Daylily

It is not growing like a tree

in bulk doth make man better be;

Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,

To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere,

A lily of a day

is fairer in May

Although it fall and die that night,

It was the plant of flower and light,

In small proportions we just beauties see;

And in short measures, life may perfect be.

– Benjamin Johnson

Linking to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday

The Rainy Day texture was used on the photo above.

Planning My "Everlasting" Garden

There are no spring flowers here...yet.

I tentatively slipped and slided out to feed the chickens this morning.  Yesterday's thaw froze overnight into a vast ice rink.  It will thaw again today, but snow is forecast for tomorrow.  I can take comfort in knowing that it is March and the snow won't last long and the ice rink will become smaller and smaller each day.

Until the weather warms, the ice melts and the spring flowers bloom, I am enjoying the flowers that I dried last summer.

A rose, baby's breath, and purple statice bouquet has graced one of the bathrooms the past few months.

A small spray of lavender was twist tied to a kitchen cabinet.

Soon they'll be sent to the compost pile and will be replaced with fresh cut flowers and herbs from the garden.

Today, I plan this year's "Everlasting" Garden.  Everlasting flowers are flowers which dry well.  They hold their colors and shape beautifully when turned into everlasting bouquets, which will last me through the next winter.

Roses, hydrangea, peonies, larkspur, statice in a rainbow of shades, strawflowers, cockscomb celosia, sunflowers, lavender, bergamot, baby's breath, chinese lanterns, globe amaranth, love in a mist and yarrow. 

 All beautiful while in the garden.  All beautiful dried.

Linking to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday

I used the following textures:

On the Lavender Spray:  Partings

On the two Dried Flower Bouquet Photos:  0703 from the Times 2 Collection

My apologies for not having any from "above" shots.

Good Morning Sunshine

"Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail."  - Og Mandino

Linking up with

A Black and White Photo

Meet Sniper, one of our six cats.

In reality she is orange (red) and white, but, seeing as the theme for Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday is Black and White, you'll have to imagine her coloring.

I used Kim's Unleashed and Paper and Paste textures on this.  Both were changed to gray scale.  Paper and Paste was laid first set to Burn @ 100%.  Unleashed is on top of that set to Soft Light @ 72%.

Linking to:

 Kim Klassen Texture Tuesday

and

Wordless Wednesday - Apple Blossoms

"What if you have seen it before, ten thousand times over?  An apple tree in full blossom is like a message, sent fresh from heaven to earth, of purity and beauty."  ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Linking to:

Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday, The Pop Edition.  Textures used were Cora (top and bottom photos) and Return (middle and bottom photos).

and to:

Snowy March Day.

What do you do on a snowy March day?

If you're me, you grab your camera and head to the chicken coop, 

to take pictures of the snowy coop before it's disturbed by the chickens or myself.

I clear a little area outside their door, so they can eat their hot sour mash and other breakfast goodies without standing in the deep snow.

Then, I leave them to eat and take pictures through the snowy netting until I get a lovely bokeh effect.

My fingers start to feel cold, so I head inside to turn the oven on, because somehow, baking bread seems like the right thing to do today.

I couldn't wait for it to cool.

What do you, would you, do on a snowy day in March?

WW - Keep Calm Spring is Coming

I'm linking up with

http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-13.html

Sharing a Little Love

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm sharing a little love with you.

Coffee and hearts and love.  Is there a better way to start the day?

This is one of my favorite cups.

I used a beautiful texture named Sybil from Kim Klassen's Downtown Collection to enhance this photo.

I love the little message on the inside of the cup and the swirling hearts on the outside.

I used the textures Isobel and Violet from Kim Klassen's Downtown II Collection to enhance this photo.

"The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real." ~ Billy Graham

I hope you have a day filled with romance.

I'm linking up with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday and Sharing a Little Texture Love.

Wordless Wednesday - Outside My Back Door

Linking to:

 http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/

and

Egg Shell Seed Starters

Guess what I'm doing?

Egg shells, potting soil, a spoon, seeds and water are all you need.

I'm planning my garden, organizing my seeds and determining which seeds need to be started indoors when.

Since I have lots of egg shells supplied by our seven beautiful hens, I'm going to be using them as starter pots for my seeds this year.  I'll be starting seeds starting about now through the end of March, so I'll be saving lots of egg shells.

If you're going to do the same, there are a few things to remember:

  

Remember to crack your eggs near the small end of the egg, when using your eggs, so you have most of the shell left to plant in.

Poke a small hole with a needle in the bottom of the egg shell for drainage.

Plant 2 seeds in each shell, in case one doesn't germinate.  You can always pull the weak one if both come up.

