Tuesday, July 9, 2024

 It was a lovely hot day. I went to a big farmers market with a friend and bought a giant cauliflower, some raspberries, Ontario grown peaches ( surprising at this time in the summer), some pepperettes for husband (smoked bacon), and an Olive sourdough loaf. 

I came home and read by the pool. I have a book that is due back tomorrow so I need to finish ( Kate Ellis - The Killing Place- happy little title). 

We are supposed to get some big rain tomorrow. My tall delphiniums are already on quite a slant. I know the rain will beat them down more, so I decided to cut a few and make a bouquet. I’m no florist, that’s for sure, but I put them together with spirea and Russian sage. 

They will only be good for a couple of days but at least I can enjoy them inside. 

I’ve been watching the hummingbirds come to my feeders. I’ve tried to get a picture but it never does it justice so just assume they are a lovely couple of ruby throated hummingbirds, both male and female. 

Murphy treated me to a bird this morning, a fledgling I think. I did the old “ drape a tea towel over the bird and gather it up” routine and put it out in the shade on the edge of the property. It seemed fine, but you never know. 

It’s a beautiful time of the evening. The temperature has decreased a bit. I should get back to my book. 

Sunday, Last Day of June

• I wish someone would tell the weather gods that it’s the last day of June. It is “ cold”, wet, and a bit windy here today. I’ve been binge watching “This Farming Life” on Brit Box through Prime, drinking a bit of tea, and wearing my fuzzy slippers. I’ve been outside only to feed chickens and collect eggs.

I made old fashioned short cakes for strawberry shortcake dessert tonight. They are more like a sweet tea biscuit, like my grandmother and mother used to make. The berries are mashed with a bit of sugar added and then you split a biscuit and pour the berry mixture over top so the juices are soaked in.

It is the long weekend here for Canada Day. We have nothing planned and I’m totally fine with that. I just don’t need to be in amongst a crowd, standing around to see the sights, and in the case of much of this weekend, being rained on. I’d much rather just be at home.

I had a lovely moment yesterday morning when I was reading in the porch. I’d been seeing a flicker on our and the neighbour’s property. I heard a different kind of bird sound and saw mommy ( I think) flicker feeding one of two young flickers atop the arbor! It was such a sweet scene. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/TK45mcAjsZA45Roq7

If you click on the link, you will see a picture of a flicker bird if you are not familiar.

I have no idea what just happened to my first paragraph which now has a bullet point beside it. Can’t figure out how to fix it, so it shall stay like that. 

Favourite Gardening Books

 The other day, Mama Pea posted about her garden and mentioned pretending to be Ruth Stout, planting her potatoes I think. And that made me think of how I hadn’t read ( or re-read) my copy of Ruth’s book, How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back in quite a while. 

I used to read this book every year when I’d get the gardening itch, but it was still too early to do anything. 

This soft cover book might be my favourite gardening book even though it was first published in 1955. If I’ve read it once, I’ve read it maybe 12 times. Ruth gardened in Connecticut, creating ridiculously huge vegetable beds considering she didn’t really know what she was doing. But I love reading about her disasters and her successes. Ruth, in the end, waxes poetic about zero till and to just mulch deeply and continuously. It sounds tempting but I just can’t go that route. I love my rototiller too much. Also, who can access that much rotten hay???

I have lots of gardening books.

That’s just a little portion of the bottom shelf of the bookshelf that husband built.

The Burpee book of perennials was one of my first. I poured over the pages and checked off the plants I obtained over the years. Some still grow here, others are long gone. I never could successfully grow astilbe! 

Fellow Canadians may recognize this oldie but goody! I read this over and over again, too

Another Canadian go-to, this wonderful book shows the gorgeous perennial gardens up on the Bruce Penninsula called Larkwhistle that I actually visited. It is set up so you see month by month what is blooming and how the two gardeners combined plants. I don’t think Larkwhistle exists anymore but it was very inspiring. 

Do you have any favourite gardening books? Thanks Mama Pea for reminding me of Ruth Stout. I’ll be reading her book in bed tonight!

