Snow Peas

Snow Peas
Originally uploaded by amandabhslater
Do you love Snow Peas, which I also call Chinese Sugar Peas? These are the kind of peas where you eat the pods too since they are very tender.
I planted seeds yesterday, from Seeds of Change, which are Snow Pea, Sugar Pod Two.
They are a bush type so don't need a trellis or staking.
It takes 60 to 70 days to maturity from planting. I mostly eat them without cooking, plain or added to salads. If you are cooking stir fry, they are perfect for that dish, and need just a few minutes cooking time so they are still crisp, and not wilted.
We gardeners love to anticipate, don't we?

Violets, A Poem

Violets
Originally uploaded by Emily Barney
I love flowers and poems about flowers, and I hope you enjoy my post today about violets.
Do you have volunteer violets at your house? We have a lot of them, a carpet of violets along the alley where we keep our garbage and recycling bins.
I like it when the violets spread, and they don't need any care from me. Once in a while I water them.

"I love all things the season bring,

All buds that start, all birds that sing,

All leaves from white to jet,

All the sweet words that summer sends,

When she recalls her flowery friends,

But chief -- the violet.

by B.W. Procter, better known as Barry Cornwall, from his poem "The Violet."

Dancing Tree Girl

I like the joy this tree girl exudes.
I took this photo yesterday, and understand the crocheted dancer was a birthday gift from one friend to another, and it took five eight hour days of crocheting to complete this wild woman.
Garden whimsy improves our streets, our walks around town, and our gardens, don't you agree?

Painting of Italian Home

I won this delightful original oil painting of an Italian stone house and flowers, from the gracious Jennifer of J. Beaudet Studios J. Beaudet Studios

The colors are rich!
You could almost open a door and walk in.
This little beauty is 6 inches by 6 inches; Jennifer sells her paintings and prints at her Etsy shop, and the prices are refreshingly reasonable. She also has a real talent for painting flower bouquets, and portraits of women.
Drop by her blog and say hi from Terra.

Happy Momma Day to my wonderful mom in heaven.
Here are photos of my mom and dad, Annetta and Dwight Pelkin, and one with me in it.

Chard, garlic and olive oil

Our chard plants that survived the winter and are two years old had a growth spurt due to rain this April. The chard is Rainbow Chard which has stems in shocking chartreuse color, bold yellow, and brilliant red. The rest of the leaves are forest green.
Here are the stems ready to be cooked in 3 tablespoons of virgin olive oil and two cloves of chopped garlic.
After about 4 minutes of cooking stove top in a pan, add the rest of the chard leaves and cook a few minutes more.

Remember that a huge amount of chard cooks down very quickly to a small amount. Just sayin".
My husband made ham and white bean soup with leftover Easter ham we had frozen, including the large ham bone, and he added chard toward the end of cooking it, which was a tasty addition.
If you have not grown chard, it is easy to grow, doesn't require a lot of water or care, and one plant supplies a lot of leaves over the growing season. I plant six plants, for two people. In a temperate climate, like here in California, our chard continued growing all winter and the plants are now in their second spring and very productive.
Do you have any easy favorite ways to cook chard?

Honey don't let the skunk in

Skunk 02
Originally uploaded by StarWatcher307

Well yeah, last night at 8 pm I yelled to my husband "Don't let the skunk in!".

I heard the sliding glass door on the patio open and my husband talking quietly, and I knew he was feeding "our" skunk. I just don't want the skunk in the house.

The skunk is a young one and likes to clean up left over cat food, and yes, we give him his own too.

Aren't skunks BEAUTIFUL?

We live in a city of 50,000 and I think wild life has a hard time surviving in such a citified environment. Cars are dangerous for skunks and possums, plus where do they sleep in the daytime?

Probably in our blackberry jungle in the back yard.

Love ya, little skunk-y.

The Winner of my book is ...

Bells
Originally uploaded by Donald Macleod

Ring those bells as I announce the winner of the give away of a copy of my book "Scrapbook of Motherhood Firsts: Stories to Celebrate and Wisdom to Bless Moms."
The winner is Lori of Apple Grove Treasures.
You know the saying "the early bird gets the worms", well, Lori left the first comment and she gets the book (not the worms).
My book is a hardcover and has full color on each page, plus plenty of humor. We moms need to giggle often!