21 Day Bean =Moving Day

Bean was getting way too large to keep indoors as it was reaching for the ceiling with nothing to hang onto. I was hoping to take it with me to SC next week, but seriously think it can survive better here. It would be much more difficult to bring it back to PA after 2 months in the South! So I gambled and put it outside in a sheltered area that gets some sun in the morning. The temperature went to 62° today! It's "do or die" and it's "doin'" today.

I hope it remembers its roots and grows big pods - YES! 

September 2012

November 2012

Experimenting..

Otherwise known as learning by doing, so I did.

It was so nice outdoors this morning that I took laundry to town and HUNG IT OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR! YEA! I had to stand on a footstool that we carry in the vehicle when we travel so I can get in the truck easier because of my shoulder injury last year, but I did it! I hung out laundry on the clothesline!

Then, feeling so proud of myself, I dug out my tripod that I had buried deeply in the closet thinking I wouldn't be able to use it much anymore. I first had to practice its use and the tilting feet were frozen, but husband got them unstuck and I relearned the various functions until I thought I had it under control. Donning brimmed cap and sweater, out the door I went. Now you must know that I only once ever used the Panorama mode and it came out terrible and warped and not good at all. Determination and persistence "seem" to have paid off, because the results are very satisfactory - to me at least! I already have discovered that, after uploading them to the computer, if I view them as large as possible they don't look warped at all. It looks as if I'm really standing in the road and turning around and looking out over the lake. What do you think? 

Please view them as large as you can 

Spring in Northeastern Pennsylvania

I looked back through my recent posts and saw that Spring came in at the SC campground where we go often, in early March. In fact, on March 20, I posted photos of turtles, egrets, blue herons and the state flower, Yellow Jassamine. 

Well it FINALLY arrived around Cabin Tranquillity, located in the Endless Mountains Region of PA.That is wonderful for the upcoming local and nearby events as some are held outdoors and we are all tired of being so cold!

http://www.endlessmountains.org/Events.aspx

I actually stepped foot outside and took some pictures.

I'm sorry to say the forsythia is not yet in bloom as it has been at this time in the past, but the daffodils are my harbingers of spring; (and the ducks, geese and nesting birds have all returned and are very busy).

As James was being undressed after wearing his winter attire since September, I noticed that he is shedding all of his outer skin (bark) and will look different soon. It had to happen as time goes on.....I'm going to leave him unclothed until July, when he will again become a patriotic guardian.

Several of our state trees, the Eastern Hemlock, grow around the cabin and, for many many years, the one on the bank of the lake's edge has been the home for several different varieties of bird. We call it the woodpecker tree because the large hole in the trunk which faces the cabin exposes their activities so well. My dad once cautioned us to never cut it down with a chain saw because he had filled that hole with concrete in an effort to save the tree from dying. ????? Well, the opening must have expanded because it is still a hole and the tree lives on in spite of its repair.

I just love Spring's awakenings!

Day 16 Bean

Day and Night Difference - in the morning the first leaves reach for the sun and in the evening they droop and sleep. So do I!
The first two leaves to emerge are called “seed leaves” or “cotyledons." They will usually fall off when they are no longer needed. They are not strictly true leaves but they function as such because they are photosynthetic. The epicotyl emerges from the cotyledons and heads upward as the cotyledons begin photosynthesis. It is the true stem of the plant and tightly furled around it are the first true leaves which begin to unwrap as the stem shoots upward. This is happening on my bean plant:

True leaves begin as a pair of real green leaves that unfurl from the epicotyl after it emerges from the cotyledons. There is one on each side, opposite each other. Subsequent leaves will form as trifoliolates, each leaf will have three leaflets. There is also a top bud on the epicotyl called the apical meristem. It is always hidden in the newest leaf before the leaf unfolds or unwinds from the stem and is the point from which new leaves grow as the plant develops.

True leaves (above and lower photos)

Trifoliolate leaf 

Day 14 Bean

What will I do when it reaches the top of the dowel???? It's too cold to put it outdoors.

The Dream Farm

My niece, who lives in Delaware and is a practicing equine veterinarian now has her very own farm. It has been a dream of hers since she was very young and now that dream has come true. She has worked extremely hard to achieve her goals and now is enjoying the results of these endeavors.

At age 40 it is a huge accomplishment and I'm so very proud of her. Her equestrian abilities are constantly being honed and she has her own horse to boot! ...and a cat or two.

She's been a partner in an equine clinic practice since June, 1999. She completed her undergrad at Rutgers University and her graduate degree at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been involved in standardbred breeding since her undergraduate days, working at a standardbred farm.

I've been pestering her for photos of her farm and she tells me that is is located in quite a remote area and she doesn't have internet service there. Well, imaging my surprise when I saw the pictures she sent yesterday. She took them with her phone. It paid for me to pester!

Here ya go! (I proceeded to make some of my digital computer "creations" with them. Those are at the end of this story.)        

please click on photos for larger view

The pipe dream is now reality

Cakey Cookies

Yes, I said cakey. It's my word, meaning not crispy, not crunchy, not chewy,  CAKEY. We prefer chewy over cakey but I still have too much peanut butter on hand and a goodly supply of eggs and some energies that need to be dissipated.

I have made these several times in the past and the box cake mix was loitering in the cupboard just waiting to be used.  I'm not enthusiastic about cake making, but cookies are a different story. 

The yield is only 30 cookies so I know they won't be around for long. 

The "funny" thing is that the original old recipe calls for an 18.5 ounce box. Today when I read the label I saw it to to be ONLY 15.25 oz!!!! WHAT!!!!!

Recipe:  Cakey Cookies

1 package (box) yellow cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter (I use butter)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Drop by large spoonful on ungreased cookie sheet. (I roll a gob in my hands and then place on sheet.)

350° for about 10 minutes. Let cool on tray before transferring to rack.