Month: March 2010

Flower Tree

Our ornamental plum tree on the patio is such a pathetic thing most of the year – one side is all scarred and lacks branches, and the rest of the tree still suffers from a horrendous pruning job years ago. But this is definitely the time of the year when you can look past all of its ugliness and focus on the beauty:

The blossoms are just so pretty.

Making our own baby food

Having now tried this, it’s kind of amusing that making your own baby food has the reputation it does. (Although, I suppose as a cloth-diapering, baby-wearing, breast-feeding farmers-market-shopper, my opinion probably lacks credibility.) In any case, most of the early foods are too simple: cook a veggie, add water, puree, freeze. The peas were surprisingly verdant:

And the frozen cubes, all popped out of their trays and sorted into baggies, are so satisfying (here, peas and squash).

The only glitch in the plan is the baby who has no interest in solid food. Worst case though, Kevin and I will eat this month’s veggies at the beginning of April – we sampled as I was making them, quite yummy, and we shouldn’t have too much trouble with finishing these off, even if they are in puree form. 🙂

About time


New decade…

… new potholders!

Technically the old ones are only seven years old, but they’ve seen their share of spills and burns and the new ones are so pretty and cheerful. 🙂

Also in the fresh start category, a new runner for the front door!

We need something there to keep the pine needles at bay. We’ve had a beige set for about a year and a half that was supposed to wear well, but it’s perpetually grungy, the pine needles stand out way too much, and a dirty beige rug in a white hall is just sort of depressing. The new colors are so vibrant, coordinate with the paint color in the living room, and there’s enough going on with the stripes and the woven-in zig-zags that I think the overwhelming impression will just be “cheerful rug” not “ick”. 🙂 A nice change!

And there’s a matching rug for the back door!

Flowers on Friday

All of the bulbs and plants in our yard are continuing to give me great joy. Last year, our yard was sort of overwhelming to me. This year, I feel slightly behind on the upkeep, but my sense of potential is back full force and I’m excited about all of the growing and planting and doing. Here’s a view of three minutes walking around the yard with a camera on the way to work this morning:

The minidaffodils in the rock wall continue to delight. I need to plant more of these. (This is the third year I’m saying this, but I’m actually writing it in my calendar for October this year, so maybe I will remember.)

Note also the periwinkle (one patch of about fifty).

You can see this crocus/tulip mix from our bedroom – gorgeous.

There are actually two groups of it (one in front of each pine tree) which is probably just as well, since one or the other seems to be in a state of perpetual carnage.

Dumb squirrels.

Our tree by the patio is all pink and blooming! Impossible to photograph (maybe Kevin would have more luck with fancy lenses?) but it’s such a pretty thing to look at when you come into the living room first thing in the morning or at the end of the workday.

Back through the house: the daffodils on the side of the house are starting to bloom! My policy is if they get top heavy and fall into the dirt, then I cut them and put them by the kitchen sink in the vase from our wedding reception. 🙂

Cheerful as all get out. I planted another 40 last fall, but still more would be awesome. I’m not sure there’s such a thing as too many daffodils.

In the front yard on the way to the car, the camellias are blooming!!!

That deserves a multitude of exclamation points, since both of the last two springs we’ve gotten a bloom or two max. Looks like pruning them when I did last year was the right time – I think that was June? Right now most of the blooms are tucked in against the house, but there’s a great view of them from the baby’s room. The white bush is also loaded with buds.