Setting Records and Keeping Traditions

We just came inside after having taken advantage of the first bit of sunshine in several days. Thanks to the recent rains, the lettuces and other greens are looking great! I harvested a nice salad's-worth plus several carrots. Still, I have grave concerns about our gardens, which seem to think Winter is over, causing bud-break to occur on the blueberry bushes, the grape vines, the peach trees, and many of the roses, as well as flower buds to pop out along with the Rip van Winkle daffodils, The problem? Let the picture tell this story:

I know! This is plain freaky, isn't it? Predicting a high for Boxing Day of 72° is bad enough. Recording a temperature of 73° at noon is worse...because we know it will go higher in the afternoon. I don't like feeling like I'm celebrating Christmas in Australia…unless I'm actually getting to celebrate Christmas in Australia (where, according to one of our new fave TV shows, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, which is filmed in Melbourne, they celebrate "Christmas in July"…but I digress...;-)

Anyway, that's the way it's been all along the East Coast this year...where many cities have set record high temperatures. Here in HPNC, we are playing along with the crowd, tying the Christmas Day high. We are also maximizing our electric bill...but not because of using the heat. Oh no, we had to turn on our AC on Christmas Eve for the first time since we celebrated the Holidays in Kissimmee. Florida. In 2003. 

Point-of-fact, we haven't turned our central heating units on this year, managing the few cold days (and nights) before this heat wave with the gas fireplace and lots of socks and sweaters (and lovely, warm quilts!). But no fireplace on this Christmas. We settled for the video-on-demand 'fireplace' on TV instead. 

Still, in spite of the weird weather, we were in festive moods to enjoy the traditions of the Season: Christmas Dinner (turkey with the trimmings, sort of like Thanksgiving Redux)...which we had on Christmas Eve for the first time; opening of "one present each" on Christmas Eve (which is the traditional pair of WINTER pajamas...;-); and then stockings first, Monkey Bread second, presents third, and Breakfast Casserole and Ambrosia fourth on Christmas Morning. (It's because we have finally realized, after several years of saying "we're just too full to eat Christmas dinner" on Christmas night after all we eat on Christmas morning that we moved Dinner to Christmas Eve...;-). We did have enough room on Christmas Day to eat generous slices of family fave, coconut cake with pineapple filling. Hey, we can be flexible while keeping the traditions!

Here are some photos of the Season:

Finally got the tree up in the great room...with 4 whole days to spare!

…and here it is Christmas morning after Missy M added her gifts.

The oldest ornament on the tree, circa 1965.

The newest ornament on the tree...a knitted sheep

One of Nana/Momma/Edith's painted ornaments (l); one of Missy M's picture memory ornaments (r).

Missy M's baby pic (r); a handmade ornament (l)

An ornament from 2006...made at the glassworks in Louisville

A pared-down mantle: few Nutcrackers made their way down from the attic; stockings were MIA (never fear...we used the little stocking ornaments instead, per Missy M's suggestion!)

Ner's Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling

Monkey Bread for Christmas morning...recipe below:

++++++++++++++++++++

Monkey Bread:

Please, please, please...don't use a recipe that calls for biscuits. You will sacrifice both flavor AND aroma.
 

Ingredients:

To make bread "ring:"

• 12-18 frozen dinner rolls (I used 22 Rhodes-brand frozen rolls this year...too many!)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted (not margarine...or any kind of substitute)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pecans, rough-chopped

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2-4 T. milk

Directions:

1. The night before you wish to serve, micro-melt the stick of butter in one bowl; mix together the sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Brush a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into the bottom and sides of a Bundt pan, and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and the pecans over the butter. [When you invert the "ring," this will make a nice topping.]
2. Then dip each frozen roll in the remaining butter, followed by rolling it in the bowl of cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place each prepared roll into the pan, starting with the bottom layer of 6-8 rolls and staggering the placement in any subsequent "stacks". Mix any remaining butter with remaining cinnamon-sugar, then pour over/between the rolls. Cover with plastic wrap, place in a cold oven (do NOT heat!), and let sit overnight. (If you use more than 12 rolls, put a cookie sheet pan underneath to catch any drips, as the rolls WILL rise during the night.) 
3. In the morning, remove the plastic wrap, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-35 minutes. To prevent over-browning, cover top of pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
4. When done, remove pan from oven and immediately turn over onto a plate big enough to catch all the syrup that will drip out of the pan. Make sure you get ALL the syrup and nuts from the bottom.
5. Combine the icing ingredients (powdered sugar, 2 T. melted butter, and enough milk to get the right consistency) and drizzle over the bread. Enjoy warm!

And Then...And Then...Along Came the Rest of the Story

Well hello there. Good to see you again. I'm back, and using the neatest technology for typing: talk-to-text. So why am I using talk-to-text, you ask? Ah well, that's part of the rest of the story. Let's get started…

When last I wrote, Mr. T was headed for a cardiac ablation to correct an arrhythmia. (Please see the previous two posts to catch up with this part of the story.) The short version is it all went extremely well. The longer version? Of course, that's where the rest of the story begins!

We got to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem on Monday (2/16) before the 7 o'clock scheduled appointment time and followed the (excellent) directions we had found on the website. Those directions got us to the correct parking deck that serviced the Electrophysiology Lab. Unfortunately, we actually needed to be in Admissions...several floors below and one building over. It's like we were trying to collect (or rather SPEND!) our $200 without passing "Go." STOP! Retrace steps. Start over. Dear Readers, if any of you have ever been to WFBH (or any large, metropolitan University teaching hospital), you will know that "retracing your steps" is much easier said than done. Sigh.

