Just Outside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Rambling Mind

Is it a glorified BLT with pimento cheese, basil and onion. . . or is it Pimento Cheese with that special je ne sais quoi . . . and a bit of bacon?

Whichever it is, it's quite tasty.

And then, being easily amused, I was entranced by the effect of adding water to the bacon grease, preparatory to washing the frying pan. Silver and golden rings!

Fractals ?  Maybe. Kitchen magic for sure!

My wayward mind led me outside where a light rain was making concentric circles in the goldfish pool . . . those were nice too . . .

But oh! imagine some kind of material that looked like bacon grease rings and could be used as a countertop. . .

And, is it just me or does the big goldfish in the last picture  look like he's in the air above the water?

Such a blessing to be easily amused!

 

Capturing the Peonies Before the Kittehs Get Them

 

 

 

 

 

The Case of the Missing Flowers

 

 

 

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Memorial Day Poppies

Memorial Day Poppies are a beautiful legacy from the horrors of World War I -- The Great War, the War to End All Wars...   

If only...

For some years now, North Carolina has done wonderful roadside plantings -- including these poppies on a highway near me.  I always stop and take pictures and wonder why I don't plant these beauties at home...

The poppies, of course, are inspired by the famous WWI poem by Lt. Col. John McRae.
(There's a touching story about the poem's creation HERE.)

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
 
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
 
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I wonder how many seeing the poppies know where Flanders  or Ypres were...

The poppies were blowing in the wind on the day I stopped to photograph them.

So fragile, so beautiful, so quickly gone -- like our little lives.

 

Extra Special Garden Stuff

Corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, cucumbers, broccoli, kale, collards, lettuce, to name a few, are the staples of our garden. But it's always fun to try something new.  

Tipper, over at BLIND PIG , sent me some seeds from a local (Asheville) company that sells heirloom, non-GMO seeds.  I'm excited to learn about Sow True -- these days when Monsanto seems to be trying to take over agriculture, I think it's vital to support our small, independent companies. And I've never grown lima beans -- I look forward to seeing what  Dixie Speckled Butterpea Bush Beans taste like!

And then there's the Glass Gem corn! There was a drawing on Facebook to win five seeds of this gorgeous corn and I carried on in public about how much I wanted to win. 

I didn't win but Dannie, a friend in my writing class, found seeds on ebay and presented me with a little silken bag containing ten! 

I started the little jewels on the porch and when they'd made some size. transplanted them to their special spot in the garden -- right next to the Dixie Speckled Butterpeas!

 Last of all -- artichokes! Inspired by my one artichoke plant (now in its fourth year) that produced five artichokes last summer, I've been pestering  the good folks at Reems Creek Nursery about artichoke plants. Finally Ruth called to let me know they were ready and I had her set aside eight for me

I tucked those babies into the bed above the rock wall and am nourishing visions of an overflowing abundance of artichokes in the coming years.

Ah, Spring! When everything seems possible.