Week Three of Abe's Army Training

So far, I've been able to keep up with the training walks and the gardening.  Well, most of the gardening.  There are too many weeds out there and still many projects left to carry out, but it's all good. 

V and I went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  My mama was right, it was a really good movie :)  Take the time to go see it.  You'll be glad you did.  I love going to the movies.  A good story and  two hours that I don't have to do anything else.  Yes.

The larkspur has been gorgeous this year.  It might last another week, then I'm going to take the seeds and scatter them for next year.  Everywhere that gets an hour or more of sun a day is going to get it's own sprinkling of larkspur.  Because you can never have too much larkspur.  Or too many good Sunday afternoon movies. 

Wild Woman Walking

I loved Wild--From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.   Remember the line in the movie Hurricane?  "Sometimes you don't pick the book, the book picks you."  Well, a book about walking the PCT picked Cheryl.  She wasn't a hiker or an athlete, but the idea of walking this trail spoke to her.   She had lost her mom and her marriage and decided to walk over a thousand miles along the west coast.

A thousand miles.   I've thought about her so often since I've been walking lately.  If she walked 1,000 miles, I can do this little part!

To my mama--check your kindle for Wild :)

Sunday Practice

It was a beautiful Sunday in the garden!  Did I tell you that I'm walking Abe's Army again this year?  I'm hoping for two things this time around.  One, I don't want to be last over the finish line.  and two, I want to have a pretty garden as well as walk the Army.  Last time I was exhausted, either walking or sleeping all the time.  Thanks to Chad, I feel stronger this time around so maybe I can walk and garden at the same time :)  Hope your Sunday in the garden was a good one too!  

Peonies for the Kitchen

Beautiful peonies from Petals & Co :) 

I LoVe this cabinet that mama bought for me.  

It makes the perfect place for a bouquet 

to sit in the middle of the kitchen :)

Spring 2012 Garden Tour

Memorial Day Flowers 2012

I had a great time today.

Betsy & Her PaPaw

My old friends are back :)

Mark's Birthday

Happy Birthday to Mark, TBHITWW!  We're taking the afternoon off to spend out in this beautiful May weather :)

Betsy Stories

Daddy: Betsy, I love you to the moon and back.
Betsy: Daddy, I love you to the moon and back too... if its dark.

Betsy Stories

Daddy: What did you throw in the fountain?

Betsy: Money!

Daddy: What did you wish for?

Betsy: Money! 

 It's a beautiful Sunday morning here at Canada Garden.  The iris and peony show is in full swing.

 

Lots of excitement at Petals & Co in the past few days with prom and Open House at The Farm, so I'm just sitting back and enjoying the show this morning.  I found this quote from Marianne Williams this morning:

Magic is when you ask the universe to serve you.

Miracles are when you ask how you can best serve the universe. 

 I hope there's a show going on in your garden too!

Darcy's Beet Salad

Mark took me to Darcy's last weekend and I had this fabulous beet salad.   Extra spectacular fantabulous yum--beets, pineapple, spinach, roasted red pepper, onions, candied pecans, blue cheese with a sweetened vinegarette.  It was a special for the evening, not an everyday menu item, so we'll have to look for it and hope it makes a repeat appearance.

April BK Pictures

I LoVe this picture of Bets and Gumbo!  It seems like forever since we've seen her.

I was feeling sentimental this morning and went out really early to put a card in the mail to Judson.  His 29th birthday is Tuesday, May Day.  We are missing them  something awful and  hope to see them soon.  I need a huge BK hug.

DBG Continued

Just a few more pictures from the Desert Botanical Gardens. Aren't we thankful for our kitchens with running water and electricity?

Not sure what was planted in this vegetable garden, but those are some serious cages to prevent the critters from getting to the seedlings.   These sticks have thorns--also serious--to help keep the critters out too.  My mom makes garden fences with sticks from her butterfly bushes.

And like my mama's butterfly bush fences, this one has started growing. . . Instead of hills, their seedlings are planted in a  depression, then the whole garden is watered by flooding it.  I would have no idea how to grow a garden in Arizona.

Here in Illinois, the irises are blooming.  Hard to believe our gardens are on the same planet.

Butterflies

 Butterflies at the Desert Botanical Gardens.  I want to put out some slices of oranges for the butterflies this summer.  Maybe our midwest butterflies would like them too.  The red bowls in the middle had clear marbles with a little water for the butterflies to drink.

This big man had a big beard and a bigger camera.  The butterfly perched on the back of his hat made me laugh.  Mark and I are already ready to go back to Arizona.

Rannis

 Love ranunculus.  And this bunch was  fabulous.  Every single bloom was different and perfect.  Did you hear that Dick Clark died?  I loved him.  I hope we get to see his flowers.

Denver Botanical Garden

We loved the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  So different from our midwest and southern gardens.

I've been thinking about how to put more massing in our Canada Garden. . .  And not just three of one thing. . . Maybe one plant times 25.   Why not? Well, actually, I can tell you why not.  I have a really hard time choosing just one.

No idea what this yellow blooming tree is, but I love it, especially with all the yellow cactus blooms surrounding it.

And while we might not be able to grow these kinds of plants, I could go for one of these fountains in the back yard. 

Huge aloe plant.  Huge.

The volunteers told us it's rare for this cactus to bloom. 

And rarer to see this little dude.  You'll have to look for him.  We almost missed him.

Next I'll show you pictures of the butterfly house.  Maybe I can talk Mark into putting one of those in the back yard :)

Recipe Book

Yes, I know Pinterest has thousands of great recipes, but for Easter I wanted something from my church days.  This 1980s recipe book from Christ Methodist Church in Lexington  is falling apart and it makes me smile every time I use it. I remember my good friends Cindy and Linda and Nancy and Alan and Peggy and wonder where they are and what they are doing these days. 

 I believe there's a little piece of cake left that would make a good breakfast today.  Cake for breakfast should make for a happy Tuesday, don't you think?

Easter Menu

Cucumbers & Onions with Hendrickson's Marinade
Grilled Butterfly Pork Chops with Famous Dave's Rib Rub
Diced Sweet Potatoes with Sea Salt
Green Beans
Hawaiian Style Dinner Rolls

No deviled eggs today.  No ham.  But still, a pretty good feast.  And for desert, Texas Sheet Cake with Strawberries and Reddi Whip.  Which I have already sampled because I needed to make this picture for the blog :)

I'll share the cake recipe with you next.  Hope your Easter is hoppy and happy. 

Happy Easter!

Easter!   We have much to be thankful here on this Easter weekend.  It was a glorious Saturday--morning at the flower shop, afternoon shopping with Mark, a nap, and then tonight I baked a cake for tomorrow's dinner.

Love this little bunny vase that PJ gave to me.  The daffodils are fading in the garden with all this warm warm weather.  But the May flowers are already well in bud so there's lots to enjoy out there along with an extremely healthy looking crop of weeds.  The Easter bunny brought baskets for our Kyle and Betsy who will be coming to Springfield for a visit soon.   May your Easter be happy too :)