How did this happen? You may remember from my last post, that the cardiac ablation procedure was planned late Friday (2/13) afternoon over the phone, in consultation with the electrophysiologist after he had read Mr. T's ultrasound. As it turned out, Dr. W is the head of the EP department. In other words, he makes the decisions, and he can make a procedure happen in three days rather than in three weeks. What he does not do, is enter information into the WFBH admissions system. And, even if the top doc has decreed you will have a procedure ASAP, you do NOT do anything until the (electronic) paperwork is in order. And it was definitely NOT in order.

Still, I must say, everyone we met at WFBH...everyone...did everything to make Mr. T's stay there the best it could be. The Admissions rep pulled in just the right person to finagle the system into admitting him. And more than one person called the EP Suite to keep them apprised of his progress. He got the ticket for admittance when they strapped the bracelet on his wrist (note the QR codes...more about those in an upcoming post).

When we got back to the place we had started, they wasted no time in getting him prepped for the procedure...but neither did they try to save time by neglecting to tell BOTH of us what to expect when. Then, as they wheeled Mr. T away, one of the nurses said to me "do you know where the Adult Surgery Family Waiting Center is?" When I said I didn't, she smiled and said, "well, let me take you there!" And she did! Two floors down and one building over. [I soon learned that was a theme: if you even appeared to be lost, a hospital employee (doctor, nurse, tech...didn't matter) would come to your rescue, and typically ask if you wanted him or her to take you there.]

I settled in for my long winter's wait, since Dr. B (who was the EP in charge of the procedure) had said he would call me in about 2-3 hours to let me know how things were going. Missy M had agreed to stay behind at home and make sure the pups were fed (it's all about the dogz, right?); then she'd come along to wait with me. I had started a raglan sweater (knit, knit, knit...round and round on circular needles) that seemed perfect for passing the time in the waiting room. Only two problems:

1) We were in the direct path of a winter storm, supposed to dump snow and ice on us starting at 4:00...almost the exact time Mr. T was to be discharged (if all went well with the 4-hour enforced flat-on-his-back recovery spent in the day hospital room); and

2) My left wrist was hurting worse than ever. But, I had an appointment with a WFB orthopedic doc that very afternoon, and Mr. T's doc had encouraged me to keep the appointment. Plus, his nurse told me not to even think about driving across the campus...there was a shuttle bus that would deliver me door-to-door! Well, alrighty then...knit on!

Meanwhile....up in the EP Suite...

Mr. T said he remembers the first part of the morning, when they put at least 16 electrode patches to determine whether he was in flutter (he was) and to begin what they called a TEE. Here's a bit about that:

"In a small number of patients, an ultrasound of the heart is needed to make sure that there is no blood clot present. This is called a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)...and involves a probe that goes down your throat to look at your heart. You will be given sedation during this test..."

Well, sort of. He remembers the lidocaine that was used to numb his throat. Then the foul-tasting benzocaine. And he had the impression that he had pulled into pit row in a NASCAR race: there were people all around him, with each one doing some portion of the procedure...all working in harmony. He thought he might hear the whirring of the air-jack at any moment! And then...and then...well, lights out.

Meanwhile, back in the Surgery Waiting Center...

I knitted. And I texted. And I watched the constant weather updates. And I waited. And before I knew it, Dr. B called me to say the procedure was over, and Mr. T was doing well. Hooray and hallelujah! He said his nurse would call me soon and tell me the room number in the Day Hospital, which was where Mr. T had to go for 4-6 hours of observation "flat on his back, no movements." (Right. I was wondering what they were going to use to tie him down.) Within 15 minutes, Nurse Mary called with the number...and detailed directions...but when I asked an employee for confirmation of the correct bank of elevators (I had changed Towers, so I wasn't sure whether I could use the first ones I came upon), she said "let me take you there." Then when I got to the nurses' station on 11, I asked if Mr. T had arrived in his room. "No, but you are welcome to wait in there. Let me take you to it." (Can you tell I'm going to give them the highest score on their follow up survey?)

Missy M arrived to the room just after Mr. T did. And she stayed with him while I caught the shuttle to the orthopedic surgeon's office. I got there way too early, but they took me right away: the weather was changing, and they wanted to make sure everyone was seen before the snow arrived. The doc came in, asked me lots of questions, and examined my left hand/wrist/thumb. He was just like everyone else we have met in this system: open, kind, and easy to talk with. (Not at all like the orthopedic surgeon I had for my back in Florida...but don't get me started...:-)

Turns out I have a tendon-and-nerve combo problem called deQuervain's Tenosynovitis. Dr. W says it's fairly common, but I've never known anyone with it, have you? Here's some more info for you: 

>>>"Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

De Quervain's tenosynovitis (dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis) is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt every time you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist. Chronic overuse of your wrist is commonly associated with de Quervain's tenosynovitis. 

When you grip, grasp, clench, pinch or wring anything in your hand, you use two major tendons in your wrist and lower thumb. These tendons normally glide unhampered through the small tunnel that connects them to the base of the thumb. If you repeat a particular motion day after day, it may irritate the sheath around the two tendons, causing thickening that restricts the movement of the tendons."<<<

What causes it? Repetitive motion, like with tennis or golf (don't play), lifting a baby (don't have one...anymore), gardening (uh oh), crocheting (double uh oh), and knitting (triple uh oh). What can you do about it? For starters, NSAIDS are prescribed...but I already take Celebrex for arthritis, so obviously I'm beyond Step 1. Next up, stop doing any/all of the above, which is accomplished by splinting 24/7...for 4-6 weeks (only removing the brace for showering and hand-washing) to limit use and to keep the wrist and thumb in proper alignment. In other words, NO KNITTING. Triple sigh. And lastly, a cortisone shot...in the wrist. If you know me at all, you KNOW how terrified of needles I am. So, when you hear I was practically begging him to give me that shot, you will KNOW where I was on the pain continuum that day. And if the above doesn't work? The last stop is surgery. And the website that Dr. W sent me to showed a video of that surgery, which is probably the best incentive I have at keeping the brace in place. Ahem.

