One Day at a Time

Last evening I prepared parmesan roasted potato halves and parmesan roasted asparagus for supper. Easy and tasty meal. A fellow blogger said she never heard of pickled asparagus. Well, guess what? I researched the internet and there are multiple and different recipes for them, so I might just try fermenting a few! (Tips only, I think.)

This morning I took a short ride about and it is "the time of the iris."

My own are blooming, an old heritage bearded iris variety that my parents planted here at the cabin, but the neighbor had some very large white ones. (They don't photograph very well, as the whiteness takes over and I was disappointed with my results, but......)

Even the small dark beauties were not in the mood to pose, showing off their true beauty! Or - maybe it was me. 

So down the road I rode and was made happy to view all of the wild and multicolored Phlox. They are everywhere and this photo doesn't do them justice — at all! Purple, pink, blue, cream and white they are precious in my sight........

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Indoor Bouquets

Yes I pick wildflowers. 

And I played with my granddaughter's Columbine picture.

Sunday Golf Car Ride

Sometimes I just take pictures and sometimes I bring something home on my ride around the lake.

Today I cut off a huge head of dill seeds that have turned from green to brown just before they would naturally fall from the plant. I put the head in a small brown bag to dry further and then I shall shake the bag and reap the seeds. There are many dill seed recipes you can find on the internet.

Dill seed information: (copy and paste link below to read more)

https://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-dill-seeds-377i

"Dill seed is good sprinkled over casseroles before baking and used in salad dressings. Dill seed is spice-like; the seeds have a stronger flavor than the weed. They can be used in breads, stews, rices, root vegetable dishes and most notable, the making of pickles."

I spotted a field full of teasel that I had missed on previous rides. They are so pretty in color and shape - especially the shape in Autumn. The dried heads make wonderful craft critters and the entire head and stem are nice to use in arrangements either natural or sprayed. Wear gloves when you cut them down, though, and be sure to rub off the picky stems as well. The pictures below show them just starting to bloom.

The Goldenrod are opening now as you can see it in with the teasel.

Deep in the woods I spotted a Rose of Sharon bush. Bees sure like them too! I wonder how it grew in that particular spot; no home in sight.

Wild Phlox are just starting to open. I saw hundreds of them just ready to bloom and found these in a sunny area. Phlox have five petals. Some folk call these Sweet William and many are cultivated.

I stopped and studied the old tree. There was a little bird hopping in and out of the holes but he turned his back on me when I tried to catch his image. I like the leaf shadows on the limb. I love old trees and how they shelter so many animals and birds through the years.

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Teasel Information Link
Teasel Craft Link

Rideabout the Lake

Since it is difficult for me to walk a distance, I commandered the Mister to drive me and my "camera buddy" around the lake because I wanted to take pictures of the many rhododendron bushes that property owners have planted through the years. I have none here - what everyone has I don't want. It's a "Gere thing." I already missed taking shots of the beautiful lilac blooms in a neighbor's yard because it has been raining and windy all week. Now they are gone.  

"The rhododendron (rhododenron maximum) is undoubtedly the most conspicuous understory plant in the mountain forests of Pennsylvania. In ravines and hollows and along shaded watercourses it often grows so luxuriantly as to form almost impenetrable tangles. In June or early July, large clusters of showy blossoms, ranging from white to light rosy- pink, appear at the ends of the branchlets. People travel many miles to witness the magnificent show which is provided by the rhododendron at flowering time."

Link for more info.

These are my rideabout results. Next door they are deep pink. The white ones in the middle of the bush haven't yet opened.

Down the road on the backside of the lake are a couple of lavender bushes.

And back on the homestretch are two places with a mixture of pinkish red and lavender plantings.

Closer to the cabin you will see more humble flowers such as wild phlox and little buttercups. The best part for me is my beachfront with the iris.

And one VERY THIRSTY Fuchsia. It drinks three cups of water every day!

To top it off, the Canada Goose family is doing very well.

Don't forget to click on an image to view all larger!