Garden Blogger's Muse Day - Isn't everyone Irish in March ?

”When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure it's like a morning spring.

You can hear the angels sing

When Irish hearts are happy

All the world seems bright and gay

And when Irish eyes are smiling

Sure, they steal your heart away!”

This is a pretty familiar song, I remember singing it in 3rd grade, my teacher had particular love for all things Irish. It is great to be looking towards warmer weather, Easter, St. Paddy's day, and spring. yipee!

Show and Tell Friday- Matchbox cars

Wednesday morning my 4 year old grandson, E, came over for a short visit while his Mom went to the dentist's. We dragged out the Fisher-Price little people garage, and his uncle's box of Matchbox cars to play with. These are always popular with E, just as they were a few years ago with my son. This car is one of those 'glow in the dark' cars - I took a photo of it in the dark, but you really can't tell that it is glowing. E and I did hide in the closet to check and make sure it still worked.

Uncle Dan ended up with quite a collection of cars, two Batman cars, and some of those color changer cars that came out in the 90's. Maybe some of you remember them; they would change color in sun light. They didn't last very well, but I remember my son having a lot of fun with them, as with all the cars. We started buying him a new matchbox car nearly every time we went to the store (K-mart at the time). This was quite an indulgence in our family, but they were only a dollar, and he enjoyed them so much! He would bring home his new car, and line it up with the old ones, and play for quite a while with his little cars.

It's always fun to see a child enjoying himself.

Hope you are enjoying your Friday! Head on over to Kelli's blog and see what else is going on today.

Cat in the tree? a Dr. Seuss moment

The place where we live

has many tall treesAnd when I look out

To see what I see,

I may see some jays

screeching in the trees.

I may see a hawk,

or perhaps a magpie.

It's true, it's true!

I do not lie.

But there was a day

Not so long ago,

When I looked out my window

And a surprise I did see.

A cat in the tree? Oh,

how could this be?

Oh, look, look and see-

It really, oh really is,

a cat in a tree!

Green Thumb Sunday, another A. Violet

Well, it is a good thing I have African Violets. They are blooming and blooming as winter ebbs. This is a relatively new one, I am having trouble describing the color - a rich purple w/ white edges.. It is a happy color that I like very much. Happy GTS.

Show and Tell Friday - The Silver Bride and Groom

This was a fast week ! Kelli's Show & Tell is a lot of fun, head over to her blog to see what everyone is sharing this week. Today I want you to see a treasure that my mother-in-law gave to us a few years ago. These tea cups belonged to her grandparents, and were given to them on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary.

The inscriptions on the cups say, in German, the Silver Bride, and the Silver Groom. I am sorry my pic doesn't do them justice, they are very beautiful. On the bottom of the cup is an eagle and 'P.K. Silesia.' Whatever that means. Here is a photo of this same couple -

Michael Herman and Annie Schappert, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

SHOW and TELL Friday - clip on earrings

Show and Tell Friday is a fun way to browse around the web and meet new people and read great stories. Go to Kelli's blog, There is No Place Like Home, to see who else is participating! Garden blogger's Bloom Day is the next entry down the page.

Today I am showing something I got years ago at a garage sale. I was a teenager, and didn't really go to garage sales, but I stopped at one, and saw these earrings. I liked them then, and I still do. I don't suppose they are real opals, but I do love they way they look. I remember showing them to my mother, and she was not pleased that I had bought 'used' stuff and brought it home, as I recall. I have had it, over the years, in my jewelry box.

Now someone else is fascinated by them, my youngest daughter, who wants them when I am gone! I said ok! She thinks they are wonderful, too.

GARDEN BLOGGERS BLOOM DAY- FEBRUARY 2008

Thank heaven for African violets! Mine are still blooming along, and give me a great deal of satisfaction. Here is the darker pink one -This blue one with a white fringe is one of my favorites.
Here is a new project, just some paperwhites that I will give to a friend to enjoy (she is in a rehab center, while her knee heals).

Last and least, here is something that is NOT blooming, and hasn't in the two years I've had it.

It is a clivia, and I need to learn more about how to get it to bloom. What little research I've done has not helped me, to date. Any suggestions out there in cyber-garden-space?