So here's the fashion statement I'm making for the next few weeks. "Lovely" isn't the word...and in doesn't fit inside of a sweatshirt sleeve very well. Still...I want to do everything I can to avoid surgery. [Yes, I admit it. I am a big baby. And no, I wasn't knitting with that ball of yarn. I was wondering if it would make a good squeeze toy. I may have to keep my thumb still, but I need to provide some therapeutic movement for arthritic fingers...which were used to knitting.]

Meanwhile, back on the 11th floor...

Mr. T's observation period was ticking away, with just a small hitch. At the 4-hour mark, the nurse who changed the bandage decided he needed to stay a couple more hours. Of course, that timing coincided perfectly with the arrival of the winter storm we'd been hearing about all day. You knew that was coming didn't you?

No worries. We made it home just fine, following the salt trucks and snow ploughs all the way. Missy M took good care of us until she headed back down I-85. And Mr. T was a good patient, following his doctors' orders for a quiet recovery. 

So far, so good. His heart rate is consistently registering below 100, his blood pressure is staying in the normal limits, and there is no indication of the arrhythmia. I say again...hooray and hallelujah!

And me? Well, I may have to give up knitting for a few weeks; I may have to forego using a keyboard and stick to talk-to-text and single-digit typing on an iPad; and I may have to figure out how to make-do in the garden with just my right hand (using a hand trowel, yes; using a cultivator or hoe, no). But I can tell you I am doing better already.

And that is...as promised...the rest of this story.

Returning to Our Regular Programming

I'm back! Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. Some of this...some of that...and, well, you know. That's life, right?

Let's see...where were we? Ah yes. Winter was holding us captive.

Winston chilling out in the Rose Garden

Yeah...still is in a way, even though the calendar has rolled over to Spring. Well, Mother Nature did NOT get the memo because we had snow flurries on Tuesday. March Madness is not just for basketball! (Sadly, my Tigers did not make it out of the first weekend of NCAA tournament play again this year. Sigh. And that's all I'm going to say about that.)

Here are some more frozen photos to chill you out: be sure to click on the windmill one (below) to get the full, freezy effect! It was actually spinning when I took the shot!

Brrrr----
Thomas in the Way Back
"Don't think I'll sit in those chairs!"

Icicles on the Windmill

Actually, here at Casa 3917, March is marching on, bringing on the buds regardless of the temps. First came the tiny, ground-hugging crocus...yellow ones, followed by purples and whites. Severe weather is nothing for them...but how they survived being trampled several times daily by the dogs, I'll never know. Impressive.

Winston in the Way Back
surrounded by King Alfred Daffodils

Now, our daffodils are blooming all over the property (as you see in the picture of the Rondel, right), making me smile whenever I look out a window. Some of you may remember when we moved here 5 years ago (can you believe it has been that long? Neither can I!), I was saddened to learn that the previous owners were apparently not daffy fans, since there wasn't a blooming one on the place. Never mind...I've fixed that little problem by planting over 500 bulbs (so far!). And now we are reaping the rewards...everywhere we look! Big, bold, bright yellow King Alfreds...delicate, fragrant Tahitis...frilly Rip van Winkles and Golden Ducats...beautiful white Ice Follies...and many I don't know the names of because they were in those two big mixed bags o' 90 bulbs each. They are all out there...and I bring countless ones inside weekly.

And, let's not forget the almost overpoweringly-fragrant hyacinths...deep purples (my personal faves), light "blues," pinks, white, "reds." You name it...they are apparently defying the catalogs that say: "may not return in Zone 7 or higher without digging and chilling." The Blue Star ones that I bought on sale in January of 2011, way past the time to plant them...and planted them anyway, some at the mailbox, some in the back yard next at Hyacynth Bucket's feet...and next to the yet-to-be-built-shed? Yeah. They keep coming back, making me smile to see them...and making me smirk to know that together, the bulbs and I, we beat the odds. A gardener's delight!

Next up in the Show of Blooms will be the iris, both the delicate-looking Dutch Iris (which come from bulbs) and the more rugged Bearded or "German" iris (that grow from rhizomes). Both varieties are preparing to astound us again this year, for I see the sword-like "leaves" coming up through the ground, most often right next to the daffodils. Since you should leave daffy leaves alone after they finish their bloom cycle and allow them to yellow naturally in order to feed the bulbs for next year's show, I have tried to interplant daffodils, iris, and (the next in the succession) daylilies, in order to hide the unsightly yellowing process.

And, in the middle of all this actual gardening, I've been working on several Master Gardening projects. The volunteer opportunities are endless! My latest was doing some revisions for the Speakers Bureau Totally Tomatoes PowerPoint presentation...then previewing those for the other speakers who were giving the presentation across Guilford County...and then giving the presentation last Sunday at the Greensboro Arboretum. Tomatoes? I know, I know...it's too early to plant them...but not too early to talk about growing them!

So, winter weather or no...gardening has been front-and-center. And you can read more about that topic over on our garden blog, Gardening with the Giants. Click here to go there.

I'm guessing you have figured out by now that I've been off my bike more than on. Yes, folks, I'm still biking to Disneyland...just not as much or as often as I was. I made it to Kentucky...and then weather intervened (3 days without power...and my stationary bike has a vital electronic component in keeping up with my mileage, etc.), followed by garden intervention, both here and out at the Extension's Demo Garden/Rose Garden...and oh yeah...life in general. Some were real reasons creating real time constraints...some were/are just plain excuses.

Well, no more of that silliness. I'm back in the saddle(seat) yet again, and I'll do my next post on my ride tomorrow. I'll also get my Twitter feed up to date this afternoon following my ride...which will hopefully follow my annual visit to the eye doctor, which will be followed by a stop at the grocery shop. And probably a run to the bank...the post office...the cleaners...

