Blog-a-holic...In Sickness and in Health

The Husband got really sick Sunday night, I thought it was a delayed reaction to the anesthesia from his knee surgery on Friday. Turns out it was a really wicked stomach flu, cuz yesterday it knocked me flat...with a bucket by my side...sorry..I know....too much information.
Yesterday, while I was croaking on the couch and he was starting to feel human again...he brought me one of the first daffodils, he's been doing this for as long as I can remember. I told him a few weeks ago that I wanted to take a photo when he did the front door flower presentation...but heck....it took every bit of energy I had to snap the photo, I went straight back to the couch.

These are the "old farm" daffodils. They were scattered around the farm when I moved here, I dug them up and moved them to an area where they would be appreciated in the early spring.

Easter is just around the corner, these trillium were planted by moi when I first moved here 28 years ago. I would love to pick them but I like to let them go to seed and make more, they're a favorite.

Pretty Pieris, absolutely stunning.

Vinca is unruly but I really like the blooms in the early spring...it's a love-not-so-much-love relationship I have with vinca.

This 'wine' vinca looks really great next to an iris I have that has a purple streak in the foliage.

Now I know I'm a little over-the-top with this blogging mania. I haven't eaten a thing in 36 hours because of the stomach flu, but I managed to make it outside to take flower photos for the blog....I'm dizzy, woozy, feverish....but I'm snappin' photos and bloggin'....hmm....problem?

Yesterday I posted while horizontal. I had a post ready to go in my archives, all I had to do was reach over to my lap-top in my flu-fog....make a few keystrokes to "publish"...pheewwww...didn't miss a day!

Blogitis....I got it.....it's a sickness.

I'll take blogitis over the flu any day of the week.

Spring Pruning

My old pruning shears were dull and worn...and I wasn't in the mood for sharpening...I was in the mood for pruning. I had to go to the hardware store anyway so I picked up an inexpensive set. I'm a big fan of Felco #6 & #8 but they cost a pretty penny, I chose this set...sorta looks like a Fiskars...but I think it's a knock-off. They work great!



This is the other new pruner around here. She was watching me prune the passion flower vine. I thought it had died back but I left about 12 inches just to see if it would sprout...little missy here snapped it off . I guess I've got a canine garden assistant.

Woody vines make great chew toys...doncha know?

She's a very efficient pruner, snapped it below the ground...just keeping things tidy

I was cutting back last years growth on the ferns and look what I found. An abandoned birds nest with an egg that the critters didn't get.

Still working on those close-ups.

Focus, focus, focus....that New Years resolution...I'm workin' on it.

Rosemary for Remembrance

While I was stalking the daffodils, Rosemary here was being subtle and blooming her little heart out. Just because her blossoms are tiny doesn't mean they aren't stunning. My heart is bursting with joy, I finally figured out how to capture a close-up that isn't all fuzzy. Let's face it, I'm a digital doofus with a lot to learn...butt....wahooooooeeeee....I'm freakin' excited about this shot.

Baked Potato Soup

I love potatoes. I love 'em baked, fried and mashed, double stuffed and twice baked...whipped, french fried, boiled, chilled and gooped up with mayo and called salad. My grandpa on my moms side was a potato farmer, he was a wonderful grandpa. He was sweet and funny , an incredibly bright man who loved working the soil, he had a beautiful garden. I think that part of the reason why I love potatoes so much is because I was so very fond of my grandpa. He was a really good cook, his fried chicken was the stuff memories are made of and his soups are fondly talked about by all of his grand kids to this day. He was also a lover of literature and classical music. I've been known to play classical music out in the garden...because that's what my grandpa did. Grandpa has been gone almost thirty years but I still think of him often.

I've always wanted to make really good soups from scratch like grandpa did, no assistance from Campbell's ...thank you very much...that's not how grandpa did it.

I got this recipe for baked potato soup from my mother-in-law. I've tweaked it and toyed with it, I think I've finally got it to the point where I would be proud to serve it to my grandpa if he was still here. BAKED POTATO SOUP

4 large baked potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
12 slices maple smoked bacon, chopped and fried
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
6 cups milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. sour cream

Wrap the scrubbed potatoes in foil and bake @ 400 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the potatoes. Sometimes I bake the potatoes ahead of time so that they've cooled a bit and are easy to chop up when it's time to make the soup.

In a large heavy bottom sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, add chopped onions and celery, saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or 'til translucent. I use my 8 quart Belgique pan when I make this soup... I was a dummy and forgot the saute the onions before I fried the bacon so I had to use another pan. Whoopsieee.

Transfer the sauteed onions and celery to a bowl and set aside. Saute the chopped bacon until thoroughly cooked. With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked bacon from the pan to a paper towel to drain off excess grease, you don't want a whole lotta bacon grease in your soup. My bacon was really fatty...yuk...I don't want that in my soup. Pour the bacon grease out of the pan but don't clean out the pan. You want to keep those teensy bits of bacon flavor that are stuck to the bottom of that pan.

I love to measure out my spices ahead of time so that they're ready to go into my soups. I call this "spice art", I have a whole collection of little glass bowls...it's kinda pretty doncha think? Clockwise from top right. Celery salt, dill, dry mustard, salt and white pepper in the center.

