Hoppin' Along

Yesterday, after running an errand I came home and pulled my gas guzzling SUV into the garage. As luck would have it, I happened to have my camera with me and noticed the new little blue buds on the Hydrangea. As I went outside the garage door to take a picture I noticed this little Toad hopping out of the garage. Luckily I didn't run over him!

Did you know Toads live on land while Frogs live in the water?

And here is what I was originally looking at. There are many pinkish-purple Hydrangea flowers this year, but this appears to be the last one to bloom. The two petals that have bloomed so far aren't looking their best. Maybe due to all the rain we've had.

When Life Gives You Banana's . . .

You make Banana Bread!

2 1/4 cups Flour

2 1/2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Baking soda

1/2 cup Sugar
3/4 t. Cinnamon

Mix dry, then add:

3 Eggs (slightly beaten first)

1 cup mashed Banana

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, melted

1/2 cup Milk

1 t. Vanilla

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts (optional)

Stir until all ingredients are blended. Bake in an 8x4 loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Guaranteed to be delicious! Enjoy!

Blueberry Bay Farm

Blueberry picking . . . such a great New England experience. And Blueberry Bay Farm a local Farm of Distinction, wholeheartedly encompasses the experience with plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and beautiful flowers.

I hope you enjoy the photos from yesterday. There are plenty of them!

For Nancy: because I know how much you love the Granite rock walls of NH. Can you believe in some parts of the state people have been stealing the stones? This wall is on the left side of the road just before we arrived at the farm.

The entrance to Blueberry Bay farm. Quaint as can be!

After parking, or in our case, walking, this the the archway to go through to head towards the berries. I would guess the wild roses have recently finished blooming but what a sight it must have been.




Today's choice. And a good one it is!


The quintessential blueberry, before it turns blue. Unfortunately most berries are still green but within the next couple weeks there will be an incredible harvest. We had no problems filling our baskets even with the slim pickins.


As you can see the bushes were laden with berries ready to ripen. They were also sagging because they were wet with rain. As were Elise and I. We tried to shake off the bushes as we walked up the aisles to keep from getting any wetter.


A light rain started coming down after Elise and I had been picking for about 15 minutes, so we held an umbrella with one hand and picked with the other! Elise stopped to rest a moment on a bench as we were heading out to pay. Phew, BB picking is exhausting!


~A bed of flowers~


The shed to pick up your basket, purchase soda, blueberry lemondade, blueberry cake, jellies, recipe books, etc. And pay when you've finished picking and eating ; ) Good thing they don't weigh the kids before and after they pick!

A cute little bird house. Though it would take a very

small bird to fit in those holes!

Below is the farm itself. The Thomas Wiggin house, built in 1726. Naturally the shutters are blue.

I hope you enjoyed a morning of picking!

Week in Bloom: Day 7

For Cybil: White Impatiens

On the day Cybil passed away, May 22, I planted a flat of Impatiens. They are looking very lovely and plentiful, though it seems they haven't quite hit there stride yet. But they're almost there! Another week or so should make a difference. In the mean time I am sure to water and fertilize the plants on a regular basis with Big Bloom fertilizer. The view is beautiful, but never as beautiful as Cybil.

All pictures and video of Cybil were taken in July '07

Week in Bloom: Day 6

Clematis

A very easy plant to grow. Almost too easy. Keeping it under control takes a bit of work. Work I have not been doing. Next year this beauty will have a new home up next to the house on a trellis, instead growing on the lattice of the pool deck.

Can you see the hitchhiker on this one?

Week in Bloom: Day 5

Bee balm

The staple flower to any good Hummingbird garden

Words of Wisdom

While in Portsmouth the other night I couldn't help but notice this huge blackboard in the window of Macro Polo . It seems as though I have read these words somewhere before . . . in an email forward perhaps? The words certainly ring true.

Brent and I in Portsmouth's Prescott Park, overlooking Piscatiqua river

Week in Bloom: Day 4

Hydrangeas

The top 2 pictures were taken in my Mom's garden. Though I love them both, the top picture with the still partially green flowers is my favorite. It has a real romantic, wedding arrangement look to it.

(click on the picture to see how beautiful the flower really is!)

The picture below is one of only two bold Blue Hydrangeas I've had bloom this Summer on either of my two plants. The other Hydrangea has the 'spots'!

For more on Hydrangeas, click here Ahh, sweet Summer time . . .

Week in Bloom: Day 3

With all the beautiful varieties available, can you ever really have enough Lilies?

And here is a picture of the pinkish-purple flowers that were in the bouquet from Week in Bloom: Day 1

First Bloom, continued

Remember the Hydrangea flower in my post, First Bloom? I thought it would turn a purply-blue but that's not what happened. Here is what actually happened!

Only the centers turned blue while the petals look like they've broken out in a rash! lol!

And here is a picture of our sunset tonight (Monday). Beautiful except those darned power lines

Week In Bloom: Day 2

The second bouquet Brent bought was Lavender.

The flowers themselves have no smell but when I cut the stems the scent was strong and rich. To me it smells like an intoxicating cross between Pine and Eucalyptus.

Week In Bloom: Day 1

It's gonna be a bright sunshiny day!

Yesterday while my husband was out running an errand he stopped at a little organic roadside stand, the Wake Robin Farm, and picked up a couple bouquets of flowers. This bunch has Thistle, Sunflowers, a flower similar to Queen Anne's Lace, along with some pink flowers but I'm not sure what they are. Put together they make a very nice old fashioned bouquet!

Sunflower

Thistle

And then there's Luna . . .

Lovely Luna is no angel that's for sure, but she does the best she can.

Coming from who knows what kind of home, to me she shows signs of over stimulation and aggression. Sweet as the day is long when we went to meet herat the shelter (all a big ploy to break out!), that wasn't nessessarily the case once she arrived home. She doesn't like to held and only wants affection when she's ready. It's amazing how far she's come physically though since we adopted her 3 years ago. Over weight and shaved, top and bottom, she has since slimmed down and grown a gorgeous black coat.

And though she seems like she would prefer to be left alone, Phineas works on softening her up on a daily basis. He has brought an excitement and energy into her life that was sorely lacking. Of course she's still not going to snuggle with him anytime soon.

First bloom

At last the Hydrangea's have started blooming. One of my plants has a (only one) nice big blue flower while the other has smaller pink flowers, which will eventually turn a purplish-blue shade. They used to be blue but I haven't been diligent when it comes to applying Aluminum Sulfate on a yearly basis. Still I think the pink is pretty.

And here is the father Chipping Sparrow telling me to skee daddle as I'm trying to take a picture of the flowers, though he's impossible to hear over the other birds. Apparently they were so sick of me hanging around the arbor they have since decided to nest elsewhere, (I took the pictures a few days ago). I feel terrible about it because the arbor was such a safe place for their babies. Guess they thought otherwise.