-like circles, faux diamonds, some that looked like burnished steel, deep reds, pale greens, and calming blues...and a whole hodgepodge of whites, creams, browns, blacks, and bronzes.

I was glad to have a little surprise, because I needed a pick-me-up. Todd is out of town again, and I absolutely feel miserable when he's gone. He'll be home soon, though, and meanwhile I have lots to keep me busy...

Enjoy your week!

Mother's Day Melee

With the weather getting warmer, I've been out in the garden a lot. We've got dandelions with stems as thick as small trees, it seems, that break in two with a gleeful ~pop!~ when you tug on them. As much as I dislike trying to uproot them, dandelions have a special beauty, I think. They are so symmetrical, with their delicate, feathery seeds.

The seeds themselves remind me of arrows. They're tiny and ridged and cling loosely to their base, just waiting for a light wind to waft them away. To make more tree-sized dandelions. But we've got to take our small pleasures where we can, and I enjoy THIS part of the dandelion, at least!

I'm continually amazed that despite my bumbling ignorance in the garden, plants continue to flourish year after year. Without much thought to soil or light needs, I planted a tiny sage plant by our back walkway a few years ago. Now it's a woody shrub and provides me with fresh sage for 9 months out of the year.

I adore sage leaves. Not only do I like to roll them between my fingers for the smell, I like how they look - and feel! - exactly like cats' tongues.

My dill self-seeded with abandon.

My bronze fennel did too. I dug up all the volunteers yesterday and planted them in a row in front of a poor-soil area of fencing. I know they'll be beautiful (and caterpillar-covered!) in two months.

My obedient plant is thriving...the yarrow is throwing up stalks...the columbines are more beautiful by the day...the peonies are nearly ready to open...and the irises are up. Irises have the most delicately veined petals.

My favorite part, though, is this strip of 'fur' on each one. It looks like a sea anemone, and is a welcoming beacon to bees and butterflies.

Bosewichte stays in the window constantly, watching me work. He would like nothing more than to be outside with me, but he's going to have to wait until we move!

Tabitha, who has never been outside, is content to loll around in a sunbeam and leave the outdoor longing to her big brother.

Mother's Day was last week, and as usual, I planned a big meal for a few mothers that I know. I set up a table in our "second living room", although I was short a few chairs...so many things are in storage!

I filled the room with flowers. Geraniums and violas, because they're so bright and colorful...

...but also bunches of lilacs from my dwarf bushes that are just starting to bloom. The smell is amazing!

Everyone got a little packet of one of my favorite flowers...

...and a little stamped placecard.

I worked up a menu: 44-clove garlic soup, fresh baguettes, spinach quiche, roasted asparagus, and a shrimp and feta dish, plus salad. I wanted a special dessert and decided on an old Martha Stewart trick: dried pineapple flowers. It's ingenious, really. Remove the rind from a pineapple and cut paper-thin slices. Put the slices on a greased cookie sheet and place in an oven preheated to 225 degrees and bake for 1 hour, flipping halfway through. If the slices aren't dry enough, continue to bake until they're almost completely dry.

When you reach that stage, press the slices into muffin tins so they'll dry into a flower-like shape and leave them out overnight.

Because my pineapple came off in "slabs" rather than "slices", I had to dry mine for a really long time. But they eventually dried - for the most part.

I decided to make hummingbird cupcakes, which are made with banana, coconut, and pineapple. I went to a reputable source for the recipe, but my cupcakes were completely flat and wouldn't bake in the middle. I was in a panic. I knew I had to salvage them somehow, because people were coming in just 2 hours! I made a quick batch of mini cupcakes that I knew would bake through easily. I topped them with cream cheese frosting and a dried pineapple flower.

Then, I cup up the regular-sized cupcakes and layered them in a trifle dish with cream cheese frosting. I've got to say...it was beautiful, and they were delicious! Just in case, I whipped up a batch of my favorite can't-go-wrong lemon blackberry muffins topped with nutmeg and turbinado sugar.

