Ellie Mae's Cottage

Late August Harvest

2010-08-24T15:23:00.000-04:00

I've been really thrilled with how the well the vegetable garden has performed this year. Better than all previous years and I'm sure it was the hot sunny weather we've had all summer long. It's been really dry so I've had to hand water almost every day, but this week we are experiencing lots of rain, which has been a refreshing change.

The tomatoes have been outstanding and I've certainly been in competition with squirrels to harvest them. I've made some tomato sauce bolongese with them and we've been having tomato salads almost every night. I've got 8 varieties planted and the one that seems to be sweetest and most tasty is a heirloom called the German Stripe.

We've had more than enough cukes, squash, and zucchini. The summer squash is dying off now from powdery mildew and I'm OK with that.... we've had quite enough squash thank you very much! I'll be pulling up the spent plants sometimes this week.

Eggplant has been abundant as well. YUMMY! I adore eggplant parmesan and it freezes well too. There are also more green beans than we can eat. I've let a bunch get mature seeds so I can dry them and hopefully plant the seeds next summer.

The perennial garden is really slowing down too. There is so much that has gotten brown, died back, and gone to seed so much earlier than usual, but I kind of expected that since we had such a warm spring and everything seemed to be about 3 weeks ahead from previous years. Thank goodness for black-eyed Susans otherwise we wouldn't have much color in the flower bed right now, since I don't put in mums until after Labor Day.

I was delighted by seeing this surprise in the backyard bed. (Sorry the picture is so bad, but the light was waning.)

I stuck this amarylis plant in the ground because I couldn't kill it even though it had long since bloomed last January. To my amazement it bloomed again August. What a nice surprise! The garden although frustrating at times always brings me much joy and wonder!

Today's Harvest and Veggie Garden Update

2010-07-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

The vegetable garden is continuing to perform well this year. The collard greens and broccoli finally finished producing last week and bolted so I I've got a few empty spots for some fall planting. I've been regularly harvesting lots and lots of squash and zucchini. There may be some vine borers in them at this point, but I'm not going to do anything about it since we've got more than we need. I've been grating and freezing them for future bread making.

I've also been grilling the zucchini and yellow squash as well as the broccoli (those are sweet potatoes and zucchini in the pic above - I didn't grow the sweet potatoes, but they were delicious grilled). I coat the broccoli in olive oil, mix in some chopped garlic and salt/pepper, and let them roast for about 8-10 minutes. The zucchini and squash I slice in circles and coat in olive oil with a sprinkling of Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Today I finally picked my green beans, cucumbers, beets, and cherry tomatoes. Only 2 orange cherry tomatoes but with 16 vines of all different varieties of tomatoes there are probably 50+ more starting to ripen (waiting is such anticipation!).

The eggplants and sweet peppers are doing well and I've got many in all stages of development. I think for both of these I'll be harvesting some next week. The swiss chard is still producing but starting to look tired. I'll probably pull them out and sow some new seeds for a fall harvest.

The purple cabbage is almost ready to be picked as well. Leaf loopers finally got to them, but I've been hand picking them off with success so I opted not to spray. The outside leaves don't look pretty but the inner cabbage is fine. I planted carrots late so they are just tiny seedlings now but doing really well. I think I'll sow some more for a late fall harvest as well.

Finally the potatoes are blooming but I never hilled them. I know I should have but I've been too busy. I noticed a fingerling potato popping through the dirt so it will be green and probably not edible. I need to get out there to hill the rest before the harvest is a total bust. Don't we all wish we had more time!

Mid Summer Island Bed

2010-07-14T13:14:00.000-04:00

My front island perennial bed looks best in late-spring (when the peonies and fox gloves are blooming) and mid-summer when the phlox, cone flowers, and rudbeckia take center stage. Mid-summer can also be a time when the garden starts to show signs of stress from the heat, humidity, and pests. With mid-summer comes humid weather, which means that controlling fungus and powdery mildew can be a full time job, but even with the foliage not looking its best the blooms of mid-summer usually puts on a lovely show.

I've got several varieties of phlox. Some of them are new cultivars that resist fungus, but most of what I have are older varieties that lose most of their lower leaves to disease every summer. The one is my favorite (sorry don't know its name). I love the color and how tall it is - almost as tall as me (5'2")!.

Notice the darn Japanese beetle munching away.... grrrrrr....

Since cone flowers are native to America not much bothers these hardy plants. I've got purple, pink, peach, and green blooms in this bed (sorry folks I don't know their common or botanical names).

The rudbeckia (also native) has lots of buds and should be blooming in a few days (sorry no picture).

Larkspur is new to my garden this year. I love how they look so similiar to delphiniums (some people think they are the same but they are not). Larkspur blooms later and longer than delphiniums. They don't have as a deep a color as the delphinium, but are tall and sturdy and bit more resistant to disease.

Hollyhocks are one of my all time favorite flowers. I planted them last year and this year they are blooming for the first time. Only one has started blooming, but 2 others are not too far behind. I planted them at the back of the bed knowing they are tall plants, but I've been disappointed so far in their size. They are probably only 3 feet tall and the flowers are smaller than I expected. They aren't done blooming or growing for the season so I hope they will get bigger (does anyone have any idea why they are so small?)

These sweet coreopsis with grassy foliage and small lavender flowers is planted at the very front of the bed. I have mixed feelings about it. The flowers are so small you really only notice them unless you get close up and the foliage is a bit messy looking to me. I'm undecided as to whether they are staying or being moved. I'm thinking of replacing them with something that has a bit more impact. Any ideas anyone?

Around the large oak tree I've planted reblooming daylilies in all different colors and varieties. I need to take better pictures of them early in the day. I usually go out with the camera late in the day as the blooms fade so I haven't captured them at their best, but they are really gorgeous.

The Endless Summer hydrangea is blooming really nicely this year. Good thing too because I was ready pull it out. I planted it 3 summers ago and this is the first time it has bloomed (and I haven't pruned it for fear that it wouldn't bloom).

Finally at the back of the bed are tons of liatris. I inherited them from the previous owner. They were peppered throughout the bed with no rhyme or reason, and 2 springs ago I moved them all towards the back in a long row for impact. I love they way they look.

This bed is still a work in progress. I've got many more kinds of plants then I've listed in this post, but this is what is blooming right now. There are still plants in the back of the bed that are smaller and need to be moved up front since they are hiding behind the cone flowers and tall phlox. These include the shasta daisies, salvia, and lamb's ear. I've got that on my "to do" list for next spring. As the summer goes by that list is growing and growing... but then again a garden is never done and that's what makes it so much fun!

Dreaming of a Cutting Garden

2010-07-10T14:08:00.000-04:00

I rarely cut flowers from my garden to bring them inside (except for peonies... I always have lots of them in the spring). I know I should enjoy the flowers both inside and out, but honestly my garden has not been that great of a cutting garden since we bought this house almost 5 years ago. The first few years of gardening I was figuring out what types of flowers I wanted and dealing with a mess that the previous homeowner left me. This year I actually have some good blooms (although threatened by fungus) so I figured it was time to create a small bouquet.

In this vase are cone flowers, gerber daisies, and liatris from my garden. I purchased the green mums from the grocery store as a filler (they were only $3), but I could have gathered up more home grown blooms and eliminated the mums. The vase is a vintage ironstone that was sitting in my basement and the table cloth is also vintage from the 1950s. This has brightened up our little dinning room and even Andy noticed it.

Next summer I'm definitely dedicating a raised bed completely to a cutting garden. I'm thinking it will contain cosmos (which I already have along my front walkway), dahlias (I've only got a few now so would need more), zinnias (I have them now in containers only), and gerber daisies. I'd also like to add a few more cone flowers to my front perennial bed.

Do you have a cutting garden? If so, what do you grow in it? I'd love to hear your ideas!

The Other Shoe Dropped!

2010-07-08T14:50:00.001-04:00

I knew it had to happen.... the other shoe finally dropped on my veggie garden. Now, who do you think is the evil little furry varmit that has been dining on my eggplant?! Is it a squirrel? Chipmunk? Rabbit? Raccoon? I say show yourself you miserable little guy.... or gal! And, let's have at it!

On the brighter side of things my Provider Bush Beans (from Johnny Seeds) are blossoming all over. Don't you think they have the sweetest little purple petals?

And, I've got more baby cukes than I can count. Time to get out the pickling stuff!

Walking through my garden this morning I stopped to admire our stone walkway. I love the cottage feel of the walkway with the moss growing in between the spaces, but I have to tell you that weeding this area is almost a daily chore. I don't want to use weed killer because it will kill the moss, which I love, so I hand pick each and every weed and doing the whole thing can take a good hour at a time. As you can see, I missed some this time. *sigh*

Another bright spot! The hydrangea is blooming!

But.... and there's ALWAYS a but..... my front perennial bed is loaded with fungus.

It started on the tall garden phlox and has now spread to the peonies (thank goodness they've finished blooming) as well as the cone flowers (I've never had a problem with fungus on them before), hollyhocks (no surprise there...), and foxglove. It's been a very humid and warm season and although I've been spraying with sulfur it's not working. As much as I love the phlox (and I'll show a closeup pic in another post), I'm really thinking of pulling them out this fall and replacing them with something else... something easier. It seems that all of the cottage flowers I love the most (tall phlox, foxgloves, and hollyhocks) are notorious for having fungus problems and powdery mildew. Usually we don't have this problem until mid to late August, but this year with the early hot and humid weather we are fighting it earlier than normal. I'm not sure what that will mean for my late summer garden.... thank goodness for Rudbeckia because if everything else looks bad at least these winners will put on a show.

PS... Do you ever get discouraged by some of the perfect gardens you see on blogs? I know I do. There are some bloggers whose flower gardens don't have a single bug hole, fungus speck, or yellow leaf. How do they do it? Is it good luck? Creative cropping in a pic? Selective picture taking? Use of non-organic chemicals? Or, just plain hours and hours of hard work and gardening experience? I'm in my garden constantly (any more and I wouldn't time for a job or a life!), and just can't seem to get in front of these problems. I'm almost ready to give up. Please let me know the secret because it's giving me an inferiority complex.

First Summer Squash Harvest!

2010-07-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

We are experiencing an unusual heat wave in New England. The recorded temperature is at 101 degrees right now (which is 38.33 celsius for my Canadian friends). While the temps were still in the cool 80s this morning I checked on the veggie garden and did some harvesting. Today's harvest consisted of my first summer squash of the season (yellow and zucchini). I also noticed that the collards greens were starting to bolt so I pulled them up and harvested the last of them too. With the empty space in the bed where the collard greens were I will sow some more seeds - most likely beets and turnips for a fall harvest.

Well excuse me now while I go sip on an ice tea with some fresh mint from the garden and park myself in front of the AC unit. I need to blanch and freeze the collard greens, but standing next to pot of boiling water for even a few minutes sounds about as much fun as getting some teeth pulled right now. Stay cool everyone!

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

2010-06-30T13:47:00.000-04:00

Do you ever worry when things are too good? ( I sure do.... actually I'm a chronic worrier so that's my normal state.) Case in point.... Here's a picture of my several of my veggie beds.

Yellow squash and zucchini.

16 tomato plants and 8 eggplants.

Cucumbers, bell peppers, and bush beans.

