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If it's possible where you live, try and find yourself a whole row of lilac bushes you can walk by on a warm, sunny, afternoon. When lots of blooms are open, pumping out their fragrance, for all the world to enjoy.
If your row of bushes happens to be a short row, let me suggest you turn around and walk back and forth several times. To get your lungs the proper dose necessary to sustain you.
These are all the things I would have missed if I had not walked after work on Wednesday.
The dogwoods are especially pretty right this second.
Again with the "spring green" below. I swear that photo was not enhanced in any way.
I love an early morning ramble, but this quick mile after a day at work puts the mind in a good place before the drive home.
These are the tulips that came home with me from the farmers market this week. They are shorter and less "showy" than the bouquets from the last two weeks.
Less vibrant but not less beautiful.
They remind me of the colors of butter mints at a wedding. Those mints that are so good with a few salty nuts, wedding cake, and a glass of champagne.
Nancy told me this week that if you put a "pre-1985" penny in the bottom of the vase, and change the water every single day, they last for "weeks". I just looked this up by the way, and in 1982 the penny stopped being made of 95% copper. So really it would be a "pre-1982" penny.
AND here's another fun fact - copper is a fungicide and bacteria and fungi are what shorten the life span of flowers. Gosh darn it that Nancy knows her stuff!
Mine usually last a full 5 days then start to drop leaves, which is ok, because then it's time for the next farmers market. But it can't hurt to have Chris go through his coins searching for a pre-1982 penny so I can test the theory. Right?
What I saw on a recent walk out in the woods, on the unpaved trails, where one must pay close attention to the roots that can reach up and grab your foot before you know it.
It's really hard though, not to keep looking up at the pops of purple from the redbud trees which are native to this area.
One of the very best things about a spring hike in the woods.
On this day there were about 4 crows pestering a hawk overhead, they simply would not leave it alone. I haven't seen that before. I kept on walking and left them to their business.
Here is what happened to my redbud tree after our hail storm a few nights back.
But, it was a lovely bloom this year, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Now it's time for the pretty heart shaped leaves to shine.
Saturday morning was a chilly one at the farmers market. But as one of the vendors told me "you just have to check the temperature and then dress like you would if it's 10 degrees colder than that... and you will be fine". I would always rather be a bit warm than too cold when out at the market.
The lilacs are front and center in the current parade of what's blooming. The arrangement above is a wonderful display of all the different kinds of lilacs you see around here.
Asparagus made a first appearance.
I was happy to see Anthony so I could replenish my honey supply.
The Black Forest cake was safe under the dome, a few frost crystals adding to the effect. Here is the description of the cake "luscious dark chocolate cake filled with sweet dark cherries and covered in a delightful kirsch glaze". That alone would have sold me, but I also have a very long memory for things I really like, and yes, I remember how good it was last year.
If I was planting a lettuce bed, I would have gotten some of all of these. As it is, I just bought a bag of mixed lettuce and a few small heads of romaine from the Pendletons. He was dressed very appropriately for a morning of standing outside.
And how about these teeny baby strawberry plants? Who doesn't dream of their own bed of strawberries, growing conveniently in your garden, and in the morning you wander outside and select the 10 best looking ones, still warm from the sun, to have with your breakfast?
The tulips are still looking amazing. So many to choose from.
It's still about a week too early to put these plants out, so none came home with me, but it's fun to imagine what you are going to get.
Here is my haul for the week. I went for the delicate, buttery pink tulips.
The cake deserves its own picture. Just the right blend of chocolate, super moist, with chewy bits of cherry, and that Kirsch icing ... don't get me started.
All in all another great week at the market. Such a treat to get local, freshly picked, greens - it makes such a difference in the nightly salads.
After a night of storms earlier in the week, the clouds remained impressive on a morning walk.
The geese were honking with all their might as I passed by. Maybe they were telling their pals to get on the floating platform and the last one there was a rotten egg? Why do humans seek to interpret the languages of other species? I always wonder what birds in particular are communicating with their calls. But really I just love hearing them.
The green of spring, is the most vibrant of all the shades of green, especially on a cloudy morning.
I hope you have a spring ramble planned for the weekend, whether it's green, by the ocean on a beach, in a garden of amazing flowers, or through a cityscape with interesting buildings. Enjoy.
When last I visited the fictional village of Three Pines, Olivier Brulé had been found guilty of murder, leaving me sad at the thought of how the bistro could survive without him. The bistro where all the main characters in the books meet and wonderful descriptions of the meals they share are provided to the reader. The descriptions that have me ready to book my stay in the village. If only.
I just closed the last page of Bury Your Dead (#6 in the Inspector Armand Gamache series), where another look is taken at the murder of the hermit in the woods (that Olivier firmly denies committing), in addition to a killing in Quebec City, along with flashbacks of a recent case in which both Inspector Gamache and his second in command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, were left with physical and emotional scars they are trying to deal with.
