Cielo

 Cielo (meaning 'sky' in Italian) shortly after he was given to me about 9 years ago. His previous owner was Italian. He was hand raised and very human friendly. We've shared hours and hours of time together. So very sweet:

On Monday, the situation arose where Cielo was out of doors in a non controlled scenario. It was my worst nightmare come true.

I had gone downstairs to put laundry in the washing machine. Cielo was on my shoulder and we set to the task together as we have done many times before.

My basement gets very wet in the spring. In fact for the first several years here, it flooded every spring. Since I had the sump pump installed, it doesn't flood but it still becomes quite damp, so in the late spring/early summer months I leave the far door open for air circulation. Normally, at this time of year, it would have dried out already, but at some point over the past few months a slow leak developed in one of the shut off valves, perpetuating a damp climate.

I traced that valve to the line which supplies water to the outside spigot. Seeing how I couldn't focus on the problem right away, I looked to see if there was another shutoff upstream that I could turn off to stop the leaking. There was, and after I had loaded the washing machine, I tried to turn the valve shut but it was stiff and hard to turn. It was higher than my shoulders and I couldn't get good leverage on it so I decided to pull up a chair that was nearby. As it's been so damp down there, the chair had weakened and it buckled when I stood up on it. Buckled in half right down the middle of the seat. I couldn't catch myself and tumbled backward and in the commotion Cielo got spooked and flew off my shoulder. That wasn't surprising. I expected to find him on one of the shelves, but I couldn't find him. I looked several times, slowly realizing the worst of my fears: that in his state of panic he'd done what birds do: fly towards the brightest light. I've witnessed this phenomenon many times upstairs when a bird that is unfamiliar with the living room, flies out of the bird room and doesn't know how to get back. They always fly towards the brightest window.

At one point I noticed that the cellar door from upstairs was still open and the stairwell was quite bright so I hoped against odds that maybe he'd flown upstairs. But he wasn't there. Disbelief was settling in. He couldn't have flown out. Please let that be the case.

There were moments of desperation as I imagined him outside, and being disoriented, flying and flying further away. I could barely let myself think of it. Philosophical thoughts raced through my mind.

After twenty minutes I heard him call and saw him fly: from the backyard up and around the house. I ran to the front yard and heard him in the woods across the lawn. I called and called, and continued calling hoping to get the message to him that he was in the right neighborhood. Then I didn't hear him any more. Then I did, but it sounded like he was in the woods above the house. When I heard him again, it sounded like the woods across the lawn. Back and forth it seemed. Acoustics were playing a game and I found it very stressful. His calls finally did settle and seemed to emanate from the woods across the lawn. By now, almost an hour had gone by since the calamity.

Eventually, I saw him in flight again and was able to keep my eyes on him as he alit in a tree directly on the edge of the lawn. A very tall tree, at least 75 feet tall, and he was way up in those unreachable heights. But he was in sight and as long as he was in sight I had hope, and it steadied my nerves. I could see him, and he could see me. I continued to call and call, using tones of voice that I use everyday in hope that he'd recognize one of those lilts of voice and respond by flying down. This was the scene for at least another hour. Some strong breezes would come along and he'd sway back and forth on those thinner branches at elevation. I kept talking to him, not wanting him to get spooked by the wind. Finally, he flew off. I'm pretty sure he flew in a downward direction, hesitatingly, but 'corrected' his flight upwards. He landed on the apex of the roof of the house. He could hear my other birds through one open window of the bird room and that window was on the other side of the house, so I ran up to the back field.

Another hour passed with him calling and responding to the birds in the bird room and I calling and calling. I'm pretty sure he didn't know that the way to get to the bird room was to come down. He was running on instinct since getting spooked. I kept calling. Eventually, I decided to go indoors to open the window on the other side of the bird room to see if that would help. Moving myself again to that side of the house, I continued to try to get him to respond to some familiar tones of voice. But he stayed near the peak or just below the chimney. I was ready and willing to spend the entire day out there, and night if need be.