Yes they look wonderful. No signs of disease and not a bug within sight. So what's the problem? Well that is my problem - they look too good. The growth is incredible for this time of year. Everything has blossoms and small fruit - I've harvested lots of spring veggies and the summer veggies aren't too far off from picking. I've got tons of tomatoes - actually some are quite large, and even a sizable green bell pepper is about 1 week away from harvesting (which never happens this early in the season for me in New England). And, I'm not even spraying (organically of course). The only real problem I've had is that my squash got top heavy because of their growth and snapped off at the base (and believe it or not this isn't from vine borers - I checked - just weight!). And.... I took the snapped off top piece of the vine and buried in the soil and 'lo and behold.... the darn thing survived and took root! I never would have guessed it.... you have no idea how many times I've tried to do that in the past after many battles with vine borers in order to save my squash crop and I've never had luck with it. *sigh*

Reflecting on what may be different this year I can't come up with much except incredibly warm weather early in the season and just the right amount of rain. The soil may be slightly more improved, but I've done nothing drastically different. It just goes to show you that when it comes to gardening Mother Nature really is in control. We can try to tame her and nourish her along, but when push comes to shove the best soil, preventative measures, and praying are no comparison to plain ole really good weather (which is incredibly rare in New England).

Beets...lots of them poking through soil. It won't be long now 'til harvesting them.

Fingerling potatoes growing in 3 containers.

Well I hope this post has jinxed it all. I'm sure those evil little vine borers are ready to hatch, the leaf loopers hiding beneath the cabbage leaves, and the chipmunks ready to pounce as the southern breeze carries month-long rainy weather filled with blight just waiting to wreak havoc on my picturesque raised bed! UGGHH... maybe it's time for a tranquilizer! Darn gorgeous garden!

I Admit it....

2010-06-28T20:32:00.001-04:00

.... I'm a Martha Stewart fan. Yes, sad but true. I guess it's the perfectionist in me (and let me preface that by saying I'm no where near as bad as she is! Thank God Andy would say!). Any way, her daughter Alexis has inherited many of her mother's qualities and is an accomplished baker. When I saw this garden cake that she recently posted on her blog I thought how cool is that! I would never have the patience or skill to make one of these myself, but I would love to have one for a special event.

Check this out!

There's even a stone wall! I bet it's delicious. Now excuse me while I go whip up that box cake I have sitting in my cupboard.

Yummy Swiss Chard

2010-06-14T12:56:00.000-04:00

We've had a bumper crop of swiss chard this year. I hope it keeps up because it's delicious and the plants are so beautiful.

I've never tried freezing swiss chard but I guess I could since it's similar to spinach and collard greens that freeze well after blanching and draining. In the meantime I'm enjoying this nutritious green sauteed or with a little crushed tomatoes and some kielbasi.

First clean the greens really well and chop them into bite sizes. I remove the stems and cook them first since they take a little longer. You can cook the stems with the greens but by they time the stems cook the greens will get really mushy.

One of my favorite ways to cook them is by using an old Italian recipe that my grandmother and mother taught me. You start by sauteing diced onions and garlic in olive oil.

Add some stewed tomatoes, sausage (or in this case I used kielbasa but you can eliminate the meat entirely), and the stems of the swiss chard. Cook on low heat until the sausage is almost done and the stems are tender. Throw in the leaves of the chard. You will notice that greens cook down a lot so I always use more than I think I'll need. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then add in a can of drained and rinsed white or red pinto beans (to stretch this meal add in 2 cans of beans - one red and one white). Continue cooking until the greens are soft and sausage is completely done.

Before serving top with a little Parmesan cheese and grated mozzella. Serve with garlic bread. This one dish meal has a rustic taste that pairs deliciously with a robust red wine. Enjoy!

My Little Red Wagon

2010-06-10T13:32:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago there was a knock at my door at 7:30 in the morning. My love was home and getting ready to leave for work for the day. He answered the door and quietly brought a very large package into the house. I was upstairs and stopped at the landing overlooking our great room as I saw Andy standing there holding a large box and wearing the biggest grim imaginable. He was grinning because the surprise gift he bought me had been delivered and he knew it was something that I'd been wanting for a long, long, time.

So I went barreling down the stairs like a child on Christmas morning and ran to him practically knocking him over so I could get to the box he was holding. You see he had my little red wagon! My Radio Flyer Wagon!!! The wagon that has been on my wish list for eons!! What a great guy he is and what a wonderful unexpected surprise to wake up to in the morning!

I must say I'm lucky to have such a thoughtful man. He always does little thoughtful things like this... writes me notes, always tells me I'm beautiful even when I look like something the cat dragged in. Ellie of course loves the wagon too! She actually jumps in it to go for a ride!

I've already used this baby for so many gardening tasks. I use it to carry my plants, gardening tools, soil amendments, etc. It's nice and shinny now and I clean it faithfully. I'll always cherish it because every time I look at it I'll remember Andy holding it as he grinned from ear to ear, and the warm feeling I felt all day long after receiving such an unexpectedly wonderful morning surprise!

Tick Tock Time

2010-06-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

They say as you get older time seems to fly by quicker. Well sometimes that's true, but other times it seems to creep by... hmmmm.... that's how I feel all winter long! It's been well over a month since I last posted, but I have been doing lots of work in the garden, and when I'm not doing that I've been lurking and enjoying all of your posts.

This spring has been a blur for me in terms of the garden. Mostly because the weather has been so ~~unseasonably warm~~ hot that I haven't had a chance to really enjoy it. Spring is my favorite season and I always enjoy relishing it as though I'm sipping slowly on a nice hot cup of tea after a walk on a rainy spring day.

The early heat has been a challenge for this New England gardener as the peonies (one of my favorite flowers) bloomed a full 3 weeks early. So early in fact that I didn't have time to stake them (nothing new) and when they did finally bloom we got nothing but a week of rain and summer-like torrential thunderstorms that made most of my beautiful blooms either fall off or kiss the ground. By the time the weather cleared up the peonies were done for the season .... *snap* ....just like that.... gone until next year. No pictures taken, no blooms brought inside to enjoy.... *sigh* I keep telling myself at least it's better than snow!

Here is a pic taken right before the peonies bloomed....

The pansies which usually don't fade until mid-June in my area are way past their prime. So out they will go over the next few days to be replaced by summer petunias and zinnias. The spring veggies have bolted quicker than lightening. I'd normally be picking leaves all through June, but I had to pull out the spinach out yesterday (I blanched and froze what was left) to make room for something else (probably a late planting of carrots). The lettuce is soon to follow as it is bolting too, but I'll sow some more seeds with a summer variety.

Bolting spinach... a few days later they were twice this size! Off to the far left of the picture is some broccoli and purple cabbage which are doing nicely and won't be ready to harvest until July probably.

On the plus side, the summer veggies are taking off much earlier than usual. Below are the 3 summer veggie beds I planted on Memorial Day weekend. These little babies are already much bigger so maybe this year we'll actually get some early tomatoes! Planted in these are: yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, bush beans, and cucumbers.

Also on the plus side, beside the small stretch of really wet weather (of course when the peonies were blooming .... always when they bloom), we've had dryer than usual weather. This has been a wonderful change from last year where it rained almost non-stop from May - September (no kidding!).

Apart from the veggie gardening, I've reworked my shade garden and added lots of coral bells. These are my new favorite plant and I think I have at least 6 different varieties. I'll post about them in the future. This bed also has some yellow deadnettle, irises (done for the season), toad lilies, yellow primroses, lamium, several varieties of hostas, astilbe, and brunnera macrophylla.

And, I've added a butterfly garden (this is a work in progress.... I intend to add more, but it's a good start I think). Here's the before picture (just a clemantis).

And, the after picture - here's what's been added: A cobalt blue glass bird bath, shasta daisies, cone flowers, bee balm (still stalky babies), dinner plate dahlias - I started indoors (they should grow as tall as the fence, but right now they are shorter than the bee balm), balloon flowers, yellow coreopsis (didn't make this picture), lavender, mixed asylum, pink gaura, and, blue salvia. There's also a tall butterfly bush (out of the picture below but you can see it in the "before" pic above) that I had to trim back considerably. I've had it for years and it was just way too large.

Besides the butterfly garden Andy and I also built a small shade garden next to our hot tub. This area gets only dappled sun all day (so it's not easy to get a picture with the right light). The only thing that grew here before was moss, but now there are several varieties of hostas, begonias, lilithrope, coleus, and impatience. I'd like to add some more perennials in the fall to replace the impatience, but for now I think it's a good start. We've dedicated the garden to Andy's dad who passed last fall. This little red shed was on his back patio near the stairs and he put some handles on the roof of it so he could use it for leverage to go down the stairs that didn't have a railing at the time. We have named this garden "JP's Garden" after him. I want to make a small sign to put on the shed with his name.

Well that about wraps up this post. In closing here are some more sights from around our garden. These pictures were taken in May of this year. .... now if we could only freeze time for a bit so I can enjoy the garden a little longer... but, like life it's always changing!

Happy Mother's Day to Mother Earth!

2010-04-22T17:43:00.000-04:00

Spring is my favorite season! Considering the fact that I love to garden so much it's pretty obvious why I love this time of year. Although the beauty of the season is stunning, the reason I enjoy it so much is because of the fresh newness that it brings and promises of an abundant bounty that is yet to come. This time of year allows me to dream, hope, and smile in anticipation of the growing season that lays ahead.

Each year as Earth Day rolls around I think about how beautiful nature is and how we as inhabitants of this planet have a responsibility to co-exist in harmony with all that is around us. Unfortunately, as technology advances and as our lives become more complicated that becomes harder and harder to do. Since we've all been preached to via the media and the Green Movement as to what we should and shouldn't do environmentally, I think we've all got a pretty clear idea as to what it means to be Green. The challenge, however, is incorporating that way of living into our busy lifestyle - easier said than done.

So, instead of writing a preachy blog about recycling and organic gardening, I just want to take this moment to remind myself and to my readers that on this day - such a special day for gardeners - stop for moment, relish in the glory of spring, breathe in the intoxicating smell of the soil on a rainy April day, and pay homage to our Mother Earth. Treat her like she is indeed your mother and wish her a very Happy Mother's Day!

Tulips, Tulips!! And... a Blue Tarp

2010-04-21T11:50:00.000-04:00

I've never planted bulbs before. The few that I had in my yard were planted by the previous owner or naturalized. So when I planted tulips late last fall.... very late.... in December, I wasn't sure anything would actually come up, but I'm happy to say they did and I'm really enjoying the spring show.

I planted one of those 40 variety packs that I picked up from Lowes. This was a bit of risk since you never know what is going to come up and in what colors, but I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I had bought another pack and spaced them a bit closer so they would look fuller, but it was my first try out of the gate so I can't complain much.

The ones below weren't in the variety pack - I picked them out separately and wasn't sure if they blended with the flowers in the variety pack.... they don't really, but I don't care since I'm not a garden designer and I'm really just thrilled that things come up at all. I may move them after they finish blooming.

Some close ups of variety pack bulbs. The colors are stunning and they almost look like poppies.

I also planted some petite daffodils and grape hyacinth, which you can see in the post below. It's so nice when your gardening efforts pay off unexpectedly.

Ok... I had to post this picture.... It's our embarassing blue tarp! It's only peeking out in the upper right of this picture because I can't bare to take a close up of it. Yes it's right in the front of the house and mucking up the scenery. Grace, this one's for you! LOL

You see last fall we had some rain damage to our house which only got worse over the winter. We got some insurance money (thank God!) but couldn't fix it all winter long because it was too cold. Then hubby got busy and so his solution (God help me... it certainly wasn't my solution) was to place a BLUE tarp over the offending area until he could get it fixed.

Since Andy never does anything the easy way he has decided (and actually I agree) to not replace what's there but to add a farmer's porch and stone wall to this part of the house. Great idea I say!! Love it!!! Now may mercy help me because this project is going to take all summer long and be a mess. I'll document the progress and try not to check myself into the psychiatric ward while it's going on. Wish me luck - I'm gonna need it!

Fast and Furious!

