Goodbye Linden Tree

Posted on 06/10/2013 by Laurie

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!

Wedding Cake & Flower Girls

Posted on 05/25/2013 by Laurie

It was a lovely day for a wedding. The bride and groom and their families were all smiles. I hope that they have a very happy future together!

After the wedding, I was able to get a few pictures of the cake and of the flower girls. They were so cute! I love the amazement that children experience when looking at a wonderful cake.

Yum! The perfect reward for two hard working little flower girls. Good job, girls!

A Bounty of Irises

Posted on 05/25/2013 by Laurie

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

Posted on 05/24/2013 by Laurie

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.

Congratulations, Graduates!

Posted on 05/18/2013 by Laurie

A few pictures from the bed and breakfast as we celebrate Kansas State University graduations this weekend with our guests …

Wishing the best to all of the new graduates out there!

(For the buttercream recipe, see my Wild Blueberry Cupcakes post.)

Gorgeous, Dependable White Iris

Posted on 05/17/2013 by Laurie

Stately and fragrant, irises are one of my favorite flowers. Though delicate-looking, in the right location they are highly dependable. I can count on ours to bloom every year for Kansas State University graduation. I am especially fond of the white irises. They look so crisp and fresh and do a lovely job of greeting guests walking up to the bed and breakfast.

Fountain in Bright Sun

Posted on 05/15/2013 by Laurie

Since not much will be blooming in the garden for the next day or two, after breakfast I decided to play around with getting a few photos of our fountain. The sun was quite bright -so nice after the long winter we had.

Return of the Pink Flamingos

Posted on 04/25/2013 by Laurie

Every year Gaia Salon has a fundraiser for the Audobon Society of Kansas: one can pay to have someone’s yard “flocked” with pink flamingos for a day. This is what we cheerfully woke up to this morning. If you want to see the flamingos, today is the day. They will be in someone else’s yard tomorrow.

Have a nice day!

Wedding Day

Posted on 04/22/2013 by Laurie

I don’t often get a chance to take many photos at weddings that we host because I have so many other things to do on the wedding day. I did manage to get a few yesterday, though, of the happy bride and groom and one of their little guests. It was fun to photograph people, something I don’t usually do.

Here is wishing the bride and groom continued happiness!

Getting Ready

Posted on 04/21/2013 by Laurie

Thankfully, today was a beautiful Spring day for a garden wedding – a surprising fact given the unseasonably cold weather we have been experiencing as of late. Here are a few photos that I quickly took while we were getting ready for the joyous event.