Keep the soil moist but not drenched.

Keep near a sunny window.

I'll be lightly covering mine with saran wrap until the seeds germinate, creating "a greenhouse effect".  I'll remove it once the seedlings are up.

When planting time comes around, simply pick up the egg shell, crack it slightly and plant it in the ground with your seedling. 

Easy Peasy!

Oh, before I go, look what I found!

Art journal pages that I did in the fall with chicken feathers.

Our chickens have grown so much since then that their feathers are twice the size now.

It's nice to remember how little they once were.

Morning Thoughts

A Meme

One of my favorite things is rising early, when the world around me is still asleep, then watching and listening to it awake.

Outside my window the sun shines, fooling me into thinking it's warm.

I am thinking of spring, gardens, planting, daffodils and tulips.

From the kitchen comes the aroma of coffee, calling me to pour a cup.

I am wearing blue, denim and a cotton tee, trimmed with picot lace and a tiny bow.

I am reading The Southern Exposure Seed Exchange 2013 Catalog and Garden Guide; vegetables like Royal Black Peppers speak to me, along with  Statice, Love-in-a-Mist, Strawflower and Globe Amaranth, flowers to dry and keep in everlasting bouquets and wreaths through next winter.

I am hearing the kneading of a cat's claws on the dog's bed behind me, as she joins the dogs and other cats, in a sleepy, warm pile of fur, for a morning nap.

I am hoping that my family and friends are well and happy today and everyday.

Around the room the sun filters through the dust particles, creating rays of sparkling magic.

I am going to mix up a sourdough bread starter.

I am creating art, inspired by my thoughts of flowers and spring.

I am thankful for the pleasures found in the magic of ordinary days.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing, created from my daydreams of flowers and spring.

Morning Glory Birdhouse by Tori Beveridge

I found this meme at A Haven for Vee, who found it at Cait's .

This meme was a pleasure to write, and I encourage you to share your thoughts in words and pictures too.  Please let me know if you do, I'd love to read your meme.

The Rooster Crows

No offense to Muhammed Ali, he was a great boxer, but he didn't know roosters.  As a matter of fact, anyone who believes that roosters only crow in the morning to announce the rising sun, doesn't know roosters.

A rooster will crow night or day, at any time.

Rooster Doodle by Tori Beveridge

The other night our rooster, Ringo, was crowing at 10:30 pm.  Our windows and doors were open letting in the balmy, for us in central Illinois in December, 70 degree temperatures waft in.

"Err er errrrrrrrrr", he crowed from inside his tightly locked coop.  He had never done this before.  "Maybe there's something wrong," my husband said.  "I'd better go check."  There was nothing wrong.  All the hens and Ringo were fine.  Maybe he was simply announcing to the world that he appreciated the mild weather too.

Ringo at three weeks.

I am not sure how the myth of roosters crowing to announce the sun rise started, but I will validate that they do crow then.. and a couple of hours before... and a couple of hours after...

Perhaps this story from Greek Mythology started it.  The ancient Greek word for rooster is aclectryon.

Alectryon was a young man who was ordered by Ares, the god of war, to stand guard outside his door while Ares romanced the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  Alectryon fell asleep on the job.  The sun god, Helios, sneaked past Alectryon while he slept, and walked in on Ares and Aphrodite.  Ares was so outraged and angry with Alectyron, that he turned him into a rooster which would never forget to announce the sun's arrival in the morning.

Regardless of his noise, I am glad that we have a rooster.  He's a very protective rooster and watches over his flock closely, which is important because we back onto a forest and have foxes, coyotes, hawks, opossums, skunks etc. as regular visitors. 

Ringo, four and a half months old, taken a week and a half ago.  He's grown since then.

He is a kind rooster and not overly aggressive.  I know some people have problems with roosters and their aggression, so I am thankful for this.  Ringo did try to peck/bite Mr B. a couple of times.  The first time, Mr. B. had been kneeeling down.  All it took was for Mr. B. to stand up, and Ringo took off... vrrrooooom... yes, the largest male rules the roost.

About a week later, Ringo pecked at Mr. B. again.  Mr. B. picked him up and held him securely at his side and gently pushed his head and beak down with a couple of fingers, and held it down for a few seconds, then released it.  Ringo lifted his head.  Mr. B. repeated it, once again pushing his head and beak down.  This time when Mr. B. released Ringo's head, Ringo kept it down, a sign of submission.

My comment, which had Mr. B. laughing out loud. "There is a pecking order and you're the biggest pecker."

Ringo is very photogenic, as I am sure most roosters are, with their vivid colors and long feathers.   I loved the photo above so much, that I had to use it as a reference for this painting.

