12th Month

 

11 months out of the year, my Christmas Cactus is the ugliest houseplant imaginable. But that 12th month? Oh, that 12th month makes up for everything.

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. That's the whole point of this holiday, right? The biggest stresser is conjuring up a new, flimsy excuse as to why, oh why, you need an extra slice of pie.

And, now? Let the madness begin...

Paper Yellows

Depending upon the holiday task at hand, I am either light years ahead of the game or so far behind it’s doubtful I’ll ever catch up.

Paper Yellows (be still my heart) opened this morning, gracing a dreary indoor landscape with some much needed color.

Their original career path ~ cheery Christmas gifts ~ is certainly not gonna happen. They'll run out of steam long before then but I can’t really blame them for the extra-early flowering.

‘Twas I who jumped the gun on the planting of the indoor bulbs.

Amaryllis bulbs

Yeah, yeah.. ugly now but just you wait a month or two! 

If only I had stuck with that program. After a burst of energy with the Narcissus (Paper Yellows,) I slipped right back into my procrastinating ways.

A month blew by. Now I find myself staring at a basket of Amaryllis bulbs, wishing I had a magic wand. They take their sweet lazy time at giving forth a flower, so I may have to give up on the idea of gifting these blossoms and keep them all to myself. Hmmm… are you spotting a pattern here…. ?

Elsewhere in the sunny window, holiday lovers are coming to life...

Edna, my ancient Christmas Cactus (since college!) is raining bright fuchsia blossoms. {top pic}

Not sure if that’s because she’s highly delighted for the holidays or if she’s feeling intense competition from this new little brat we purchased last winter:

New baby Christmas Cactus

Darling Sybil is demonstrating her schizophrenic holiday behavior, too. Somewhere, deep down, this 3 year old Poinsettia knows she's supposed to turn red for Christmas:

Terribly Confused Poinsettia

I just don't have the heart to lock up my poinsettias in a dark closet for 10 cruel weeks so they'll drop their leaves, go berserk and come back thoroughly red. Around these parts, we settle for red/green halfsies, instead.

Happy, happy...

Pre-Holiday chores got y'all stressed out?
Click here and be magically delivered to Grandma's house.

50 pound turkey? Check. Bushel of sweet taters? Check. Crispy, crunchy runner beans? Oh, yeah. Half dozen pie pumpkins? Hmmm. Pumpkin Pie? That was soooo last year.... try baking up one of these goodies instead!

Bourbon Pecan Sweet Tater Pie
- 1 frozen pie shell
- 2 cups roasted sweet potatoes, peeled and shmooshed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1.5 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
-------------------------------------------------
- 1 cup toasted pecans (stove top, minute or two, teflon pan)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup

Uno: Pre-bake your pie crust for about 10 minutes @ 425 (F).
Dos: Toss the top list into a large bowl. Grab your trusty mixer and beat until fluffy.
Tres: Pour into the pie shell and bake @ 375 (F) for 20 minutes.
Cuatro: Mix up the nuts, butter and maple syrup. Pour over the pie. Pop it back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes.
Cinco, cinco, seis: Have a slice. Or two. Or, three! Hey, it's the holidays. Enjoy it while ya can.

Here's to a lovely weekend, this proverbial calm before the storm. And, happy Thanksgiving to one and all.


* If you click that top link, you'll receive your very own Thanksgiving card from me to you, designed by Jacquie Lawson, a goddess among card creators, even if she does make me pay for a subscription.
** This yummy dessert is adapted from a recipe I discovered on allrecipes.com. Mine, naturally, contains more booze. (Just kidding. That was a test to see if you're actually reading this post...)
*** The Spanish bit is from an old song, from an old band, and if you cannot recall it, then clearly you have better taste in music than me. :)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ November, 2010

John Cabot Roses (post blooming extravaganza.)

Oh, dear little blog... how I have missed thee. And, my garden, too.

I believe this might be the longest break I've ever taken between blog posts. And, while I do have a great excuse, it doesn't make for a very good story.

Scabiosa ~ Look close. Not just flowering in this frigid world. Bravely putting forth new buds! You grow, girl.

A scary ear infection (Geez! Those things are painful) had me down for the count. I slept away an entire week thanks to Dr. Kevorkian, Jr. ~ that HMO whiz of mine ~ who's answer to any dilemma is... Here! Take more pills.

Euphorbia adds a crazy bit of color to this icy brown landscape.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been over to visit anyone's blogs. And, I'm still not better. But, I am fed up. Enough's enough. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we've got company coming.

Plus today is Bloom Day! And, I gotta participate! Even if I don't have a single thing worth showing.

Some high in the sky apples, keeping the birdies happy and the horses frustrated:

One tricky little mushroom masquerading as a daisy:

And, Helianthus perennial sunflowers. Which, in my humble opinion, look just as pretty in winter time:


Pay a visit to Carol, author of May Dreams Gardens, who is also the crafty inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Wordless Wednesdays: Autumn in the High Country

Locals: Find these gorgeous autumn colors along the High Line Trail. For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here.