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Spring is coming

With most of the snow melted away I discovered my daffodils peeking out and the lamb’s ear beginning to green up nicely. I know we have more snow yet to come but it’s good to see my little friends waking up and getting ready for their show next month.

Gee Whiz

I’ve got another violet that’s decided to bloom. The other two are still going like gang buster’s and now “Bob’s Whiz Bang” has decided to join the fray. Looks like it’s going to be a purply- red fellow when it opens.

Bloomers

11-15-showy11-15-purpleThe first little guy is just loaded with blooms. I enjoy his cheery little face every morning. The second one took ages to open but has finally shown his face. He is indeed a lovely purple. I really need to split him though so I hope it doesn’t knock him out of whack when I do that.

Flowers galore

11-2-violet11-2-next-violetTensie’s Trail continues to put on a fabulous show of tiny little flowers. Rob’s Waga Waga isn’t far behind and looks as though he might have purple blossoms.

Rolling in clover?

11-1-bare-spot11-1-cloverWell not quite yet but we do hope to cover the bare spot in the back yard with some clover. Jason has planted grass seed there several times in both spring and fall but it just can’t survive the dry hill. This is just plain old white clover that can spread by runners so if it can get established before it gets too cold we should be off and running come spring. If not, we’ll give it another go then.

Behind the clouds the sun is still shining- Longfellow

10-27-bloom10-27-chicken-soupDaniel requested chicken soup and it’s been a chilly rainy week, perfect weather for soup.

Rainy Day Chicken Soup

1 whole chicken
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
salt, to taste
1 bunch parsley, chopped
cold water to cover

Sweat the veggies with  a few pinches of salt in a tablespoon of oil in a stock pot over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent.  Add the chicken and parsley and water to cover. Put a lid on your pot  and bring to a simmer. Add fresh thyme leaves and peppercorns. Simmer 60 minutes, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, add 1 cup couscous or other small pasta. Remove from heat. Carefully transfer chicken to a cutting board and shred meat off the bones, returning it to the pot, check seasonings and add more salt if needed. Bring just to a boil, turn off the heat and serve with crusty hot bread.

pinkpink-flatI also made another tea cozy for MmePurl who seems to be on a bit of a pink binge. She says it fits her 4-cup pot nicely.

Halloween cactus?

10-20-halloween-cactus10-20-mini-violetMy crazy Christmas cactus just seems to bloom whenever it pleases. Sometimes it blooms at Easter, sometimes Thanksgiving, never Christmas and this year? This year it’s blooming in October.

10-20-wild-salmon10-20-tomato-soup

Yesterday was the penultimate farmers market and I was pleased to see plenty of vendors with all sorts of goods still available. Last year the produce folks cut out fairly early but this year they are sticking around. The fish lady advertised the wild salmon as the last of the season so that’s what we brought home. I’ve breaded it with whole grain cornmeal.

Roasted-tomato soup

2-3 pounds tomatoes, cored and halved
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
basil, to taste
herbs de Provence, to taste
1 big pinch saffron
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt, to taste

Roast tomatoes in a foil lined pan at 450 F for 45-60 minutes or until the skins begin to blacken and the juice reduces a bit. Meanwhile, add the onion and some olive oil to a Dutch oven and saute slowly until they begin to caramelize. When the tomatoes are ready, add the garlic to the onions and saute 60 seconds then add the tomatoes and give it a good stir. Add all remaining ingredients except for the heavy cream and simmer gently about 20 minutes. Puree with a stick blender, adding the cream during the last few seconds of blending. Top with herbed croutons and enjoy!

Potted

9-30-extras

9-30keepers

9-30-flower-buds

My violet plantlets have been growing happily all summer but I thought it might be time to separate the extras. Finding the teeny weeny pots turned out to be a bit of a challenge but I finally ordered some from an online violetry along with a couple wee plants to maximize the return for the shipping costs. As I was potting I discovered flower buds on one enthusiastic plantlet but he didn’t have many roots after the divide so I’m not sure he’ll make it. I read that you can repot the leaves for more plantlets if they are in good shape so I did that for a few of them. Now we’ll see who makes it through the winter. In the spring I’ll give away any extras that make it through.

Chop chop

8-4-tulip-tree 8-4-lamp-post 8-4-monstrous-lavender Yesterday morning the weather forecast was for hot and sticky by the end of the day but early on it was quite cool and comfortable. I'd already done some pruning over the weekend but I pulled out my shears and did a bit more. The tulip tree is now looking  a bit more tree-like and the honeysuckle has been tamed again. I also dead-headed the monstrous lavender bush on the side of the house. There really isn't anything in the photo for scale but this guy is about 4 feet across!

8-4-done Later in the morning I finally quit procrastinating and finished up the robe for my niece. It need only a hem and edge stitching along the belt.

Daylily alley

8-3-orange 8-3-pinky-red 8-3-orange-from-alice 8-3-pink 8-3-red We've got quite the selection of daylilies now thanks to the $5 surprise table at Seawright gardens as well as a few other judicious inexpensive purchases. In a few years the back will be awash with color all summer once these babies really get going.