2010-04-19T17:02:00.000-04:00

As you may have notice I've been taking a bit of break from blogging.... life just gets too busy sometimes. I won't even try to catch up since I'm so far behind but I hope to begin blogging more again more regularly. While I was gone I have been lurking on your blogs and have been so impressed with everyone's garden! I just love this time of year!

About 2 weeks ago we had a wonderful burst of unseasonable ~~warm~~ hot weather. It felt fantastic but was a bit of tease for all of us humans as well as the plant world! Most of our spring blooms and shoots started coming up earlier than usual. It was quite a sight to see azaleas blooming the first week of April and for peony shoots to be standing so tall.

But now the seasonable weather has been back for the past week and a half, and it's been back down the 50s regularly and the plants are responding by slowing back down. Thank goodness I say since although I do love the warm weather I hate to rush spring.

So here's a tour of what's been going around our place.

The daffodil below popped up unexpectedly. I love when plants naturalize (as long as they aren't weeds of course!). I'm not sure what the species is. Does anyone know?

The spring phlox has been blooming very early. As you can see I haven't even had a chance to clean up this area yet.

One bleeding heart in red...

Another bleeding heart in white...

Amazingly to me the tulip bulbs I planted last December are getting ready to bloom! This pic was taken a week ago and they are much taller now and ready to burst.

We've also been working hard on getting the veggie garden ready. Here is our huge compost pile. It's almost gone now because we've been spreading it around the gardens.

Andy also built me a large pea bed. I hope to sow the seeds this week.

Andy is tilling the compost bed in the pic below. I get a bit concerned with powerful, mechanical tillers because of what they do to the worms, but we didn't have the strength or the patience to do this by hand.

More tilling.... Ellie was trying to attack the tiller! We kept her at a safe distance, but she was barking and growling like crazy. She does the same thing with the vacuum cleaner.... true vicious terrier! Ha!

Of course ya have to have some nice manure to add...

The cold weather veggies all planted (except for the peas). I've got broccoli, purple cabbage, spinach, and collard greens in this bed.

In this bed there are more collard greens, swiss chard, and several varieties of red and green lettuce.

These beds are reserved for summer veggies so I won't be planting here until after the last frost - except for the carrots - I'll be sowing them in the ground fairly soon. Usually around Memorial Day in our area I'll plant the warm-weather loving veggies, but I'll start sowing some squash and cucumber seeds indoors within the next week.

Signs of Spring

2010-03-24T22:36:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we had beautiful weather to usher in spring in New England. Our garden is always slow to awaken.... seemingly slower than even my neighbor's gardens. I think because most of our yard is partial shade to shaded that we seem to be a bit behind everyone else around us. This makes for a challenge to grow veggies and flowers with so little sun, but I keep trying!

The crocuses came up for the first time last week... (told ya things were slow in our yard). I was surprised to see a bee on one - not a honey bee but a pollinator indeed!

Crocus are some of my favorite flowers. They bloom for such a short period of time, but always bring a smile to my face after a long winter.

I didn't plant any of the crocuses in my yard... they are all completely naturalized. Every year there are a few more and it's always so exciting to see them popping up in so many different places.

Some daffodils are coming up too. They haven't bloomed yet in my yard although my neighbor's across the street has finished blooming.... her yard is in full sun all day.... hate her! Ok, only kidding....

The grape hyacinths I planted in the fall are also popping up. Can't wait to see them in full bloom.

Finally a tulip shoot! I planted close to 50 bulbs last fall, but sadly only a few are popping up. We had such a harsh winter and I'm not sure if I planted them deep enough... well live and learn.

I put out most of the houseplants outside for a breath of fresh air and to soak up the warm sun. These are only some of my houseplants - I've got over 20 inside the house.

For some reason the schefflera really suffered this winter. It lost most of it's leaves, but has settled down and is coming along nicely. I leave it out all summer and in winter take it in. It usually has no problem adjusting, but this year it really struggled.... kind of feels like I did all winter. ....notice the lovely garbage pail sitting on our porch... at least it's not bright blue and thankfully it's only there in the winter! Hubby doesn't always win! Tee Hee...

Gardening for a Lifetime

2010-03-16T00:58:00.003-04:00

I'm traveling for business this week to a warmer climate and can't help but to think about my home and garden back in Massachusetts. I'm a homebody by nature and enjoy nothing more than puttering around the flower beds and tending to the vegetable garden.

Photo Credit: Better Homes and Garden magazine

Lately work has consumed most of my time and when I'm not working life just seems to get in the way of what I really want to be to doing, which is diving into rich garden soil and letting all of my senses par take in the glory of mother nature.

Photo Credit: Country Living Magazine

To pass the time on the plane ride I poured over gardening magazines and dreamed of a life where my only cares are deadheading a shasta daisy and pulling up weeds. Right now I'm a bit of frustrated gardener as the vegetable seeds I intended to sow indoors have yet to be sown, the milk containers I collected for winter seed sowing sit empty in a back bedroom, and the tubers and summer bulbs I bought at the flower show have yet to be buried in potting soil. Is it too late?.... Too late and the season hasn't even begun yet? I know it's not, but I feel that way sometimes especially when I see the blogs of my gardening friends whose seeds have already sprouted and whose gardens are already bursting with blooming color... granted they are in a different zone, but I feel behind all the same.

Am I alone in feeling so anxious? Do you feel that way as you peruse the blogs of others? Do you wonder how they have time to do it all? How everything seems to be done on schedule without life ever getting in the way? Why should something that I enjoy so much make me feel so filled with angst?

Then, in the throes of my anxiety I read a review of a gardening memoir, "Gardening for a Lifetime," by Sydney Eddison. Althouth it focuses on the challenges of maintaining a garden as you get older, it's message is clear.... gardening should be enjoyable and easily fit into your lifestyle and if it's not... well for God's sake change it and don't worry about what other people are doing.

I can't wait to buy this book and dive into its pages. In the meantime, I need to resolve myself to the fact that although I bought 15 seed packets for veggies and flowers not a single one may get sown.... and, well that's OK... because I can still garden and still have delicious veggies this summer. Our local gardening center will have some fabulous seedlings in about another month and I can enjoy planting them all the same. I may not have raised them since birth, but they will be my adopted rescues that I'll love. After all my little dog Ellie is a rescue and look how wonderful she turned out to be!

Succulent Serial Killing

2010-03-08T17:23:00.001-05:00

I admit..... I kill succulents..... not on purpose of course.... I absolutely love succulents! I adore their shapes, textures, and colors. I pretty much love everything about them, but for some reason in my possession most succulents die - even the resilient ones. Except this kalanchoe, which I've had forever, but I don't really consider it a succulent since it seems to survive.

It blooms every year for me and is just starting to set bloom now.

I've even done well propagating it. See the plant in the top center in the photo below. This is just one of the many I've propagated from this plant - which are super easy to propagate anyway.

You'll also notice the jade plant and the Christmas Cactus - yes both still alive. The jade plant is another succulent I seem to do well with, but the Christmas Cactus.... well I've only had it a few months so I'm not sure if that counts yet.

I bought this paddle plant (which is a member of the kalanchoe) at the Rhode Island Flower Show 2 weeks ago. I've wanted one of these plants for a long time, but was too afraid to buy one for fear I'd kill it too. But, when I read that it is a member of the kalanchoe family I figured that I'd give it try. We'll see... I've only had it 2 weeks.

Here is another succulent that is doing OK.... I don't know what kind it is but I'm sure one of you wonderful bloggers does. I bought it as a tiny plant last summer for a dish garden.... it's the sole surviving member... *sigh*. Hey maybe it's another kalanchoe! ..... I think not.....

Here's are 2 more plants I bought at the flower show.... keeping my fingers crossed with them. Someone please tell me what they are since they came without tags.

This one I bought about a year ago. Is this a Hen and Chicks? It has looked pretty bad in the past but all of a sudden it seems to have picked up and is growing babies - this was right after it bloomed! Yup! I'm excited!

I think I'm doing all the right with these succulents. I don't water them often...... I wait until they are very dry. I transplant using them cactus potting soil in pots that have drain holes and they are in a west facing window.

I have the most difficulty growing varieties of sedum, which should be pretty foolproof, but sedum especially seem to die as soon as they are near me. I've tried planting them outside, inside, in pots.... I've tried to talking to them.... begging them to stay alive..... even bribing them.... OK not really but you get the picture! The only thing I can think of is that I may have a problem with low light. Most of my yard is partial sun and shady. The only really sunny spots are reserved for the veggie garden and perennial flower bed. There's not much direct sun coming through the house and I have no south facing windows - only west.

I welcome all and any advice from you succulent experts. Boy can I use it!

Well it's better than snow!

2010-02-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

The latest big snow storm that has been barreling through the northeast missed us. We've had mostly rain... although today there were a few snow flurries out there.

Although Ellie is not a fan of either snow or rain (just like her Mom), she hates snow more because she's so little that she can barely walk through it. Well, that may be debatable.... just check out that miserable look Ellie is flashing me as she stands outside in the rain while wearing the cutest yellow dog slicker ever! Poor baby!

Here's another picture from the flower show to remind me that spring is just around the corner. Hope you are warm and dry wherever you are today!

Rhode Island Flower Show

2010-02-25T23:11:00.002-05:00

A visit to the Rhode Island Flower Show last weekend got me in the mood for spring. Going to a flower show always makes my head spin putting me in a kind of gardening coma! There is so much to see, smell, and touch that it's overwhelming - it's quite a sight with me drooling over the plants, talking to myself, and scratching my head thinking... "how did they do that!"... while my poor Andy tags behind wondering if we'll ever go home.

My blogging friend Tootsie suggested I link this up to Fertilizer Friday. Please check out her wonderful blog - Tootsie Time!

Hope you enjoy the pics! (Wish they were better but the lighting is never the best for picture taking at these shows.)

Finally a pic of Andy and I.... I hate having my picture taken but I think this one is cute because of the heart shaped rocks above us.

A Wonderful Book About Bulbs

2010-02-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share with you a little about a wonderful book that I received for Christmas from my mother-in-law, Fleurette. As a fellow gardener Fleurette has a flare for picking out the best gardening-related gifts for me (lucky me!). The book is called Bulb and it's by British author Anna Pavord's whose best-selling book the The Tulip is equally as beautiful.

Bulb is filled with Pavord's first-hand knowledge of all the bulbs presented in this gorgeous book. Photographed by Andrew Lawson and Torie Chugg each page is a visual delight married with informative, lush descriptions and the horticultural history of each bulb Pavord carefully selected for this publication. Pavord tells you not only how to grow each bulb, but also what to pair them with for the most impact in the garden (invaluable information for any newbie like me).

A large, heavy book at 544 pages I've savored it many times over on a cold winter day. Opening a page and leaving it out the table often brings a warm smile to my face. But don't let the sheer size of this book intimidate you. It's so well written that both a novice gardener as well as an expert will enjoy it. The book is not meant to be an encyclopedia of bulbs, but covers enough species from all over the world that it will keep the interest of any level of gardener.

Warming Up Winter With Some Reds

2010-02-16T12:30:00.001-05:00

We got more snow last night.... *sigh* ....maybe I should just have a standard post of a snowscape on my blog since nothing much is changing outside in the garden. Watching the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and reading about how mild things have been in the Northwest I'm considering packing my bags and moving out west.... (just joking Andy if you happen to be reading this.... my guy loves the Northeast!).

Luckily there are some nice blooms going on indoors. The paperwhites came up super fast. They bloomed in only 9 days. I planted them on February 7 and 4 days later on February 11 they looked like this.

Today they look like this.... all but one stalk is in full bloom.

Red Lion Amaryllis has been a winner this year. I love the large red trumpet-like blooms.

I also have some nice red warm color on my kitchen window sill. I always decorate this for the holidays. Here it is decorated for Valentine's Day. I'll take down these hearts in another few days but for now I'm still enjoying the color.

