Friday, July 15, 2011

Friday Morning

Good morning Folks ~ Hope you all have a great day today and a wonderful weekend.  Time sure is zipping by these days.  It is hard to believe it is already the middle of July.

It is partly cloudy and rain is expected.  We didn’t get any rain yesterday and only a tad the day before, so I do hope we really get some today, although I wouldn’t mind if the thunder and lightening didn’t accompany the rain. Smile

Someone commented on my love of cooking and baking and maybe I could do baking for some income. Thanks but no thanks.  That is hard work, you have to meet health standards, etc. for selling to the public, and I’m a one woman operation, doing something I love for DH, myself, friends and family.

The other night I made a huge pan of a ‘sort of’ paella.  It was delicious and filling, and we have other meals of it in the freezer.

07-15-paella

My love of cooking and baking started in 7th grade Home Ec classes.  As a newlywed, my late MIL sent me recipes, I clipped them from magazines, and started collecting cookbooks by joining a cookbook club.  I now have a collection of well over 300 cookbooks. I save recipes from websites, and blogs too.  I love to try new recipes, love cooking from scratch, love it that I can cook a fancy recipe, we don’t have to go anywhere for it and there are left overs.

Yesterday morning I made a loaf of banana bread as the bananas were getting softer, and that made the place smell yummy before I left for work.  We had some this morning with our coffee.

I love using my bread machine, which I’ve had about 12 years now.  I buy bread flour in bulk, regular flour in bulk, and yeast in bulk.  The bread machine does not use much electricity and doesn’t heat up the kitchen like using the oven would.

I love gardening too, as you all know, which most gardeners do or we wouldn’t be doing it. I got a late start in life with this, around 1980.  We had a huge grassy piece of property when we moved in the summer of 1973, now we have very little grass.  I love the scents, colors, textures and shapes that make up gardens.  For me, it’s basically been done on a shoestring, I’m no great gardener,  I just have a love of growing things and seeing the beauty evolve.

There is so much inspiration here on the internet, and especially in blogland.  I thank all of you for putting yourselves and your gardens out here for us all to enjoy.  It’s like going on little garden tours all over the world.

With that, I’ll close today’s post with some latest pictures from Plum Cottage.

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Here is a new growth on one of our cactus at the back of the property.  We have 3-4 different kinds back there. I’ve never seen any flowers on this though, and don’t know if it even gets any.

07-15-cactus-sprout

We see this type of spider all over the place.

07-15-spider

Li’l Thinker sits on a pedestal in the main garden. We got him many, many years ago at a flea market or yard sale. He’s made of cement and has a nice aged patina on him.

07-15-lil-thilnker

Penelope buds and an almost spent bloom.

07-15-penelope

Next is a picture of a small stained glass piece that we also got many, many years ago.  We have two of these, this is the better one, and even it has broken glass.  This is sitting in our unfinished bedroom window.  We hope to start working on finishing our bedroom remodel this winter.

07-15-st-glass

I guess that’s it for now. I need to wash dishes, make the bed and get ready to head off to work.

blog-beige-sig

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Gardening is about

enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil,

getting dirty without feeling guilty,

and generally taking the time

to soak up a little peace and serenity.

Lindley Karstens

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11 comments:

Carla said...

I just had a little time and got caught up with your blog. I am so sorry to hear about your job. I know it is tough, but God will provide. Your new needlework says it all...Believe. I will be praying for you as you go through this transition. Carla

Karen said...

What a wonderful little glimpse into the history of your lovely Plum Cottage and lovely you! Home-cooked meals are the very best, much more economical and wholesome, and you bake your own bread, yum...I have to try that some day, my dear 90 yr. old mother still bakes her own, too. Nothing like the smell of bread baking to gloriously lift the spirits.

I agree, baking for profit would be such a hassle though; rules, regulations, and just plain labor...it's almost impossible to comply and still sell something edible. When our jobs hit hard times a few years back people suggested I should sew for a living, but no one wants to pay much to have work done and then you end up working yourself to a frazzle for basically $2 an hour after figuring in costs! Oh, I pray and just KNOW something wonderful will come along for you!

Wow, that spider is really fancy, I bet he/she's a great bug catcher. We have some cactus here that overwinter (still amazes me) but I hate weeding around them since the spines are teeny and all it takes is to brush up against it and you're wearing bristles for a few days.

Love your little statue and your stained glass piece, too. I also love my visits here, my dear friend!

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

The spider is beautiful. I whole heartedly agree with you about so much inspiration in blog world. I see what I like and what doesn't work for me and use that in my own blog - sometimes more successfully than others.
Your words have been inspiring today.
nellie

Susan said...

I love your lil' thinker guy. A garden is a great place to think. It's obvious that you love the simple things in life...cooking...gardening...needlework. You definitely are "present" each and every day enjoying your life and the world that surrounds you, and I think that's a wonderful way to be. These are the things that make up a life and from what I can see in your case...a life well lived. Have a wonderful weekend Flower Lady, and thank you for sharing your life...it is an inspiration to me. :-)

Kit said...

Ooooo, I love that spider! I love having spiders in my gardens, makes me feel like I am helping out the critters. Thanks for visiting my blog today. For the windows and the glass birdbaths, I use Silicone Adhesive. I get it at Ace Hardware, it comes in a squeeze tube and it is very strong and weatherproof. It is a fun craft. Make a window for your lovely place! Love ya, Kit

organicgardendreams said...

Flowerlady, that shot of the spider is amazing! I have never seen a spider like this and her net is also unusual. Love your little garden statue! The patina gives it so much character. Thanks for more lovely pictures from Plum Cottage!
Christina

gld said...

Love the 'thinker' and the window!

I agree wholeheartedly about cooking for money!
The minute I have to stand on my feet for hours baking umpteen numbers of things, the fun is gone. The newspaper did an article about an older lady who baked pies for the family cafe in a small town; she got up at 2 in the morning and made dozens of pies before the cafe opened at 7 AM. Does that sound like fun?

I think not!

Darla said...

Good Morning, nice post with a little of your history here.

Debi said...

It sounds like you put in a full day before getting to work. Sounds like you really DO like your bread machine. I've been baking chocolate zucchini bread in those little mini loaves all week. I'v thought about a bread machine ..maybe?? You're garden continues to bloom beautifully in this heat. Love the little glimpse into your life. Debi

Andrea said...

With your expertise you can build a restaurant, if you can't cook yourself then you will be a very good and expert manager for your staff. And the de-stressing parts are in your lovely garden as the photos show.!

NanaK said...

The glimpses you give us into your daily joys are a treat. Baking banana bread, remodeling, growing your garden, all are inspiring. I always feel more peaceful when I visit here.