February 2011 Archives

We had the oddest weather yesterday. We had a little bit of everything except warmth!

There was sunshine early in the day that gave way to our usual gloom. We had a bit of snow, but nothing that amounted to anything. Then it rained, and by ten at night we had lightening and thunder, along with a major downpour.

When I woke this morning, everything was swathed in ice! The trees are gorgeous, glistening in the sun. It won't last long now, but the first half of the day looked like a fairyland, with all the glitter from the shrubs and trees. Unfortunately, the road had pockets of ice that made driving very dangerous. On my way to exercise I saw the first accident on our road in the 20 years that I've lived here!

It's actually supposed to be colder tomorrow, but the forecasters are teasing us with the possibility of temperatures in the forties on Friday.

Wowwwwwwww.......a heat wave!

The amaryllis is at least 34" tall, but since I last wrote about it, there is another bud stalk coming up, and there are at least four leaves. The longest leaf is about eight inches long, the others are just starting to come up.

The bud on the tall stalk is just beginning to open. I noticed a slit on the outer shell, and you can see the tips of the flowers within.

Perhaps most people are not as interested in how an amaryllis grows, but it reminds me of my father. The last year or so of his life, I lived in Missouri in a cabin on my parent's property. I worked for my Dad, and ate meals with them. Dad had built a rustic fireplace in the dining room and that particular year, Mother was growing an amaryllis. Dad's chair at the head of the table had him facing the fireplace, and as the amaryllis grew, he kept track of its height by measuring it against the stones of the fireplace. We received a daily report, and it created a sense of anticipation as the stalk grew taller and taller.

I'd forgotten how tall this particular amaryllis was. It might have skipped a season of bloom, or perhaps I was just too busy last year to make a mental note about it's growth. My Mother would be thrilled to see it blooming again. I'm sure she would encourage me to take pictures and print them out for her. She truly loved these flowers.

I'm blessed that such simple things bring good memories.

How does a squirrel remember where he's stashed his food?

I just fed the birds, and I had half a bag of peanuts in the shell that I decided to give to the local squirrel population. I use the top of a recycling bin when I don't want to set things right on the ground, so I poured the peanuts out onto it. It doesn't take the grapevine long to announce that I've put out food, so by the time I was in the kitchen the back yard was a beehive of activity.

I stood at the window and waited to see if the squirrels would show any interest. One did. I think he might be at the top of the pecking order because none of the other squirrels went near the peanuts. Alpha found them right away, picked one up, secured it in his mouth, and charged off. I watched him repeat this procedure a dozen times or more. I know that he will move every one of those peanuts within the next fifteen minutes.

He's buried them all within the cleared area of our lawn and gardens, on the north side of the house. Several are under tufts of grass, and more of them have been tucked into my herb garden. Some of them are under piles of leaves at the edge of the lawn, and at least one of them has been tucked into the dirt at the edge of the raised veggie bed.

But.....there are no little markers saying "Peanuts, here." There's nothing to remind him where he put these things under piles of leaves. HOW is he going to find them again? Thank God these were roasted, or we'd have peanuts growing all over the place this summer! I can see how the chipmunks have repopulated the dill and cosmos and tiny tomatoes, and I think it's possible that their bigger rodent cousins have helped!

It was fun to watch, another of the gentle amusements that are a part of living here.

I mentioned in an earlier entry that I have an amaryllis that I was going to pitch out that decided to bloom. I moved it out into the sunlight and started watering it again, and it has grown at a phenomenal rate!

There's a stalk, with a bud at the top, and now two leaves have pushed their way out of the bulb. This morning I measured the stalk and it topped out at about 30 inches. This evening, just out of curiosity, I checked it again, and it's a tad over 31 inches. I think the growth of the stalk is slowing down and we may see the bud begin to develop.

I hope it it one of those gorgeous white flowers with the pink stripes down the center of each petal. Pictures to follow!

I love my youngest sister dearly, but there is quite a dichotomy between her life and mine. Lately, I've thought her life is MUCH more interesting than mine!

On Face Book last night, she quoted Thoreau: "We live meanly, like ants." She asked what we thought he meant by that. Her reading is extensive, and she frequently finds concepts to apply to her own life, and she's had an incredible influence on the lives of the students she teaches.

The most involved passage I've read lately is a recipe for Bolognese sauce!