Another Snow Draped Landscape

2010-02-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Another storm made it's way up the coast and hit us last night in Massachusetts. We didn't get as much snow as expected but it was more than enough for me.

The raised beds and perennials have been made snowy white yet again as the frozen ground is not anywhere near being ready to till for spring.

The trees hung low and heavy with cold, wet, snow.

The bright red holly berries stood out proudly against the white veil.

The birds dug through the snow to grab a bite to eat.

Nesting birds are still over a month away, but the snow topped bird house still looks like a cozy shelter.

Our house is snow drapped and laced with icicles.

But I'm still dreaming of spring and flipping through a wonderful bulb book to add some warm color to my day.

Going Bananas!

2010-01-31T18:50:00.003-05:00

If you've got some leftover bananas and don't know what to do with them I've got a wonderful recipe for you! Usually I make banana bread with over ripe bananas, but this time I decided to try a cake.

In searching for a good banana cake recipe I went to my favorite recipe site - All Recipes. I love this site because there are reader reviews of every recipe so you get to see how a recipe performs in the kitchen as well as what modifications people have made to make it their own. The recipe I found I modified a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand (ok... I'm lazy... I'd rather use what's in my cupboard than make a trip to the grocery) and I think I ended up with a happy surprise!

This banana cake is so moist that it holds up well even after almost a week of sitting in the fridge (although I doubt it will last that long!). Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting it has a consistency that's somewhere between cake and banana bread, and is so delightfully smooth it seems to melt in your mouth.

The cake bakes on the denser side so don't expect a light, fluffy, cake. As you can see in the photo below the cakes doesn't bake up high like some cakes do, but because it's so moist you can eat it without icing and even enjoy it for breakfast with a nice hot cup of tea or coffee. I haven't tried it yet, but this looks like a cake that would freeze well (I'd freeze it without the frosting.) You could also bake it in a 9x13 pan, but you may want to experiment with using a pan that size since the cake may be too thin using that type of pan.

If cream cheese frosting is too rich for you, try it with a lighter frosting or even whipped cream with some slices of bananas. If you like nuts you can add some to the batter before baking. I think even semi-sweet chocolate chips added would be yummy..... now that's something that would cheer me up on a cold winter day for sure!

Banana Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream (I used low fat)
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together butter/margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.
In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and allspice.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
Add the sour cream and mashed bananas to the batter and beat well. The mixture will be on the dry side and seem too thick until you add the sour cream and bananas. If it still looks too thick after adding the sour cream and bananas, pour in a little bit of milk to loosen up the batter.
Grease and flour 2 - 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes (it took 27 minutes to bake in my oven so you may want to set your timer for 25 minutes and then insert a clean toothpick to test for doneness.)
Cool for 30 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rake. You will notice that this cake doesn't come out of the pan easily so if it doesn't come out the first time you turn it over, gentle take a butter knife and loosen it up around the sides as well as the bottom and then flip it again.
Once completely cool frost it with the frosting of your choice.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together softened cream cheese and butter.
Add in the vanilla and then gradually stir in the confectioner's sugar.
Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

A Sight For Sore Eyes!

2010-01-22T18:11:00.000-05:00

I was in Lowes the other day to pick up something totally unrelated to gardening and saw this!

A seed display! What a sight for sore eyes in the middle of frigid winter. I love browsing through all of the seed packets and looking at the pictures on them. I do a little happy dance because it means that the count down to spring has begun. Although I've been browsing at seed catalogs for a few weeks now, when the gardening and outdoor displays start popping up in the all the stores I literally jump for joy! I'm sure my fellow shoppers thought I was nuts when I just stood at this display and stared at it glary eyed dreaming of spring. Although I always hate it when the stores put out Christmas stuff too early, I never get upset when gardening items start showing up in January.

There was also a beautiful table of orchids.

I really should have bought one because the price was right, but I didn't because I wasn't sure if Lowes-quality orchids would really last.

Well I've better in gear with my spring planting plan.... I keep saying that but I just haven't had the time. Instead I'm still after comfort food.... The other day I made a banana cake with cream cheese frosting that Andy loved! I have to share that recipe with you.

Surviving Winter

2010-01-13T12:10:00.007-05:00

Winter is a difficult season for me. I don't like the cold.... it hurts my hands and makes my nose run. My asthma acts up and I seem to spend the entire season with a cough and a head cold. Winter is not just uncomfortable for me -- it's downright painful. Being a gardener I complain all winter long about how miserable I am (poor Andy he puts up with this day after day so patiently) and how I long for the frozen earth to become soft again so that some sign of life will show itself. Although I love where I live, it's winter that makes me yearn for a home in a warmer climate where gardening is a year-round activity.

Now if I were rich I could have one of these....

What you see above is the huge indoor courtyard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, Massachusetts. While this courtyard is part of a museum, it was also once part of the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Isabella Stewart was born in New York City on April 14, 1840. She married John ("Jack") Lowell Gardner Jr. of Boston on April 10, 1860. Isabella Stewart Gardner had a zest for life, an energetic intellectual curiosity and a love of travel. Isabella Stewart Gardner, known also as "Mrs. Jack" in reference to her husband, was one of the foremost female patrons of the arts. She was a patron and friend of leading artists and writers of her time, including John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler and Henry James. She was a supporter of community social services and cultural enrichment. She was also the visionary creator of what remains one of the most remarkable and intimate collections of art in the world today.

The Gardner Museum and home is a warm bright spot all year round, but especially in winter where the lush greenery of the courtyard provides a welcome respite from the cold streets of Boston.

Looking at this courtyard I can imagine that if I were rich enough to afford such a luxury I could easily survive winter in New England. How grand would it be to escape to such a lovely place and be transported away from the frigid air just outside its doors? Gardening all winter long as birds fly by and others chirping in the palm trees would be pure heaven... *sigh* to dream.

As I look out my window and see nothing but frozen ground and many feet snow... the garden beds not even visible, but sleeping beneath a blanket of white... I dream of spring and of warmer times ahead. The indoor bulbs are blooming, the seeds catalogues are being dog-eared, and soon I'll be watching my indoor sprouts grow. But for now the warmth of our fireplace and cuddling up with my love and our little Ellie will provide me with much comfort and joy.

Welcoming in the New Year

2010-01-03T23:32:00.003-05:00

I hope the New Year finds you well and rested from the holiday season. I took a bit of a blogging break to spend time with my family and celebrate the season. It was a fun and exhausting time of year and I'm more than ready to get things back to normal.

The tree is still up - we keep it up until the Epiphany on January 6th. At this point, I'm ready to take it down, but dreading the task of un-decorating the house.

The seed magazines are starting to slowly come in and soon I'll begin prepping for indoor seed sowing. In the meantime, the amaryllis are blooming and providing a much needed bit of winter color.

It's amazing how these two amaryllis are so different. The one on the right is called "Red Lion" and has since bloomed with 3 bright red trumpet-like flowers. The one on the left I'm unsure of the name, but now has 5 blooms on it. They were both purchased at Lowes - real cheap. I'm thrilled with the results.

The paperwhites have not yet been potted up but will be soon. I always enjoy the sweet scent they bring when their blooms burst open. It's the smell of spring lurking right around the corner.

I'm also reviewing my garden and deciding what I'll plant in the vegetable raised beds as well as what needs to be divided, moved, ripped up, or planted in the perennial beds. Soon I'll share those plans with you - when I figure out what the heck I'm doing.... If I can ever figure it out that is!

A Blizzard and a Birthday

2009-12-20T18:02:00.015-05:00

A blizzard hit us in southeastern Massachusetts last night through today. It was my birthday yesterday so some of my birthday plans got curtailed. Andy was going to take me to the Newport mansions to see the decorations and holiday carolers, but the snow prevented us from going. We had dinner at a nice restaurant nearby and then watched my new favorite movie "Julie and Julia."

Last night the snow was really coming down and the wind was whipping around like crazy. Ellie poked her nose out for a sniff.

She didn't want to go outside, but Mother Nature was calling so she donned her bright orange coat and we shoveled a little path for her.

The snow at night was beautiful to see.

You can really see the blizzard conditions in this photo. This was just the start of the storm so the snow wasn't that high yet.

The next morning we awoke to this....

The view outside my kitchen window.

The first thing I did when got up and outside was to fill the bird feeders (notice I wasn't even dressed yet... I still have on my black velour pajama bottoms).

The birds enjoying the feast.

Morning doves huddled in a tree.

A blue jay hiding in a bush.

When the storm was finally over we ended up with almost 2 feet of snow. Now the fun begins.... digging out! We'll definitely have a white Christmas.

A Little Bit of Christmas Everywhere

2009-12-15T16:40:00.007-05:00

As promised here's a few more pictures of my Christmas decorations.

My little Christmas village.... Ignore the wrinkled curtains - apparently I forgot to iron them. =0

Here's the centerpiece on my coffee table (aqua wicker trunk). I took a few items that I've had around the house - nothing was bought new - and made a sparkly centerpiece. This is just a round tray filled with a few glass marbles and then topped off with a glass mosaic bowl filled with some scented red bark, red Christmas balls, and a white pillar candle.

My sofa table is simply decorated in red, white, and silver.

My baker's rake in the kitchen get's festive with some colored lights.

The centerpiece on my kitchen island was also put together using things I had - a small, square, white dish, a silver reindeer, a few pine cones, and some dinner candles.

The centerpiece on my dinning table is yet another mishmash of stuff. This is an old silver plated tray that I got years ago at a yard sale, filled it with fake snow (I could have also used Epsom salt or white candle shavings for snow), pine cones, moss, candles for sparkle, and 2 mercury glass Christmas trees.

Of course I couldn't ignore the light fixture over the dinning table so I put some Christmas balls on that too.

I took a few more pictures that I'll post later this week. Nothing like overdoing it for Christmas. :)

Doggie Hang Over

2009-12-14T15:52:00.004-05:00

Here's Ellie recovering from a doggie hang over. It's just how I feel right now.

It's Christmas time and our weekend was packed with over night travel to another state to attend a company Christmas party, a visit to Andy's college friend, and then a long drive back home to Massachusetts to go to yet another party. We took Ellie along with us everywhere and by yesterday she was completely wiped out from way too much stimuli - dealing with a hotel room, long drive in the car, several new doggie friends, and far too many people who thought she was the cutest thing on earth in her little red holiday sweater. Phew!! I sure wish I could just shut down for a day to recover like she did... ahhh the life of a dog!

It's Done! Phew!

2009-12-09T11:50:00.005-05:00

I finally finished decorating our gargantuan Christmas tree. Here is the result!

And, a close up....

I never have a theme to my Christmas tree and don't like it when everything matches on our family tree. Most of my ornaments (except for some "filler" balls) have meaning. Some were gifts, others were collected during our travels, passed down from our families, handmade, or from our childhood.

This cute little angel ornament was handmade out of a clothespin. Isn't she sweet.

This star is made out of sea shells - how appropriate for our region of the country.

Here are a few lighthouse ornaments. We've actually got a lot of these and have picked them up in sea side shops to our many visits to the Cape.

Here's a little cloisonne hummingbird ornament. I have several of these too and they were gifts from my Mother. I love them!

Of course, our tree wouldn't be complete without Andy's professional sports team ornaments. He loves his Red Sox and Patriots ornaments and always proudly displays them (I try to hide them but he always moves them to the front... *sigh*).

Here are the first two ornaments I ever bought for my own tree. I won't say how old these are. ;)

Well that's it. Soon I'll be posting pictures of the other decorations around our house.... that is as soon as the boxes get put away. Santa still hasn't sent his elves to do that. Darn!

This Tree Scares Me!