I also made berry charlottes, which didn't turn out like I'd hoped. These charlottes consisted of 2 layers of homemade fruit mouse, on a ladyfinger base, surrounded by ladyfingers, topped with fresh fruit. Well, my mouse didn't taste sweet enough and my ladyfingers were floppy.

The berries looked pretty, though!

All in all, even with droopy ladyfingers, the meal was a success! I love getting together with friends for a home-cooked meal. I think it's a lost art in today's "dine out" culture. I'm looking forward to our next time together!

I hope you have a great week!

Toppermost of the Pop(over)most

More snow! Three inches on the ground and two more inches coming. I love these chilly days, and I'm not the only one. A cat (Clarence, perhaps?) crisscrossed the yard on the freshly-fallen snow, leaving behind telltale tracks.

A squirrel (Peabody, no doubt!) ventured out, nosing around under our feeders for fallen bits of sunflower seeds or nuts.

The falling snow got caught in the dried dill I left up for "winter interest." I'm glad I did...it looks so pretty!

Bosewichte has a love-hate relationship with snow. He hates to be cold and wet, but loves to be outside. He compromises by begging to go outside, but only staying there for about five minutes. He loves to explore the bushes, which look so different in winter.

Peabody came out of his drey after the storm to have a quick nibble in the open air.

I noticed a surprising bit of color outside. The knotholes in the fence have all turned a deep orange. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the temperature change...but it's awfully pretty!

Below-freezing weather means that I can do one of my favorite winter rituals. I got this idea from an old Martha Stewart magazine, and I do it every year. In the spring and summer, I gather and press violets.

There are lots of uses for pressed flowers. Sometimes I glue them to linen fabric and frame them, but I've discovered that the color fades quickly. I found one of my practice strips and decided to display it in the sun room to add a little bit of color.

For the particular project, the dried violets are sprinkled in the bottom of a large glass bowl. Add water, and then put a smaller bowl inside. A stone or heavy candle can weight the small bowl down. Then I'll put it in the freezer overnight.

In the morning, I leave the frozen bowls out for about a half hour, until they are loose enough to remove. What's left is a beautiful ice bowl with bits of dried flowers caught up in the rim.

Put a small tea candle inside and it makes a really nice light. If you have fence posts, these look so pretty, stacked on top and lit from within. You can really change the entire look of your yard with a few strategically-placed ice bowls...and they last until spring!

Ice bowls outside, and new kitten drama inside. Tabitha, true to form, has been spending her time sleeping...

...and riding around in the hood of Todd's sweatshirt.

She's trying to make friends with Bosewichte, who's generally annoyed by her presence. I caught them here, just a few seconds before he shoved her off.

Sometimes, though, he's just too warm, comfortable, and lazy to move. He grudgingly lets her snuggle up. I try to keep her from bothering him too much.

Apart from these referee duties, I've been feverishly knitting. The last of my Christmas knitting is almost done. Here's a quick peek!

I've also been churning out mini square after mini square for my blanket. I'm absolutely addicted!

I've taken some time out for baking, too. Recently, I made a big batch of popovers. I love them because they're so simple, but they're incredibly versatile and flavorful.

I don't have a popover pan, so I just use a muffin pan. Don't they look good?

Popovers have a delicious chewy texture.

If you don't use a popover pan (which is bigger than a muffin pan), you might get these bottom indentations...
...but likely you'll still get the desired hollow center, which is delicious filled with cheese, jam, bacon, or something sweet, like melted chocolate.

The secret to good popovers is putting them in a cold oven, and turning it to a high heat. The high temperature causes the hollow center to form, just like when making pita bread. You can add cheese, onions, jalapenos, cinnamon, or anything else you'd like to the basic dough...or just enjoy the taste of the plain recipe.

Popovers

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs, and then add in remaining ingredients. Be careful not to overmix!

If using muffin tins: grease tins and fill them halfway with batter. Place in cold oven and turn temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes (depending on the size of your tins - popovers are done with puffed, with slightly browned tops).

If using popover pan: grease and fill cups halfway. Place in cold oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes.

If you need some cheerful music to listen to while cooking, I'm completely addicted to Sufjan Stevens' Christmas albums right now! Have a listen and enjoy your week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkCxiba1bmA