First garden strawberries. After two years of struggling with birds, bunnies and deer, we were so proud that our patched together security system of fencing and bird wire had kept out everyone until we had at least 30 strawberries nearly ready to pick. Then something smarter than us managed to get in and eat them all.
My children are playing Rock, Paper, Scissors and have added a bomb and a gun. Poster from the World RPS Society, which you know I immediately had to purchase.
Peony season is very short around here,
and all it takes is one rainstorm to knock all the flowers into a soggy mess, so each time it might rain, I hurry out to cut a few more.
This has been going on for at least two weeks and I am starting to feel like a grandma,
when you go over to her house and think "enough with the gladiolas".
Anatomy of a ten year old's sleepover.
Scrapbook until 3 am
Pile up all the bedclothes on the floor. Also wake up your little sister and have her join you for the last four hours.
Go downstairs around 4:30 and make your parents breakfast, including jelly toast with blueberries, and inexplicably, vanilla yogurt with fudge stripe cookies, chopped with a pizza cutter.
At 6:30 am inquire if this counts as an "all-nighter ".
When assured it does, promptly fall asleep on the couch.
Why the picture of the printer in a post titled rhubarb? The dad got me a new printer/scanner/copier for my birthday, promted, I am sure, after a frustrating, teary hour (mine not his) trying to print the text for these shower invitations for my neighbor's cousin.
Based on ones I saw on Anna Maria Horner's blog a few months ago. So I have a new printer, but I haven't figured out the photo software, so I can't show you pictures of the rhubarb crisp the little one and I made. The best Rhubarb Crisp Recipe EVER, titled Sarah's Rhubarb Crisp in my recipe book, which may have come from a college friend and roommate who recently discovered my blog. Sarah, is this yours? And the Rhubarb Chutney from a really old Bon Appetit.
Rhubarb Chutney
Heat first eight ingredients in a dutch oven until sugar dissolves. Add onions, rhubarb and cherries and simmer 5 minutes. Let cool.
I love rhubarb and it is precious around here. We planted rhubarb last year and it has grown huge, but gardening lore tells me that we can't harvest it until next year. Our CSA box started last week too, but so far only, lettuce, herbs, and six stalks of asparagus. Six.
The big one is finishing 4th grade, which is also her last year at this school AND her last year with the teachers she has had for two years. There have been many fun events and lots of crying. Mostly the teachers and the moms crying. They tie dyed t-shirts.
They are serious when they suggest wear gloves. They've also had a pizza party, walked to the library, had field days, and a trip to the amusement park. The best part, by far, however, was the talent show. And the most fun performance was one of the boys sing Sweet Caroline, and the entire audience, parents and kids joined in singing loudly on chorus. It was really really awesome.
There isn't much blooming around here yet, but since I've spent my entire May and June "home" budget on gardening, I am trying not to buy my usual flowers for the house. Here we have epimedium, thalactrum, bridal veil, nearly not-blooming bleeding hearts and chive blossoms
These plastic pots have been out on our driveway for the last five years. They used to look nice, now they look unbelievably dumpy. I picked up new ones for the driveway, but decided to give the old pots one last chance, since I have seven of them. I picked up Krylon Hammered Metal paint for plastic. I didn't realize how tired my hand would get trying to spray paint seven big pots, and my hands ended up being a black-painted covered claw.
But it was so worth it. They look amazing. God Bless Krylon!
I wholeheartedly believe that some year I will come up with the perfect front step pot plantings. They will be lovely and large growing and colorful and last the whole summer long. Of course, I also continue to believe that someday I will regularly bake bread from scratch, have a clean basement and develop rock hard abs. New this year - begonias.
The bleeding hearts and lily of the valley are in bloom right now. So of course I look out into the backyard and think, "why don't I have more bleeding hearts and lily of the valley, they are the prettiest (only) flowers around?" Next I will be crushing on columbine.
I just started planting lily of the valley a few years ago when I walked past some at the nursery and the smell instantly reminded me of the side yard at my grandma's house. She lived in a big old house that was falling down, but one whole side garden was lily of the valley. It was amazing. After she moved out of her house, someone bought it, moved it across the street and renovated it. I wonder who got the flowers, because they are expensive!
I almost equally love bleeding hearts. I don't remember either of my grandma's having those. My mother says they are old lady plants.
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