In falling from the chair, I had scraped my right calf quite badly and it had been bleeding and I finally decided I should steal a few minutes to go in to clean it and spray it with Bactine. I didn't want to. I didn't want to lose sight of him. I feared he might fly off while I was in the house and I'd never see him again. No, I couldn't think of that. I rushed a quick clean of the wound and when I went back outside he was still there. A moment of thankfulness.

After a considerable time I figured he might be getting hungry so I quickly went in and got a small bowl of seed. I went out on the deck where I'd be closer to him--though far from reach--held the seed above my head and shook the bowl. He immediately looked down and.... oh, can it be?... he started inching his way down the roof. There was a tense, deflating moment when he stopped and started climbing back up, but it was brief and he turned to continue making his way down. He finally made it to the eaves, so close... yet so far... but a moment later he flew over and landed on my head.

I wanted to immediately raise my hand to grab him--instinct--but reason prevailed (a sudden movement of grasping from me could well have spooked him again) and I simply, calmly,  without faltering, moved to the door, opened it and stepped inside. Then I raised my hand and he stepped on my finger. I brought him down and kissed him. Blessed be. Emotional moments.

The far cellar door will never, ever be open again if Cielo accompanies me to do the laundry. It's not that he'd fly off my shoulder for the outdoors--he's accompanied me many times when that door was open--it's the unforeseeable possibility of something spooking him and instincts taking over. Dearest, dearest Cielo.

Daylily Season and Recipes

 The Daylily season is upon us. They provide lots of bang for the buck and are quite dependable up here. I have heard that in some mid-Atlantic states they are considered invasive! Count our lucky stars that they are well behaved stalwarts up here.

There were several lilies on this property when I moved in. Some of them are scented and produce the most heady and chic parfum for the yard. It smells like a high-end counter at some posh department store when I stroll down the alley towards the car in the early evening, when the scent is most pronounced.

I have also planted several hybrids since moving here. A good handful of them are my own creation, so to speak, in a vicarious way. I hand pollinated a plant several years ago and several offspring was the result.

The old Clematis has also blossomed in the past week and the Hollyhocks have started their show as well.

I'm trying to decide whether I should enclose the above area with a picket fence to make it look really cottage-y. I'm rather fond of the idea; it would surround the beds which contain vegetables in addition to some perennial flowers. The only hurdle I have to clear in my mind is whether or not it would chop up the space too much. I'm trying to visualize.

I binged watched this video the other night and it was, despite the difficult subject, very inspiring. Well worth the watch. I don't want to be pessimistic, but it can't hurt to have some fore sight if the world suddenly decides to turn upside down. Everything seems so unstable at the moment. You'll have to click where it says, "Watch on Youtube" because the owner of the video has not allowed remote viewing. The video is "The Wartime Kitchen and Garden"; really interesting and honestly, quite inspiring.

This Sangria recipe is quite good. Worth keeping around...

1/2 bottle of red wine (I use Cabernet Sauvignon)

1/2 cup sugar (next time I will reduce this to 1/3 cup and see how that is)

1/2 cup brandy

1 lemon, sliced

1 orange, sliced

Club soda

I make it by mixing everything together except the club soda and leaving it in the fridge. When I want a glass, I fill my glass half full with the wine then top it off to full with Club soda, a 50/50 ratio, but of course, you can adjust the proportions to suit your taste.

I made Grilled Polynesian Shrimp for dinner this evening and it was absolutely delicious. I left out the Papaya because I was cooking for myself only and didn't want to buy such a large fruit and not use it all. But I have a mind now to hold a dinner party for the neighbors and I'll make this, with the Papaya. Honestly, it was so good without it, I can hardly imagine how much better it will be when included. I found an old game of Password (based on the '60s television show) at the thrift shop a few months ago, it will be fun to host dinner and an evening of Password.

The recipe comes from a book entitled, "Cooking At The Academy" (1991) (The California Cooking Academy) which was apparently based on a PBS series. I never saw it.

Grilled Polynesian Shrimp with Fruit Kebabs

Skewers

20 large shrimp (for 4 servings)

1 medium Papaya

For the Marinade:

1 small pineapple
1 large green bell pepper
1/2 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons tomato sauce*

The book suggests serving with cellophane noodles, but I went for rice.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving tail (I used frozen and this was already done.)

