With temperatures soaring in Kansas today, it is no wonder this little cardinal decided to treat himself to a cool bath this morning. Doesn’t that look refreshing?
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Goodbye Linden Tree
We used to have a beautiful American Linden Tree in front of our house. That is, it was in front of our house until this morning and it was beautiful until last summer. Even though we watered it regularly last year, it suffered from drought and heat stress as was evident by the fact that it dropped its leaves late in the summer rather than after they had turned golden in the autumn as it had in previous years. That worried me. Then, to my relief, this spring it set leaf buds. Unfortunately, it set them just in time for the buds to get frozen when we had snow in early May. That was it for our Linden tree. Though it tried to come back, it was mostly dead. The city came and cut it down this morning, since it was on the city’s easement. Now part of the front yard will receive much more summer sun than it has in years. I shall have to observe this area in the coming weeks to determine whether any of the perennials need to be moved to a cooler location. I was sad to see the tree go. I had been pruning it for the past 13 years and really liked its shape.
The Linden tree last summer, lush with leaves …
Its leaf buds, killed off by cold temperatures in May …
The tree did manage to produce a few little shoots on the trunk after May’s freeze, but they were not going to be enough to allow it to thrive.
And so it went …
I’m not used to seeing our house without the tree in front. This will take a little getting used to. Luckily, there are still a lot of tall trees around.
Have a great day!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting
I took this photo last summer when my mother and I were visiting Gull Pond. I am not sure what we saw scurrying across the surface of the water. We thought that perhaps a school of fish was causing a swarm of insects to flee, but we never saw any fish rise. Whatever it was, it was interesting to watch. It only lasted a few minutes and then was gone.
Weekly Travel Theme: Peaceful
The other morning, I noticed some beautiful early light starting to peek through the plants, so I captured this shot of it illuminating the autumn ferns in my shade garden. It was a very quiet time of day and, I think, produced a rather peaceful image which is why I decided to share it for the Weekly Travel Theme by Where’s My Backpack?
“Marilyn Monroe” Rose
Last summer, during the worst of the drought, I purchased a Marilyn Monroe rose at a local nursery. I knew that I couldn’t plant the bush then; but since it was on sale, and looked gorgeous in the photo on the tag, I decided to buy it and do my best to keep it alive in a pot until I could plant it in cooler weather. It took some t.l.c., but my chance paid off. In the autumn, I planted Marilyn next to my Mr. Lincoln rose, which is a tall magenta red, and that is a lovely pairing. (Unfortunately, this morning I wasn’t able to get just the shot that I wanted to demonstrate this point, but I’ll keep trying.)
This gorgeous, apricot-colored, hybrid tea rose has sturdy, substantial blooms reaching 5 to 7 inches across and is a variety known for tolerance of heat and humidity and for its disease-resistance. Its only drawbacks as far as I can tell are that its fragrance it quite light and it is rather thorny … but what a beauty!
Penny’s Garden
Today is Penny’s birthday, but she didn’t take the day off work. Here she is inspecting “her garden” lest there be some bunnies or squirrels that need to be chased away. Good job, little girl! Happy Birthday!
Livin’ Easy Rose
Livin’ Easy is a floribunda rose that I planted last year; so this is its second season in my garden. Even though it has only a light fragrance, I am fond of this rose because it is vibrant and cheerful – and, of course, a pleasure to photograph. Its small, bright coral buds brushed with gold at the base, open to fluffy many-petaled roses which soften in color to a soft apricot as the 4-inch blooms fade.
Wishing you an easy and pleasant day …
A Word A Week Challenge: Angle
I love the way that the old stone buildings around town have so many angles and surfaces. This photo is of one of the windows in the Methodist Church around the corner from us. For more information on this week’s A Word A Week Challenge, see A Word in Your Ear.
A Bounty of Irises
We have a wedding in the garden this afternoon and our irises are at their peak. It should be a beautiful a day!
Sweet Cherry Muffins
Sweet Cherry Muffins
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. granulated white sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. buttermilk
2 lg. eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. dark sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped (frozen ok)
cinnamon sugar
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare 10 1/2-cup ceramic ramekins with butter and flour or with baking spray; or line 12 standard muffin cups with muffin papers, with butter and flour, or with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Stir together butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir mixture into dry ingredients until dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Fold in cherries.
4. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Using the back of a spoon, shape tops of muffins into a slight mound. Sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon sugar.
5. If using ramekins, place ramekins on 2 baking sheets. Bake for about 15 – 20 min for 12 muffins or about 22 – 27 minutes for 10 muffins. Muffins should be firm to the touch when done.
A Taste of Morning 