See? There it goes again. Life in general...interfering...just like at your house...

Sheltering in Place

What a day! We had sleet, then snow, then ice, then more snow last night...three inches of the stuff in the rain gauge. Then this morning brought freezing rain and wind. So you won't be surprised to read that we lost power about 10:00...and are still waiting for High Point Electric to restore it to the Oak Hollow area.  Truly thankful that we had fully charged our phones and iPads overnight, and that Mr. T has a Sprint Hot Spot to give us a WiFi connection and a Power Bank to recharge the Hot Spot. Ain't technology grand?

The ice that was coating the tree limbs was just beautiful...but wicked in more ways than one. First up...the damage that the weight of the ice does to the tree itself as you can see on these photos of the magnolia and a cedar from our front yard.

Next...the after-storm. If you've been to our house, you know we are surrounded by tall, tall trees...and the ice-laden limbs and branches began to start snapping and popping and dropping about noon. The noise it made sounded like rifles firing. A friend posted on Facebook that it sounded like a war zone in her neighborhood! It actually became quite dangerous to go out in the back: if it wasn't a branch, it was an icicle that could bean you! 

I did take some photos with my Canon camera before I realized the peril I was in, and headed back inside to safety. I'll have to wait for power before uploading those to my laptop. Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy these pix taken out front with my phone. 

You just don't realize how many ways your life is connected to electricity...no pun intended. I have gone into our windowless closet three times today...and flipped the light switch three times. And my bike riding? On hold, since the bike has a computer dashboard for tracking time, distance, etc., which needs electricity of course. And don't get me started on how funny our "so whatcha want for supper" conversation went. (Most of the restaurants in the area are still without power, too; the one we did find open has a wait list of over an hour...and besides, we have been asked to stay off the roads and "shelter in place" for safety. So we decided on sandwiches since we can't cook or reheat anything, unless we fire up the grill...but it's COLD outside!)

Still, don't worry about us. Mr. T got up early, when the first flicker of electricity warned us we might be in for it, and he flipped the wall switch that turned on the gas fireplace, so we have heat. He is heading out to his car to recharge the mobile phones now. We still have two old-fashioned landline models that don't require electricity to work, so we do have access to the outside world. We'll be fine until the power co. cavalry arrives. We have all the bread and milk we need!

And the forecast? Weather wonks are calling for a fabulous weekend: sunny and sixties! Frankly my dears, I'm ready for it!

============

Read more about us here: 

http://myfox8.com/2014/03/07/guilford-county-declares-state-of-emergency/

I Heard the Wind Change

I was just finishing up my second cup of coffee this morning. I had fed the pups (who got up extra-early today...bless 'em), read my email, and answered the ones that needed attention. I had just begun to read USA TODAY online. Then I saw the little notification box pop down from the top of my iPad screen: ALERT: Winter Storm Advisory!

What? It's a beaUtiful day...blue skies, sun shining, doggies rampaging through the Way Back with joyful abandon. OK, so it is a bit cold, and the fireplace does feel awfully good this morning. But "winter storm?" You've got to be kidding me.

In less than a minute, I received an instant message from Missy M with a picture attached:

Looks like the Winter Storm had already visited The Ville today! A Facebook posting by a cuz in Portland, TN, showed they had a dusting of snow, too...and another cuz in Memphis mentioned flurries there. 

Granted, the folks in Northern Kentucky probably just shrugged. They had a similar dump of the white flakes just last week, when we got this picture from M...taken the morning after the workers had finished installing her new roof. As I posted on Facebook..."Timing is everything," said Mr. T!

We in HPNC dodged a bullet during that last round of snow-on-the-ground storms, but it appears from the News 2 weather app's "future" feature that we may be in for some kind of precip late this afternoon into this evening. And I just ate the last of the loaf for toast...ha!

Still, I was having trouble connecting what I was seeing out the Morning Room window (blue skies, etc.) with what the weather wonks are predicting. And then...

I heard it. I literally heard the wind change directions. It shifted from southwest to north-by-northwest. Almost simultaneously, both weather vanes...the small one on the garden shed in the back yard and the big "windmill" one in the center of the Way Back that we call The Derrick, screeched in protest as they swung around to point in northerly directions. Wind out of the North? Yep...I think this storm may mean business. 

Forget that third cup of coffee. I'm headed to the grocery. Gotta make the bread-and-milk run!

(Almost) Back to Normal

The Holiday Season is officially over...almost. I'm slowly de-decorating the house, now that the calendar is past Epiphany (January 6). Oh wait! I see that today is the Eastern Orthodox church's Christmas! Yea!! I can turn the trees on one more day! Wonder if I get 12 more days? (That's good because I need Mr. T's height to help me take the trees down, so that chore has been deferred to the coming weekend.)

So where's Mr. T you ask? He's off and riding..."on the road again"! He headed out yesterday morning, destination Glen Burnie, MD by way of Ashland, VA. He looked so nice in his new burnt-orange and maroon sweater and shirt...a gift from Missy M. I told him he looked like a VaTech fan...and he said that's good 'cause he was headed to Hokie country. It's been two months since his shoulder surgery, and he feels better with each day.

However...

He's a little out of practice. A couple hours after he left, I noticed his wallet on the counter (pic above) His WALLET! With his driver's license...his credit cards...his folding money. Yikes! Change of my plans: day trip!

I texted and phoned him, and he was blissfully unaware of his situation. He was also just over the VA state line on I-85 North. And he was almost out of gas. (Since gas is so much cheaper in VA than NC, he usually tries to stretch his luck to save some $.)

I grabbed the wallet, my purse, and my phone...tossed the pups (who were confused about Daddy's absence) a rawhide/chicken jerky chew each and promised I'd bring home fries (first thing that came to mind!)...jumped in Lillie Pearl PTC and headed her toward a meetup in the middle. Almost. 