A quick storm

 We sat on the porch with after supper coffees ( decaf for me) and enjoyed the rumbling thunder, odd lightning flash and a nice steady rain. Then the gods decided to turn it up a notch and the winds picked up ( REALLY picked up) and the rain turned diagonal and the hail started. I had a quick peak at the weather apps to see if there was a tornado warning. 

And then it stopped and this happened.

Her’s the other end.

The skies still looked like this but the sun was breaking through.

I do like a good storm. Right now I hear the peacocks calling from down the road and the crows cawing. 

Today could have been a very bad day, but it turned out fine. I may write about it, I may not. But right now it is fine. 

June 6, 2024

 Spent a big part of the day planting my urns, pots, and window boxes. No pictures of those because they are in that “ I just got planted and I’m not big enough yet and I’m a little traumatized “ look about them.

I can’t let June get by without a couple more flower posts. No need to comment, I’m just sharing what makes me contented.

Variegated wegielia.

Hansa rose

“White” peonies

Pink peonies

Gas plant in front of purple sand cherry

The sublime gorgeousness of Johnson’s blue cranesbill ( and the photo never quite captures the essence of blue). 

And to round it out…

June the first!

 Today was absolutely lovely- hot but not too hot. June is the prettiest month with so many perennials coming into bloom. Currently the Siberian irises as well as the bearded irises are blooming. I don’t have nearly the amount of bearded irises as I used to. I had dug out a lot and sold them at yard sales years ago as the were taking over and now I sporadic clumps.

I also have deep purple and light yellow bearded irises. 

As well, the lovely iridescent at twilight centaurea also known as cornflower is in bloom. 

The weigelia is just starting. 

The purple salvia is crawling with bees. 

This hosta called Barbara Ann is stunningly huge. 

And finally, my cranesbill which never fails me, providing swaths of colour, is also just starting. 

Today I spent a lot of time weeding, much of which involved digging out tall grass that was growing in amongst perennials in different beds. It’s painstaking work but so satisfying when done. I think tomorrow I might buy annuals to go in my urns, pots, and window boxes. I think I’m going for a variety of colours rather than limiting myself to a colour scheme. I just feel like I want a riot of colour this year!

Rhubarb Time

 The title is a bit misleading. It’s been rhubarb time for a couple of weeks already but I haven’t done a ton with it. I made a strawberry rhubarb pie to take to a friends’ cottage and I made strawberry rhubarb crisp for husband, son, and I. 

I still have frozen rhubarb and jars of strawberry rhubarb jam from a couple of years ago ( yes, they keep that long). 

Daughter and future son-in-law invited us for dinner tomorrow night. Nice! I got a text the other day asking if it would be possible to make a rhubarb type of dessert to bring along. Well sure! So tonight I am making the unfortunately named “ Rhubarb Dump Cake”. 

Forgive me if I’ve posted about this before. I’m too lazy to check my side bar to see if I have ( or if I even included it in my side bar!). This is easy peasy. However if you are someone who prefers their dessert not sweet, low cal, and generally sad and miserable, this is not for you.

1. Spray the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish. Add four cups ( or more so you get a decent covering on the bottom of the baking dish) of freshly sliced or frozen rhubarb.

Aren’t the colours gorgeous?

1 1/2. Let the cat in. Sigh.

2. Sprinkle with a 3 oz box ( small box) of strawberry jello.

3. This is where some recipes differ: 3/4 cup white sugar. ( other recipes don’t call for sugar) I sprinkled on a little less than what was called for.

4. Sprinkle a full package ( dry) of yellow or white cake mix on top.

5. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and pour evenly over the top. Do not mix together!

6. Pour aprx. 1 2/3 cup to 2 cups of cold water on top.

7. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for aprx. 45 minutes to an hour. Remember, don’t stir it altogether.

When it’s done, there might be some small patches of dry cake mix, but that will be dealt with if you eat it with a little cream or milk or vanilla ice cream! 

Here it is out of the oven ( Joanne’s tea towel!)

There are many dump cake recipes out there. I’ve made the one that uses a can of blueberry pie filling and a can of crushed pineapple. I’ve also made a pumpkin dump cake that uses a spice cake mix that is so good! True, none of these are going to be featured on The Great British Baking Show, but when you want something quick and dirty, a dump cake with some vanilla ice cream ( get the French vanilla kind) is the way to go!