The format sounds confusing, but is very easy to follow, gives the reader greater insight into these characters, and provides a quick visit to the beloved village of Three Pines to check in with our friends there.
Highly recommended. I am going to try my best to resist going right away to the library and reserving A Trick of the Light, the next in the series.
The red winged blackbirds are out in full force at the Baker Wetlands these days. Actually they are the guardians of the place. I haven't been when I can recall them NOT being there.
Their ability to stand firm on a single stalk of grass, blowing in the wind, never ceases to amaze me. They provide a most excellent soundtrack for the vistas. Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man has nothing on them. Go see for yourself. While you are at it, you can see the birds which you may notice I showed no pictures of. Some days I just want to immerse myself in the total experience and not try to get "the" picture. You know what I mean, I am sure.
Good morning from Lawrence where the lilacs are starting to bloom.
Several of you have commented about not being able to see some of the photos that are part of my posts on the blog. I have alerted typepad about this and here is what they said.....
"Typepad's image system is complex and after the image is uploaded, it may be stored additionally in a cache server to enable faster loading for visitors. Sometimes, the image in the cache server gets corrupted and has to be cleared. Then the image will be pulled fresh from the original storage server (where it has been intact all along) and will display again. We can clear out the corrupted images from the cache server if given information sufficient for us to determine their URL. You do not need to upload the images again, because the original image in storage is fine, it is only the copy in the cache server that is messed up."
The bottom line is that I apologize if you can not see all the images associated with the posts. For me to chase this down and report it each time to the people at Typepad simply is too much of a bother. I hope that it improves or at least doesn't get worse. The thing about blogging, is that I do it for fun, as a way to reach out into the big world and have a chat with YOU, when it becomes more trouble than pleasure I just have to let that go.
Fingers crossed.
Grab a cup of coffee before you start looking today. I might have gone overboard on the photos from Saturday's farmers market. I couldn't help myself. There was much to see. Starting with these fabulous tulips.
I LOVED that these two friends were attracted to the tulips. In my mind I can see them going to the market together as the years go by, maybe they will live in tiny houses next door to each other, with a garden between them, and a little free library out front. Rockers on their front porches, they will teach all the neighborhood kids how to read, knit, and grow flowers.
Everything you need for an amazing salad could be had at the market.
If salad isn't your thing you could get in the loooong line for a doughnut. Which I have yet to try...
Best smiles at the market go to these two.
Best pig-tail below.
In addition to the tulips, there were lilac bouquets available.
Best "prepared for the weather" look goes to the lilac bouquet maker. Did I mention that it was supposed to rain on Saturday morning but it held off for the market?
Cake of the week!
I passed up the cake for cranberry orange scones and morning glory muffins.
These amazing radishes belong up top by the rest of the salad ingredients, in your mind pretend that's where they are.
Here is my basket for the week. Yes, that is a little container of baklava below, which took the place of the cake for after dinner dessert.
Closing with one last shot of the tulips. Just because.
Other sure signs of spring here in Kansas are the previously mentioned pot of pansies for the porch, which are tolerant of the overnight drops in temperatures, and the impressive cloud formations associated with spring storms.
There is also the first mini flower arrangement scavenged from the back yard, anything green or blooming looks good in a small bottle, and is fair game when I go out to scavenge with my scissors.
Morning light on a blooming pear tree...
... and finally the muscari (grape hyacinths) are doing there best to push up through the decomposing leaves and liriope.
There is much clean-up to be done in the garden. I will get to it little by little. I am a "do-er" by nature but this spring I am trying to be more of a "be-er". Understanding that sitting and enjoying the imperfect now, is as important as my attempts to make things better.
Today I got up, raced to work, gave a talk about VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking), took care of a bit of the business and then did something I have not done in what seems like a long time.
I went on an ADVENTURE.
A spring scouting adventure. Where before buying anything (if you can resist) you look at all the wonderful things you might want to get for your porch this year.
And you consult with all the other smiling gardeners at the nursery to get their thoughts on whether it's too early to put these things out of doors here in Kansas yet. We may have some temps still in the mid 30's in the next 10 days.
For sure the tropicals must wait. At least for me. Gosh aren't those leaves up above fabulous?!
After we filled our internal gardening spaces with ideas, colors, and all our dreams, we headed to Kaufman Gardens for a stroll.
We oohed, we aahhed, we exclaimed, we appreciated.
...and when we had our fill, we headed to our favorite French bistro for lunch and celebrated with lemon tart for dessert after we each ordered our favorite salad.
Mary Joan and I highly recommend you split one of these if you go to Aixios. You will not be disappointed.
Here's to more Spring Adventures!
This first farmers market bouquet is putting on a performance that will be hard to match by all future market bouquets this year. Seriously, every single time I walk by them I want to take more pictures, convinced that I have not captured them at just THIS exact angle yet.
Gosh it makes me happy to have these flowers on the table. Because they are so pretty, because they signal spring, because they mean it's farmers market season... and on and on and on.