Happy Valentine's Day, and - so what should I wear to the dance?

Happy Valentine's Day to all ! This is a decorative dishtowel I have hanging up for February. I haven't really done any other decorating, lame, I know.

I am getting ready for my Valentine's date with DH- I have a pink silk suit, that I like. I plan to wear it to the church dinner/dance on Friday night. I got it at a bargain price, and like it a lot.
It has a few drawbacks; it wrinkles easily, and it is a very Barbie pink- the pics make it look redder than it really is. But overall, it is cute and I enjoy wearing it. I haven't shown the skirt, it is just a straight skirt that hits me a bit below the knee (a fave length for me). Keep in mind that I am not a very fashionable gal, jeans and a knit shirt are what I wear most days, and even when I 'dress up' my goal is to look 'ok', I know I'm not hitting 'stylish' in my wildest dreams! I'm 5' 2" tall (or short!) and wear the average size of U.S. women - a 14. It's still fun to plan an outfit and see how it all turns out. Follow along, and be ready to give some advice at the end.

I'm planning to wear the pink shoes in this photo, they really do match, and I love the cute bows on the front.
Now for the 'advice needed' part - I have a plain white blouse that will barely show under my jacket -

AND I have this blouse, with collar and ruffled front. I like this blouse a lot, but, truthfully, it is most useful as a pirate shirt (I wore it for Halloween) and looks a bit too 'busy' on my short body. I don't like the collar,either, but I love the ruffles, and figure Valentine's is a great time to be a bit over the top.

So, what do you think? (Daughters, I am esp. asking for your advice, here!) Should I go simple with the plain top, or mess with the ruffles and collar?

Here is another question - what jewelry to wear? A necklace is a good idea with the plain top, I have some pearls and other necklaces.

I really like the light pink heart earrings,(they are just to the left of the pearls) but can't wear them with a lot of other jewelry.

Take a minute and tell me what looks good to you. (If you don't like anything, then feel free to say nothing at all, I'm not up for a lot of criticism today!) At this point I am leaning towards the plain blouse w/ pearls and pearl earrings (which I didn't show).

Mememememememememe

It's a good thing I love my daughter(s), this is for you SassyOne - I am doing a meme here, and I am such a boring soul that it is embarrassing to haul thru these questions about DH and me, but here goes:

How long have you been together? 32 years, this March
How long did you date? 5 months
How old is he? 2 years younger than me, and he never lets me forget it!
Who eats more? Unless it's chocolate, that would be DH
Who said "I love you" first? don't remember, ??
Who is taller? DH, he is nine inches taller than me. I am short.
Who is smarter? drat it all, he is, and he's a quick thinker, too!
Who does the laundry? Me.
Who does the dishes? Me.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends on who gets up on the 'wrong' side, I guess. He sleeps next to the clock radio, I sleep closer to the bathroom.
Who pays the bills? He earns the money, I write the checks.
Who mows the lawn? Maybe we'll just let that moose graze. J/k, DH usually does it if we don't have a child available to do it.
Who cooks dinner? My job, which I enjoy most days.
Who is more stubborn? I think this is one area where we are evenly matched! (You can tell a German, you just can't tell him/her much)
Who kissed who first? ? can't remember that either.
Who asked who out? Ok, technically, I asked him out to a girl ask guy dance, but that was after he told me (and every other girl he knew) that he was 'available' for the Preference dance.
Who proposed? He did.
Who is more sensitive? He would say I am, I would say we are evenly matched here, too.
Who has more friends? Ya, me.
Who has more siblings? Hard to say, I have a brother, a sister and a step-sister, he has a brother and a sister, two half-siblings, and a few other assorted siblings-by-marriage. I guess that means he does.

So, if you want to do a meme (this wasn't too bad, really), let me know in the comments! DH, feel free to rebut if you wish.

MOOOOOOOOSE !!!

