Leaves of Grass

O Hastening Light!
O free and ecstatic!
O what I here, preparing, warble for!
O the sun of the world will ascend, dazzling,
and take his height -- and you too will ascend!
O so amazing and broad -- up there resplendent,
darting and burning! - Walt Whitman

The sun came back for a few days and we all scurried around like crazy,
plowing and planting and generally acting like it was summer already.
That's what happens when you have a zillion straight weeks of grey skies and rain.

The frost came right back the other night though, and nipped at everything new
in the window boxes and flower beds. Nothing serious.

This bit of greenery started off in Easter baskets but is now living down at the studio
to bring a little spring inside. I just splashed a dab of paint on these terra cotta pots
and planted them with wheat seeds. I'm thinking of adding some faux fauna to the mix.
I'll have to hunt up some cute bugs and animals - check these out Bake it Pretty!
http://www.bakeitpretty.com/category_66/Animals-Insects.htm

The Humble Bumble Bee

We've been constructing a new garden in this gorgeous weather and this weekend the first wave of big bumblebees were out collection nectar and pollen from the early flowers. I just love how furry and round they are.

The biggest bumbles are the queens and contrary to popular belief, they do have stingers! They seldom use

them though, as they are content to lumber about their bizzz and seldom even bother with nearby people. The drones will hatch out midsummerand they are the ones without stingers.

Since they are so placid, they let you get up real close to take a picture.

Smile!

Family Portrait

Wow! An exact replica of our family!
Well...sorta, kinda, exact - minus
animals and 3 grown 'n' flown kids.

When he was little,
Monsieur Kiddo
always used to dive
in between us and yell
"Middle-middle-middle,
I get the middle!"

He still manages to
end up in the center spot
but has recently added
the requisite teen eyeroll
to the configuration.

Now if I could just find a
tiny set of iPod earphones...

The Enormous Egg

Yep, it's a whopper!

This Emu egg is going in my nephew's Easter basket on Sunday, along with a copy of "The Enormous Egg" by Oliver Butterworth. The story of this great kid's book goes like this:

The hen belonging to the Twitchell family of Freedom, New Hampshire, laid an enormous egg. Nate Twitchell, age twelve, faithfully helped the mother hen to turn her egg so it would be warmed evenly all around. Most people laughed at Nate after the egg sat unhatched for six long weeks. However, Dr. Zeimer, a paleontologist from the National Museum in Washington, D.C., took Nate and his egg seriously. He arrived in his pajamas to see the newly hatched "baby chicken" and to identify it as a triceratops, the only dinosaur ever seen by humans. The Twitchells named their triceratops Uncle Beazley. And soon the world descended on Freedom, New Hampshire, and tromped on the Twitchells' flower beds. Grass, Uncle Beazley's favorite food, was soon in short supply as he grew at an alarming rate.

Dr. Zeimer arranged for Nate and his dinosaur to be transported to Washington where Uncle Beazley was housed at the zoo. However, a Congressional committee, alarmed at the dinosaur's expensive menu, declared him un-American and proposed to do away with him. By pleading his cause on television, Nate rallied the nation to the rescue of Uncle Beazley. Demonstrations and letters to Congress persuaded legislators to do the will of the people. Uncle Beazley was to munch happily at the zoo for many years to come. Nate returned to Freedom, New Hampshire, a hero. Great dino book for kids!

Easter Parade

I thought I'd
gather up a few
ducks and chicks
to put up
on the shelf
for Easter.

My, Oh My! -
I couldn't believe
how many I had,
tucked on shelves
here and there
around the house.

I guess
I've got a
poultry/waterfowl
collection
I didn't even
know about!
(This is just a
partial flock)









I lined them
all up
just to see
how many I had,
and the whole
gaggle was
too numerous to
fit on the shelf.














Although there's
not a bonnet
in sight -
(those hens are
rockin' some
pretty darn cute
polka dot
kerchiefs
though!) -
it's lookin'
a lot like
an
Easter Parade
to me!

Nesting Instincts

"I came to build the Bird's nest,
and sow the Early seed."
- Emily Dickinson

It's finally looking like Spring will make an long awaited appearance in the Pacific Northwest - for reals!

We've been watching as the bird's start to build their nests in earnest. Every one of them that flits by is on a mission, with a wisp of something in it's beak.

I'll be out in the garden, getting it ready for the starts we've been planting indoors these past few weeks. Really excited about the herbs especially this year and we're making a small round planter to fill up with lots of different varieties, as well as flowers.

Here's a twiggy little nest I made for a
gardening gift basket tag.

Simple and easy!

Suffer Fools Gladly Today!

In honor of the day, I'm serving up Raspberry Fool.

1 pint raspberries combined with 1/2 cup sugar
.
1 tsp raspberry liquer or Grand Marnier (if you like)
1 pint heavy whipping cream combined with 1/4 cup sugar.
10 sugar cookies.
• Puree the berries and liquer in a blender, until smooth.
• Drain the puree.
• Whip the cream until it starts to thicken.
• Add the remaining sugar and whip until firm peaks form.
• Reserve a few tablespoons of pure whipped cream for topping.
• Fold the puree into the whipped cream slightly.
• Put into pretty glasses or pudding cups.
• Top with whipped cream and cookie crumbs.
• Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Bon Appetit!