Mr. T could only find a little over $3.00 in loose change in his car. Fortunately, gas in VA was $3.08 a gallon so he got a whole gallon...giving him a little over 30 miles in his tank.  He decided he could make it to a Sheetz at Exit 212. That gave me about 100 miles...which would work as I had a little over a half-tank.

Thankfully it was a gorgeous day for driving. We had bitter cold temps on the way, but it wasn't predicted until late afternoon. I could do this! And I did. We met up, exchanged the wallet for another goodbye kiss (!), and was back on the road home...and Mr. T back in the road to VA/MD...in less than 10 minutes (even with a potty break)! *

I made it home (with a bag of Mickey D's fries) in time to take down the outdoor Christmas decor (just a wreath, a couple of flags and windsocks), cover the containers with my miniature roses, detach the garden hoses, and cover the faucets with styrofoam caps. The temps had dropped 10 degrees on my ride home, and I wanted to be prepared. Here's a shot of the clouds I snapped on my drive home. (Looked like snow clouds, but no go for the snow.)

While I didn't get everything done I'd planned for my first day Back to Normal, I got the main things accomplished...including a 12.5 bike ride from Lewisville, NC to Shacktown, NC (more on that in another post to come).

Today, I finished up my list by washing a big pile of clothes, making a big pot of beef-veg soup, and then making my 3 favorite "comfort food" sandwich spreads (pimiento cheese, ham salad, and egg salad)...half-recipes, since only I will eat them.

[Funny...the only differences in my pimiento cheese recipe and my Cheese Ball recipe are about 4 times the amount of cream cheese, 1/2 as much mayonnaise, and pecan pieces, cayenne pepper, and paprika for rolling the Cheese Ball...but Mr. T turns his nose up at pimiento cheese, all the while devouring the Cheese Ball. Oh well...more for me!]

"Comfort food" and winter weather preparations? Oh yeah! I snapped this shot of the thermometer on the deck (against the house) at 7:30 this morning: 7 degrees!!! 

And from the Weather Station reporting from the Way Back (out in the open) at 7:41 this morning: 5.5 degrees!

The weather wonks are assuring us we will rapidly be returning to more normal temps. Bring it on! I'm really ready for some Normal.

+++++++++++++++++++

*Footnote:

I got this message from Mr. T last night, after he had finally made it to his hotel room.

++++++++++++++++++++

Heheheheh. (Almost) back to normal indeed.

Sunshine, Tan Lines, and Mosquitos

What a bea-U-ti-ful weekend we had! Finally the perfect combination: good weather, no rain...and reasonably warm enough to be able to be outside. Yardening, here we come! Oh, how we've missed this...

While I gathered some essentials (gloves, pruners, etc.) Saturday morning, Mr. T began the day by refilling the bird feeders. Only...on this day, he had a new helper: Abbie! Look closely at the picture (below) to see Abbs with her paws up on the stump that is used as the filling station; you can barely see Mr. T's hand, as he had slipped back in the shed just as I snapped the shot. Oh yes, dear friends, she has taken to both master and routine like she's lived here for a year instead of just a week. She's discovered the doggie doors...and knows how to use them. Surely it won't be too long before she's chasing those d4mn squirrels away from the rich bounty in the Kingdom of our Back Yard.

The To Do List was lengthy and dynamic as we began the day. Mr. T was especially keen to get the 6 newly-arrived Flame Seedless grape vines in the ground in the Berry Patch, which meant he had to start with the Big Tiller to turn over the bed we had previously drawn up and marked off.

We have two Concord grape vines that are starting their third season (you may recall they produced some grapes last year), and we wanted to try another variety to complete our "vineyard." Research shows that Flames are heat-tolerant, which was the main consideration; whether we liked the grapes was the next most important item. While I like the Concords...and look forward to the day when I can harvest enough to make a jar of jam...Mr. T isn't a fan of their flavor...says they are too sour for "straight eating." Enter Flames: sweet and seedless...who could ask for more?

The area chosen for the vineyard is in the correct pH range (5.8 per our Soil Test in 2011), and appears to have a sandy streak running through the red clay. As we haven't improved the soil in this spot, we made a tasty mix of the soil removed from the planting holes, top soil, mushroom compost, Moo-nure, leaves (saved last Fall, remember?), and peat moss. While the last ingredient isn't recommended in this area due to a tendency to contribute to the soil's acidity, we made an executive decision to go for better tilth over pH. The support posts also got pounded in (no easy task), and the only thing remaining is to string the support wires and secure the vines. Those new grape-babies sure look happy in their new home!

Meanwhile, I continued with the pruning of the roses (doesn't sound nearly as much fun as The Running for the Roses, aka The Kentucky Derby, now does it?). Remember, I had finished this chore in the Rose Garden, but there were still the 17 bushes in the back yard? All look healthy, with the possible exception of the Sterling Silver hybrid tea. The first "blue" rose introduced in 1955, and the parent or grandparent of almost every lavender-blooming rose out there, this bush has always seemed less hardy than the others. Now it looks like it is on the Intensive Care roster. Sigh. It's one of my favorite blooms, too. You know how much I love purple, right? (I mean, who else paints their shed doors PURPLE, I ask you?) Well, this rose blooms a lovely, delicate lavender. Of course, "delicate" is probably the operative word here.

While I was pruning the roses in the Rose Garden, I had a thought: why not try to root some of the hardiest trimmings? With yesterday's snips, I had quite the collection. Sooo, out came the rooting hormone...and the nursery pots...and a new "rooting mix" (potting soil, peat moss, and sand). I got 12 pots of trimmings...and if just a few root, well...that's OK. It will be my first time to root my own roses...and probably the last time I ever buy another rose bush. As I am doing this for my own garden, with no plans to sell any successes, I'm ok on the patent laws...teehee.