Way to go, sis! Keep up the quest, and you'll be young forever!

We have gone from the frigid blizzard to Spring rains. Tonight we may return to the snow, but we are not expecting another blizzard.

Dear Husband and I made a quick trip to the grocery store this morning. I had intended to wile away the morning working on baby quilts, but it seems that I've frittered it away! I need to clear off kitchen counters, have some lunch, finish defrosting a turkey breast for dinner tonight, and then MAYBE, I might get to that piecing. How is it that time gets wasted like this?

I talked with one of my sisters for about 20 minutes or so, and I read my e-mail. I've visited my blog and published two comments (one of which was my own! lol) I put away groceries, and made toast. I gotta get to bed earlier so that I'm up at five o'clock! I do my best work early in the day, and maybe I wouldn't fritter as much.

So....I'm off to get things going. I hope you're having a great day today, rainy or not!

I have an Amaryllis that is growing a bloom stalk! I was going to throw it away, but surfed on amaryllis care and decided that I might try for one more set of blooms on my four pots of amaryllis.

This particular plant lost it's last leaves and I had set it out in the mudroom where it got no direct sun, and very little indirect light. I learned that I didn't want to put it in the garage where it would freeze, so it was just waiting there for me to find a place to store it. I was VERY surprised when I discovered a bud and a couple inches of stalk. I moved it to the kitchen where there's a lot of indirect light. I may move it once more, to the office, where it could sit next to a south facing window. I cant wait to see this plant bloom!

Yea, plant!

Monday, it's supposed to be 38 and breezy.

Tuesday, it's supposed to be 37 and mostly sunny.

Wednesday, it's supposed to be 42, with a chance of drizzle.

Thursday, it's supposed to be 54 with a slight chance of drizzle! The low on Thursday will be higher than the high temps for Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday: 46 degrees!

I think this may be the spring teaser that we usually get toward the end of January.

I'm ready for March, with the spring winds and things turning green. It's not so far away, now.

Imagine my surprise when Dear Husband turned to me and asked if I cared to go grocery shopping with him! I had been wanting to take him to a local chain that carries almost everything Italian. We finally made that trip, and it was fun to see him checking out the aisles. I believe that he could have happily spent three hours shopping!

So, we went again today. This time I had several new recipes in mind, and it was the perfect place to get the ingredients. I have never cooked with fennel. At this store fennel is called "California anise." I think fennel might be one of the ingredients that gives a vegetable broth depth and complexity. I plan to make my own vegetable broth for soup later this week. I need to read up on using fennel, so that I know how much to use, and whether to use the lacy greens or just the bulbous part.

We found a pasta called "mafaldine" that might work in a pasta dish I want to do. I've found a lightened version of Bolognese sauce to try later this week. I bought several small eggplants and plan to roast them for this casserole using Bolognese sauce, cubed eggplant, crumbled Italian sausage and mafaldine. The pasta is a long strip that has a ruffle on one long edge.

I have a new recipe for bread pudding for dessert on Valentine's Day. This one calls for coconut milk. We found cans of it in two of the ethnic sections. I could see the wheels turning as Dear Husband looked at all that was offered and though about how he might use things we don't normally have in our pantry.

We're going to make saganaki one evening, and one of the deli men talked us into trying a cheese other than Kaseri. I'm too lazy to look up the name. I'll let you know what it is if it turns out to be good! *G* We also bought Gruyere for something called a "Grape Pickers' Skillet" that's in the February "Cuisine at Home" magazine. My only other experience with Gruyere is in fondue.

It was fun! We so rarely get to shop together it was novel to spend the time wandering through the store. I'm delighted to have some new things to try. DH helped me bring in all the goodies, and put lots of them away for me. It's been a pleasant day, one I hope we'll repeat occasionally.

Mother and I shared little things throughout our days together. One of the highlights of Spring was the race to see who would be the first to see a robin. Although we've recently been told that robins do not migrate during the winter, WE have never seen a robin while there is snow on the ground. So, imagine our amazement this morning, when Dear Husband and I both saw two robins in one of our trees! Either there was a little "Do you think we might...?" going on, or there was some gentle claiming of territory. This is the earliest either of us has ever seen a robin, and the only time we have seen them when there has been so much snow on the ground. I wonder what they heck they are eating in place of worms!?