2009-12-08T11:30:00.005-05:00

I've pretty much finished decorating the entire house for Christmas - except for this...

This is our new 9 ft Christmas tree that my wonderful guy surprised me with over the weekend. I actually love it - we've got cathedral ceilings so a tall tree works well. Andy has been eyeing this tree since he saw it at Lowes last week. It's fake and pre-lit (thank God I can't imagine stringing lights on that thing), but it's probably the most realistic fake tree I've ever seen. It really is stunning. The only problem is that I've never decorated a tree that large before. All the ornaments I have fit a smaller tree around 6 feet and with something as large as 9 ft I don't know where to begin -- and I don't even think I have enough ornaments.

Anyway, for the past few days I've been just ignoring it in hopes that Santa's little elves will decorate it while I'm sleeping. So far that hasn't happened. Yes I do believe in Santa... can ya hear me Santa? I've been good this year... can you pretty please send me some elves to get this tree done?

In the meantime I'll just admire my mantel.

Oh, and these empty boxes....

I've got tons of them all over the house that need to be put back in the basement. Do you think Santa's elves will do that too? Well, one can only hope.

Indoor Bulb Beauty

2009-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of the joys of winter indoor gardening is watching forced bulbs bloom. I love all the different unique containers that can be used and how beautifully you can decorate with them. While I'm still waiting for my amaryllis to bloom I did some poking around cyberspace to get some inspiration. I hope you enjoy these beautiful pictures and get some ideas too.

Photo credit: Country Living

Photo credit: Jackson and Perkins

Photo credit: Good Housekeeping

Photo credit: Country Living

Oh No Not Again!

2009-12-03T15:02:00.007-05:00

I'm sick again. 2nd time in a month. This time I've come down with strep throat. Never had that before and I can tell you it's not fun at all - had no idea that it felt like razor blades in my throat each time I swallow.

Anyway, my plans to decorate for Christmas are on hold for a few days until I feel better. The doctor has me on antibiotics and they are working well after only 24 hours so hopefully by the weekend I'll be back to my old self. In the meantime I was looking back at some pictures I took last weekend.

The burning bush has lost just about all of leaves.

The berries look lovely and have become the perfect feast for my feather friends. Soon even those berries will be gone once the birds finish them up.

Our holly tree is standing proudly in the yard. It's huge - probably 20 feet high and looks so festive this time of year. After a snowfall it is even more beautiful and a perfect place for cardinals to perch.

Every December I clip a few branches so I've got some fresh holly in the house. I use it in vases, on the mantel, and tucked under arrangements.

While I was out in the yard last weekend I saw some carrot tops poking through one of the raised beds. Amazingly there were two baby carrots underneath that I could harvest. It was a nice surprise and they were deliciously sweet.

Well a nice hot cup of tea with honey is calling my name. I've got the DVD machine loaded and I'm ready to a watch a movie. At least being sick gives me an excuse to cuddle up with Ellie and relax in the middle of the day.

Let the Season Begin!

2009-11-30T17:52:00.006-05:00

With Thanksgiving being over with I can finally get into the Christmas spirit. I'm not one to listen to Christmas music or to decorate my house for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Since I think it's important to savor and appreciate the moment, the golden rule in my house is no Christmas stuff before we've had our turkey feast.

To start things off, I've set out my amaryllis bulbs in pretty red metal containers.

Usually I force my bulbs by setting them in a glass container filled with water and rocks, but when I found these vibrant red containers for $2.00 at the Christmas Tree Shop I thought I'd use the plastic pots the bulbs came with and just place them inside the decorative holder.

To cover up the planting medium I used some dried Spanish moss I had laying around.

Amaryllis bulbs usually take 6 weeks to bloom so I may not have these opened for Christmas but I will have some lovely foliage in the meantime.

Over the next week I'll be slowly pulling out my other decorations as well as putting the tree up. Andy and I have a very real looking fake tree that we usually put up, but this year we may get a real one. Although I prefer a real tree, I like to keep my tree up until a week after New Year's and by then a real tree starts to look pretty shabby. What do you prefer real or fake and why?

Our calendar is very packed this month with several Christmas parties to attend as well as both Andy's and mine's birthdays. I'm sure all of your calendars are full as well. I'd love to hear what sorts of things you do to fend off the stress of the season. Post a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear your advice.

The First Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T10:49:00.015-05:00

The first colonists often celebrated days of thanksgiving as it was a big part of their religious beliefs. Thanksgiving days for the early colonists were quiet days of prayer - not feasts as we think of them today. However, in 1621 the pilgrims had their first big harvest and the reason why this harvest was successful was in part due to the support they received from the local Wampanoag Indians.

To celebrate the first large harvest as well as the cooperation and interaction between the English colonists and the Native Americans, a feast was held in Plymouth in the fall of 1621 - this is by many to be considered the first Thanksgiving. Since Plymouth is just a few miles from where I live, this time of year brings added meaning as we think about this historical event that took place hundreds of years ago right out our back door.

The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, have survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather with family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.

So, what foods were on the table during that first historical meal? Although we can't be certain as to exactly what they ate, we do know that this meal did not have mashed potatoes since potatoes were not available to the colonists during that time. Based on historical writings we can be certain that venison and wild fowl, probably wild turkey since it's so common to this area, was most definitely on the menu.

Although our modern Thanksgiving menu includes lots of vegetables, the colonists' menu was centered around many different meats since vegetables did not traditionally play a large part of any meal. Back then colonists needed lots of protein since they were more active and needed to survive long cold winters.

It's also interesting to note that pilgrims did not use forks to eat since they had yet to be invented. Instead they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers. Salt also would have been at the table, but pepper would not have been.

Above - Traditional Wampanoag Indian place setting included a spoon, turtle shell, and knife.

Above - Traditional Colonial English Setting Table from early 1600's

Here's a list of foods that were probably on the menu. This list has been obtained from Plimoth Plantation.

Foods That May Have Been on the Menu

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

What Was Not on the Menu

Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims' first feast table:

Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.

So, as you prepare for your Thanksgiving meal think about what the early colonist may have eaten and how different things are today. But one thing that has not changed throughout the years is our gratitude for the blessings we have received and for the family and friends that are so close to our hearts.

Please Watch This For Breast Cancer Awareness

2009-11-23T09:56:00.007-05:00

Medline gloves produced this video as a way to raise breast cancer awareness. It's amazing how they got so many employees, doctors and patients to participate. I love the gentleman at the end of the video. If you watch the video twice you'll see him hamming it up earlier on in the clip. This video made me laugh and cry both times I watched it. When the video gets 1 million hits on You Tube, Medline will be making a contribution to the hospital, as well as offering free mammograms for the community. Please check it out. It's an easy and great way to donate to a wonderful cause, and who hasn't been touched by breast cancer?

For your convenience I've embedded the video in my post, but PLEASE click here after you are done viewing it on my blog so your hit registers on You Tube.

Thankful for Nie Nie

2009-11-20T15:08:00.006-05:00

I'm sure many of you know Stephanie Nelson from her blog the Nie Nie Dialogues. If you don't you really must check out her very inspirational blog here. I've been following Stephanie's blog since before her plane accident. She was inspirational back then with her amazing exuberance, incredible style, and stories of being a Mom, but after the tragic accident back in August 2008 that almost killed her and her husband, Stephanie's faith, hope, and perseverance amazes me even more.

Not only has Stephanie endured incredible pain from the burns of the plane crash fire, the accident left her so disfigured that it took her own children months to not be afraid of her. It's now been well over a year since the accident and Stephanie is back home raising her children and trying to lead a normal life. She still has many months--even years of surgeries and therapy a head of her, but her faith in God, personal strength, and love of her family keep her focused on the future. Stephanie has shown us what true beauty really is - it's not what we see on the outside but what is on the inside that matters. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to read her blog. She makes my problems seem so irrelevant and she reminds me to be thankful for everything I have. Stephanie inspires me to be a better person by the example that she sets. With more surgeries scheduled for Stephanie in January, please remember to think of her in your prayers.

Click here too see an interview of Stephanie and her husband Christian.

You Know Thanksgiving is Coming When...

2009-11-17T17:10:00.004-05:00

....A bunch of wild turkeys cross the street in front of your house (sorry the pics are blurry, but these guys were moving fast!).

I Went a Bit Overboard!

2009-11-13T13:06:00.008-05:00

It seems I just can't resist a good sale - especially if gardening is involved. The other day while shopping at Lowes I saw a display for spring bulbs. I wasn't planning on planting any bulbs this fall, but when my eye caught the 50% off sign I was hooked!

Andy knew when I saw the sale sign that I was a goner so he left me standing there blurry eyed in a "sale stupor" while he roamed around the store to do more manly things (whatever that means). 30 minutes later he comes back to see me standing in the same spot. "What on earth are you still doing here?" he says annoyingly. He then looks down at my cart and sees what must be 30 packages of bulbs. "You're not planning on buying all of these are you?" "Of course not," I say as I cross my fingers behind my back. "Well then why are all those packages in the cart?" I then say to him confidently, "I'm planning the spring bed in my head and trying to figure out a planting scheme." ...Actually I'm just confused at that point. "Well just make a selection and let's get out of here before you buy the entire display!" "Maybe I will -- After all it's a darn great sale!"

The rational thing to do would have been to buy maybe one or 2 packages, but obviously I'm not rational so I ended up buying a total of 200 bulbs! Here are my purchases spread out on my kitchen table (along with the 2 packages of amaryllis bulbs and 1 package of paperwhites that I intend to force indoors this winter).

Looking at them all spread out like that makes me want to procrastinate - something I'm really good it! I have no idea where I'm going to put them all, but this spring should be full of color. Now I've got to hope for a few days of nice weather so I can get them in the ground before it freezes. Some how the actual planting part wasn't in my head when I was standing at the 50% off sign dreaming about spring - UGH!

Before I sign off on this post I'd like to mention a some things I've been thankful for these past few days:

Thankful that Andy was able to rent a leave vacuum and shredder to get up most of our leaves. Boy if we had to rake them all by hand we'd be out there for a week straight!
Thankful that Andy's eye was not seriously injured while using the shredder. He usually wears goggles but had forgotten to put them on. Thankfully no long term damage was done.
Thankful we were able to find Ellie after she decided to chase after a squirrel and wander the neighborhood for an hour... jeez she's so little and it was so cold outside that if we didn't find her she would have never survived - I shudder to think.

Thank You Veterans!

2009-11-11T11:42:00.007-05:00

Swine Flu Yuk!

2009-11-09T11:18:00.004-05:00

Early last week I was sick with what I thought was a bad cold, but as things progressed from bad to worse it was apparent that I wasn't dealing with any normal cold. To help me feel better and to reduce the severity of the virus, my doctor put me on a course of Tamiflu. Let me tell ya folks that stuff works wonders! Within 24 hours of taking it I felt better and within 48 hours I could actually get dressed and do things around the house. The only draw back is that the medicine does have a side effect of nausea so you really have to take it with food.

I'm thankful that I have a great family physician as well as a wonderful DH who took care of me over the past week. We took every precaution to make sure that the virus didn't spread to Andy but only time will tell... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Now that I'm back to the land of the living I need to catch up on my blogging and take care of all the things I've neglected around the house. Last night I put up a few Thanksgiving decorations. I never decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving - no reason to rush the season since all the retail stores do that for us.

While I was recovering I didn't get a chance to do any posts for the 30 Days of Thanksgiving so here are the things I've been thankful for these past few days:

I'm so grateful for having Andy in my life. He kept my spirits up, made all of my meals, and generally took care of anything I needed.

On Demand cable. It may seem frivolous but when you're sick the TV is your friend. My eyes hurt too much to read a book so the only activities I could do was sleep and watch TV. Thankfully we have On Demand cable so I was able to watch a ton of great movies.