As I dipped the last stem into the rooting hormone and pushed it into the last space in the last prepared pot (see photo above of the cuttings), Mr. T was tilling up a new rose bed in the Way Back. You see, we need to move some of our back yard buddies to a sunnier area. We made the mistake of planting them that first Spring we were in this house, thinking the sun factor where we put them would be constant throughout the growing season. Wrong. They just don't get enough hours of Summer sunshine (hybrid teas do best in full sun...8-10 hours a day). A reminder that one should live in a house...and garden...for a full year before making any changes.

Next up: potatoes in bags! Yes, we are planting our potato crop in bags again this year (instead of dedicating a row to them). Worked well last year, thriving on the benign neglect that was Garden 2012. I had prepared 10 sprouting chunks (3-4 eyes each) a couple of days before, giving them time to scab over on the cut edges. Mr. T helped me set up the Potato Farm, by laying out cardboard next to the asparagus bed, where we put 3 blue grow-bags, pouring top soil in to the depth of about 3 inches. As the sprouts grow, we'll add soil to cover the new growth until it reaches the top of the bags. At the end of their growth cycle (after the flowers, and when the green stems on top begin to wilt and die back), all we have to do is dump the bags out and-- voilá--potatoes! No digging!! And we have the added benefit of being able to recycle the "used" soil. Winner, winner...baked potato dinner!!👍

While taking a break, I could tell my face was getting more than a goodly amount of sunshine. As I'd had my visor on (I cannot wear a hat...just can't...too hot...) mainly for eye protection from the light and the glare (yeah, still an issue), I knew I was starting on one of my most bizarre tan lines: the one across my forehead, between my hairline and where the visor droops down over my eyes. Like a bald-heated man who forgoes his baseball cap at the beach.

And, just as we were enjoying a refreshing snack of Braeburn apple slices and cheddar cheese with crackers (agreeing that we'd truly missed these little impromptu picnics), what should buzz Mr. T's ear and alight on my exposed hand (since I was wearing long sleeves and long pants to protect me from all those thorns, I was fairly well covered elsewhere)? Why, a big, black mosquito! Already?! Guess so...

Before we collapsed on Sunday evening (remember...an extra hour of daylight!), Mr. T finished installing the last two Country Garden fence corners in the Cool Season Garden. Beautiful! We plan to redo this space with raised beds, and the corners provide just the structure needed.

And, then as everyone and everything left the Way Back, I mixed up the Dormant Spray and doused the fruit trees, grape vines, and roses. Sunday was the perfect day for this chore: a partly cloudy day in late winter (of which there are only 10 more days!), with no rain in the forecast for 24 hours; temps above 40 and below 85; with the area well-watered (the ground is still well-saturated from all the rain we have been having); and no chance of frost. While this stuff (basically, horticultural oil) is safe, there are warnings to remove people and pets from the 'active' spray area. And, although I am a "be nice to your Mother Earth" kind of a gardener, I recognize that an ounce of prevention in the dormant stage is worth the need to spray a pound of cure later on...and risk harm to any pollinators that come during the blossom stage.

And so, if Mr. T and I eventually recover from all of our strenuous activities, we shall pronounce this a successful weekend, and time well-spent. Huzzah!

What To Do When It Snows...at the Beach

My impeccable sense of timing is still intact, you will be happy to hear. But, before I get to that, a little background information.

You may recall my observation (OK, some might call it more of a rant) about "the same thing happens every year" in November. About Mr. T and his use (or lack thereof) of his 5 weeks of vacation time...whereby he arrives at the final month in the Fuso vacation calendar with nearly as many vacation days to "use or lose," as there are working days left in the month? Well, it seems he isn't the only one in his company doing this...and, at their annual meeting in January, they were all "encouraged" to spread those days off more evenly throughout the year. Brilliant idea! Now, why didn't I think of that?

Ahem.

Anyway. In an effort to comply, we mapped out a more "consistent," shall we say, vacation plan for 2013...with our first days-off being a long weekend over the Presidents' Day Holiday. In mid-February. Which is still Winter, last I checked. What were we thinking?

We managed to book our dogsitter, Ms Jan, and counted ourselves lucky that she hadn't planned a trip to her beach house. That should have been our first hint. Then, we headed to Raleigh on Friday...me to a Friday Favorite concert of the NC Symphony and Mr. T to work with his main salesman at the dealership there.

We were pushed for time as we tried to get on the road, but remembered to stop by the pharmacy to get the new prescription my dr had phoned in...second one for this ear infection that has been lingering. I know, I know...yet another homeless germ has found comfort in my compromised immune system. But I wasn't going to miss our first getaway of the year for some ol' bug I was battling, now was I?

And, we knew before we left HPNC that some severe weather was in the forecast for the state: sleet and snow for Friday-Saturday. But we were going to the coast, for goodness sakes! Snow? Bah! I mean, really, how likely would it be to snow at the...

Have I ever told you about the time Missy M and I had to fly from Columbus, OH, to Pensacola, FL, to "rescue" Nana/Momma/Edith? She had made a car-trip with her friend Thelma to Destin for a week at the beach in March of 1993. Th. fell while walking in the sand and wound up in the hospital with a stress fracture in her back. Momma didn't want to drive Th's car (which was too small to accommodate an injured passenger) back to OH by herself, after Th's son drove his van to FL. What else could possibly go wrong, you ask?

Well, on the morning we were leaving Destin, we awoke to snow. In Florida. At the beach. In March. We decided to push on with our plan to drive that little Toyota back to Pickerington, and off we went. Up and over the Back Bay Causeway bridge...which had iced over...in 35 mph winds. I kept saying "if we can just get a little further North, it'll be OK." Right. We nearly mired up to the running board of the car in the single-lane ruts on Interstate 65 in Alabama...making it as far as Montgomery before the State Troopers closed the road. I think we got the last vacant room at the last Holiday Inn in town.

