We Interrupt This Blog.....

....To Give You a Gardening Update....

(Ed Note: Taking a rest the other day in my garden, I glanced around and couldn't help laugh out loud and my Gardening Getup. There was a day, when gardening clothing consisted of barely a cover up. Short, shorts, halter tops and bare feet were my uniform as I worked my long ago 70's garden.
And it's come to this. Ankle socks with wintry blogs to protect the feet. Lightweight old Capris stained and raggedy. Old shirt that grabbed from the closet, totally unaware of which band that my son's used to follow, I 'm unwittingly promoting.....
And I don't care because the Garden is Grand.
Stormy, rainy nights and crystal days, nice breezes have made for wonderful gardening days and I have to ask myself, 'What sewing room?'...Haven't been there for days and days....the Elements calling me...
However:
Here I am resting in the shade of my wisteria heavy pergola, contemplating just how many more Creeping Charlie plants that I have to remove from my flower garden. Honestly, the proliferation of this purple flowered plant is overwhelming! Could it be that my Gardening Passion pooped out long about September and things got a bit.....'shabby'? Could it be that my gardening definition has been defined to "Weeding' with a capital W. Could it be that perhaps I should have listened to my dad when he kept telling me, regarding my desire to keep enlarging my flower beds, 'Don't forget Deb, to keep a good green space!'...Dang. Hated it when he was right. Ah well. If my back holds out and the bugs/spiders/insects that I apparently am allergic to, (large welts/rash) keep away, perhaps my garden will be in shape for this coming hostess gig with the Gardening Exchange on Monday....What??!!! EEK!!!!!! Can we say 'Intimidated'!!! I promised, promised Gardening Gail that I would host this summer. I jumped in an volunteered early, early so that my oath would not be forgotten or put aside, waiting for perfection.

You see, my garden in my backdrop, not my focus. True gardeners go for an abundance of type and species and appropriateness of climate and height and spacing. And mulch.

My way is very, very scientific:

What I Like.

What is free.

What is colorful.

What lives.

That's it.

This week, on my Weeding Wonderfulness, I even allowed a very tall weed that had the distinction of some very sweet little yellow flowers upon its long stalk. Just couldn't pluck it out, it lookin so cute an all. I just told it to behave and to not procreate any more, be still and it can stay. Well, maybe it might have to leave the night of the Gardening Exchange; I'll see if it's still cute then. And if I'm prepared for snickers and pointing for keeping a tall weed in the midst of my proliferation of echinacea, black eyed susan AND Creeping Charlie.....

But till then, I let the Sunny Weed stay, keep my funny gardening clogs with my old, old Capris and ankle socks, nearby, stop often to stretch, keep hydrated, swat Gardening Insect Enemies, and move on to my One Woman Eradication of Creeping Charlie Crusade.......

Life is good...

Gardening Gail and The Gardening Exchange Adventure

On my ongoing quest to experience the flora of Southern Indiana, I, many years ago, casually 'joined' our local Gardening Exchange. I say 'casual' because I rarely have been able to attend two meetings in a row. I say 'joined' because this gathering is the furthest thing of a club that is available. It is a random group of ladies from around the county, bent on learning and teaching about all things green.
We take turns, without a schedule, only benefit of a weekly email notice, about the current hostess for the week.
We take tours of the hostesses garden, allowing her to showcase her current blooms and workable tips. We bring the abundance that we have to share and watch the most appreciative 'guests' divvy up the donated goodness. If we had a 'leader' or 'president' of the Gleeful Gathering, I would say it was Gardening Gail. She is Gardener Extraordinaire. Knows about every flower we could challenge her with. And most of the Latin names. And the classification. And their unique flowery needs. The photos from this post are from the evening she hosted. Always a treat.
The photo above displays a shade extravaganza. Lilies of the Valley in all their splendor with a wonderful trillium interspersed throughout. Dee-lightful!!

Of course, there were so many new flowers to me, I couldn't remember all of them, but this sweet thing was just wonderful...wish I could think of it's name....Beautiful...

Can't wait for this little beauty to grow up! Perfect white petals. Gardening Gail lives on a very busy (for Mitchell) corner and it's always a joy to see her latest floral displays.

Here is Gardening Gail using her cane for the hillside climb and as a convenient pointer. She recently had some large trees removed so the light will be altered and some plants will be moved. And she'll probably do most of it herself. GG is an octogenarian with spunk and busyness aplenty. Talent dripping out of her very apt fingertips.

And to prove it, when we had Refreshment Time (which is required) I stared at this Amazing Quilt that she had on her wall in her living room. Unbelievable far away and up close. GG teaches most of the quilting classes that happen in and around Mitchell. She is a Master Gardener and can be found at the local Farmer's Market, helping others in their quest for a Green Thumb and sometimes selling her very well made, artistic bags and purses.

And you thought you were just going to retire to an easy chair.

Ha!

Don't you just love it?

(Editor's Note: GG has informed me that she is not a certified Master Gardener. I apologize for the error: Also, The unknown beautiful plant is a Hellebore (Orientalus) or commonly known as a Lenten/Christmas Rose.)

The Italian Job

Growing up, two of my really good friends were second generation Italian American. I got very used to the wonderful sauces and lovely Italian influenced gardens of their homes. I got used to being affectionately called a 'mick' whenever I went to their house. If I had to endure the gentle teasing to be able to taste their cuisine, then so be it.

Naturally, I have an affinity for Italian food. Anytime, anywhere.

