Post Muertos Earring Party

Our very own blue light special! Pretty Christmas decorations lighted the path from my place to L's house for her annual drool fest ~ aka Stocking Stuffer Earring party.

L is, without a doubt, the most creative traveler I know. She vacations for a month in Mexico every year. While down there, she shops for gorgeous goodies to sell back home and pay for her travels.

Handmade figurines, beautiful scarves and silver jewelry...

Screaming deal price tags make these goodies extra pretty. Lucky girls on my Christmas list get a bauble, or two.

This is the necklace I wanted, but I was good. I refrained. 'Tis, after all, the season to be shopping for other people. (Yeah, yeah. That required a whole lotta willpower I rarely possess!)

What's with the skulls? 
* El Día de los Muertos (All Souls' Day) is a Latin American celebration to remember friends and family members who have passed. They're not meant to be scary. The little skull in the above photo is made of sugar ~ a tasty little treat L whipped up for her guests.

Maniacal Ovens and Spritz Cookies

If you bake one cookie this holiday season,
make it a Spritz

Spritz, the yummiest of all the buttery little morsels, are made with a cookie press. If you're a perfectionist, that should give ya fits.

It's not so bad for me because we generally eat all the dough before the oven is preheated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For years, I suspected my oven hated me. It would bake too hot, or broil too cold. Friends accused me of being childish and immature for blaming the appliance.

Last year, that #!%*! oven decided to quit baking on December 23rd ~ so, we had to broil our Spritz Christmas cookies! They weren't very pretty but they still tasted great.

Who's crying now?
Sure, I could have recycled it. But, deep down, I knew it was possessed. So, I happily hauled that mean-spirited oven away to a place where it will never (ever!) be able to foil another baker's plans.

Yummy Spritz Cookies
* If you can refrain from eating the cookie dough, this recipe makes 4 dozen.
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
2.5 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to:

1. Mix the butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour and mix by hand.
2. Spoon into cookie press and press onto cookie sheets.
3. Sprinkle with colored sugars. (Or, use red and green food coloring on smaller batches of the dough.)
4. Bake @ 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

* Cookies require no recipe adjustments when baking at high altitude.
** Do not, under any circumstances, try to lighten up this delightfully high fat recipe! ['Tis the season to not fret about such things....]

Festive Flowers

 Edna, my prehistoric Christmas Cactus, has been with me since my college days.

When I think of Christmas colors, I naturally think of red and green. Yet everything that's blooming in my house is a happy hot pink!

I'll readily admit that eleven months out of the year Edna (the Christmas Cactus I've had forever) is the homeliest houseplant I own. Her 12th month makes up for everything. 

This holiday season she's getting some serious competition from Snowball, my white Christmas Cactus.

And, this newcomer, with deeper pink blossoms, who gets a picture but not a name. Not yet, anyway.

I'm not nearly as crazy as you might think. I don't name my houseplants until they've been living with me for a good, long time. At least a decade.

Edna is so old she doesn't like to discuss the real numbers any more. (Hmmm... neither do I!)

Jane's Azalea

This kid's got a long ways to go. A gift from a good friend last holiday season. I'm not the fortunate one who can grow Azaleas outdoors but with a little luck and some TLC this young lady should decorate my sunny window for many years to come.

Seaside Shenanigans!

Electric pink wild roses bloom ecstatically along the Oregon Coast.

What began on a whim last Thanksgiving is happily turning into an annual Big Life Adventure.

Hydrangea withers to a pretty plum as autumn leaves begin to turn.

Our new tradition is to gather with family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast. And, then...

Hop a plane to Oregon the following morning to burn what we gobbled!

Beach combing with our noble steeds at Bay Ocean, Oregon

Cape Mears Lighthouse is also home to the famous Octopus Tree ~ which I'd love to show you, were it not for the fact that I forgot to take a picture of it.

If you've never been to the Oregon coast may I suggest that you abandon this blog right here and now and go book yourself a flight?

Because my photos can't do justice to the breathtaking scenery and ocean side horsey back rides in this very special place.

Wild roses flourish, protected by driftwood. How they grow so well in beach sand is beyond me...

We shared the sunsets with plentiful pelicans ~ whom we hoped weren't carnivorous. (Let's blame that irrational fear on Alfred Hitchcock.)

Base camp is the historic ~ and hopefully haunted ~ Happy Camp Hideaway Homestead, built in 1906 on Netarts Bay, Oregon. (They've fixed it up a bit since this photo was taken.)

We can thank our own personal vacation planner, M, for this great getaway.

"It takes a long time to grow an old friend."
~ John Leonard

M and her paint pony, Royal.

The Gang
(That's me in the green hat.)

Time to Enjoy The Best of This and That

The 1st of the Christmas Amaryllis bulbs makes an early showing.

My new found friend, Healthy Gardener, gifted me with the 'Best Blog Award' and invited me to pass this along to 15 favorite blogs I've recently discovered.