For the marinade, cut the pineapple into chunks and put half of them in a food processor, set the other half aside. Cut the green pepper into chunks and put half of them in the food processor with the pineapple and set the other half aside. Chop the onion into chunks and add to the food processor. Process for 1 minute until coarsely chopped but not completely liquified.

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, and tomato sauce*, add the pureed fruit/veg and blend well. Marinade the shrimp for no more than 1 hour.

Thread the shrimp on skewers. (You can also thread the shrimp before marinadeing.) Thread the reserved pineapple chunks, papaya, and pepper onto separate skewers.

Grill or broil the shrimp for 3-4 minutes. Turn the shrimp and add the fruit kebabs to the grill (or broiler) and cook everything another 3-4 minutes. (I removed the shrimp at this point but left the fruit kebabs under the broiler a while longer so they grilled well.)

* I didn't want to open a whole can of tomato sauce just for 2 tablespoons so I used ketchup. It worked.

A small bouquet of flowers from the garden last month:

Brunch on the Deck

 A quick update on the quilt progress... I have completed another block since this picture was taken and that leaves 7 blocks left to make; nearing the finish line. But then there are four borders to applique. These blocks are trimmed but not sewn together yet. (click to enlarge) Quite a riot of color, but that's what I like.

I hosted brunch on the deck for my neighbors on the 4th of July. It was a fun prep and gave me an opportunity to show off my Staffordshire "Liberty Blue" stoneware which was produced for the 1976 US Bicentennial. I hadn't used it in a while and it was a treat to have it out. It's very pretty. I'll be making it my everyday china again, at least for a while. Also taken out of the cupboard was my set of sterling and I realized, now that I'm approaching 68, that I should use it... every day. Because otherwise, when?

I was all set to take some pictures of the tablescape but wouldn't you know the battery on my camera was dead. So I re-created a setting on the dining table just now so I could take a picture. These are the pieces I used, opting to use the mugs instead of cups. The silver is Chippendale by Towle, except for the coffee spoon, which is Mappin & Webb. I made the placemats and napkins several years ago on my 1880s sewing machine.

It was a success! Everything was well liked and one neighbor even said it was the best quiche she's ever had! It wasn't quiche but that doesn't matter, it was very similar. I made a casserole from a recipe I derived from a handful of recipes I'd read online. It really was quite good if I do say so myself. Meat was separate, sausages and bacon. Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Coffee, juice, fruit, croissants, pastry, and a fabulous coffee cake which also got raves. Recipes follow.

Breakfast egg and cheese casserole

6 to 8 slices of white bread cut into .5" cubes
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup monterey jack  cheese, shedded
.5 tsp dry mustard powder
.5 tsp worcestershire sauce
.5 tsp onion powder
dried oregano
12 eggs

Put bread cubes into a 9"x13" oven proof casserole
Spring oregano over the bread (to taste)
Sprinkle both cheeses over the bread
Beat the eggs and add the milk, cream, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and onion powder to the eggs
Pour the egg mixture over the bread and cheese
Cover and refrigerate over night (or bake right away)
To bake, preheat oven to 350F and bake 50 minutes to an hour

This fabulous coffee cake is a keeper. Really good!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I made it the night before and put it under a cake dome when it was cool. It has retained it moist texture very well. Not too sweet, nice crumb. Yum!

Quilt update, Roses and Tea Cake

 A Robin has built a nest in my Crabapple tree and has taken up residence... (click to enlarge)

I have been steadfastly sewing. I absolutely love playing with color. There are several finished blocks I have not shown yet, so without further ado...

I'm 2/3s of the way through making blocks. Another 6 to 8 weeks should see all the blocks completed. I'm looking forward to seeing them sewn together.

As mentioned previously, we're having a good rose year. They started opening late last week and we've had torrential rains since, but they're still looking good. Today is a beautiful day and I got several pictures of the blossoms. So, so beautiful. I want to increase the number of roses in the garden by maybe 4 new ones this fall, or perhaps next spring. I'd love a deep orange one and a deep pink one as well.

