Friday, July 12, 2013

LUMBERJACK DAY! THAT'S ON SEPTEMBER 26TH. RIGHT?


Oh my. Oh my.
Specifics and being a work site manager are definitely required when you mention things to my husband.
I got the yard and garden off to a good start this early spring.  I cleaned beds, raked debris and planted of course.  When the trees and bushes started budding and filling in as weeks went by I started noticing dead wood in a Silver Maple tree in the backyard.  The ground beneath the Silver Maple is a shade garden that has definitely been a labor of love over the years.  Not for the tree mind you but for the great shade plants that you can find in the nursery.  For the record, I hate that tree and all of its' "helicopter" seeds it sheds each spring!  I probably have mentioned more than once over the years to my husband how much I despise that tree and the mess it creates every year for me.  That man has a memory like an elephant, he never forgets!
A few short weeks ago I noticed again, the dead wood in the Silver Maple.  I finally remembered to ask the hubby to please cut down the dead wood out of the tree.  This was on the night before my day off from work.  I tend to stay up late the night before a day off, catching up on movies, reading, etc.  This all equals out to the cause and effect of my sleeping in late on some days off.  Which I did exactly that the following morning.  Waking that morning, later than usual, I thought maybe I could grab a cup of coffee with the husband before he leaves for work.  I made my way with a cup of joe in hand to the back patio only to find my husband taking on the character of a lumberjack!
This is probably what he visions in his head.
T
This is really a clearer picture of what a suburban lumberjack looks like.

Needless to say, I almost dropped my cup of joe and had a heart attack  right there.  I don't picture him playing doctor very well, so good thing I didn't need CPR!
He was indifferent to my shock and said, "You hate this tree right?  I think I can take it down myself."  I said, "NO! Please stop.  That is a SHADE GARDEN beneath there!  Probably 100's of dollars worth of plants by now.  I need that damn tree there!" 
He was happy with his handiwork and thought he did a splendid job. 
The lesson here is never suggest or ask for something to be done unless you can supervise the job!
Hopefully my beautiful variety of hosta and day lilly, and spirea all survive a little more sun shining on them!
Here's a picture before Paul Bunyan came to do some yard work.
 
 These are after pictures with piles of branches and even a beautifully crafted bird's nest that was lost in the frenzy.
 






It has been a week or so since Paul Bunyan visited.  The following pictures show what seems like the garden is holding up to more sunshine and partial shade.  Thank goodness.


 


 


 
 
Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
-Warren Buffett
 
 
 
 

Friday, June 28, 2013

A TRIBUTE TO CLAUDE MONET

I would like to think that Claude Monet would find some inspiration wandering my gardens.  I definitely find inspiration and a calming feeling from the beauty of the colors and the shapes of the garden's edges and in the shapes of the flowers themselves.  My husband has coined a word and uses it when we sit on the patio soaking in the beauty of our labor of love.  Peaceness.  He loves using that word and I have grown fond of using it myself.  A garden provides a peaceness. 
I love the feeling I get when I view paintings by Claude Monet.  His works of art bring a sense of joy and a sense of calm or peaceness.  Impressionism makes the paintings have such a soft feel to them and the colors that Monet uses in his paintings bring them to life.  So here's to the great French impressionist painter.

      
 
 





                                      

 
 





I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having bcome a painter to flowers. -Claude Monet
 
 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

GREAT BURGERS FROM SCRATCH

I made these burgers on Fathers Day.  Try them.  
HAND MADE BEEF BURGERS
recipe is for 1 lb of ground beef
  • 1 lbs of lean ground beef
  • 1 tsp of EVOO
  • 1 egg yolk
  •  1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • couple of good shakes of dried minced onion
  • 1 Tb of onion powder
  • 1 Tb of McCormick Perfect Pinch Steak Seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
Form the meat into patties.  Of course the math tells us 4 burgers to a lb of ground beef.  Put a thumb print in the center of the patties before grilling so the burgers do not shrink.










  •  Everyone has a right to a university degree in America, even if it's in Hamburger Technology.
-Clive James
 

Father's Day 2013



I want to extend a belated Happy  Father's Day to all the dads out there.  I hope everyone had some time to visit with their dad or to spend some reflective thought about him if you were not able to be with him.  My dad died young when I was only 8 years old but I enjoy the memories I have of him.

So the weather forecast for the weekend was off a bit which made my weekend weather outlook in my last post sound chilly and wet. Saturday afternoon leaving work it was 78 degrees and clearing with sun.  Who could ask for more on a spring day? I could!  Ask and you shall receive.  The forecast for Father's Day was mid to high 80's with sun and yes, humidity, but of course, it's Chicago.
The weather was perfect for a family visit.  I was  outsideNinside on Father's Day.  I was inside mixing up burgers for grilling outside.  The Dad in this house likes to keep it simple, so burgers on the grill and simple sides like a fresh garden salad and of course some chips or potato salad are what he requested.






 We have 4 kids and some have jobs that require them to work Saturdays and Sundays but those that don't work weekends can come for the BBQ.  My 94 year old mother will be there and my brother and my sister in law too.  That menu will be perfect for an open house visit from the kids.  Don't
forget boccie ball competitions!
 


 


 Bloody Mary's to start the day for some and moving on to homemade White Sangria.  My daughter loves to work in the kitchen and she cut up fresh apples, strawberries, pears and blueberries and added it to the white wine.
 
While we sat outside enjoying a lovely day, the garden pictures tell all that is booming in the garden!
 

 

 

 

 


I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.
-Sigmund Freud