Our snow is melting! I don't know what the high for the day was, but it was very pleasant outside after a week of frigid temps. I think it might have been 40 or so degrees. There was water on the pavement in places, and the ice on our driveway has started to melt off.

I've been searching on-line for a source for a special pasta shape. Years ago DH and I went to a restaurant in Lake Forest, Illinois, where his daughter was working as a waiter. DH ordered a casserole that had Italian sausage, eggplant, perhaps a Bolognese sauce and a pasta that I had never seen before. It was long, narrow and had a ruffle on one long side. It looked like a lasagna noodle that had been cut down the center. I've found a smaller version with ruffles on both long edges called "mafaldine." At one website I found a description of the pasta I want, under the name "tripoline," but I can't find a source for it. Maybe I'll just cook lasagna noodles and then cut them apart!

Today I boxed up 94 granny squares to be sent off to Share a Square. Twenty seven of them are mine. Four other women have contributed to this group. I've found it very satisfying to sit with DH at night and crank out one or two of these squares. It doesn't take many of them before you learn what kind of yarn you prefer to use. I have some yarn that feels like steel wool, that is going to find another home.

For some reason our house is so dusty that it's a trial to keep up with it. I noticed today that the spiky palm-tree-like plant in my bathroom had an obvious layer of dust on the leaves, so one of my chores was to wash the leaves. I just used water and a soft cloth, but it made quite a difference. The ivy is next, but I'm going to use the shower on it.

I spent yesterday sewing together a pieced border for a small whole-cloth quilt I want to make for Scraps on a Mission. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to think that it might be inappropriate...too busy...not enough contrast.... It just feels wrong. I'm going to finish assembling the four strips, pin them on my design wall, and then audition them with two border strips to see if the extra borders will make it work. If not, I've got borders made for some other quilt, and I'll make something different for the original project. I don't know how I ever did without a design wall! Other than having all my quilting things in one place, that wall is the best thing about having a studio.

As you can see, things are quiet, as usual. This week I need to start working on the tax planners for Mother's taxes and ours. Oh, joy......

Can someone explain to me why it is that whenever I really would like to find someone to talk to on-line, everyone is in sleeping, or out in the sunshine, or celebrating with their families or in general off living their lives????

I am probably on-line more than the average woman my age, but I have retreated from the point of being addicted to my computer. But on those rare times when I would really like to chat with a friend, it always seems that I am out of sync time-wise. Either my English friends have long ago gone to bed, or my local friends are otherwise occupied.

Why is that!?

I've been so busy lately working on two charitable activities that I'm out of touch with my friends. You'd think with all the bad weather and snow we've had, that everyone would be glued to their computers for lack of anything else to do. Perhaps laundry, dishes and cleaning have taken priority.

This too shall pass, and then perhaps I'll be the one guilty of sleeping in, or weeding, rather than attending to my friends. If I have missed you of late, we are fine, we hope you've come through the bad weather well, and I'll chat with you soon!

Mother Nature is chillin us out! We're supposed to get to a low of minus six degrees F. tonight, and -11 tomorrow night. About all I can say is that Dear Husband better be prepared for me to snuggle!

I'm going to add an extra quilt to my side of the bed. I'm thinking about wearing an old long-sleeved turtleneck to bed with my flannel jammies. I'm going to burrow in!

I'm supposed to go to exercise tomorrow. I really need to be there, to collect granny squares for Share a Square. We have at least 80 ready to be sent off, I think, and I don't want to miss picking them up. I want to have the time to box them so that they will be ready for the Post Office when I have to go out again on Thursday.

The mantra for this week, is BUNDLE UP, STAY WARM, STAY AT HOME IF YOU CAN!

Dear Husband took me out to lunch today. We visited a Cooper Hawk's Winery and Restaurant and had a lovely meal. I tried tiny tastes of four wines and settled on a red wine that neither of us can name at the moment.....a red with "Bolla" or "Bolo" in the title, very smooth, with a nice body to it. I didn't care for the Petite Syrah, or the Chardonnay. I did like the spiced wine they served as you walked in the door!

Those of you who know me are probably astounded to hear that I was actually drinking wine, at noon yet! But it went so nicely with the meal that I decided to enjoy myself.

