We had such a lovely rain last night after quite a warm day. I spent the better part of  Friday morning working in my garden and now everything is just soaking it up and looking so perky. I’m already seeing buds that I’m sure were not there yesterday! Today, as the skies clear, I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my youngest daughter and two of my adorable grandsons. I have the cookies baked, the s’mores ingredients ready and my camera battery charged to the max!

After a layer adjustment and sharpening, I used the White Oak texture by Kristy at Life-n-Reflection.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Again, I was stalking my lilac bush, watching for any and all creatures that care to visit. This time I captured what I think is a bee (I’m no expert) but a bee I will call it. What is fascinating are the two tiny pollen ‘baskets’ that it has filled up to the brim! I wonder how it manages to carry all that?

I’ve been fascinated with these ‘growths’ on our trees for years. They truly are bizarre. According to treestrees.com they could be a Robustus Conk. Well, robust for sure, but conk I don’t know – I’ll take their word for it. It mentions that affected trees would have numerous woodpecker holes and are, well, rotting. I have a love/hate relationship with these aspens. They are beautiful, interesting, and old. Homes for hundreds of creatures, but also . . . they are approximately 90′ tall. I’ve seen them come down in strong winds, you should hear the thump. I don’t want to tempt fate here, and even though we ‘manage’ them  there are a few that are still just a bit too close to our house. It’s a dilemma, the beauty and wonder of nature, versus the safety of us humans . . . hmmm lets just say it’s an ongoing concern.

While I love the glorious and full blooms of roses and peonies (can’t wait), I’m always quite drawn to the small, delicate types. These perennial bachelor buttons are no exception. I love the details of the bud and the spidery petals of the flower. This lovely little plant is just now starting to bloom and is a welcome addition to my country cottage garden.

Linking up to Flowers on Saturday at Blueberry Craft and Hobby Time

This past week there must have been quite the ‘hatching’ going on down at the lake since there were literally hundreds of these dragonflies flying around the yard. There were lots of silvery flashes, like sparkles everywhere! It was quite magical.

I think this is what is called a ‘Variable Darner’ according to the ‘Insects of Alberta’ website.

Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as “nymphs”, are aquatic (Wikipedia).

Linking up to Black and White Wednesday at The Long Road to China

This is such an unassuming plant in my garden. It grows in a rather shady, dry, cool bed but never complains. I love these fluffy flowers that it produces – so delicate! I used Kim Klassen’s new freebie texture ‘subtly yours’ that she so graciously gave us on Sunday. Her post was ’10 Steps to Happiness – Get Started Today’. Lovely post, lovely gift. Thank you, Kim. Make sure you check out all the other textured photos at her blog:

I really love making preserves and we were running out of my stockpile of jellies and jams from last year, when I realized I could make something with my rhubarb. For the jam, I used the recipe found on the insert with the ‘Certo’ pectin that I had. Then I had a craving for a scone to put it on so I searched the ‘net’ and came up with a terrific recipe for scones – best ones I’ve ever made anyway. They were tender and flaky and very easy to make. So here’s the recipe for scones – I think you’ll like it.

Best Scone Recipe (from Cooking Nook)

But I’m not going to assault your eyes with the photo of my poor petunias. So here is my latest layout using elements from Katie Pertiet and Anna Aspnes. My lilac bush was drooping right to the ground but has since sprung back. I picked a whole bunch of blossoms so I could at least enjoy a bouquet.

My lovely, cheery little geum. I thought it would look marvelous in my authentic antique jar given to me by my mother-in-law. It’s a jar that once contained what is called ‘bluing’ used for laundry because it makes whites look whiter. The wording in the glass says ‘This bottle contains Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing’. What a little gem to hold my geum!

Check out the cute little site ‘Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing’ (since 1883). Looks like this product is still available!

Joining in the fun at Project Alicia’s Lazy days of Summer where the theme this Friday is ‘Flowers’. Ahh, flowers, I can do flowers . . .

Linking up to Flowers on Saturday at Blueberry Craft and Hobby Time

My lilacs are over-the-top gorgeous! I think there must be a hundred blooms this year and that is saying a lot because my one lilac bush is not very big. I don’t know what’s come over it! I’ve taken dozens of photos and I just can’t capture how I feel about it. Butterflies visit it. Bugs visit it. I have a vase sitting here on my desk with two sprays and the scent, oh the scent! It is absolutely heavenly. I wish it would stay like this all summer but I suppose that is part of the charm of it all – it’s time is fleeting and thus so much more cherished. I captured this bokeh early in the morning after a rain and this photo is straight out of the camera.

I took this photo today at 5:50am. There was some fog on the lake and then the sun broke out onto these wonderful pelicans that are in our bay. I was thrilled with the reflections!

Linking up to World Bird Wednesday at The Pine River Review 06.07.11

Right around this time of year my lilac bush is ‘abuzz’ with all sorts of creatures. For days I’ve been trying to capture a photo of the beautiful swallowtail butterfly that is teasing me (oh, I will get you . . .) but in the meantime I caught this Hummingbird Clearwing frantically feeding. It’s quite the little creature. I would never confuse it with a hummingbird but I have to say it does remind me of one.