So it seemed natural that when the 2G's Mama arrived today with over ten pounds of tomatoes from their garden, that I would plan on having homemade spaghetti sauce for supper! The 2G's mama is very half Italian with a half of Irish but when I look at her, I see the dominant Italian coming out. I see it in Grant as well....

Several years ago, the 2G's mama asked me if I had a pizzelles press. Of course I did! If it is unusual in the kitchen, I have it....I have four spring form pans, a crepe maker, an odd assortment of layer cake pans and many molds. That's another part of Mama's Collection...All things old, odd and cool. It turns out the pizzelle maker was purchased from a garage sale from a now mutual friend of ours, Michele. How odd is that? I knew that Grant would love digging into the process and it was a great deal of flurry that he drug his chair into the kitchen to help Nana make cookies. He helps his mama a lot in the kitchen, so he knew his tablespoons from his teaspoons and was enamored with my red handled flour sifter. He looked dubiously at the finished product but obediently took a bite of the luscious concoction.

I have no idea how many pizzelles we actually made since Grant and I kept up with the maker pretty good. I would take the rough edges off so he could have a pristine cookie; amazing how rugged those cookies became! Oh what fun it all was!

Whatever your ethnic inclination, you must find a pizzelle iron and indulge yourself...

Here's the recipe we used....

(from allrecipes online by Marianne Jungels)

Pizzelles III

3 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tbls vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

in a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth.

Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron. Bake for 20-45 seconds or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

For chocolate pizzelles, add 1/4 cup cocoa sifted together with flour and aking powder, 1/4 cup more sugar and 1/4 tsp more baking powder. You might need more oil on the iron for the chocolate variety.

Tomorrow, the recipe for Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce!

It's in the Air

The entrance to the Secret Garden...
Not so secret with the morning glory screaming out, 'Come and see me!!'

When the morning glories are in abundance in my garden, I know the season of growth is winding down. For some reason, I plant my morning glory seeds later than most, so the cool mornings of September usually correspond with the Heavenly Blue's explosion.

Yesterday, I worked on cutting back the echinacea and weeding out the beds, for what will probably be the last time this season. The motor on my fountain already pooped out on me and now the mosquitoes are shooing me in early as well. I guess it's time to put it to rest. I will still water my potted plants as long as they behave themselves and produce till the first frost.

To every thing, there is a season.....

The Payoff

Low calorie dessert; frozen yogurt! (yeah, keep telling yourself, Deb....)

My Handy Hubby.....His design made with garage sale finds! (and why should he shave on Saturday?)

How I love how beautiful the little baby Shetler pies are!

Two lines full!

Farmer's Market score!

Today was one of those days that as a young mom of four children, I would dream of.

I knew with all my heart that these days would come. The image would come into my mind, but the pressing issues of the day (hour) would be seen to, and the day would end and I would be pleased to be where I was. But I knew there was a next step, a phase that would be altered by inevitable growing up and going away by the beloved children.

Take heart, young mama...

Embrace these days and know that the next phase awaiting is blissful as well...

Recipe for a Lovely Day:

1. Sleep in a bit. (normally waking up at 3 something, makes even 7, great!)

2. Get ready for the FM in the AM with the 2G's and their mama.

3. Buy an abundance of fresh vegetables and a wee little Amish blackberry pie

4. Come home to hang on the clothesline, all the linens purchased yesterday. Ahh, freshly laundered sheets! Love it....

5. Wave to the Spears out for a walk with a new stroller, guaranteed to handle our city's wonky sidewalks; Father and son follow on bikes. Good neighbors, great friends....

6. Grill burgers for lunch.

7. Take a long walk with Dixie and hubby.

8. Sit on the porch and embroider a sampler that I bought in 1974 and just recently found (I know, I know...!) post walk. Discuss our retirement plan....

9. Commence puttering: Pat making a thread rack for my work area; me, out in the garden trimming my crazy wild echinacea.

10. Thinking about supper; purchased a filet yesterday for 5.00! a 16.00 per pound filet, on the meat mark down rack at the grocery....Amish sweet corn; Pat's Amazing Tomato Salad with the tomato gift from the 2G's mama (her patrolman hubby, 2G's daddy, delivered the sack of delectable maters in the police car....Small town life....)

11.__________________________________That was the silence during the meal. Not for lack of conversation; for pure concentration of an amazing meal of grilled filet, sweet corn and tomato salad.....With a dessert of frozen yogurt and the mini blackberry pie

12. Hubby has cleaned up the kitchen while I write this.

Gotta love the Third Act of Life....

Late July is a gratifying time for gardeners. The toil of planting and planning and watering is ebbing and the reaping of the benefits of gardening is at it's best. You've have had successful blooms in daffodils, tulips, peonies, lilacs, love in a mist and the multitudinal echincachea. Now, I am content to watch the black eyed susans and daisies provide wide color in the garden along with the late season petunias and geraniums. The meandering morning glories provide a beautiful peek of the excellent blue that promises to be abundant in those late summer mornings. In general, slower maintenance is the rule of thumb and an enjoyment of the longer days amidst the profusion of color, is the epitome of the gardeners goal.

Taking a view of the work done on the gardening season by sitting amdist the wisteria vines in the early evening, makes the work done in early spring, all worth it. There is such a peace and contentment in a garden well done. The thoughts of the brutual winter to come seems lessened by the yearly hope of just such a night as this among the late bloomers.

Gardening, parenting....Very similiar, right?