Snow at the beach? You'd think I'd learn...

We did have a fun day in New Bern today...the calm before the storm, so to speak. Never been to the state's Colonial capital before. Spent some time at Bradham's Pharmacy, the Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola...enjoying all the memorabilia and the excellent film on the history of our favorite soft drink. One of my earliest memories is Daddy singing the jingle "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot, 12 full ounces and that's a lot." Only, I remembered it a bit differently from the one in the video: "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot, just a nickel not a lot." Either way...tells the story, right?

We strolled one of the lovely downtown streets of this 300+ year-old city, with its beautiful churches and all sorts of antique stores and cute little shops. Loved looking at all the decorative bears...you know, ones like the horses in Louisville and the cows in Chicago? Since we have been to Bern, Switzerland (for which New Bern was named by Swiss settlers), we "got" the reference to the Bear City, as "bern" is the old German word for bear. We bought fancy cupcakes at a local bakery. Got some doggie treats at a local pet boutique. And then checked out Tryon Palace, restored home of Royal Governor William Tryon and first Capitol building for the state. As the weather conditions were deteriorating, we decided to leave our tour of the house and gardens for our next trip...and get back across the causeway bridge to our hotel in Atlantic Beach (or, Pine Knoll Shores, to be exact) before any precipitation made an appearance...and made the roads as icy as all the signs were warning it could.

Once we were back on the island, known as Bogue Banks, we felt a little easier, so we checked out Fort Macon and picked up some shells on the beach...until hunger and the increasingly cold winds caused us to scuttle to a much-mentioned local eatery, the Channel Marker. Yummy Shrimp Scampi! A good choice, indeed!

We decided to save visiting the NC Aquarium, which is located a couple miles away here in Pine Knoll Shores, until tomorrow. I'm imagining we'll be happy to have an indoor activity, don't you think?

By the time the sun went down, we were back in our room...snug as bugs...and enjoying our dessert (remember those cupcakes we bought in New Bern?). We each fired up our iPads and tapped into an e-reader: Mr. T was using Kindle; I had a book on Nook I'd saved for "vacation." Gotta love technology! And we were as gleeful as little kids when the snow started to fall outside our window.

It's been falling steadily all evening, although none is sticking, so far as we can tell. I tried to take several pictures, but they didn't really come out. What does tell the story, though, is this screen capture I took of the Weather ap, showing the bright colors of the precipitation. Blue is snow, in case you are wondering.

And that big blue dot in the middle of all that swath of blue weather? Well, that's "our current location." At the beach. With the snow.

What's a Mess for One?

I miss my Momma. Oh, not in a bad way, really. No, this past week has just had so many reminders of her as a person…and I miss that person.

First, there was one of those “grief ambushes” that my friend LCM wrote me about. An EMGV friend at a recent training session we were both attending, excused herself to make her daily call to her mom who lives in Virginia. The thought “I wish I could call my Momma,” just popped into my head as she walked off, cell phone in hand. My throat closed up, and I had to dash to the bathroom to keep from making a spectacle of myself.


Cold Weather's A-Comin':
Getting the Garden Ready

And then, I worked in the garden all day on Thursday, getting it ready for the cold weather that was a’comin’. Snipped flowers that would be nipped in the frost.  Took more cuttings of coleus and geraniums (see the Electric Lime coleus in the photo to the left.)  Sheared the ferns.  Covered the tender lettuce and spinach with row covers; put straw on the peas and the strawberry plants (which are covered in flowers and berries, if you can believe that). Then, because I seem to have gotten an extraordinary germination rate on the 7-Top Turnip greens, I picked a bagful (left). A mess for me, so to speak. Only…I think I may have overestimated the amount needed for a pot of greens for one person. When I was standing at the sink, washing and picking through that mound of greens, I started to tear up: I’m the only one in the house that eats greens anymore. (Mr. T wouldn’t touch turnip greens…won’t even be in the house when I cook them…not even in the same state, as he says.) I had once made the comment to Momma about this very subject…and now the day has come to pass.  It's a mess for one.

Most importantly, there was the realization that Momma would have LOVED the 2011 World Series. Loved. It. Although she was a Braves fan through-and-through, she had a sweet spot for the Cardinals… especially since she spent almost 6 years as a “local” fan when we lived in Missouri. She thought the world of Albert Pujols, the first baseman extraordinaire, and she would have been proud of his performance. Ditto “Yaddi” Molina, as she called the catcher. But the fabulous David Freese would have struck a chord with her: hometown hero and MVP of the series. And that extra-inning Game 6 that lasted until way past midnight here? She would have been wide awake at the end of it, whooping with the rest of us. She might have slept through the middle, but she would have been there at the end. Woo hoo!

Now, It's a Greenhouse!
The screen porch is transformed...

Sigh. Life moves on.

In addition to getting the garden ready for cold weather, we got the “grow-light” shelf set up in the plasticized screen porch and brought in the herbs. Then we arranged…and rearranged…the plants we plan to overwinter on the floor of the porch, and we set up lights on timers to provide both light and warmth (see the photo to right). Somehow or other, we were able to pack ‘em all in!

I tried something new this year:  I put my geranium cuttings (dipped in rooting hormone; rooted into potting medium in small plastic plant containers) in the big pots, arranged around the trunk of the large plants (the corn plant, the lemon tree, etc.).  Hopefully this will keep everyone happy and moist, without wasting water (or having it puddle on the floor of the porch).  We'll see how it goes.