Sorry, I got distracted...herbs and spices do that to me.

Melt 2/3 cup butter in the same pan that you fried the bacon in, minus the bacon grease. Scrape up the little bits of bacon that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

When the butter is melted add 3/4 cup flour and stir like crazy with a wire whisk...stir and stir, for about five minutes over medium heat. If you think it's getting too hot knock the heat down a little bit, but you want it to bubble...just think of it as firming exercise for your forearm. Trust me, this makes or breaks a good soup, if you cheat this step you run the risk of your soup tasting like flour...do you really wanna do that? I did that once, okay...more than once. A very dear friend explained the error of my ways. To those of you who know all about how to do this the right way, I'm very sorry if you're bored. My mom is a really good cook but she never taught me how to do this the right way, neither did my home ec teacher. I had to learn it the hard way, with a couple of batches of really gross soups....I felt like such a looooserrrrr.
Now it's time to add the milk. Add it in a slow stream about a cup at a time, whisking like crazy as you add it, the first couple of cups it will look like glue, don't freak out...just keep whisking and adding. The reason for adding the milk slowly is so that you get a nice creamy soup...who the heck wants a lumpy gumpy soup anyway?

Now you've got a beautiful creamy base for your soup, whisk in the salt, celery salt, dry mustard, white pepper and dill. Keep the pan on low heat, be sure not to scorch the soup. Add the sauteed onion and celery mixture, the fried bacon. Chop up the cooled baked potatoes into 1/2 in chunks and add to the soup. Shortly before serving add the grated cheddar and sour cream, mix thoroughly until the cheese melts.

Serve with a little extra cheese grated on top and a few chopped green onions if desired.

Yummmmm. I really think my grandpa would have liked this soup.

I'm over here!....Love, Iris

I've been stalking my daffodils, waiting to take a photo of the first blossoms. While all along little Miss Iris has been showing color, waiting for her "photo op". I've been giving all of my attention to the daffy-daffs. I'm sorry Iris, you're very pretty...and to show you how sorry I am for not paying a lick of attention to you, I'll post your photo before the daffy-dolls.

Surgery Center

I haven't lived with puppy antics for a really long time...this little missy is full of wild puppy energy. She's a jumping, running, sassing, teasing, teething maniac. She's ripped apart three teddy bears, that's "cow" in her mouth, so far cow is only oozing stuffing out of one horn. The Husband left her in the truck too long this morning and she snacked on the seat...guess she had a little upholstery craving.

I think I may just sew up the wound and this teddy will be one-legged for a while...until the other leg comes off.... and then the arms.

Speaking of surgery, The Husband and I spent most of yesterday at the surgery center for humans. He had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair damage to his meniscus....he's only been walking around with a torn meniscus for hmmm....30 years or so.

Note: Those signs on the ski slope that warn you not to ski "out of bounds"....well...they put them there for a reason, it's dangerous...bad stuff like avalanches and painful meniscus tears can happen.

On a happy note, the surgery went great. He lounged on the couch last night with zero pain...later on he went upstairs to our bedroom without difficulty.

This morning...zero pain...this is odd...not even a twinge. Did they really do the surgery? I know he's tough and has a high pain tolerance but my goodness, not one wince!

June Brides

I was a June bride. Twenty eight years ago, right about this time of the year... I sat at this little table in my moms rec room and addressed the invitations to my wedding. This is exactly how the table looked then, and how it still looks today.

Last night a group of family and friends gathered at moms house, at the same table, to work on wedding invitations for my "niece" Malorie. Mal is the daughter of one of my oldest and dearest friends. Mal's mom and I grew up in the same neighborhood, where our moms still live to this day.

I'm 21 days older than Mals mom, we probably met when we were several weeks old and our moms met for coffee with their new babies. We started kindergarten together and graduated from high school together. We've traveled together, had a million laughs, shared our joys, been each others bridesmaids and supported one another through grief and sadness with the loss of loved ones, we're extended family....that's why I get to be Mal's "auntie".

Last night we gathered more extended family to make the wedding invitations, Mal's mom, her other aunties, Karen and Tami ( who joined us in the first grade... :D ) . The mother of the groom was there with her daughter, and of course my mom and me! It was so much fun.

My nephew and his girlfriend Melissa came downstairs to check out what was going on...before I knew it they were joining in on the fun. I love it that this football/basketball/playin' high school senior was willing to jump in with the "aunties" and goof off with paper crafts. He's one cool kid in my book. I love him.

"Real" men aren't afraid of little scissors and helping out their aunties with paper crafts.

This heart stamp gadget was a challenge and Melissa was a trooper...she's strong for a skinny girl! ;D

Jelly Belly favors, tied with a ribbon and heart tags...thanks Alex and Melissa!

A few months ago Mals mom, her friend Joan and I bottled wine for the wedding. Tami came

up with the cool idea for the wine labels...Wedding Day White and I Thee Wed Red...isn't that great? She's a super-crafter....very talented. She's the one who really got me going in blog-land.
Done! "Many hands make light work" as my mom always says...and when family and dear friends make up the work party it makes for a memorable evening. I loved being a part of it.