Archive for ‘June, 2012’

It smells like Christmas…

It does!!

The large hail brought down bits of the ends of branches – live bits with fresh sap. A LOT of live bits with fresh sap. The sun hit them today and suddenly it smells like Christmas :) !

It was just before 1:00 p.m., temperature about 74F – almost July and it smelled like Christmas walking down the driveway to get the mail.

Hey, Bob! Dontcha’ think it smells like Christmas??

What??? Oh, yeah…if you say so…it smells like Christmas.

That means it is time for my “long winter’s nap”…

And see, there is the moon. Lights out.

Well, it DOES smell like Christmas.

Cooking from the garden week 6 & 7

The bounty from the farm continued week 6 with spring greens, spinach, radishes, green onions and rhubarb. I was able to share some greens and the remainder I used as I have been.

Meal salads that started with chef’s salad several weeks ago, continue:

BLT, hold the bread!

A southwestern take with a dressing made of mayo, greek yogurt and salsa…more salsa on top…Ole!!!

Week 7 added broccoli to the haul. I had plans for a fresh broccoli-bacon-cranberry salad but ended up steaming the broccoli to have with some cream of chicken over rice.

Not from the garden but I’ve been wanting to share Karin of Paper Route Design’s Granola. I make 1/4 of her recipe and mix it with a rice cereal I buy in bulk at the natural food store. I have never been a granola fan, but Karin’s recipe sounded so good. As she states on her post, it makes the house smell like the inside of an oatmeal cookie :)!

I scoop the granola – rice cereal mix, add some chopped apple and have a great start to my day or a nice bedtime treat.

…so… week 6 & 7…and there will be no week 8.

A minor weather disaster occured here this last Tuesday morning.

That is hail. And that hail is already partially melted.

We had a strong thunderstorm with 1 – 1 1/2 inch hail and then a torrential downpour.

It did a number on the vegetation, including the gardens at Swallow Crest Farm :(

I received an email this afternoon that this week’s distribution would not happen and it sounds like next week’s is questionable as well… Mother Nature. I am sad for the farm folk as things were going so well and they are now having to re-plant and repair.

Here at my house…the sun has re-appeared. There is a lot of yard and woods cleanup to be done but…

…one must enjoy the sun and fresh air!

Happy Day.

The morning after

The air felt heavy early this morning but as the sun rose, so did mist and all is rapidly drying out after yesterday’s series of thunderstorms – most accompanied by torrential, although short in duration, downpours. One storm did a lot of damage to parts of the valley as high winds took down trees which took down power lines. Here, there was a little wind and a few loud crashes of thunder as the fronts passed overhead, then a burst of rain with a sprinkling of graupel followed by a sun break before the next squall. When I shut down last night I thought we might be in for a night of storms but not…just the short squalls and I didn’t hear thunder in the night.

This morning after: birds are singing, the air is clear and still and the sky is blue….

…and some of us are having a Sunday nap.

It was a dark and stormy night…

…or to be more exact…it IS a dark and stormy night. I write this post with thunder rumbling and getting closer. The sky is dark at 8:00 p.m. an hour and 45 minutes before sunset. My S.A.M.E./NOAA radio has alerted twice for severe thunderstorms.

I cannot help thinking of and missing Karl…knowing this weather would be so upsetting to him.

…Bear, it does not faze. Bear is lying on my bed. The window is open, lightning is flashing and thunder is rumbling and he is calm.

Bob is under the daybed in his room!

It is a dark and stormy Saturday night.

The grass has been mowed. The yard and house and woods grasses glow green – more so against the backdrop of the stormy skies.

But during a time of light…

Mariposa Lily.

The woods has a bumper crop of Mariposa Lily this year.

Beautiful.

CRASH, BANG, BOOM and a flash of lighting! The storm approaches. It is raining…harder.

Time to unplug. Happy Saturday evening.

TGIF

Friday – YEA! Srlsy…YEA!!!!

Mixed bag of a week but we ended on a high note of work well done, skunked dog slightly less stinky and a beautiful evening.

Yes, says Bob: “TGIF!”