Tulips and Chokecherries?

 When we moved in to this home it was late summer and after a long winter's nap, a few green things were awakened.  On the north side of our home, which is two stories at that part of the house, I discovered in the tall grass and in the constant shade, a few tulip leaves, but not one bud.  I dug up some of the soil and kept digging and eventually had nearly 100 bulbs.  Among the tulips were a few grape hyacinth and some daffodils.  I replanted the bulbs out front where the thistles had been and last year, a very few tulips came up and bloomed.  This year, I have at least 50 tulips blooming.  None of the other bulbs survived for whatever reason, but my yard is lovely this spring and lots of other soon to be flowers will replace these as they finish their turn.  So, we also ordered two dozen or so chokecherry trees which were mere sticks when they arrived and last year we had about three little trees with a very few blooms and cherries.  We did notice a difference in the shape of some of the trees and the time difference in which the leaves appeared.  Imagine my surprise when this week I discovered this tree, with this blossom below.  What the heck? No chokecherry I ever saw put on a blossom like this.  The wind was blowing and the picture not very clear, but clear enough to know it is no chokecherry.  We can hardly wait to see what about half of the trees we planted will be.  Mother nature never ceases to amaze. 

 We have been busy for several days, maybe weeks even, drywalling,  slapping texture, and now finally priming the half of our basement which will be the pool hall/TV/exercise room.  Of course there will be ceiling to complete and carpet, but the major lifting is done and none too soon as I am ready to get outside.  My camper is calling to me.  No blog would be complete without a furkid picture or two so here is Roger and Coalette as they do most mornings while I read my paper and have my wake-up cup of coffee.

"Cleanliness is next to impossible when you live with animals."

Critters

 I am so far behind in everything that I don't know where to start! This cat has just simply taken over and does just what she pleases.  I do know that cats are pretty darned independent, but really?!  Not only does she horn in on Spencer's pillow, but she sleeps in his bed!

Hildy had to have a tooth pulled this morning so we are pampering her and giving her drugs!  Poor thing didn't even act like she was in pain, but we noticed a swollen area on her face and she had a tooth that had cracked.  She will be much better now. 

I spent a few days last week with a dear friend of mine and it was so nice.  We had no agenda to speak of and in our quest to find a good deal at all of the flea markets and antique shops, we met the nicest people.  We also didn't lack for something to eat. I gained a pound or two for sure. Our retreat at the cabin this summer involves more fun craft projects and so we were looking for some pretty glassware for one of these garden art pieces.  In Keensburg we found a place with so many old pedal car skeletons outside just waiting for someone to replace the rust with new parts and paints.  This man had old toys, mostly trucks and cars of every era that it was like a museum, but after we told him what we were looking for, he rummaged through some of the rusty wagons and we came home with 6 pieces which will give us a start.  I can't wait to make a first example, but it will involve some re bar, some nuts and bolts and some paint as well as a little welding and experimenting.  Also taking up much of my time has been the ongoing quilting projects and the Mr. has the basement drywalled (those sheets are heavy suckers).  Mudding and taping and painting will also take much time and effort.  Mostly, I consult.  Anyway, that's it for now...stay tuned!

Spring and other things

With Spring in the air and the lack of moisture and unusually warm weather, I have been able to get out of doors and peruse the grounds for signs of life.  Wow!  There is so very much green everywhere.  All of the flowers are up and the trees are leafing out and the blooming trees are showing off their new duds. ( I have been quilting and off to Rawlins to see lots of old friends while the Mr. was playing in a tournament.)  And did I mention the green dandelions?  Yuk!  Comes with the territory.  Also with spring come the birds.  Although the birds which migrate are showing up, we have had some residents all winter.  Above is a crow, one of a pair that has visited our yard nearly every day for bits of food and water which we keep available all winter.  What is unusual about this crow is that it has only one foot.  It has both legs, but the left foot is gone and we have watched this bird with it's mate for months now, gather whatever it eats (we feed chicken scratch to the birds), drink from the water source and perch on the fence above.  It is always accompanied by it's mate and they keep watch often from the top of a light pole near the corner of our backyard. When we first spotted it this winter, we had doubts that it would survive, but it seems to be doing just fine.  So with spring here and summer fast approaching, we will continue to marvel at mother nature and how she provides in spite of the struggle faced by some of our fellow creatures.