Treats for the Houndz:
Mr. T hands out carrots to
Elmo (l.), Gus (c), and Duche$$ (r)

It’s the end of October, and time for the treats…hopefully no tricks. Mr. T is getting practice handing out some carrot treats to the houndz in that photo (left). He seems to have their undivided attention!  He's home this week, so I won't be trying to keep the houndz at bay while trying to hand the treats to the kiddos through the storm door...always a trick for me to accomplish.

I had so many flowers that I snipped before the frost nipped the buds that I fixed a vase for the dining room (photo below)…and one to take to Momma’s our family’s BFF AW. She treated us back that very evening with a chicken pie from Deep River Friends Meeting’s Chicken Pie sale. Yummy!  With a salad from some garden lettuce, it made a perfect supper.

New Dining Room chairs...
and the last flowers of the year

 Speaking of the dining room, I took this picture (right) of the new chairs that we found on a recent trip to TJ Maxx’s. We have had this DR suite for 33 years (!), and I still love the warm pecan finish on the table along with the bow-front glass on the doors of the matching hutch. The table has two leaves and can expand to one HUGE piece of furniture.  Amazingly, it has survived 11 (or more) moves...and it still looks pretty good.  And, since it was made by Stanley, it has “come home,” so to speak…since the Stanley Furniture factory used to be in Lexington, NC (no more, sad to say). But, the ladderback chairs have been re-covered for their last time, I think. So I was thrilled when I spotted these upholstered Parsons chairs in a nutmeg color. Mr. T loaded them up into his Outlander (which he is trading in today...time for a new co. car!) and brought them home on Saturday.  We tested them out last night, when we dined on our chicken pie…and both said they are perfect! (As soon as those flowers are gone, I’ll get out the Thanksgiving decorations…:)

Here I go again...
Goal:  50k words in 30 days!

So, here comes November! And, what happens in November, dear readers? Well, it’s time for NaNoWriMo, of course. The National Novel Writing Month, when challengers attempt to write a 50K-word novel in 30 days, beginning at 12:01 tomorrow morning. Once again…I’m signing up for the challenge. And, once again, I have such high hopes as the month begins.  Will our heroine be able to vanquish the foe or will her life intervene with her best laid plans?

I can already see it happening, and I haven’t even written a word yet! I have three Speakers Bureau gigs over the next 8 days, so I’ve got to be extra vigilant with my time. If you do the math, you’ll see that you must write an average of 1,667 words EACH day in order to reach your goal. I wrote a 500-word (which I then had to edit down to 300...:) article for the North Carolina Master Gardener Volunteer Association state newsletter on Wednesday of last week, and that took me most of the day! I’ll have to be diligent at following the advice of veteran NaNoWriMo’s: DO NOT EDIT, just write!

Easier said than done.

68 One Day...38 The Next

What a tease.  The weather turned "unseasonably" warm this past weekend, and we headed outside with a skip in our steps.  It was fantastic!  And, it was fleeting.  But, before I begin bemoaning the return of the thirties, let me dwell for a few paragraphs on the thrill of the sixties...however brief it be.



Mr. T tries out the Mantis tiller

 On Saturday, we broke out the Mantis tiller we've borrowed from Missy M.  She's got raised beds in her garden now, so she doesn't use it anymore.  It was just sitting in her shed, so we shifted it to NC several months ago.  Haven't had a chance to crank'er up until now.  And, since the ground was still a bit too damp from the recent snows for the Big Boy Tiller, we decided to give the little lady one a try.

Mr. T got the motor going and tilled up some rows around the back of our mailbox (photo, left), expanding the flower bed we put in last year. 



Blue Star Hyacinth bulbs...finally in the ground

 You see, I had purchased some Blue Star hyacinth bulbs (photo, right) in November (past the time for fall planting) at half-price, with every good intention of forcing a few of them for Christmas gifts.  OK, so that didn't happen (this year...:), and the bulbs spent the last 10 weeks chilling out in the garage.  When I checked the box on Friday, I noticed they were ALL sporting tiny buds on beautiful, fat bulbs...not a single one had been lost.  Hooray for happenstance!  Let's get these puppies in the ground!!  We planted 68 bulbs, most in front...some in back by the new garden shed.





Row of green peas

 Mr. T showed me how to use the Mantis...and there was no stopping me then!  He tilled up a couple of rows in the garden on Saturday to demonstrate, and then I tilled 7 more rows on Sunday.  I got a row of green peas planted (photo, left), plus a row of carrots and a row of spinach...and, I got rows ready for lettuce and beets.

Aren't you pushing the season?  asked Missy M.  A little bit, says I.  But not by too much.  The planting guide says that we can begin planting peas, carrots, and spinach on February 1st...and January 29-30 looks awfully close on the calendar, don't you think?  Plus, the carrots and spinach are covered with row covers for cold-weather protection. 



Taking soil samples


In addition to the planting activities, I collected 12 samples for soil testing (photo, right).  I dug them up on Sunday and left them out to dry some.  Then, on Monday, when the weather had returned to Winter, I went about collecting the samples for the boxes.  Hoo-boy, that was hard, since the cold wind was cutting right through my jacket and hood.  Thank goodness for garden gloves...which kept my hands warm all the while!

I'll send these samples off to Raleigh, as directed on the boxes, and hopefully we'll get good reports on what amendments we need to add to enhance our soil.



Cold frame from straw bales and windows

 Last but not least, before it turned cold again, Mr. T "constructed" our cold frame, using four bales of straw and four windows (photo, left).  We'll use it to start seeds and harden off plants as the season goes along. 

He'd "rescued" these windows along with several of their friends from a roadside in PA last year, and we've been eager to get them into use here in NC.  We plan on putting two in the garden shed's back wall to give light and air to the inside of the structure, and I want to hang a couple of them (after painting the frames purple Blooming Wisteria, of course...:) on the side wall, with flower boxes beneath them.  Photos to follow!