Fortunately for me, Dear Husband took the role of designated driver. We arrived home, and I realized that I had announced that "WE" needed to dig a path to the farthest bird feeder, which is clearly empty following our blizzard. The drifts are so high near the feeder that you can't see the raised herb garden next to it. I decided that I would be happy with a path one shovel wide, and went at it, happy head and all.

It was like shoveling three times the length of that short path. For each foot of snow, it took three scoops to clear it out: the top layer, the middle scoop, and a final push that took me near, but not to the grass. When I had the path finished, I had to walk back around the garage to get the seed. The drift is so high that we can't get in and out of the back door of the garage.

I put out three gallons of mixed bird seed in the feeders and on a ground feeding platform that is sitting on top of the snow. I filled the nyger feeder, added a suet for the woodpeckers, and put out three ears of corn. I don't know if the squirrels will give the deer a break and leave the corn. Thursday I looked out the kitchen window and saw a squirrel dragging an entire ear of corn toward the woods. I wish I had been there to see him carry it up the tree!

So, I'm full, the feeders are full, and I hope that shortly the birds will be full, too. The local grapevine must have ratted me out, because the air and feeders were filled with birds as soon as I made it inside. Yea....birdies! We're glad to have been able to help!

It's time once again for our February "Souper Supper." My quilting bee is very fond of dessert, and three times a year we add dinner to the menu. In July we have an indoor "picnic" to celebrate the Fourth of July, and in December we go out to dinner in place of a meeting.

I have the honor of making two soups for dinner, and each member will bring something to share. I have a wide variety of soup recipes but the one they always ask for is a Cheddar and ham chowder. They left the second soup up to me, so I'm going to make a pot of Minestrone. We'll have Spinach dip, breads, salad, fruit, cheese and dessert to round out the meal. I'll send leftovers home with the ladies.

I want to talk with my bee members about how to determine the appropriate height for a. my sewing machine, and b. the chair I sit on at the sewing machine. I can't decide if I need to sit lower, or raise the sewing machine. If I'm going to run a quilting sweatshop for my charity group (Scraps on a Mission), I need to be able to have good back health, and these are just the ladies to ask about this!

So....Soup's on!

Well, not really. We are one of thousands of households in the Chicago suburbs who have weathered the Blizzard of 2011. Our newscasters tell us this was the third worst winter storm since they started keeping stats on the weather here.

Tuesday morning, Dear Husband finished up on a job site and made it home in time to drive me to the grocery store. The roads were clean at noon, following a small snowstorm, and I could have driven myself, but I wanted to give him the chance to pick up whatever he might want to weather the storm. It started snowing around 3:00, and the snow was so dense that it almost looked foggy. It was forecast that we would have 8.5 inches of snow by 10:00. I think we lagged behind a bit, but obviously the snowfall increased over night.

The wind picked up, and it was fierce. I was so concerned about the wind bringing a tree down on the house that I gathered my clothing and anything I might need for today, and moved it closer to the interior of the house. We have a gorgeous old evergreen tree that stands next to the SW corner of the house. That corner has two skylights over our bathroom and dressing area, and I was worried about that tree coming through the skylights Still...I went to bed. There was no point in sitting up and worrying about it.

When I woke, it was sunny, and the wind had abated. Dear Husband was plowing the driveway and the area on the east side of the house. My stepson had shoveled during the night (he's a night owl), and DH had even put out seed for the birds. Tomorrow, I'll shovel a path to the bird feeders and fill them up again.

We think we got 22 inches of snow. It's tough to get an accurate reading because of the incredible drifts. We have an herb garden on the north side of the house that is raised to the height of two landscaping timbers. You can see the head and shoulders of the St. Francis statue in the center bed. The southern side of the bed has two spare timbers sitting on one edge, and you can see just the side of the top spare timber! You can't tell where the beds are and where the walkways are.

We lucked out. No interruption in electricity or any other services. The house is warm, we have light, and the computer and TV are working. I spent the day in my fabric sweatshop, cranking out pieces for charity quilts. It's been a great day. It feels as though it should be Sunday.

One more thought. I was railing at DH that people no longer help each other because we are afraid of being sued, but today I heard TWO stories from friends about neighbors who had come to shovel them out. There's hope for us all, yet! Go visit Joy, at the Joy of Six blog. She was one of the lucky recipients of neighborhood kindness.