Hello?

As a friend & fellow "blogger" posted today.....

Is anyone out there?  Am I talking to myself?  Just wondering.....

Survival of the Fittest

When spring rolls around, I'm ready to get plants out of the house and back into their natural environment.  Some winter-over well, some suffer, some won't even make it.  But it's fun to see what might work, so this fall I brought a healthy geranium into our sunroom to see if I could get it to survive the winter.

It not only survived, but it flourished & even bloomed a couple of times.  Now it's so big that I'm not sure where to plant it!  (The green container that it sits in is 20" x 13" x 10" deep).

The palm is not doing great, but I think it will come out of it, especially after the fresh rains of spring.

Four of these trees are not going to make it... They have developed a disease that is affecting Leland Cypress trees all over town.  It makes me sad that they will have to come down after growing so tall & creating such a nice buffer.  For now we'll just pretend that it's autumn & they are changing colors...

This also didn't make it....

It succumbed to the strong winds that accompanied the tornadoes that struck NC on April 16.  This is the second one of these that has been destroyed after just a couple of years of enjoyment...

At least we have many nice memories of it.... and compared to what so many lost from the storms, it is so minimal.

Blue Moving In

With some paint left over from my stair project, I had to figure out how to use some of this beautiful color in the house.

Then I found these pretty little bird eggs in a shop and knew what I could do....  Paint my candlesticks (that I had painted white last year...) & this cast off "milk can" from my daughter.  I found the cute little bird in the same shop & I have a "thing" for birds...

I also found this little bird, the same color, and painted the other candlestick (which had been painted white last year.)

And that became my new spring mantle...!

Project Time

Why does spring always make us feel like it's time to do projects?  I guess one reason is that some projects can only be done when it is warm enough to get out & do them.
For the last 9 years that we've lived in our house, I've thought that the stairs from the garage into our kitchen should be painted.  Why?  Because they were "raw wood" and they are the first thing I see when I get out of my car to go into my house.

They are sturdy & functional.... just not "pretty".

So I primed them... with two coats (do you see all those little 4-sided spindles??!!!!)

Then I painted them (do you see all those little 4-sided spindles??!!!)  I chose a shade of light blue that I really liked but didn't have a place for anywhere in my house.  A soothing entrance into my home should be nice, don't you think?
So after 9 years I see pretty steps into my house.  I thought I could knock this little task out in one day... while my hubby was on a little motorcycle trip.  Three days of intensive work later... they were done.  My other projects for that time period... didn't happen.
But I have a new project in mind.  I've actually had it in mind for a long time, but now it has become a "necessity..."

I've mentioned to hubby several times how nice it would be to paint our garage floor....
Our friend did his & it looks so nice....
But we just never "got around to it."
Honestly, I didn't do this on purpose!  I had been so careful throughout my painting project, keeping everything covered, using lots of dropcloths (AKA plastic tablecloths from the $$ store).  Then the very last time I moved the ladder, I was so tired that I didn't want to put the paint bucket on the floor.  So I thought I'd move it with the bucket on it...  It was like one of those slow motion times.  I saw the paint can tip, then start to fall, then spill out a goodly amount of paint, & then I caught it.  It really wasn't that much that spilled.
But when I tried to wipe it up with a paper towel... it spread, & spread, & spread.  So I finally gave up & just spread it out to see what a painted floor would really look like.  I also put down rugs to catch some of the dirt from our shoes before we enter the kitchen (& even have one right where I step out of my vehicle...)  Sure saves on vacuuming so much!
I'll have to post again when the garage floor is "done."

Tools of the Trade

There comes a time in every cooking woman's life when it is time for some new "tools".  And I finally decided to update a few of mine.

My 9x13 cake pans had been disappearing or were in such sad shape that I'm using them with my gardening tools now to "toss" soil.  So I finally broke down and bought 2 new ones with lids!
And when I saw this cookie sheet, I couldn't believe it.... it is 22" x 15"!!!  Now beware, this wouldn't fit in all ovens... but it fits in mine & I love being able to get so many cookies on it at once!

Like, at least 2 dozen!!!

I don't know why it took me so long to learn about the wonder of using parchment paper to line cookie sheets, pans that go in the oven, etc.  What an easy cleanup it makes!

Yes, I had to try it out with my very favorite cookies... Snickerdoodles!  I made 16 dozen last Monday.