There was a moose !!! in my back yard today. I was looking out the backyard, checking my makeshift birdfeeder, when I saw a very large furry rump -
My first thought was that it was a bear- but they are hibernating, this time of year (so the two Wildlife protection services guys said). Then I could see his / her head, and realized it was a moose. This second shot is still hard to see, but I knew it was a moose at this point, so I calmly ran to the stairs and yelled for my 12 year old to come and see, and called 911, snapping pictures all the time I'm on the phone with them.
She (it is a cow, the neighbor assures me) went to the neighbor's yard, then headed back into our yard and went to the far corner.
Here is another shot. She hung around for quite a while, then headed up the hill to the neighbor's to graze on his trees for a while. The Wilderness protection guys showed up about then, of course.
Their advice was don't approach the moose (duh!) and they would go up and around the back of our property to see if they could see it, but if it is not causing trouble, they won't relocate it. So I guess we will keep our eyes open for our winter visitor. (There was so much snow that a moose came to live in our yard). Crazy.

Show and Tell Friday - glass frig storage

The week has just flown by- it's Friday already. Head over to Kelli's blog There is no Place Like Home, to see what everyone else has to show today. This is a glass refrigerator container (pre-Tupperware?) that I found in a thrift shop. I didn't even know what it was, but my friend, Dona, did. I like the fruit on the lid. I don't use it a lot, I just keep it in my china hutch. It doesn't have any manufacturing name or mark on it that I can see. If anyone knows anything about these glass boxes, please let me know!
It looks like just the right size to hold cornmeal mush in. Maybe some of you remember fried cornmeal mush for breakfast? I don't make it very often, it is a recipe too full of fat and sugar for me, but it sure is a tasty breakfast. Also, as I've learned from feeding it to my husband, it is one of those recipes that you have to 'grow up with' to enjoy. (i.e., it is one of the few things he doesn't really care for!)

I found a recipe for Fried Cornmeal Mush at Taste of Home that seems like the way my mom used to make it for us.

Fried Cornmeal Mush

4 cups water, divided
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
Maple syrup
Directions:
Boil 3 cups water. Combine remaining water with cornmeal and salt; add to boiling water. Stir until mixture returns to a boil.
Pour into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan.
Chill for 8 hours or overnight. Slice 1/4 to 1/2-in. thick. Fry in a large skillet with shortening or oil until browned on each side.
Serve with syrup. Yield: 14-16 servings.

As I said, I don't make it very often. It is best when it is cooked thin and the edges are crispy. A cheap, if not particularly nutritious, breakfast.

So, how much snow do we have?

We have so much snow that I am surprised the mailman will still deliver our mail. We had to dig out the mailbox, as you can see. Everybody in the neighborhood is dealing with this problem.
I've seen a few people who have put a five gallon bucket out for the newspaper. One solution for the mail that I really like is this one -

This neighbor just bought a new mail box and set it on top of the snow. Their 'real' mailbox is about 3 feet closer to the house, buried in the snow.

We have so much snow that our projected water needs should be met for the summer, and then some. We have so much snow that we are wondering if our roof will collapse. You can see the ice dams in this pic.

We have so much snow that we are trying to figure out where to shovel the snow.

We have so much snow that it looks like a drunken cake decorator overdid it when frosting the pine trees. ( you can see the top of the railing on our back porch in the left corner of the picture)

We have so much snow that the neighbors are meeting in the street (when we need to take a break from shovelling our driveways and walks) and wishing we all lived in Mesa, or other points south. Sunday's snow totalled about 24 inches, after you count the 6 new inches that were on the ground when we woke up on Monday morning.

I'm trying to be a good sport, but really.....

Today's snow storm (the 3rd in a week) has dumped 12 plus inches on us. Church was cancelled.
I am quite tired of this stuff. Could we have a vote and have spring come next week?
You can see in this pic that myDH is shoveling snow up and over his height (he is 5-11).
This next shot shows the front yard, you may remember our yard stick that has been measuring snow. Good thing it is a four foot long yardstick. You can see that a regular 3 foot one would not be showing up anymore!

Green Thumb Sunday - African violets, an antidote to winter

We are getting another storm o' snow today, it's good to have African violets to enjoy when it looks like we may have moved to Iceland or something. (This is the third storm this week, we will probably get another 1o inches. )

This is a pretty deep pink violet, and I am looking forward to its' blooms.

Happy GTS !