I made this super delicious tea cake this afternoon. It's too good if you know what I mean... hard to resist seconds and thirds! The recipe comes from The Elmwood Inn, the book is called "The Tea Table" (2003). I found an autographed copy of the book at a yard sale this spring.

The recipe makes two loaves so I halved all the ingredients to make one loaf and it came out fine. I always have to adjust baking times. I think my oven is a little slow, my cake needed an hour and ten minutes.

Strawberry Tea Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 c sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups of thawed, frozen strawberries (mine were whole so I chopped them up)

1.5 c canola oil (I used Wesson--NB, next time I will use straight canola)

1.25 c finely chopped almonds

Preheat to 325F; grease and flour two 9" loaf pans.

Sift dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Combine eggs, strawberries, and oil and then add to the dry ingredients.

Add almonds.

Bake for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool another 20 minutes outside of pans.

The recipe comes with a glaze which I did not make. (The cake is perfect without it if you ask me.)

The glaze

1 c confectioners' sugar

4 Tbsp pureed strawberries

.5 tsp almond extract

Mix all together and drizzle over the loaves.

MmmMmmmMmmm, with Earl Grey tea!

The back yard attacks ... poison ivy and cellulitis

Lesson learned. I walked down the back yard to harvest some rhubarb from what remains of the original patch. I had moved a good chuck of it up to the main yard the second year I was here, but left a bit behind. This little neglected patch comes up every year and does quite well for itself. 

Was I really thinking about what I was doing? Going down there in deck shoes with no socks on? Well, yes, to be honest. It crossed my mind to be warry of poison ivy; I was bit by it once before in my Brooklyn back yard. So I looked around and saw some suspicious vining foliage and steered clear of it. Sneaky thing bit me anyway. That is, this is my best guess as to what happened... even though I didn't realize it at the time. That was Sunday afternoon.

On Monday afternoon, I noticed an intense itch on my lower left calf. A bug bite probably, a black fly--they pack quite punch for being so small. As it got worse I had a look and found a large red patch with what appeared to be a quite severe bug bite in the top part of the rash.

At the time, I attributed the rash to the bite and thought to myself that it must have been something bigger than a black fly. A bee, maybe, or a spider. I sprayed it with Bactine which helped alleviate the itchiness. It was a nuisance the rest of the day and evening and night.

When I looked at it Tuesday morning the rash was much more intense and it was deepening in color to the point of being almost maroon/purple in one area. The itchiness is what caused me to wonder if I'd brushed against some poison ivy or poison oak. Was the rash due to the bug bite or poison ivy? Why was the rash intensifying? Is the bug bite a coincidence? By evening time, I knew it wasn't an ordinary bug bite or rash. Standing at the kitchen counter I felt a hot streak shoot up my leg.

Googling led to me cellulitis, which I've heard of before and knew it could develop into a serious situation if not attended to. By this time it was 10:30 pm and I was feeling anxious after realizing that I might have something that could lead to sepsis. There are a couple clinics nearby that I could go to in the morning but I knew I wouldn't get any sleep if I waited. And I don't usually get to bed before 1 a.m., so I drove myself to the emergency room. I took my sewing with me because I knew there was a strong likelihood I'd be waiting for long stretches of time.

There was only one other case in the ER; appeared to be related to a motorcycle incident which makes sense because it's motorcycle week here in NH. I got a goodly amount of sewing in. I wonder how many ER walk-ins come in carrying a hat box of sewing with them? But hey, I wasn't going to waste all that time while waiting for the doctor. An ultra-sound test confirmed cellulitis and I was given a prescription for antibiotics.

Yesterday was rough, so very itchy almost to the point of pain. Nearest I can figure is I indeed got poison ivy. In fact, a rash subsequently appeared on the right side of the same calf. One reason I feel pretty certain about this is that I haven't read of itchiness being a symptom of cellulitis, and the bar of poison ivy soap I bought a few years ago is working wonders on it. That soap with a follow up spray of Bactine makes it quite bearable. It's also clear that I got a bad bug bite. Which is responsible for the cellulitis? I don't know. But there it is, a trifecta of bug bite, poison ivy, and cellulitis.