More critter pics

 Here she is playing in the water as it pours off her head into the sink.  She loves water!  If she sees me go into the bathroom, she runs to watch the toilet flush!  She tries to drink from the water in the sink as it splashes from her head and below----she sleeps with the dogs.  They just figured she was another one of the furkids when I brought her home.

The weather has been  unusually warm.  Spinach is up, hollyhocks, poppies and numerous other green things which in March should still be sleeping, are growing and in need of a drink.  In addition to 70 degree weather, it is dry.  This is CRAZY!  I spent a day with my dear friend Pat, this week and we drove to Windsor and spent time in some shops and had a wonderful lunch in a Hawaiian restaurant. The weather was great and I came home with a couple of small treasures and fabric for quilts. 

The Mr. and I, (but mostly the Mr.) are getting another room on the way to being finished.  The drywall is going up now and I think that when the floor and ceilings are done that we will be done.  As we age, and that dirty word "age" just bugs me, we are discovering that we cannot do what we used to do, so I am ready to be done!  We have lived in a construction zone for much of our lives as we set about finishing and remodeling the many abodes we have called home.  So with the warm weather, the construction, the quilting and whatever else takes my time I hope to be back here soon.

Beets?

 The weather has been so pretty that I haven't been here in a few days.  Sorry, but I love being outside.  However, I am finding that my poor ol' body just doesn't move like it used to and I long for a bit smaller yard sometimes.  Last week I was watching a cooking show and the subject was a healthier method of making red velvet cupcakes with beets!  Having a freezer full of beets from last years' harvest, I was intrigued.  I did not get the recipe, but searched later and found a fairly simple recipe on the net and tweaked it a bit.  As you can see, the beets which were cooked really didn't look too appetizing, but after using the little hand held blender, they pureed quite nicely and using the beets rather than a bottle of red food coloring, appealed to me.   They were delicious!  I will probably be using this recipe exclusively from now on!  After they were frosted, I had exactly 12 cupcakes and it would have produced one 8 inch layer cake. 

3/4 c pureed cooked beets
1/2 c oil
1/3 c milk
1/2 tsp vinegar (into milk to sour)
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
3/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Mix as any cake batter and bake at 350 for 25 min.
At our quilt guild, we have been having mini-classes and this is the pattern I chose for the cathedral window application which is nothing like the traditional pattern.  For me, it has been very time consuming and when this piece is finished, and I am in the quilting stage right now, I probably won't make another one.

More kitty pictures to follow, as she is quite a little clown.

Can you see her?

We have an addition to our herd of critters.  We lost our last cat of 13 years about 2 years ago and have adopted this 3 month old black kitten.  She is nearly impossible to see when she hides under the bed or the sofa or on a suitcase in the storeroom (which she finds quite comfortable).  I have decided that she will be called Coalette since except for that white tuft on the end of her tail she is pretty much coal black. She has been in a home with dogs and has just moved right into ours as if she were the queen of the realm.  She will be strictly a house cat as we are in a pretty busy neighborhood.  Next week she will get her vaccinations and spaying will follow in a few more months.  She has long hair (which I swore I wouldn't have again), but it is not as long as our previous cat. 

February stuff

 This month has been so busy, but what month isn't? Don't know where my life is going, but it is moving way too fast.  We celebrated our 48th anniversary as we always do..with food!  The Mr. played in a couple of tournaments which allowed me some time to haunt the flea markets and vintage shops and spend time with friends.  This cute little gnome suspended from his britches with a clothespin will hang above my gnome home this spring and summer.  I just couldn't resist him on the shelf in a garden nursery I visited.

 I scored another tray in the same vintage shop in Ft. Collins where this original blackboard tray idea tickled my fancy.  So...well, I hurried and got these on the wall too. The little birds are exactly the right color for my kitchen decor and grace my window sill.  I hesitated at the price of $8.00 each and after a brief discussion with the clerk, she went to the back and came back with a reduced price.  Couldn't resist them either!  Turns out she was the granddaughter of a dear woman who cooked with my mom for years at the school cafeteria where I attended school.
Small world sometimes.