My other new tool is this stackable cooling rack...  Is that neat, or what?!  You can put the cookies on the first rack, then add the second & fill it with cookies, then add the third rack.  So you don't have cookies all over the kitchen while they are cooling (my hubby always says that it doesn't take much to excite me...)

And the finished product was just as tasty as it looks (yes, I ate way too many of them!)

He Is Risen!

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here;  He has risen, just as He said.  Come and see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell His disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see Him.' "

Bunny Love

I've had "bunnies" in my yard for years....

And I'm really frustrated with the wild real bunnies who are eating my lilies as they come up (trying to find a homemade repellent, I looked on the internet where it suggested planting day lilies because they don't like those... Hello!!!  That's what they are eating!)

But I love this little bunny....  How did she get here?

She was "hand-delivered"...

by one of the "Little House on the Prairie" gals from next door.

She is our "animal whisperer".... she loves animals!

I have to admit.... that I really like this little bunny, too.

A Hero's Welcome

The crowds began to gather and the band (Raleigh Concert Band) began to play...

The 82nd Airborne from Ft. Bragg warmed up the crowd with their amazing voices (singing, that is) & entertained with songs from bygone days...

The people were ready to give their "cheers" and clapping and whistles and "whoo-hoos" as loud as they could...

Then the Honor Guard led in, followed by bagpipes and drum...

And with flags wildly waving, the veterans of WW II were welcomed back from their one day trip to DC to visit the memorials for veterans.  Though the picture is blurry (due to all the activity of the flags..) take a close look at those in wheel chairs or walking with the aid of a can/walker: they are the ones who survived "the war to end all wars..."  All would be at least 80 or older by now, all would have many stories to tell (though most probably have shared very few in all these years), and I think all of them had a great day.

One family brought their West Point cadet to welcome back his great-grandfather!

And I had the privilege to speak briefly with this veteran as he passed by:  I would guess he might have been the oldest one there, but he seemed genuinely moved by my gratitude to him for his service.

An Honor

It's an honor to serve those who have served/are serving our country, and tomorrow there will be some very special honorees taking a special trip.  They are veterans of WW II!
They will be flying to Washington, DC to see the WW II Memorial, and their flight has been paid for by people in our area.  You may have seen one of the previous ones on the news.  If you'd like to be a part of their send off or the welcome back to Raleigh, here are the details of the Flight of Honor:

Purpose:            To promote the lives, courage and valor of the veterans who are Fought

for our Nation’s Freedom. --- They truly are members of the Greatest Generation!

The Flight:         Raleigh to Washington DC.    Veterans are checking in at the airport starting at 6:30 am.   The Water Cannon salute should take place around 8:30 am at the airport.

Homecoming:    Taking place at the RDU Parking Lot Atrium beginning at 7:30 pm.    The award winning Raleigh Concert Band is performing and the Patriots Guard / Rolling Thunder is arriving at 7:40 pm.   A special performance by the 82^nd Airborne Chorus, honoring the Triangle vets,  will take place at roughly 7:45 in the Parking lot atrium.

Passengers:   

 We are expecting 100 World War II Veterans including:

                        *     Only Carrier Fighter pilot to survive all carrier based encounters    

*    Served on the USS North Carolina     

*    A set of twin brothers who fought in the war….  

                        *    Witnessed the Survivor of Buchenwald Concentration Camp….    

                        *    Spent 2 years as a German POW         

*    Landed in Anzio Beach, 3 Purple Hears     

                        *    POW in Germany for 21 months…. Amazing crash landing story 

*    Countless award winning heroes!

Help Needed:    We would like to have between 2,500 – 3,000 folk attend the Heroes Welcome.   Anything and everything that you can do to promote the Heroes’ Welcome on Tuesday night at 7:30 pm at the airport would be greatly appreciated.

 And here is some of what will be awaiting them/you...

"Away With You!"

I'm a sucker for cleaning products.... There, I finally admitted it.  I love to peruse the cleaning aisles at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (one of my favorite stores & where I always try to buy gifts, especially wedding gifts.  They are fantastic on customer service, & with the coupons their prices usually can't be beat.)  I also like to peruse the ones at Lowe's (sometimes something different there, & I strongly prefer them over Home Depot.)

