Through the Haze

I thought I wouldn't go for a buggy ride today but it is warm and enticed me to get off my chair and take a short cruise. I noticed a lot of the little Birdsfoot Trefoil clusters everywhere along the sides of all the roads I traveled. Each wildflower has its turn to bloom. I snatched a few for a tiny bouquet of the little yellows. And yes, I''m rooting more spearmint.

 The three images below are from the internet et.

There is another yellow flower that I have on my list to find. It was one of my mother's favorites and I remember it because of its catchy name. She always called it "scrambled eggs" and indeed that is what it is! The description is from Wikipedia: Corydalis aurea (scrambled eggs, golden smoke, golden corydalis) is a flowering plant in the poppy family, native to North America.

Just checked on the Blue Spruce at the neighbor lake to see if the wild sweet pea is overtaking it. I don't think so as both are looking quite bright and beautiful. I have been watching this for several years now and wondering which will win - the tree or the plant.

When heading back home I see the bindweed are blooming everywhere. They sure do take over some areas!

Don't forget to tap image for larger views

Beetles and Bushes

... and flowers too!  A memory just surfaced about a pesky critter that I worked very hard to eliminate from my home environment when I was quite young.

On one of my rideabouts I saw that a neighbor had stalks growing next to her mailbox and they were about to bloom!  Well I knew this flower well as the entire base of a next door neighbor in the 1940's was full of them.

Pop used to give me and my brother glass jars filled with kerosene and our mission was to grab and drown as many of the beetles as we could find! It was basically meant to be used for those that were invading the barberry bushes in front of our home, but we also got many from the flowers of neighbors. Pop would strain the dead ones away and give us back our refilled jars containing the same toxic liquid and off we went again on our hunt for more!  

I'm plagued here as well because the eat my ferns and the thimbleberries that grow along the road's bank nearby. 

PB no J

Peanut Butter Fudge:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Line an 8- or 9-inch square pan with buttered waxed paper or heavy release foil.

Combine the peanut butter and butter on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about one minute.

Stir. It should be all melted now.

Stir in the vanilla, then the sifted powdered sugar.

Spread in the prepared pan. Chill for about two hours then cut into one-inch squares.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This fudge recipe is different from the white one - it's more work! BUT! so good!!!!!

Three to Nine

September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945 are the years I consider that most influenced me. I was born in 1936. Three years later, 1939 my brother arrived. in 1942 twin sisters were born.  At my age of 3, the war started and went on until it ended in 1945 when I was 9. That span was my formative years no matter what the books say.

This timeframe was when things were very rough spiritually and financially for my parents and others. Some never got through it. We did. Day-to-day life at home was carried on with positive attitudes so I didn’t really understand how terrible the war really was. I learned how to help care for the foster babies that my mother took in and became a ‘big sister’ to these, helping in every way possible to make them be happy and not cry. My brother and I became very close during that time due to the twin’s needs taking over much of the attention from both family and friends. We didn’t mind. We made our own way with each supporting the other. Our father had to leave his statewide dairy testing occupation for some of this time and worked in a synthetic rubber plant for the war effort. He could not be an active soldier due to an eye injury that got worse as he aged. There was even a German woman who came to live with us for a while as her husband was an American soldier, She was not nice, but looking back I now understand why. She was given my bed and my brother and I slept elsewhere while she stayed. It was not very long. I think the Church sent her to my parents to be safe and cared for because of her vulnerability. She tolerated us and we tolerated her. (My brother and I slept in the same room until I married at age 19.) We even had an imaginary line drawn but he had both windows on his side and the shared closet! 

I had chores. I dried dishes, folded clothes when brought in from the backyard line, made my bed, watered the plants. I watched and learned housekeeping in other areas. We were taught frugality.  BUT! There were times when I could be ‘myself’ and a feeling of free spiritness prevailed. 

I ran free most of the time when I wasn’t needed and explored the surrounding woods and fields. When the firehouse noontime and 6PM whistle blew, I hightailed it for home so as not to be punished for overstaying my cherished time away. I learned to follow rules. The neighborhood kids and I all got along well and went as far away from the houses we lived in to discover nature and wildlife and trade experiences. We had bikes to help our travels and we shared everything.

                                                                                    O2BFRE2BME  

Quick Rideabout

After breakfast I had just finished delivering some of the white fudge to my friend and neighbor to share. As I was driving down from their driveway I was reminded of how things change - never to be the same. This was my view and I don't really like views of this kind, as my memory tells me the huge and beautiful cornfields and hayfields that were there in full glory at this time of year are gone, forever, never to grow there again! I'm sooo resistant to change.

To make myself feel better I continued onward for a short trip up the dirt road and found that yellow and orange seem to be the colors of the morning.

I wonder what the plant with no flowers is...

One of the prettiest gardens that I know of is cared for by a man who is older than I and lives at my neighbor lake. He is to be commended for his beautiful plantings, mostly vegetables that are protected from wildlife with wire. This one lives outside the cages and is Yellow Loosestrife.

A quick trip back home before the storm breaks. We do need rain!

Sweet

I made a batch of white fudge today. Somehow activities in the kitchen on a bleak day make me feel productive and positive. If you'd like my recipe, just ask. It is all I can do to not eat more than 2 pieces a day! I do love sweets! Next, (on another future rainy day)  I plan to make peanut butter fudge and a really rich chocolate variety. I don't use nuts in the white or chocolate as some people don't care for them.  Soooooo ........

tap image to have a sweeter view

Warmer?

Well it IS..... in here! I'm baking cookies. Temperature outdoors at 10am is only 60° and cloudy. We're expecting some rain. Today's treat is Snickerdoodles. (Recipe at bottom.)

Yesterday I went for a short buggy ride. Wore a jacket! Still wasn't warm but was determined to find color. I did... a little of it!

Itoh Peony — Love the yellow here!

Daylillies, Stella

I like the fence ...

Wild Foxglove

Chinese Lantern from a friend

My Prize of the day!!!!!!

Here's lookin' atcha! LOVE IT!!

Tap image to view larger!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Snickerdoodles!

Ingredients

2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened - I use salted (2 sticks)

2 cups white sugar, divided

2 large eggs (thank you neighbor for the eggs!)

2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Cream together the butter and 1 & 1/2 cups sugar until pale yellow, about 2-3 minutes.

Mix in eggs until well combined.

Add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes together.

In a separate, small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together.

Shape dough into about 1-3/4 inch balls and roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar.

Space the balls about 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. (Oven temperatures may vary. Cooking time may be more or less.)  Rest before removing onto rack to cool. 

Father - Putter Pop -

He lived his dream. He left GOOD, & G R E A T memories! Father's Day is always a happy one for me with thoughts of him.

He was a peaceful and gentle family man with strong ethics and a friendly composure. Hard work never put a dent in his attitude. He always found a way to be proud of his way of life and knew how to relax and enjoy his surroundings no matter what or where they were.

tap image to view larger

"Putter Pop" left in 1999 but he lives on. His mark is everywhere, especially in my heart.