Did you know Tulips originally were wild flowers in Central Asia? I always associate them with the Netherlands.
I won't go further down the rabbit hole of the journey from Asia to Turkey to the Netherlands, but I am grateful to the biologist who got the party started. AND to our local growers who make it possible for me to have this bouquet on the table this week.
A recent walk at a park in KC I haven't been to in many years. They were mowing the grass and every once in a while I could smell the pungent aroma of wild onion. I thought of all the old walks with an old friend I haven't seen in years as I ambled along.
These days of perfect temps, blue skies, no humidity, are not taken for granted.
After the walk, avocado toast and an iced vanilla latte for lunch. Then it was off to find a pot of pansies for the front porch. In year's gone by my friend Barb's mom (Ginger) would always let her know, then she would let me know, when it was the exact right time to go and get the pansies. Ginger is gone, but when it's pansy time, she is present.
This is the redbud in the front yard, if I have already shown it to you this year, forgive me. It's like baby pictures. Can I please show you just one more?
Happy Sunday to each of you, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, if a bit chilly, for the grand opening of the Lawrence Saturday morning farmers market today. I was ready. Camera battery charged, extra cash in the money bag, basket by the door. I always have a general idea of what I am looking for but am always happy to stray if my eye catches the unexpected. Here is what I found today.
Most of my favorite vendor/farmer/grower/makers. It always feels like a reunion of sorts - without any obligations. Which is the best.
The Peters family was there with a nice selection of sourdough.
The Queen of Tarts was there too. Please get a look at that giant quiche? That will be explored further in coming weeks.
This family of girls had to be included - for their obvious great enthusiasm for the market.
These women from the Homestead Ranch make great jam and their sense of humor was spot on when I asked about taking their picture today.
I knew there would be a slice of Pina colada cake in my basket along with an orange cranberry scone from the Chonky boys. I love having my Easter dinner dessert made for me. Not to mention this mornings breakfast.
My flower selection was from the Cook's Market this week. Their tulips can NOT be beat, especially the parrot tulips... be still my heart.
Bags of spinach and lettuce were found here.
This (I think) mother/daughter duo were having a marvelous time. Mom gets the prize for prettiest bag at the market today.
Here is today's haul for your inspection. Colorful, fresh, tasty, wonderful .
It was a perfect start to the season. I am delighted to be back into my Saturday morning routine, out among my people, at the market.
After a morning walk this week, I drove though old west Lawrence. Looking for blooming trees. I was not disappointed. The magnolias have all gotten the message - "it's time to wake up".
In my mind, the whole city is a garden, and I feel free to visit my favorite spots as desired. Those that are readily accessible anyway. It is not my habit to sneak over fences, or wander into backyards. At least not at this time.
I am of the mind that all gardeners, everywhere, appreciate anyone who appreciates their expertise.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Because when you feel like you have been born anew and you can't help but share every single thing that makes you feel alive, this happened.
The woodpeckers were having a jam session. As soon as one stopped, another one said "oh yeah? listen to this", and on and on. Marvelous. I am not sure I have noticed previously how the sound of their tapping varies depending on the size of the tree, or maybe it's the type of tree and the different wood? No matter, my ears were tuned in.
I heard the lap of the water against the rocks on the sides of the river. Gentle, soft, steady.
I paused to take a short swing.
I wanted to paint the wavey reflections of the trees in the water... instead I filed the image away in my brain, and went on my way.
In addition to this coming weekend being the opening of the Lawrence Farmers Market, it is also Master's Weekend. Which means there will be lots of television viewing all weekend long. It is very important to have the right snacks for watching golf on TV. You know, stuff like peanuts from the Virginia Diner and pimento cheese spread.
You may have other favorites (and I would love to hear what they are) but these are the essential "must-have's".
In the event that I get all caught up in some business between now and then, and since I just pulled up the recipe for myself, let me go ahead and give it to you now. Because, while there are certainly some great pre-made versions of pimento cheese out there, they don't match the goodness of this one.
I always substitute smoked Gouda for the yellow cheddar, just because. You do you.
Spring in the midwest has been wild and windy this year. Rain showers popping up here and there. Nothing unexpected, but I always feel so bad for those affected by tornado activity and other weather events that just come out of the blue.
This was a recent walk out at Clinton Lake. Testing myself to see if I could get a mile in on the new hip.
There is a beauty to all this grayness, you just have to look for it. On this day I was noticing the green of the grass sprouting up and I was delighted by the heron that flew over me, legs tucked back, headed to the lake, fish on his mind.
It started to rain on my return to the car. No downpour but I had to pick 'em up and put 'em down a little more quickly than I have for awhile. An excellent test. I gave myself a solid B.
In other Lawrence news I spotted the first blooming saucer magnolia this week. Wonderful.
Finally, a public service announcement - The Lawrence Farmers Market opens next Saturday, April 8th, 7:30am, 824 New Hampshire street. See you there!