It's much better today. The antibiotic is doing it's job.

It's Iris season at the minute! Lot's of purples and whites and a few yellows, including a Flag that popped up on it's own. Well, I certainly don't remember planting it!

Other exciting news is the number of buds on the rose bushes. It's shaping up to be a good rose year here.

Just this afternoon I discovered this Robin's nest in the crab apple I planted 10 years ago. They are actively going back and forth to it, so it looks like it's either full house at the Robin's or soon to be so.

How exciting!

Controversy in the Garden

A departure from the usual type of post here. I have had to make a difficult decision regarding a pressing issue in the garden.

The story begins 10 years ago when I was given some plants from an out-of-state friend; some flowers and some raspberry roots. I had just moved here from NYC where I'd lived for 35 years. Not knowing where to plant what--I didn't know the land yet--I plopped everything in the first places I could think of that might be suitable. That location was where my garden would eventually become established. I was completely oblivious to the time bomb hitching a ride in one or more of those potted plants. I knew nothing about it, nor did I know to look for it.

That bomb was Ground Elder, also known by several other names including Bishop's Weed. Aegopodium podagraria. A horribly invasive plant up here where I'm located. The garden where these plants came from had Ground Elder in it, I found out later. I noticed it within a year or two and it's fast spreading habit alarmed me. When I went looking to ID it I started to realize the seriousness of the problem. Within two to three years, one bed had been completely over run by it. I spent two to three weeks one spring digging that bed up and sifting the soil, trying to eradicate it. (If but a tiny segment of root is left in the soil it will take hold, grow, and re-establish itself.) This set it back but before I knew it, it was back and spreading in other directions. It was a mess and threatening to smoother my entire garden. In hindsight I think this threw me into a sort of denial, thinking that it would 'peter out' or meet the end of it's natural life cycle. Well no, it didn't.

I had angst about it for a number of years, discouraged at having had the experience of sifting through soil in an effort to remove every trace of it, and not wanting to repeat that effort again in vain. Last year I noticed it spreading to other beds nearby and some had popped up in an area where I was dumping sod to create new beds. It seemed an insurmountable problem and I was feeling a certain guilt over it, because it wasn't here before I got here. I worried that it would continue to spread and that it's seedlings would eventually cover the entire mountain in an unstoppable sea of Bishop's Weed. How did this ever happen?

The situation had become one of desperation. From the stories I'd read online and my experience at trying to dig it out, I realized that trying to manually eradicate it would be a futile exercise. Thus begins my controversial decision.

It is completely against my principles to use weed killers or insecticides. However, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I decided to do some reading up on the subject. Today's ubiquitous herbicide of choice is, of course, RoundUp, which contains as it's active ingredient, glyphosate. I have, over the years, read horrible things about glyposate and it's effects on the bee population and other life forms. I would never have considered using something like it. But in my search for an answer I came across some studies that seemed to shed new light on it.

One study from England, in particular, had found that some glyphosate based herbicides had about the same effect on bees as a control group--a very good outcome indeed. The study mentioned a particular brand, but sadly, that product is only available in the UK. The conclusion of the study is that glyphosate is not the main culprit in RoundUp, and the real problem is the inert ingredients that make up 99% of it's constitution. (I'm unclear whether the maker of RoundUp is reformulating its product to address this issue.)

This alone might not have completely convinced me, but I had also read about how glyphosate works, and why it cannot affect insects or animals. It works by interfering with some channel of chemistry that plants alone utilize. Reading about the application of RoundUp, I found that one sprays it on the plant's leaves, which in turn absorb it and it makes it's way to the plant's roots. It's systemic.

 All this 'research' took place last summer and since I couldn't obtain the glyphosate herbicide from England (the one with good marks), I decided to wait and think about it over the winter. I wasn't ready to turn to RoundUp yet.