I met Gloria through Blotanical, purely by searching for South Dakota bloggers ~ because that's where I was born and raised. And, while I wholeheartedly agree we can bloom wherever we are planted, there's also a deep connection with people who's roots are wiggling around in the same familiar mud as you.

The 2nd of the Christmas Cactus gals joins in the fun.

It got me thinking about Thanksgiving ~ I always give thanks for the usual important stuff. This year I'm also giving thanks for one strange thing that needs a bit of clarification: TIME!

The whole concept of having 'enough time' is foreign to me. I work full time, I have a demanding volunteer second job, an all-consuming 'full time' passion toward gardening... then there's the horses... squeeze family into that mess and, well, you get the picture.

This 3 year old unpredictable Poinsettia has taken her usual stance toward the holidays: Undecided. Sporting half red leaves, half green leaves ~ she has 1 month to get with the program.

I've never had a moment to spare. Until now.

This year, life is suddenly manageable. For the first time since I became addicted to blogging way back in 2006, I can take leisurely strolls around the blogosphere, meeting new people and learning all sorts of new things. Because, this year, thankfully, I have some free time!

* This list is in no particular order ~ except for the first one because it's pretty dang cool to have a concert pianist as a friend...

• To the Minnesota Gardener who took a deep breath and a leap of faith and put it out there... filming herself performing a Schumann Sonata.
• To the savvy silly sisters, Just-a-Mere and Iron Needles, who get me laughing on the best and worst of days.
• To the Empress of Dirt for her neat perspective on pretty much everything.
• To A Corner Garden who's cozy posts and cute dog, Heidi, always entertain.
• To The Village Voice who's yummy recipes have bailed me out of more than one sticky wicket.
• To the Totally Inept Balcony Gardener who is anything but.
• To the Sunflower Ranch who's Writer Challenges keep me on my toes.
• To Gardening with Grace who just so happens to live in Oregon, my favorite spot in the universe. Bonus! We both love Clematis flowering vines.
• To the Backyard Farm who not only has cute chickens, she grows as much of her own food as possible.
• To Flower Hill Farm for lovely photography and interesting stories, whenever I need an escape.
  
• To the Shady Gardener because I have no shade so she teaches me a thing or two.
• To Flowers and Weeds for her fun tutorials and highly entertaining new garden project.
• To the Witless Wanderer who hasn't lifted a finger on her blog in oh so long but I know why... she's writing a novel!
• And, last but definitely not least, to the Darling of the Dahlia Society, Karen, who's fine eye for flowers and fur is a joy to behold.

THE FINE PRINT:
If you want to participate, please grab this award and then pay it forward to 15 of your favorite recent blog discoveries. If you don't want to participate, please don't feel any pressure to do so.

Please note ~ this award asks that I highlight 15 blogs. There are many more I wanted to list. Some I didn't list because you already have the award. Some I didn't list because I know how popular you are and you'll no doubt get the award from someone else! Some of you don't want the awards! And so it goes...

While I Was Napping...

I hope you're not weary of my indoor roses.
It's all I've got growing right now!

I suppose this was bound to happen at some point. Not so much an 'if' as a 'when.' As in... when will I get socked with that nasty flu?

The happy 'clutter' in my kitchen window.

Not the ever popular H1N1. I'm referring to the [alleged] minor flu that's been making the rounds in my neck of the woods.

My dear friend, Karen, was down with this flu and has been too ill to hike for over a month.

But, I never get sick! So, I wasn't worried.

Though I did feel a little tired on Friday afternoon. So, I put on my cowgirl jammies... curled up on the couch...

... and, didn't get out of those jammies until Monday morning!


When I crawled into bed it was autumn; when I woke it was winter.

Ripe for the pickings! Miniature Pomegranate Tree
Pay no attention to the filth in my sunny window. Recent studies have shown that all this dust helps my plants grow bigger and stronger!
(That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

A Deal with Myself

Early Birds: Edna, my Christmas Cactus, is jumping the gun.

Chaotic weather patterns continue. First bitter cold and heaps of snow. I busied myself baking bread and grumbling about the weather.

Now comes unusually warm days. Bright sunshine melts away the snow offering a last horse back ride of the season. In a t-shirt, no less!

Cyclamen flowers decorate my office on these long, dark nights.

This heat wave is simply postponing the inevitable, I suppose. Even so, I was glad to see a summer-like day. This time of year is always a little hard on me.

The nights are too long and the days too short.

My goofy Plum Bonsai tree offers only 1 flower at a time.

I find myself pacing restlessly wondering what to do... What should I do?

Seems my passions run high in the summer months and are running on empty now that gardening and horsies are done for the season.

Kalanchoe radiates happiness on dreary days.

It was nice, though, playing hooky from work. Trotting along a quiet trail. Soaking in the last little bits of a lingering autumn.