A nice warm fire. Andy kept the fireplace going the entire time I was sick and the warmth of that fireplace was so comforting and soothing.

Chicken Soup. Need I say more.

Ginger ale. For me this is the best stuff for nausea.

The warm sun and a gorgeous day on the first day you are really feeling better. Ahhhh.... so wonderful!

Home Sick But Thankful

2009-11-03T11:51:00.006-05:00

It's Day 3 of the 30 Days of Thanksgiving and I woke up today feeling really awful. Thankfully it doesn't feel like the flu, but my raw scratchy throat, cough, and stuffy nose is no fun either. On days like these I'm thankful for being a telecommuter. There's nothing fun about dragging yourself into work when you are feeling under the weather, and using up time from my sick bank is something I'd rather save for something a bit more serious than a bad cold.

A few months ago our corporate headquarters announced they were shutting down the local branch that I worked at. At first I was told that I'd be laid off, but after a few months they reconsidered and decided to let me keep my job as a telecommuter. I was thrilled at this decision because working from home meant I'd be able to spend more time with my family and more time in my garden.

In my life I've found that whenever something really bad happens something better is always around the corner. Sometimes the good that comes out of bad situation isn't immediately evident and the lessons learned come hard, but with faith and patience the good never fails to happen.

Having our office close and getting laid off couldn't have come at a worse time as our country was experiencing the worse economic recession since the Great Depression and finding a new job would a long journey. But, without our office closing I would have never had the opportunity to telecommute, which is something I've been wanting to do for many years. Of course, I feel awful for my co-workers who didn't get that opportunity, but I have enough faith in God to know that something good is also coming to them -- just in a different way.

A Month of Thankfulness

2009-11-02T18:00:00.001-05:00

For the month of November I'm celebrating the 30 Days of Thanksgiving with one post of gratitude for every day of the month. I can't think of a better way to kick off the holiday season than to give thanks for all of our blessings both large and small. If you want to join me, please visit Karla over at her blog Karla's Korner and sign up. As Karla says you can devote an entire post each day to something you're grateful for or just end each post with a simple comment such as "Today I'm thankful for my children."

Of course I'm thankful for my family (both immediate and extended - Andy and Ellie included - goes without saying), my friends both near and far - including the blogging community, my home, my job, my health, and my relationship with God. But, since my life tends to be so busy I often overlook the small things I should be grateful for so for the next 30 days I'm going to concentrate on being thankful for them.

Since I didn't post yesterday I'm devoting this post to 2 things I'm grateful for:

Eyes to see the beautiful colors this time of year even when it's raining, cold, and gets dark early now that the clocks have turned back. This reminds there is beauty and light in all situations even when things seem dark and gray.

A sense of humor and patience as I realize I'll never win the war with the squirrels who keep snacking at our bird feeder so I might as well just let them eat. After all, humor and patience can help get me through the most difficult moments in life with grace and love.

Just look at this deviant little, fat, fellow!

Their Final Resting Place

2009-10-30T13:12:00.016-04:00

As the birthplace of our country Massachusetts has a long and storied past. With so many generations having lived here and with it being the home to many famous people there are bound to be a bevy of haunted places. So on this eve of Halloween grab a friend and hang on to your heart as we take a tour of some of the creepiest cemeteries in the Boston area.

King's Chapel Burying Ground was founded in 1630 as the first cemetery in the city of Boston.

John Winthrop's grave site. He was the first Puritan governor of Massachusetts.

William Dawes, Revolutionary War hero, grave site.

Founded in 1660, the Granary Burying Ground is the city's third-oldest cemetery. It is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War patriots, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and victims of the Boston Massacre.

Paul Revere's grave site.

John Hancock's grave site.

Boston Massacre grave site.

Mother Goose's grave site - yes she was a real person.

Burial Hill is the oldest cemetery in Plymouth dating back to colonial times. Before it became a cemetery, it was the site of the first fort, meeting house, and place of worship. Last Halloween night we took a ghost tour of this cemetery. Talk about scary! Our tour guide told many bone chilling stories that night.

John Howland's grave site. John was one of the pilgrims that came over on the Mayflower.

I think the creepiest cemetery is Salem's Burying Point. On this small patch of land are buried those responsible for the Salem Witch Trials.

One of the most notorious figures of the witch trials - Justice John Hathorne's grave site.

This now concludes our tour - be sure no one from beyond is following you home. ;)

Happy Halloween!!!

Ode to Vintage

2009-10-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

Faded and chipped paint.
A little rusty around the edges.
You sound a little bit like me.
Is that why I'm drawn to thee?

But underneath the time worn surface,
there is still a vibrancy of color.
As butterflies flutter against a dazzling red,
a burst of flowers spring up from their bed.

You may be past your prime and so may I,
but we've both done much, been loved much.
For nothing new has beauty like this.
Only time can carve out such bliss.

-- By Jackie

Dreaming of Greenhouses

2009-10-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

Each year as the gardening season ends I long for a greenhouse of my very own. One where I could overwinter tropicals, succulents, and do some seed starting so I'd have to get a heating system. This year as I brought in my houseplants I was struggling with where to put them all. Some of the plants seemed to grow twice their size this summer so I had to get creative as to where place them all. Although our great room has a ton of light, the other rooms in our house are mostly north facing - which are fine for plants that like low light but not so good for some others. I think I've finally convinced Andy that getting a greenhouse is great idea so he's been doing some research for me. Of course I've been researching too but tend to look more at the beauty of them then at their function.

Here's one that looks quite practical. I'd love to have all that extra room!

I love the ones with the white metal frames. They have such a great cottage look to them.

Ohhhh.... look at the finials on that roof!

A grey one with lattice and wood siding.

Imagine being able to have this many succulents flourishing all winter long.

How fun to be able to decorate it for the holidays.

The green houses come in all different shapes and sizes. This one looks nice and compact.

A place to grow orchids and water plants. Ok... I've died and gone to heaven!

During the dark, dreary, cold days of winter how cheery would this sight be?

I love this door!

The wood on this one is gorgeous! And look at how well it is situated in the garden.

Here's a lean-to greenhouse. This would be so convenient in the winter time.... I wouldn't even have to go outside to enjoy the plants.

On the high end here's a conservatory sunroom. If I win the lottery this is what I want!

Here's a really affordable greenhouse from Costcos. It just proves that you don't have to spend a ton of money.

You've probably seen this one before.... this is my all time favorite! I go to Tyra's blog and just sigh.... Her greenhouse and garden is amazing!

Do you have a greenhouse? If you do what kind do you have? How much did you spend and how do you use it? Is it heated? I'd love to hear from you.

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-21T18:01:00.004-04:00

Put cranberries and pumpkins together and you get a delicious cookie. This recipe I found on the All Recipes website but have modified it a bit after trying it a few times. The cookies are really moist and have a delightful spicy flavor. For more sweetness you can top them with some white frosting or lightly powder with confectionery sugar, but I like them just the way they are.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended.
Cut the cranberries in half and stir into mixture along with the orange zest and walnuts.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Yields 3-4 dozen cookies depending the size.

Note: There was still something about the cranberry bread recipe that didn't sit well with me so I modified it even more. This time I think we've got a really nice recipe and Andy loves it. Please see the previous post for the edited version.

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

2009-10-19T22:27:00.013-04:00

EDITED on 10/21/09: There was something about this quick bread recipe that still needed to be changed. I spent some time in the kitchen figuring it out and now I think it's much better. The recipe below is the edited version.

After going to the Cranberry Festival last week I stocked up on fresh cranberries. They are in season right now, readily available fresh, and very affordable. They also freeze really well so you can buy lots now and store them for many yummy recipes all winter long.

I decided to first do some baking. I'm trying out a few cranberry bread recipes and this one seemed to work well after some modifications. I cut down on the amount of salt the original recipe called for, cut the nut quantity in half, and added some dried, ground ginger to give it a little more zing. Also, the original recipe said to bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes, but when I took the bread out of the oven the middle collapsed a bit and the inside was not as done as I would have liked. So, I would increase the temperature to 350 degrees and bake it for less time. All of the modifications I made to the recipe are reflected at the end of this post. If you give it try let me know what you think and if you changed anything. I won't be offended... it's not my recipe I just found it and tried it out so I'd love to hear your feedback.

Washing fresh red berries -- The colors are so vibrant.

Here my ingredients are "mise en place" -- ready to go.

Mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately before putting them all together.

Folding in the cranberries.

Folding in the chopped walnuts.

In the loaf pan and ready to be baked.

The finished product. Tasty and very pretty with lots of red chunks of cranberries. A wonderful breakfast treat or an evening snack with a piping hot cup of tea.

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cut brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
Grated peel of 1 orange
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (chopped or whole depending on your preference)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (use less or more depending on your preference or eliminate all together)
1/4 tsp dried, ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In another bowl, beat egg. Add orange juice, peel, butter and hot water.
Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.
Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.
Spoon into greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Fertilizer Friday - October 16

2009-10-16T12:11:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Please join me and our host Tootsie over at Tootsie Time for another edition of Fertilizer Friday.

It's mid-October already and this weekend we are expecting a Nor' Easter and a dusting of snow. Around my yard there's not much blooming and the houseplants have been taken in for the season, but thankfully the mums are still doing really well.

The coleus tilt-a-whirl hasn't been affected by the cold yet. I'm planning on propagating this one.

I found this leaf really interesting with the bug-eaten holes.

Shades of red and burgundy are all around us this time of year. The sumac fruit is so vibrant.

There are lots of rose hips on the side of the road and especially around the beaches.

Wildflowers always make me happy especially in fall. I found these growing in the backyard.

I'm still amazed this zinnia is around. I've really got to gather up some seeds from it - if it ever would stop raining.

Kayaking on a Crisp Autumn Day

2009-10-15T16:51:00.009-04:00

One of the best ways to take in nature's beauty is by kayaking. Whether you're paddling along a sleepy river, exploring a salt marsh, or catching the waves of the ocean this fun sport enables you to go places and see things that you'd never be able to explore on land.

Leaf peeping takes on new meaning when you are in a kayak. On a recent chilly autumn day we took in all the glorious colors during a paddle down the Nemasket river.

On this day the river was calm and the air still so it made for an easy paddle. Here you can see the river looked like a mirror.

As the river was winding we started to hit some thick vegetation. This actually made it challenging to paddle.

Turning the corner we started to spot something moving. I grabbed for my camera and....

....look what I saw! A blue heron standing proudly in the marsh.

Continuing on we spotted many brightly colored maple trees like the tall one below with dazzling red leaves.
There were a few large rocks and boulders on the side of the river. Some were actually right in the middle of the river and we had to navigate around them.

As you can see Andy paddles much faster than I do and he's always way ahead of me.... hey whatever happened to the buddy system?

We often hit spots where the trees made a gorgeous canopy over the river. Some canopies were so low we'd have to duck to go under them.

Once we were through the first canopy we saw some really interesting dead trees and branches.

Here was an old abandoned cottage. When we got to this area we could hear coyotes howling.... I was glad I was on the water! It made for a spooky pre-Halloween trip.

I love the way the leaves look when they have fallen on the water. I wish the camera could have captured the colors better because they were so radiant.

We paddled on for 3 hours and enjoyed some more bird watching. There were a few other kayakers and one couple canoeing that passed by us. As the sun started to set we knew we had to head back to the boat ramp. With heavy hearts we returned to our cars. There won't be many more days this season like this one. Soon the trees will be bare and the river frozen over, but for the moment we felt like we went back in time - we could just imagine what the Indians saw and the pilgrims who settled not too far from here in Plymouth.