Several months later, and my thoughts boiled down to these points:

• I think that the indiscriminate use of RoundUp should be avoided and by no means should it be used on a large scale.
• If I had sprayed these invasive plants when the problem first arose, I would have had to use very little. If I wait longer I will have to use a lot more.
• I need a specific, one-time (hopefully) application to erradicate an out-of-control invasive plant that could well smother out a lot of local flora if nothing is done about it.
• The size of the area I need to treat is still manageable.

I decided it needed to be done.

I started with the worst patch first, waiting for a day with little to no breeze, and sprayed close to the plants. The label on the container says results can be seen as quickly as 12 hours later. Nothing. After a few days: Nothing. Finally, I noticed a yellowing of the leaves and a gradual dying back. Oh, thank goodness. It has been working for over a month and I'm now removing as many dead roots as possible so as to reclaim the bed that had become so infested.

There is still another bed that needs treatment and I'm waiting for some early flowering plants to be done blossoming (which they just did this week) so I can dig up the bed, save the plants I want, and then spray the Ground Elder.

I'm really relieved. Finally, it appears to be under control and I know how I can get rid of it now.

It's been a nightmare. I'm keeping some RoundUp in reserve so that if I see any new shoots coming up, they'll get sprayed right away.

This is the area that has already been sprayed, the process of removing roots has begun. The rhubarb patch will also need to be dug up and treated since it, too, is infested:

A pile of dead roots. A small fraction of what I'm pulling out:

Another view of the area (I'm waiting on the small patch on the right because there are crocuses I want to save in that area):

The other bed that is infested, waiting to be treated:

Seedlings etc.

( Note: Blogger is acting up this evening and won't re-size my images. So, as always to see a bigger version of the pics, simply click on them.)

Nature continues it's showy spring roll out with a seemingly endless array of sights, smells, and bird song. Oh, what a delight it is. Pictured is a Sessile Bellwort which has found a place in the front yard. So perfectly delicate and colored. The other morning I went out to the front deck with a cup of coffee and found myself listening to the beautiful song of some bird I could not identify. It was glorious. The Lilac has been in full bloom these past two days and it's heavenly scent is wafting through the yard imbuing the whole place with a magical aura. Beautiful, moving, and reassuring spring.

Some tulips that blossomed in the past few weeks...

I was late sowing tomatoes, didn't get them started until about two weeks ago. They should nonetheless provide a crop... I hope. With this week's high temps they grew much in the past few days and I potted them on, earlier this evening. They'll go in the ground in a couple of weeks. I have been able to place them outside during the day ever since they germinated and doing so has given them a robust character. Seedlings that are exposed to breezes develop stronger stems than those that are coddled in hot houses. These are going to be very good plants I think. Also sown were some zucchini, which is growing gung-ho, some nasturtiums--doing well, petunias--terrible germination, and black-eyed Susan vine--also far from satisfactory germination. I have 2 of the vines and 2 or 3 petunias! There are enough zucchini plants to probably feed the whole town, prolific as they are. Several plants will go to the neighbors.

Just after potting on the tomato seedlings this evening, with some of the zucchini visible on left...

The cost of plants in nurseries has sky rocketed. Shockingly so. I was at a local place this week, 4" pots are over $8 each! A hanging pot with a large geranium: $50!! I shall say no more other than that is not going to make gardening a money saving effort!

The latest quilt square is presenting challenges. Firstly, the pattern's author pictured the central shapes as two-tone leaves and that didn't suit me, so I decided to make them a stylized sun. So far so good. But there are four flowers, one in each corner, and they have many petals that become very narrow near the center of the flower. I have successfully cut out two of them, but the third one started falling apart at those narrow areas. I think I need to find a more tightly woven wool to use for these. Also, because of the narrowness, blanket stitch is out of the question. I checked the author's sample and she put blanket stitch along one edge of each petal only. I wasn't keen on that either, so I'm sewing these down with whip stitch and may then decorate the edges with something else. Not sure yet.

(I've decided not to crop out my current reading. I never read it as a child, only ever saw the wonderful movie that used to come on TV once a year. It's never too late, and it's an enjoyable quick read! 😊 )