While I was out there I decided to strike a deal with myself:

Right here, right now, stop whining about the weather, stop mourning the end of this sweet, sweet summer.

And, be on the prowl for a new winter hobby...

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ November

 "Any flower counts!" So sayeth, Carol from May Dreams Gardens, inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Indoor Micro Mini Roses

I wanted to participate in the monthly Bloom Day but winter is upon us and I didn't think I'd have anything to show. So, I was quite delighted to discover that indoor flowers count. This is a snapshot of my beloved micro mini roses, biggest blooms are about the size of a 50-cent piece.

After I photographed these wimpy indoor roses I thought to myself:

Hmmm... Do you suppose there is anything worth shooting out in that frozen garden of mine?

Scabiosa Pincushion Flowers still blooming ~ it was 13 degrees last night.

Well whaddyaknow! Every gardener probably has that flower. That one perennial who, no matter what, will never let you down. Mine are Pincushion Flowers. What's yours?

I grow black, pale pink, and fuchsia Pincushions (these 3 are kind of fussy.) But, there is just no stopping the purple girls. These feisty little ladies don't care about wind, drought, cold, snow. It's almost as if they knew I needed a helping hand for this November Bloom Day and decided to give it their all.

Not to be outdone... the outdoor roses are attempting a comeback:

And, Helianthus perennial sunflower blossoms, in my humble opinion, look just as pretty in winter time:

* There is a giant boulder in this garden ~ about the size of a Jeep Wrangler. Intense mountain sunshine heats it up during the day and it radiates heat at night. I 'think' this is what keeps the Pincushion Girls alive and kicking.

Cowgirl Up!

My friend, Janet, competing with her appaloosa, Phantom.
Yup - she's pointing a pistol at that innocent little balloon. It's called mounted shooting. I don't really get it but then I'm not from around here...

Two weeks ago I made a wild and crazy promise to blog every day this month about the training sessions with my adopted horse, Bella.

Bella's full time job, now, is to fatten herself up for the winter.

That blogging energy lasted all of 5 minutes but I did manage to squeeze in 8 good sessions with Crazy Horse before the weather turned foul and our snowy winter finally arrived.

Megan's little hissy fit.
During my training sessions with Bella, Meg felt sorely neglected.

Why two horses? ~ people ask ~ Isn't one plenty?

Well, if you want to get practical about it I suppose zero is a good round number. Horses are expensive, hard work and... highly addictive. But, there's just something marvelous about these big, gorgeous animals.

Flame is Meg and Bella's BFF.

I tried for 3 years to buy Little Meg but her owner wouldn't sell her. I finally gave up and adopted Bell instead. Two days after I brought Bella home, Meg's owner showed up, handed me the reins and said I don't want Meg anymore.

So, what are you gonna do? I always wanted to be a cowgirl. Now I'm a cowgirl times two.

Tuna Haters To Die For Tuna Marinade

Hazel's Zinnias

On Tuesdays, we round up the usual suspects and cook a special dinner. It's not easy. There's the 2 teenagers who prefer every meal be mac 'n cheese. There's a happy little carnivore who thinks bacon in mac 'n cheese might be dee-lish.

And, then there's the pescatarians. Fish lovers.

I hate fish. Truly, madly, deeply hate fish. Now I know what you're thinking... certainly not salmon. Everybody loves salmon.

Indeed they do! I can't begin to count the number of times people have invited me to dinner naturally assuming I would eat salmon.

More of Hazel's Zinnias

'Twas salmon that inspired me to manifest my hatred of fish into a life threatening allergy. You see, if I tell people I don't like fish then they'll still expect me to eat it. "Oh, give it a try," they exclaim. "You'll love MY fish."

But, if I tell them I have an allergy...

I will surely die if I eat your fish...

Then they're lots nicer about the whole situation and typically cook up something truly palatable. Like a steak!

This charade worked out well for many years. Right up until my daughter decided to become a [cringe, shudder] pescatarian. Because she knows the truth about me and my fish allergies. She knows I'm a big, fat liar.

Happy Little Butterflies on Hazel's Zinnias

Last night, just to be nice to Lauren, I grilled tuna. I also made a big vat of potatoes and a (from scratch!) chocolate cake so normal people, like me, wouldn't starve. But then something strange happened. It smelled so delicious that I took a little bite. And, it's killing me to admit this but it wasn't half bad...

Tuna Haters To Die For Tuna Marinade:

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire
• 1/4 cup minced roasted garlic
• 4 tbs. crushed rosemary

Marinate 6 oz. tuna fillets for a couple of hours in this mixture. Grill fillets on very high heat, basting with the marinade. Then feed them to Bad Dog and go buy yourself a cheeseburger.

* Joking about the dog. This is a truly tasty recipe. If I like it, I imagine anyone would. I feel the same way about Hazel's Zinnias.