Wordless Wednesday - Bird House Inspiration

2009-10-14T07:00:00.003-04:00

While visiting with The Rose Man I was impressed with all of the wonderful bird houses that he makes and took time to photograph each one. Here's just a small sampling of what I saw. It certainly inspired us to build some ourselves this winter and I hope it inspires you as well. Enjoy!!

The Rose Man

2009-10-13T11:14:00.024-04:00

Photo credit: John Tlumacki/ Boston Globe Staff

I'm always fascinated by how a person's passion in life gets started. For some a hobby becomes a passion from a childhood interest that grew into something more. For others the inspiration may have come from a parent, teacher, or mentor who influenced them. Yet for a small group of very special people a passion stemmed from a tragedy. The Rose Man (Irwin Ehrenreich) is one of those special people who looked at a life changing event as an opportunity to pursue a different course and create a more fulfilling life.

Irwin Ehrenreich was a successful surgeon. Not just any surgeon but one who specialized in ears, nose, and throat micro-surgery - a career where precision fine motor skills can make a difference between life and death. But, what happens when a surgeon loses his dexterity due an unfortunate accident? For some it would a be a devastating blow from which they would never recover, but for a man like Irwin it was the start of a new chapter in his life.

In 1996 Irwin, who was 45 at the time, was deep in the midst of renovating a 300 year old house which he and his wife Cindy purchased on Cape Cod. On one fateful day he was at the table saw when his mind drifted and he severed 2 fingers on his left hand - his dominant hand no less. Although surgeons were able to successfully reattach one finger he lost his fine motor skills that made performing the type of surgery he did impossible.

While recovering from his injuries and reassessing his life his wife suggested he grow roses. It wasn't long before Irwin became hooked on roses and began pursuing his new hobby with the same fervor and cognitive abilities that him a successful surgeon years earlier.

Within a few years Irwin and his wife Cindy had transformed their 2 acre Barnstable property into a garden oasis - growing over 500 roses. Irwin is now a respected master gardener, sought after lecturer, consultant, and proud owner of the Rose Man Nursery and Emporium in Carver, Massachusetts. He has been featured in numerous gardening magazines and books including Country Garden Magazine and "A Garden Lover's Cape Cod", by C.L. Fornari.

I had the pleasure to meet Irwin the day that Andy and I went to the cranberry festival. I was not only fascinated by his story but also by his enthusiasm and positive outlook on life. He is a modest, down to earth soul who wears his gray hair long in a pony-tail tucked neatly under a baseball cap. Irwin makes you feel right at home in his greenhouse when you meet him. He is warm, friendly, and loves to share his knowledge about his passion for roses (I only wish I had more time to pick his brain while I was there).

I met Irwin just as his rose season was wrapping up. The massive greenhouse that was empty would soon be filled again for overwintering his prized possessions.

The empty greenhouse will soon be filled with inventory and overwintering roses.

Outside the greenhouse was a fanciful and playful rose garden that was waning quickly with the brisk autumn air, but could still be enjoyed immensely. The garden is divided up into themes of sorts with trellises, bird houses, brick pathways, sculptures, and picket fences. There is even a Wizard of Oz themed garden complete with a yellow brick road and a figurine of Toto. All of this was designed and built by Irwin of course and he's not nearly done.

Attached to his greenhouse is an old railroad car that was given to Irwin by the owner of Edaville. He is in the process of refurbishing it and turning it into his office. It seems that Irwin has a flair for reusing old items and turning them into something beautiful which is evident by the creative re-purposing of old items in his rose garden.

Here you can see the old train car that is attached to the greenhouse.
Irwin is working on refurbishing it into his office.

I can't wait to visit the Rose Man next year in the spring and summer to see his garden in all of its glory. If you are in the Carver area please stop by to pay him a visit. If not, please check out his web site here where you'll be able to view lots of information about roses, see pictures of his beautiful garden, check out his lecture schedule, and more.

The cowboy hat is a bird house and the boots is a planter for roses. So inventive!

This is bird house that was built by Irwin. It's practically a mansion for feathered friends!

The Rose Man Nursery & Emporium
5 Eda Avenue
Carver, MA 02330

Phone: 508-866-3311
Fax: 508-866-3311 *Please call first*

Email: theroseman@operamail.com

Web Site: www.therosemannursery.com

Cranberry Country

2009-10-11T21:04:00.026-04:00

When the air gets brisk and the leaves put on their golden display it's time to harvest cranberries. Massachusetts is the 2nd largest producer of cranberries in the United States with Wisconsin being the largest. The cranberry is one of only a handful of fruits native to North America - the Concord grape and blueberry being the others. Cranberries were widely found in Massachusetts, as documented by the Pilgrims who settled here. Rumor has it that cranberries may have been served at the first Thanksgiving dinner in Plymouth. Recipes using cranberries date back to the 1700s.

Cranberries are low, creeping shrubs or vines that have slender, wiry stems and small evergreen leaves. The flowers are dark pink in the spring which eventually yields a large red berry in the fall. The plants are found in acidic bogs throughout the cooler parts of the United States. The name cranberry derives from "craneberry," first named by early European settlers in America who felt the expanding flower, stem, calyx, and petals resembled the neck, head, and bill of a crane.

We are lucky enough to live in the heart of cranberry country.

As a matter of fact the corporate headquarters of Ocean Spray is only a few miles from our house. So what does one do when it's cranberry season? Why you celebrate this colorful fall bounty by visiting the annual Cranberry Festival.

There are several cranberry festivals all over our region, but our favorite is the one hosted by Edaville in Carver, Massachusetts. Edaville is a family amusement park famous for it's old-fashion train rides that wind through acres of cranberry bogs.

After a leisurely train ride we headed for the exhibitor booths and food court.

We stopped at the general store for some some delicious cranberry jam and warm bread.

I enjoyed watching the blacksmith do some forging. My grandfather was a blacksmith so this always brings back memories of visiting his shop when I was a child.

After enjoying some time talking to local craftsman we headed for the cranberry museum. Here's a display made entirely of vintage labels.

This is an early cranberry processing machine. The cranberries would move along the belt and the ones that bounced the most had the highest quality.

Some old cranberry crates.

A vintage barrel label.

These are dry harvesting machines.

A selection of vintage wooden cranberry scoops. These comb-like tools are used to harvest cranberries by hand.

This displays shows the different layers that comprise a cranberry bog.

Here's what's in those layers.

A vintage wet harvesting machine.

Vintage wheelbarrows that are made to hold crates of cranberries.

A vintage barrel.

This display shows the timeline of Ocean Spray.

A cool old truck.... every time I see one of these I want one for myself.

Another harvesting machine.

When we left the cranberry museum we headed for a tour of the bogs.

Here the cranberry bog has been flooded for harvesting.

Andy (on the left) stopped to chat with the man who had just finished harvesting one of the bogs.

As the vines are wet harvested they often get tangled in the machine and have to be cleaned out periodically.

These 3 cranberries look like eggs to me.

Here's a cranberry bog as it looks prior to being flooded. It's not very pretty at this stage but soon it will be a sea of red berries.

All of these cranberries got me itching to do some baking. I'll be posting my favorite cranberry bread recipe soon so stay tuned.

A Radio Flyer Please!

2009-10-08T11:29:00.013-04:00

I've been good all year so I'm asking Santa for a Radio Flyer wagon this year.

I actually would love to have 2 radio flyers (I know I'm a little greedy...). A vintage one that I can use as a planter and a new one to haul gardening supplies and other things. One of the chores I hate to do the most is hauling groceries from the car into the house. We don't park our cars in our garage since it's hubby's workshop so just hauling the bags is a pain in the you know what.

How much easier would this be... why heck I might even start to enjoy it!

Photo credit: Slash Foods website

I love just about anything vintage and the Radio Flyer is an American icon.

The company was started by Antonio Pasin who had immigrated to Chicago from Venice Italy in the late 1900s. Below you can see 16 year old Antonio in his woodworking shop. Pasin started out as a cabinet maker but had a dream of forming his own company. He began by crafting little wooden wagons for local boys and girls in his neighborhood.

Photo credit: Radio Flyer website

His little wooden wagons became so popular he was able to hire a few employees in 1923 and start his own company, which he named the Liberty Coaster Company after the statue of liberty (an appropriate name I think for an immigrant who came through Ellis Island and whose first sights of our country were of this lovely lady).

Photo credit: Radio Flyer website

In 1930, the company was renamed Radio Steel & Manufacturing from Liberty Coaster Manufacturing, Co. and is already the world's largest producer of toy coaster wagons. With new designs for its now classic wagons, Radio Flyer now featured them to the public with a series of brochures and trade shows. The radio name came from Pasin's fascination with radio, which was becoming very popular at the time.

Photo credit: Radio Flyer website

Today vintage Radio Flyers are prized items in many homes and bring back memories of our youth. Did you have one as a child? I sure did and wish I still had mine.

Radio Flyers are not only utilitarian but can be beautiful as well. Here's one that a fellow blogger (Old Red Barn Company) painted aqua on the inside (a woman after my own heart!). She uses it to store and display handmade quilts.

Photo Credit: Old Red Barn Company blog

What about this! How cute can you get.

Photo credit: Zim Family Cockers

Ellie would love to go for a ride in a wagon. She loves riding in the wheelbarrow so I know she'd have a blast with this too.

A vintage radio flyer would make the perfect planter that I'd change out seasonally.

For spring some daffodils...

Photo credit: Shed Style

In summer some bright red geraniums...

Photo credit: Real Simple Magazine

In autumn a bounty of pumpkins and gourds would take center stage as a display in my yard. *sigh* one can dream...

Photo credit: Kino Eye Flickr

Do you have a little wagon? If so how do you use it? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Cozying up for Autumn

2009-10-06T12:15:00.022-04:00

Edited - Hooked on Houses is having a fall tour so I thought I'd link up. Please visit Julia and her fabulous blog to see more wonderful homes.

As gardening becomes more fall cleanup than anything else my thoughts turn towards making the inside of our home as cozy and comfy as possible. I decorate for just about every holiday and season. I get bored easily so it's a good thing that I have a white sofa and chair so I can switch out colors as often as I like. Most of my accessories I've collected over the years come from flea markets,thrift shops, yard sales, and dollar stores. I don't spend a lot of money on my holiday decorations and will often buy something at season's end and put it away for next year just so I can take advantage of a clearance sale.

For example, this lighted pumpkin I got at a dollar store many years back. Every night I look at him he makes me smile and the kids love him when they come trick or treating.

The mantel is the most fun to spruce up each season. The only downside is that huge 42" flat screen TV, but it keeps hubby happy so I decorate around it. If you look here, you can see what the mantel looked like for summer.

After I took the picture above I noticed that the hearth area looked a little bare. So I added 2 small pumpkins and a pick of leaves I had in my basement to the candle holders.

Here is close up of the lighted nook.

Even the top of the bookcases in our great room get the autumn treatment. A few pumpkins, some soft lights, and a several sprigs of leaf garland is all this area needs.

You've seen this sofa table before here. I still want to paint it and I'm leaning towards painting it a distressed black (with red underneath). In the meantime it gets freshened up too with some mercury glass and a jar filled with gourds.

I'm a pillow addict. I have tons of them and switch them out all the time. Here's a new addition to my pillow collection that I picked up at Home Goods. I would have loved an orange throw but I can't seem to find one that is reasonably priced so I'll keep looking.

Here's a peek into the kitchen. I have many built-ins all over my kitchen so I've got lots of areas to display things.

This arrangement is simply some fake leaves, pine cones, and a candle on a black wire pedestal.

More built-ins...

The kitchen window gets spruced up as well.

Decorating can be as simple as a jar filled with some shredded paper from the dollar store.

The baker's rack where I store cook books gets made spooky too.

The dinning room gets some black accessories for Halloween.

