Petunia's Present

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;

they are the charming gardeners

who make our souls blossom.

~Marcel Proust

Check out this sweet present that arrived on our doorstep for Petunia! All ready to slip in photos and make a nice coffee table book of Petunia's Garden. Thanks, Red! I love it!

There are many pages ready for photos with fun garden trimmings.

Composter cans, sunflowers, vegetables,



and the little critters we so enjoy in the garden.






Pumpkins, of course, leaves, gourds, flowers.

Creative border designs for the different seasons.



Spaces for plot plans, harvest records.

And an offer to drop hints when more pages are needed!




And a nice cover with Petunia on it already! Here is Red's garden last June. We go back to first grade (not THAT many years ago) and I always enjoy catching up with her family through her scrapbooks when I visit. She knew I'd never get around to creating the garden album I talked about, so she took care of it for Petunia and me!

Now I'll have some garden in the living room all year around.

Priorities

Can't stay long. Back to work now. So. Tired. Must go deal with the mail... And put my feet up... A cup of hot something would be nice ... See you tomorrow.
P.S. Any cool summer cucumber suggestions? The lemon cucumbers didn't do much for me. I do have seeds left so may try it again if I don't find a replacement.

Christmas Garden III

Sweet Return for Santa! This is the nice pace during the 12 days of Christmas, now underway. With time to sit back and smooch. Doesn't this bench look like DH's bench ? (Ahhh, and remember the summer view from the bench?)

One little part of Grandma's salt and pepper shaker collection, here. I loved looking at all of the little treasures she had behind the glass doors built in a little niche in her house. Not that they stayed behind the doors. We would take them out, hold them, move them around. At least the doors kept them less dusty and out of harms way during the daily activities of life.

Merry Christmas!

Peace and Hope to Every Heart

Great Little One!

Whose all-embracing birth

lifts earth to heaven,

stoops heaven to earth.

-Richard Crashaw

(This is one of the trees our friends gave us and we planted in March. See this link. For a photograph of hope, I thought of trees. As seedlings, they have a determined will to live and grow. A slow pace, yet constant. As established trees, they are the whispering giants among us, solid and stable (most of the time), protective and beautiful. This is also the photograph on our Christmas cards this year.)

As the time draws near...

Soon, the close of what has been a needed Advent of blessings, and tomorrow ...

Christmas Garden II

Well, now I have failed fudge. I just realized I left out the vanilla, and it also doesn't have quite the right consistency. I've made this recipe before, but not on this stove top. Either too much or too little heat or cooking time. Or does the vanilla help smooth it out?

So I'm back to posting another Christmas Memory Garden photo. I started to call it Santa Garden yesterday, but I don't really have many Santas. Now, however, I'm seeing that my childhood memories are full of Santas. These Santa mugs are from my parent's collection, probably originally from the 1950's. We had a set of windows with large wooden dividers. The mugs sat in those windows every Christmas. It is a wonder they didn't get broken. I remember playing with them when I got a chance. "L's" cheeks are a little frost bitten, rather than just rosy. I've not found a backup/replacement, though.

Now that I think about it, I'll ask my mom about these. Other items I have were my grandmother's, but I think these started out with my mom.

Happy Chistmas Memory Gardening, to you! And I'm going to have another go at fudge. Maybe the peanut butter fudge this time...

Christmas Garden

During these days when it dark when I leave and dark when I come home, I turn to the garden inside of the house. Like the garden outside, the most treasured bits are those that are connected to friends and family.

This Santa has been in my Christmases for as along as I can remember. It was crocheted by my grandmother and fitted over a whisky bottle or something similar. As you can see, it is made up of separate parts. As a child, you know I loved these movable parts. How many kitties slightly tolerated a Santa hat for a few moments?

From last December postings you can see other treasures: From Sis, the angel and the reindeer.

Winter Solstice 2007

We are blessed with memories

so we may have jolly snowmen dancing in August

and sweet roses (err...sunflowers...) with winter snow.

This photo from the garden is on my monitor desktop. I find myself just staring at it lately, feeling the warmth, the light and the beauty of nature. Will we see the extra sliver of light each day? If you need some now, just see these other sunflowers and know the garden catalog season is almost here.

Cozy Cloche Report

Here is a shot of the chard, calendula and parsley inside the cloche. They aren't growing very quickly but they do look a bit more happy than the chard outside the cloche. The sedum pan garden from the patio is overwintering in the cloche also. Otherwise, it spends the winter constantly waterlogged (even with holes drilled in the bottom).
The chard outside of the cloche doesn't look too happy about the cold & snow and frosts we've had lately. I suspect it will be quick to send out new growth in the spring, however.

Alternative Mistletoe

In our last house, Opus was a permanent fixture on one of the lights. When we moved a few years ago, somehow he was misplaced (just like Opus for this to happen to him, too). Finally, I found him today! It may be the only decorating we need to do this year.

We have a number of Bill the Cat / Opus ornaments from over the years. We haven't found one offered this year. It may be at the end of an era, or at least a creative license! While we resist most collectibles, Bloom County has been a favorite going way back when. Being the first to remember to look for Opus very early in the Christmas season was an annual challenge for each of us.

Mistletoe doesn't grow here like it did where we lived in Alabama. This Opus has been our answer to that problem.

Flocked Filbert

The snow is gone, but I'm hanging on to it just a little longer. This contorted filbert outside my dining room window caught my attention late Satureday afternoon. The tree is too close to the house and too large for its space, but it is an interesting view out the window in the winter (even without snow). Here is a wider view.

I hope the cuttings I took earlier this year are rooting because someday, this tree may need to be removed. However, I always give it just one more winter.

Snow Recovery

How Maria spent the snowy day...even after the snow melted, and we moved on to buckets of rain. That's the heater vent she is covering.

December Welcome

The Year 'Round Rose has added another season to its portfolio. Winter! We had a light snow overnight. The skies are turning blue now so there might not be much more added today.

Just as well since yesterday I found a small buffet/sideboard at my favorite charity/second-hand shop and we have to pick it up today. OK, also a heavy wooden Post Office table/desk (75% off!). It will fit in our office and maybe motivate me to organize the office, AGAIN. I only stopped by there last night to check for vintage Christmas items...