“This moth is often mistaken for a large bumblebee or even a small hummingbird when it hovers in front of a flower to sip the nectar. The Hummingbird Clearwing is a member of the family Sphingidae, the sphinx moths. It can be identified partly by the fact that it is active during the day where most other members of the family are nocturnal or active at night. It is also one of the smaller members of the family with a wing span of 4 to 5.5 cm. The wings are clear in the centre and have a broad brown border. Most people who see this moth for the first time have a problem trying to figure out just what it is. As stated earlier, it can be confused for a small hummingbird or a large bumblebee. Once people find out it is a moth they generally become quite fascinated by it and remember it! The larvae are seldom serious pests.” See the Royal Alberta Museum.

Male Bluebird

Female Bluebird

In order to get these photos I set up my tripod on the road and zoomed in on the birdhouse as close as I could. and then I waited. and waited. and waited. When one of the bluebirds landed, I quickly rotated my camera towards it and took a burst of shots. It took me an hour to get the photos I wanted but the time went fast- it was very interesting watching their behaviour. A pair of swallows were trying hard to oust them from their nesting box by swooping in and diving but the bluebirds were determined to not let them have it. If the female bluebird flew off, the male was right there sitting on the box fending off the swallows. My goodness – it’s a ‘bird-eat-bird’ world out there!

Linking up to World Bird Wednesday at ‘The Pine River Review‘

I’ve been using this recipe for rhubarb crisp all my married life. It’s from ‘Nellie Lyle Pattinson’s Canadian Cookbook’. My sisters gave it to me at my shower – oh so many years ago . . . and it just falls open to the page when I go to look for ‘Fruit Crumble’ – it is delish!

Rhubarb Crisp

5 cups rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces

Syrup

1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 – 1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water or fruit juice

Crumb
2/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup melted butter

Combine fruit and syrup and place in a 6 x 8 baking dish. Combine dry ingredients adding the melted butter last. Mix with fork until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with ice cream – a must!

Linking up to Live Every Moment where the theme is ‘food’ 6.3.11

I was featured at ‘Full Plate Thursday’ at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

I was recently inspired after reading a post by Grace at ‘Sense and Simplicity’ on how to decorate a mantel. She had been inspired by an article in Canada’s Style at Home magazine. The article had been written by Steven and Chris and gave an easy step-by-step process on how to create a visually pleasing vignette. When I saw her post, I almost fell over! How did she know I was so mantel challenged! I give you this photo as proof. This is what we have been looking at since I took our Christmas lights off five months ago . . .

This is absolutely it – I kid you not

I wasted no time and went straight to Winners to find an eclectic assortment of treasures. Granted, I was starting with a framed print by Robert Bateman that I really love – it’s called ‘Winter Run’ and he could have been painting it from our deck – I have actually seen similar scenes around here. Well, I’ve seen moose and I’ve seen snow-covered branches – that counts, I think. Anyway this is what I came up with:

A little more homey?

Following the directions closely, I chose a small black & white painting of a decrepit dock on a lake, a tall wire bird that looks like a heron, a grey birdhouse, a tall white vase to put branches in, two glass candle holders and a small willow wreath. I then added two old mason jars full of teeny-tiny pine cones, two light green candles (spring) and a clay pot with willow balls. The coup d’etat is the real, old, antique wooden duck decoy that my son-in-law gave to me shortly after we moved to the lake and it has been a treasured and honoured guest here ever since. I think it all came together beautifully, and since it was very low budget, I won’t be afraid to mix it up with the seasons. I won’t think about it now, but what about autumn! oh the possibilities! Thank you Grace! and Steven and Chris!

Happiness

Linked up to ‘Black and White Wednesday’ at The Long Road to China

It’s magical when Lady’s Mantle and rain collide!

This weekend we are enjoying fabulous, warm, sunny weather. We were out on our boat this afternoon with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. It has been wonderful. We wait months and months for this. So why do I choose for my Sunday Best, a photo that reminds me of (sn*w)? There’s just no explaining it – I’m Canadian? I love white flowers? Both, I guess.

Our beautiful little pincherry trees are blossoming – it seems to happen over night and if you blink – you’ll miss it! I watch the trees in our yard and am acutely aware of what time it is; early spring, late spring, early summer, mid-summer etc. etc. It’s a steady, predictable progression and I appreciate and savour every moment. Processed with one layer of Kim Klassen’s ‘Sweet Treat’.

“Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I’m darned if I know how the helican.”
Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)

I always get a kick out of seeing pelicans on our lake – they look quite comical!

I made this Victorian-inspired topiary approximately 15 years ago (maybe more). At the time I was over-the-top fascinated by these – grew my own flowers, dried them, and scavenged for unique stems. I made so many I gave away dozens! Ahhh, but that was then. In the past year I have been wanting to get rid of all of the ones I kept. Their time is over. They are dusty. They don’t fit with most of my decor. And I keep my stuff to a minimum. But I can’t do it. I can’t bring myself to throw them out. Perhaps by having a photo, inspired with Kim Klassens textures, we will be able to part ways. Perhaps. I used ‘Luminous’ and ‘Love’.

