It’s like, so – you know – wild, man!

If you follow me on Twitter, you have no doubt heard me bitch endlessly mention a time or two that I have a lot of edging to do in my biggest flower garden. And that I am moving a lot of stuff around, planting some new trees and shrubs and putting in a new walk, blah blah blah. I love to put my own imprint on the way things grow. My arms are very very tired.

At the same time though, I also love the way that wildflowers ‘garden” themselves. I get to enjoy it a lot too, since we are surrounded by untamed areas that are chock full of things I didn’t plant. And I don’t have to edge them either.
Like this. I am too lazy to look it up, but it’s a common wildflower around here – just sparkling in the light of a new day.wildflowerThis is chicory – blooming everywhere along the road right now, as well as trying to creep into the edges of my yard.chicoryAnd finally, this combo of Queen Anne’s Lace and another weed. This spot caught my eye when I was walking Riley the other day [trust me, walking Riley and taking photos are not activities that mix gracefully] and I made a note to get back there the next morning. I could never hope to come close to creating a beautiful spot like this.queenanneAnd now – back to the cultivated stuff. I have a lot more to do out there.

Another post you might like: Holy Fields of Phlox, Batman!

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Lemon Garlic Zucchini

Lemon Garlic Zucchini on The Creekside CookThis post has been moved and is now on the new blog.
You can find it here: Lemon Garlic Zucchini on The Creekside Cook

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Distraction

Notice how I wasn’t here yesterday? That was because I entertaining company, a state of affairs that will dominate my life for the next few weeks.

Ellyn and Jason were here for a few days and they walked up the road to my mother-in-law’s, where there is a side yard full of blueberry bushes just beginning to ripen. This relieved Mark & Anna’s steady diet of raw green beans from the pail sitting in the pantry. They also make people pretty happy.anna_berriesThe more, the merrier, when it comes to blueberries.mark_berries

Which brings us to another piece of business. Over the course of the next 28 days, we are going to be having company. A LOT of company actually. This photo is of my Grandmother – my Dad’s Mom. grandma_simmonsShe was right around my age when this was taken. We are going to be celebrating her 100th birthday at the beginning of August, and for that occasion, my whole family will be here in NY. It will be the first time since 1987 that all of us have been in the same place at the same time. This means that I am going to be pretty busy and blogging is going to take a back seat to some of our other activities. I will be popping in as often as I can manage, but the discipline of 5 or 6 posts a week will be going out the window for awhile. I expect to get weeks worth of mindless blog fodder out of the whole thing though, so you have that to look forward to. Have a great weekend everyone!

Another post you may like: In the Words of My Grandmothers

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Cucumber Basil Sandwiches

Sometimes a simple combination can be so good that you can’t let it alone. That is certainly true of this little combo, that I could eat for lunch every single day all summer long. Having a garden makes it easy certainly, but even if you have to visit a farmer’s market or veggie stand for the ingredients, you can enjoy the same bursting-with-flavor freshness for your lunch.

Take a couple slices of good whole wheat bread and toast lightly. I like to let it cool a bit so that the lettuce doesn’t wilt as much. Spread some mayo on the bread.14Next, put on a nice thick layer of fresh lettuce, like this red leaf.24Then, cucumbers. I like to slice them lengthwise because they stay on the bread better. Give them a nice sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.34Then, a layer of fresh basil leaves.44Then the second slice of toasted whole wheat bread, also spread with some mayo.53And then – and then and then and then, enjoy! You might better just make two of them right from the start.63

Another post you may like:
Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad

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A foggy summer morning

And in more ways than one.  I feel as foggy as this photo shows the view from my porch to be.   The dampness from all the rain we’ve been having is keeping my allergies in an uproar and that makes my brain feel like it is wrapped in a gauzy cottony haze.  It’s hard to get thoughts through there.  In any case, this is the view from my front porch – the fog along the creek, that runs through the middle of the line of trees, combines withe early morning sun to give the other side of our valley a lovely glow.from_porchAlso in this photo, you can see that the rain has kept our neighbor from cutting our hayfield. If you look closely, you can see the stakes holding up Larry’s tomato plants. And foggy brain or no, we are getting company in a couple hours – Ellyn, Jason and the grandkids will be here later this morning. Ellyn and I have a grand afternoon planned as I am giving her a bunch of plants that are crowding each other, so we will be out there digging all afternoon. There will some lovely libations and snacks later, and some “big time playing” as Mark calls it. And even more fun over the next couple days. And wait until you see who is coming on Saturday – that is a surprise though…

Have a lovely day my friends!

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