Barred Plymouth Rock Rooster by Tori Beveridge

  I couldn't wait to see what it would look like matted and framed.

Barred Plymouth Rock Rooster, matted and framed.. I think I will play with different mat colors and frames.

... because it will be going on our wall, possibly in the kitchen where all things roosterly, chickeny, and barnyard seem to end up.

If you would like to see a larger version of the painting, you can see it in my gallery.

Prints and other products are available, so you too can have Ringo in your home.

You may have guessed by now.. the rooster crowing is also heralding the dawning of a new chapter in my blog.  I didn't mean to leave it abandoned and collecting cobwebs for so long.  My apologies.   I needed to work out what direction I wanted to take this blog.  It took some time, but I have the compass pointed in the right direction now.  I hope you'll join me on my journey.

This post has been submitted to

and to  Liv Lane's Little Bliss List
and to   Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
and to Homestead Revival's Homestead Blog Hop
and to

Tasty Tuesday - 10 Tasty Tidbits To Eat When It's Too Hot To Cook

It's too hot to cook!  

I truly wanted to bake something beautiful to take pictures of, but it's just too hot.

Living the middle of nowhere we don't have pizza or chinese food delivery.

Which is why I'm sharing 10 tasty tidbits, that I like to munch on when it's too hot to cook.

10 Tasty Tidbits To Eat When It's Too Hot To Cook

1 - Celery and peanut butter

2 - Celery and cream cheese with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper on it

3 - Frozen grapes

4 - Popcorn made in the microwave with no oil or butter

This is the exact popcorn maker that I use.  You can find it here

5 - Cheese and crackers

6 - Raw veggies or crudites or whatever you'd like to call them.  Ranch dip is always good with them if I'm in the mood.

7 - Cole Slaw

8 - Ham or prosciutto wrapped around a slice of cantaloupe or cheese

9 - Sliced apples served with this Caramel Dip = Instant Caramel Apples  

Caramel Dip

Add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and  1 tsp of vanilla to a small block (4 oz) of cream cheese softened. Add more brown sugar if desired.  Mix well and serve with sliced apples

10 - Chocolate Sundaes using this chocolate syrup which my Mom remembers being in the fridge when she was growing up.  It's a good thing to keep on hand. Why buy it when you can make it?

Chocolate Syrup ( makes 3 cups or 24 oz)

1 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups boiling water

1 tsp vanilla

Combine the cocoa, sugar, salt and water in a pot and mix.  Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Cool slightly and add the vanilla and stir well.  Store in a tightly covered jar in the fridge.

Use 2 tsp of syrup to an 8 oz glass of milk or 2 tbspns over ice cream.  Yumm.

What do you like to eat when it's too hot to cook?

Tasty Tuesday - 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

This morning, I decided to make Toasted BLCTs for breakfast.  That's Toasted Bacon, Lettuce, Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches.

Mr B. LOVED them.  He loves bacon and always enjoys bacon sandwiches of any kind, but this morning he was apparently blown away by this ordinary sandwich.  "That's the BEST BLT I've ever had."  He exclaimed.  "Never mind all that Tasty Tuesday stuff you were going to post today, you have to post the recipe for these."

LOL  Well, I didn't DO anything different than usual, but I did cook up different bacon.  Steakhouse seasoned bacon.  Thick sliced.. always thick sliced.  So, apparently, that's the secret to a superb bacon sandwich.  I thought I'd pass on the secret to all of you, if you have a bacon lover in your house.

It turns out, that I'm two for two today, because Mr B. also really likes the 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars that I'm sharing with you.

I saw these on Pinterest and pinned them onto my DELICIOUS board of recipes that I want to try.  I have so many recipes pinned, that I thought it was about time to start trying some of them.  The recipe originally came from Practically Living .

2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

These bars are not like cake despite being made from a cake mix, so do not expect them to raise up like cupcakes.  They will be thinner, dense and moist, like a cross between a brownie and a cookie bar.

The 2 ingredients in 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix gently, just until cake mix is moistened:

1 Angel Food Cake Mix - Just add water kind (any brand)

1 15 oz can of Lemon Pie Filling (any brand)

Don't over mix.

Spread into an ungreased 9 X 13 inch cake pan.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Dust with powdered sugar when you take them out of the oven if desired.  I chose to skip this and they were quite sweet enough without the extra sugar.  It would look pretty though.

Let cool completely in the pan before cutting.

2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

Delicious alone with a cup of tea or coffee.  Try serving with blueberries or with a twist of candied lemon peel on top.

Enjoy!