Check out all the vintage-themed beauties and Kim Klassen Cafe!

I took a walk down to the dock and was greeted with a lot of squawking from these two terns. They were obviously pretty upset that I had invaded their privacy. I’ve learned to respect the warnings from terns since I was ‘dive-bombed’ last year by a particularly territorial bird. I think they are too cute, though.

OK, what are you doing here?

. . . you should back off . . .

. . . do we have to show you we mean business? . . .

I took a few quick shots and beat a hasty retreat!

Last December I made a resolution to save this plant and I created a post about it. I want to repeat it here because it’s a long story – but true.

December 2010

This poor thing is a begonia. I know, this may seem like a weird subject, but hear me out. This plant (well, its ancestor) has been in our family for at least 50 years. It was a plant that my grandmother grew and she gave a slip to my mother who gave me a slip, probably when I was in my 20’s (about 30 years ago). It seems to me a miracle that it is still here. I would have lost the whole thing 8 years ago (mine died) except a plant that I had given to one of my daughters was still living and she very graciously (happily?) gave it back to me. It has now sat for 8 years in this pot. Actually, it looks amazingly well, I think. All it gets is an occasional soaking of water and is then forgotten for weeks. I pull off the dead leaves and apologize to it while doing so and remind myself of how amazing it is that a plant would be in a family for so long. I took a look at it tonight and decided that I was going to start to treat it better and give it the respect it deserves. I promised it that I will have it transplanted into a new pot with new soil and a bit of fertilizer before December 31st, 2010. I will then post an “after” photo in celebration and will continue to give updates on its welfare. Daughters – prepare yourselves to be handed the torch.

I’m trying to replicate the look of a Hipstamatic shot. I followed a tutorial and I delved into curves – totally don’t know what I’m doing in curves!  . . . I’m not sure if it passes the test but I kinda like it. Anyway, I caught this fella on our bird feeder – cawing his head off – yikes! it got annoying!

Grunge border, courtesy: Linda Sattgast at Digital Scrapper.
Texture – Tall Tale – Life-n-Reflection

I did this for a ‘Scrap Your Flowers’ challenge over at Digital Scrapper. I loved that this butterfly landed on the white Queen Anne’s Lace – so fitting.

One day last summer as I was driving home, I was not expecting to see these poppies – there were hundreds of them lining a fence at a local campground and they had never been there in previous years. I was absolutely blown away – I thought they were so cheery and they seemed to be saying ‘come on in and stay a while’.

Since today is Cinca de Mayo I thought it fitting to share this family-favourite recipe. I first made it when I was hosting a Mexican dinner for eight people. It was a hit! Here I served it with a mix of papaya, mango, cherry tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. If you want it to be really Mexican – use a traditional tomato salsa and serve with rice.

Lime Ginger Chicken

4 chicken breasts, halved, skinned and de-boned
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Mix lime juice, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes in a non-aluminum bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Cook chicken as desired * (I prefer to barbeque it, summer or winter). Transfer to serving plate. Add lime slices to skillet and brown on both sides. Set on serving plate. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with salsa and serve immediately.

* other options are to cut the chicken into strips and cook like a stir-fry, or
cut into cubes and use on skewers with red peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

Well, I am running behind on all my various projects – I feel like I’m just keeping my head above water, but I love it! When you have a passion that will wake you up at 5:00 am because you want to get working on it – you are blessed. I used ‘Sweetheart’ ‘Silence’ and ‘Luminous’ using different blend modes, layer masks, and hue/saturation adjustments. Textures are addictive!

I get such a kick out of our rabbits running around here in the city! All winter I was trying to get a photo of one with his white coat, but to no avail. The other night this fella was sitting right under our kitchen/dining room window and I had to settle for brown.

A few interesting notes I found at ‘Talk about Wild life’.

White-tailed Jackrabbits are hares of the open spaces, avoiding heavy woods. With prominent eyes high on their head, they have almost 360 degree vision, allowing them to see most approaching enemies. During the day they rest in a shallow sheltered ‘form’, often under some standing vegetation, green or dried, such as Alfalfa or weedy plants. Should a hungry Coyote approach, they bound away on leaps of 5.5 to 6 metres, at speeds of 64 kms per hour, sustaining that pace for a kilometre or more. Generally, they circle back to the starting point. Coyotes, which often hunt in pairs, know this habit, so while one is actively pursuing, the other stays behind to lie in ambush near the starting point. Hares at one time were classified as Rodents, mainly because of their similar front incisors. A major difference is the pair of dowel-shaped teeth immediately behind those chisel-sharp front teeth. As a result, they have been placed in an order of their own, the Lagomorphs. They are totally vegetarians. All members of this group re-ingest their fecal material, running it through their digestive tract a second time to absorb nutrients which were broken down after the point of extraction the first time. (eeeewwww!)

Now here’s a crazy eye for you!