But last week I found a new product in the most unusual place: an upscale gift shop in Blowing Rock, NC, that has high end dishes & china, kitchen & entertaining items, knick-knacks, etc.  On a display in the middle of the store was this product:

The label says: "Instantly Cleans silver, gold, copper, brass, bronze, platinum, & hardstones such as diamonds, rubies, & sapphires."  As I read the label, the sales lady came over & asked if I'd like a demonstration of the product & said that it works really well.  She had a sliver container that she used it on, & it really was quite impressive.
Many years ago I bought something from a door-to-door salesman (wouldn't even answer my door now days!) that was called "Eliminator" & it cleans everything with no fumes or harshness of any kind (he demonstrated that you could even drink it, so that if a child got into it they wouldn't be hurt.)  After he walked away, I thought, "I can't believe I let him in my house!  I can't believe I bought this expensive stuff!"
But I've used it for more than 25 years now (can't tell you how many times it has taken stains out of carpet!)  So I decided that despite the priciness of this new product, I'd give it a try.  And since I sure don't have much silver (by choice!), it should last a long time!

By the time I took this picture I had already "scrubbed" a lot of the baked on/fried on blackness from this skillet...

And then I used my new product...!

The dark places on the photo really don't show in real life & the patina turned out  beautifully on these ancient more-than-25-year-old pans which have cooked a lot of food...

I will admit that even though it is a huge "no-no" on copper, I also used my trusty Scotch scratcher on it too.  But hey, I was going for results!
I think I'm going to like my new "Magic Soap."

Finally Success!

The entrances to many businesses in the flatlands are aflame with color at this time of year with tulips of many colors.  For the more than 30 years I've lived in the south, I have been unable to grow any kind of tulips.  I understand that our winters are not long enough/severe enough for the tulips to "set"... But those businesses have the same winter we have at our house!  No jealousy here, of course....

However, I figured that it is cold enough for long enough in the mountains!  So last fall I put these in the ground... with beautiful results!  And I just happened to be here at the right time to see them blooming.

The red are brilliantly red, opening to reveal their lovely black centers...

The white ones are a pure white with lovely yellow centers....

But most interesting is that they were wide open early in the day... then closed up in the late afternoon.

I don't know if it was because the temperature dropped as the fine mist/rain started, or if they just close up when the sun goes in.  But they were tight as could be!  The funny thing was that when my 7 year old grandson looked at them he said, "Do you want me to open them back up?"  Isn't it neat how children think?
Anyway, now my curiosity is up and I'll be watching over the next few days to see what they do.

I don't think I paid enough attention to the instructions on the packages when I planted them though... the tall ones(red) are in the front, the medium ones(white) in the back,  and the short ones (black) are in the middle.  Here's hoping the black ones bloom while I'm  here~

More Beauty

Growing up in Indiana, springtime meant bleeding hearts, tulips, daffodils, & lilacs.  In the flatlands I can get the daffodils to grow (one of the few bulbs squirrels don't dig up!)  But I've never had any success with tulips, bleeding hearts, or lilacs.  So about 4 years ago I decided to try some of those things in the mountains.

The lilac became so large last year that I cut it way back in the fall.  It is up & growing strong again and producing the wimpy very different (from the lilacs I grew up with) blooms; dark in color, small is size, and not fragrant like I was used to.  But it grows, produces blooms, and has a pretty foliage.

The bleeding heart plant has done really well too, dying back in the winter but "springing" back each year.  My grandma always had these in her yard, and since I have fond memories of my time at her house, I love these little plants.

In a close up you can see where they get their name: what a beautiful example of God's creativity in nature!  The delicate little blooms are about the size of a thumbnail.  And their foliage is really pretty throughout the growing season.

Another memory for me of springtime is violets... everywhere!  These too grow in the mountains, almost like a weed, covering so much ground that I often pull them out of the garden.  But it was nice seeing their sweet little blooms, too.

Speaking of weeds, dandelions are covering all the yards here, there, and everywhere.  No matter how much or how little rain, it seems that these will grow profusely anywhere.

Isn't that how our lives are?  With little to no "help" the weeds of life grow profusely, yet we have to nurture the beautiful things that we so want to grow in our lives: patience, a servant heart, mercy and grace, understanding (or acceptance when we don't have it), love for the unlovely or those who have hurt us, peace, wisdom, kindness, self-control, etc.  And it truly takes "holy rain" to grow those attributes... we cannot do it by persistence or trying harder.  We have to get rid of the weeds and depend on the Master Gardener.