Usually this hutch has blue willow plates. I switched those out for black and white plates and then added some small pumpkins for a punch of color.

In one corner of the dinning room is a small desk. This desk is also on my To Do list to be painted and flanked with a new chair. It will probably be white next time you see it.

The kitchen door gets a fall wreath. I love to put wreaths on the inside of doors too.

Well that's my tour of our fall decorations.

To see some other fabulous fall transformations please visit Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Wyatt's Sunflower

2009-10-05T10:27:00.006-04:00

I read a very heart-warming commentary written by CNN contributor Bob Green that I wanted to share with you. I've reprinted it in it's entirety below.

Photo credit - CNBC website.

On the morning of last year's annual Sunflower Fair in La Porte, Indiana, a family, appearing a little lost, walked up and down a crowded street, looking in vain for the table to sign up their entry. They carried a large sunflower with them.

If no one noticed the exhausted, grieving look in the family's eyes, that was understandable. The Sunflower Fair is a place of happy noise: rides and music and food booths. It is La Porte's fall festival, and people from across northwest Indiana come to spend a Saturday in the midst of the milling, chattering crowds.

The family silently bearing the large sunflower had never been to the fair before.

But this was important.

They finally located the entry table, and asked for a form. They carefully filled it out. Their flower was entered in the seed head category -- the one that judges the largest seed head, which is the circular area in the middle of a sunflower.

They wrote down the name of the person who had grown the sunflower:

Wyatt Wilke.

He was their 7-year-old son.

He had died earlier that same day, at a few minutes after midnight.

Now, less than 10 hours later, here they were, with Wyatt's flower.

"He loved growing his sunflowers," said his mother, Cathleen Wilke. "Every year we talked about coming into La Porte for the Sunflower Fair, but we never got around to it. Wyatt really wanted to be part of the contest."

That's what they had planned -- a day at the fair, to enter his sunflower. He was a healthy, constantly laughing boy -- he loved school, where he was in the second grade, he loved horses, he loved his big brother John, with whom he shared a bedroom. The Wilkes lived in the tiny town of Hamlet, about 15 minutes from La Porte; Wyatt would look out the back window, watching for blue jays and cardinals.

"He planted his sunflowers in our garden," Cathleen Wilke said. "He was so careful with them. A few weeks before the fair, there was a heavy windstorm that knocked his biggest sunflower over. He called to me: 'Mom, it's on the ground -- my flower, it's down.' He was afraid it was ruined. But he managed to save it."

The week before the fair, Wyatt wasn't feeling well in class -- he had a sore throat. The school called on a Wednesday. He came home.

"But the next morning, he was up, and he wanted to go to school," his mother said. "He was always so responsible -- he said, 'I didn't get my homework done last night.' I told him that was all right, that the school would understand. But as I made him his toast, he sat there on the couch, doing his homework."

She told him he really shouldn't go to school. He stayed home. That day, he seemed to get sicker and sicker.

"We drove over to the hospital in South Bend that night," his mother said. "He was talking in the car. As sick as he was, he said to us: 'Mom and Dad, when are we going to get to go camping?' There was this big, round, moon in the sky, and he looked out the window of the car and told us to look at it. He said the moon was so beautiful."

At the hospital, they knew he was in very bad shape. Wyatt, it would turn out, had contracted an overwhelming bacterial infection that had entered his bloodstream and that was attacking his organs. He was in the hospital that Thursday night and all day and all evening Friday. His body went into septic shock; it couldn't fight off the infection. Friday turned to Saturday. His life ended just as the new day began.

"He had always told us he wanted to grow up to be a Marine," his mother said. "Then he said he wanted to be a doctor. So we told him he could be a Marine doctor."

And now they were at the hospital, and at age 7, he was gone.

Someone remembered: This was going to be the day of the Sunflower Fair.

How they found the strength to do it is hard to conceive. But that morning, carrying Wyatt's favorite sunflower -- the one he had saved when the wind had knocked it down -- they were at the fair in La Porte.

They waited together as all the categories were judged. No one around them had any idea.

And then, through the loudspeaker system at the fair, the winner of his category was announced:

"First place. . .Wyatt Wilke."

The judging committee looked around, waiting for the winner to come forward and accept his trophy.

His family. . . .

Well, you can imagine.

"I don't even remember which one of us went up to accept it for him," his mother said. "But Wyatt had won. He had won."

That was a year ago. A few months later, the fair's organizer, Phyllis Jones, approached Cathleen Wilke and asked her if she would like to serve on the committee. She said yes.

And this year at the fair, the contest -- all the categories, the whole competition -- had a new name:

The Wyatt Wilke Sunflower Contest.

The seeds from Wyatt's winning flower were given to his classmates at Kingsford Heights Elementary School. The children planted them in the school's new memorial garden, the one that is named for Wyatt.

The sunflowers are blooming now. Soon enough winter will arrive, and the snow will cover Indiana. But the seeds will be planted in the school's garden every year, and forever the flowers will return, bright and vibrant and full of life's very best promise, like the smile of a boy who believes he can do anything.

Fertilizer Friday - October 2

2009-10-02T11:53:00.015-04:00

I haven't participated in a Fertilizer Friday for quite some time so I thought I'd join this week and show you what's happening in my yard. Please visit our host Tootsie at her blog Tootsie Time and check out some other fabulous gardening blogs from around the world.

Things change quickly in our New England autumn landscape so although the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn within another week or so things will really be peaking and the perennial beds will just about be done. To add some bursts of fall color I visited some quaint plant stands in our area to pick up some mums for my front walkway and back porch.

Here are 2 of my favorites in the area.

Here's what my front steps look like. Most of the mums in the container are still buds but they should pop any day now. I'm not quite done yet with this area. I want to add a fall garland to frame the door. As you can see it's a challenge to take a picture this time of year with the sun sitting so low in the sky which seems to wash everything out.

Here's a close up of my front door wreath. I made this by getting a plain grape vine wreath and adding some silk sunflowers and leaves.

I love the blooms of montauk daisies and they make great cut flowers too.
I have 3 of them in my yard and they are HUGE! The are really like bushes in the perennial bed for most of the growing season. I cut them back significantly each fall after they have finished blooming. The only problem I have with them is that the foliage looks really bad just as the flowers start blooming. Does any one else have this problem with the foliage turning brown and yellow? You can't see it in this picture, but the foliage doesn't look the best. I'm wondering if they are just too big and need to be divided. Any advice would be much appreciated.

The rudbeckia is just about done for the year. As you can see below there are few blooms left. The birds love the seeds this time of year so I don't cut them back yet.
Amazingly the garden phlox is still going strong... at least until the first hard frost which will be coming soon.
The delphinium is doing good as well.
I love the way astible looks right now. I'll harvest the flower heads and bring them in the house for my autumn displays.

Who can resist the black cone flower pods. The finches love them and they add a spooky flare to a Halloween arrangement. I will harvest these as well and use them in the house.

I'm not sure what variety these mums are but I love the color. These are from the planters on my front steps. You couldn't see them well in the picture above so I took a close up.

This container is on my back porch and was actually my summer planter. Most of the annuals from it died back except for the coleus, zinnias, and potato vine.

This mandevilla has looked great the entire growing season and is still going strong. I'm going to try and overwinter it this year. Wish me luck.
Earlier this year the clemantis died back from fungus. I cut it back to the ground and in late August it started to grow again and is now in full bloom.... imagine that! Boy was I surprised and pleasantly pleased.
The butterfly bush is still blooming. We don't have many butterflies right now because most of them have migrated but the few we still have hanging around are appreciative of this plant.
I was also shocked to see that we had a few strawberries in the berry patch. I have no idea why the chipmunks haven't found this one yet and we've never had strawberries this late in the year.
I planted some bugleweed in the shade garden this year. The foliage is so pretty and looks good all the time it seems.
A few impatients are still hanging on too.
The caladiums are still around, but will probably die back soon.

Well it's a gorgeous fall day and the hubby and I are thinking of doing some kayaking this afternoon. I also want to visit the plant stand again today to purchase some asters. I don't have any in my yard and although it's late and I may get only another 2 or 3 weeks of bloom from them I'll enjoy them next year.

Happy Friday everyone!

With Much Gratitude to Blotanical Bloggers!

2009-10-01T11:02:00.007-04:00

I received a nice surprise yesterday when a blogger congratulated me for winning the Massachusetts Best Blog Award on Blotanical, a gardening bloggers online community. I had no idea I was even in the running. It's such honor to be recognized by my fellow bloggers and the fabulous community of incredible gardeners around the world.

When I started blogging I had hoped that it would be a journal of my gardening endeavors and happenings around our home in Southeastern Massachusetts. I had no idea I'd make such wonderful blogging friends and learn so much from so many incredible people around the globe. You have all inspired me by your beautiful gardens, stunning photography, and heartfelt posts. You've given me great advice and have sent me words of encouragement and prayers during some very personally trying times for me. For all of this I will be forever grateful.

Much love to all! I'm so honored to be a part of this amazing online community!

Season of Change

2009-09-29T11:46:00.014-04:00

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
by Albert Camus

With summer's passing comes autumn. Reminding us that change is constant. As the fall season dazzles us with its flush of vibrant colors I am reminded that life is a cycle with no end. What dies will soon be reborn again into another shape, another form.

This past summer was not what I had hoped for in both the garden and in life outside of the garden gate. The weather was a challenge for even the most seasoned master gardener and for me the novice it was a time to learn and to be patience.

As summer ended with the passing of 2 people I loved dearly the garden became a metaphor for what I was experiencing in life. As the flowers began to fade so did the leaves on the trees - turning from a soft, subtle green to a crispy golden yellow. The vegetable garden brought forth its final bounty as the once lush vines of squash shriveled back into the earth.

For me autumn always brought me a tinge of sadness. Even with its beauty I was always reminded that the long, dark, cold winters of New England were just around the corner. But, this autumn I seem to have a new perspective. Happy to say goodbye to the trials of this past summer I'm looking forward to the clean slate that winter will bring. Cutting back the dead stems in the perennial bed and cleaning out the vegetable garden has been cathartic for me. This winter will provide a must needed respite as I look forward to a new day, a new year, a new spring.

For now I will relish in the crispness of the autumn air. I will enjoy the sounds of leaves crunching beneath my feet and the wafting scents of burning wood, harvested apples, and homemade pumpkin pie.

Instead of this being the end it will be the start of a new beginning. A spring of sorts in its own right as life sleeps for a while in preparation of its rebirth.

A Visit to the Knob

2009-09-28T15:23:00.012-04:00

This past Saturday would have been J.P.'s 80 birthday. Although he is only with us in spirit now the family celebrated his birthday by visiting some of the places he loved the most - the ocean front on Cape Cod with spectacular views of Nantucket sound and its cliff side lighthouses.

On this day the air was crisp and clean with scents of autumn and the saltiness of the Atlantic ocean. Not a cloud was in the sky as we made a pilgrimage out to the Knob on Quissett Harbor in Falmouth, Massachusetts to pay tribute to the man we loved so much.

At the bottom of the cliff on the Knob 2 fishermen were casting their lines hoping for a good catch. The view is so magnificent that I don't think they really cared if they caught a thing.

After visiting the Knob we hiked back to our cars and drove out to the Nobska Point Lighthouse.

An art class was camped out on the beach doing watercolor paintings. Below you can see the teacher at her easel.

As our day ended we left the beach at Woods Hole in Falmouth and headed home for a family dinner of baked ziti as we gathered around the table to reminisce.

At the evenings end we made a champagne toast to J.P. and lit the candles on a birthday cake in his honor. His wife, children, and grandchildren gathered around the cake to blow out the candles in unison. Although we knew one wish wouldn't come true we all took comfort in being together as a family. For it is indeed true that love never dies.