Spring Has Sprung -A Dung- Dung!

After a long snowy winter, things are finally starting to turn around a bit.  If you remember from a previous blog post, the Strata (typically called the Home Owners Association in the US), was working on drainage remediation around our complex.  Scootard and I had to make a dash outside to rescue what we could from our little garden area before we lost everything to earth movers and gravel!

Well, the plants; such as they are survived.  Some thrived and some didn't do that well.  I suspect it was due to over crowding in the pots.  But we ran out of pots!  So, oh well.......

Here is a picture of the Hyacinths and Tulips that we salvaged before they were ready to pop open...

And here is after......:-) these are some Hyacinths

These are some Tulips.  This picture was taken through a window that is why it looks a bit cloudy. the tulips don't seem to be doing that well as far as blooms go.

These are the Grape Hyacinths.  When fall comes, I will trim the leaves back and maybe separate the bulbs some.....

More Hyacinths......:-).  These are starting to fade now.  Ass you can see in the background, the landscapers have not come to lay down sod or seed yet.  So, we figured we had better put in the ground whatever we were going to plant this year in a hurry.  Otherwise, we would have to cut through the sod to do it.  I don't think the Strata management company would have been happy with that.

We headed for a nursery out of town that I had never been to before.....yay...!

     They had all manner of "stuff" in this store!  I loved it...

Although, I have no idea what happened at this point...haha

Night lights....very cool....:-)

A fire place/ waterfall combo....now, that is really cool!

ok, ok...back to business...  We had loaded up a cart with 4 beautiful Rhododendron and then decided to google the species and see what diseases it was susceptible to.  Well, we had that part under control and then discovered we are living on the WRONG side of the building for proper lighting.....:-(.  We really had our hearts set on those or Hydrangeas.  But both seemed to be quite delicate and we get a LOT of sun for a LONG time in the summer....:-(.  So, we finally settled on some Hibiscus plants.    

These are "double bloom" Hibiscus, so I hope they are as pretty as they sound.  They were all quite a bit cheaper than the Rhodes and the Hydrangeas too.

These didn't have a picture, but the description sounded pretty.  All of them are still in dormancy.  Hopefully in a couple of years they will have filled out and become quite beautiful.....

 After the assistant assured us that the plants we wanted probably would not survive for us, he recommended that we get this stuff for planting our new plants to help them thrive.
  

 Chris was a trooper getting everything into the car for me.  He's just starting to get his "wind" back after a bout with pneumonia....:-(.  Poor guy....

 After spending almost three hours in the store "ooooowin" and "ahhhhwin", it was time for dinner.  I could not believe it was almost 8:00pm!  We headed for a restaurant that was almost 30 minutes away.  It's called "Fet's" or something like that.  I was starving and so was he.

Chris ordered some Poutine as a starter. For those of you who don't know what Poutine is; it is french fries (or yam fries) smothered in gravy and topped with cheese curds.  It was dark in the restaurant.  Sorry about the blurr....

I ordered mushroom stuffed pasta with truffles......(or something like that)..??

Then for a main course he ordered this giant burger thingee.....ha

 I could not believe I ordered more pasta! This was Cajun Cream Chicken....it was SMOKIN HOT...haha

It was a great day and I have a feeling it is going to be a great summer.....:-)

See you soon!!

Sad Days For Our Garden..:-(

Hello Fellow bloggers,

I know, I know!  Seems like a stranger just poked her head into the world of blogging.  It has been a very long time since I have posted.  Lots going on here along with the crazy weather that most of us have been having.  I usually hibernate when it gets cold.  So, other than writing about food; which I have no problem doing, there isn't much to talk about.

 All of the pictures in this blog were taken through one of my windows.  So, please forgive the shadows or strange reflections that you may see.  The weather here had been quite impressive for a while.  We had snow and a lot of it!  I love the snow as long as I am not driving in it.

The weather cleared up for a little while and I was already thinking of the Spring flowers that were going to start showing...:-). But then,  we received word from the Strata that the condo complex which we live in was due for a drainage remediation around all of the buildings. This meant that whatever we had previously received permission to plant in our little area had to be taken out or destroyed. At least for now.  We do still have permission from the Strata to replant flowers if we want.  But we don't know what kind of area we will be left with.

The contractors were going to be doing extensive work around the buildings to help alleviate the problems that come with aging buildings and poor drainage. We decided to snatch out of the ground whatever seemed worth trying to salvage and let the rest go.  This is what we were able to save:  Two pots with about 8 hyacinth in each,  three pots of tulips with about 8 tulips in each pot of various sizes and colors and one large pot with grape hyacinth in it.

Here are some "before" pictures from previous Spring plantings:

Tulips. These were planted just outside of our living room window....

Hyacinth. Next to the wooden retaining wall at the base of the garden.

Grape Hyacinth. We got these from Chris's Mom and planted them one year outside of our office window.

"Stock"....at least I think that is what it is called.  They smell like ....well, I don't really know, but they were under the window one year too and I loved to sit there and smell them as the fragrance came into the living room.....:-)

Brachycome..These came back two years in a row.  We didn't expect them to be perennials.....
gone....:-(.

We planted these one year too under the window, but I don't remember what they are called now.

Since when we returned from our last trip the Rhododendron bushes were practically dead from inconsiderate neighbors dogs and cats, we told the contractors that they could dig out the bushes and dispose of them.  They offered to keep them in a ball for us,but since we didn't know what size area we would be left with, we said no.  It didn't take them long to scoop them out.

I couldn't find a "before" picture, but this is after.......

This is the center of the garden one year

Here is another

After........

We did manage to get our decorative grasses out and plant them across the courtyard under a tree before they were forever lost.  Good thing they are still dormant.

Next thing you know, there was another dump of snow.  It did this off and on for several days.  This picture was one that I took before they ripped the bush out of the ground.  In the background you can see a large pile of granite that was part of a larger pile we used to make borders in the garden area.  These are the pots we put the plants in.

They had more than one crew working around the buildings.  The remediation called for some of the older trees to be cut down.  Some people lost a great deal of shade as a result of it.

I was amazed at how tall the tree actually was and how much lumber could come from it although I was sad to see it go....:-(. This was one tree, so you can imagine how tall it really was.  I love shade trees.  Especially coming from a climate where nothing survives the harsh summers except ......me!

The process seemed to drag on forever...it took days to do this stuff.  Now, the wooden retaining wall that was at the base of the garden is gone.....

Things are getting serious now!  They are scooping all of the dirt out.....

Yikes!!  For a moment I thought he was going to break our window.  He came very close to it and dug a trench.  I guess the guy has "mad skills"!

And after it was all said and done...we were left with no planting area under the window....

All the bushes and shade trees outside of the office window were gone as well....

It reminds me of a post war situation.....:-(.  Fortunately, we have also been told that landscapers will be coming to finish up and put down some grass seeds.  We haven't decided if we are going to replant or just leave them in pots.  But for now, here is what we salvaged, starting to wake up for the Spring.

We will probably keep them here until we see what the landscapers are going to do.  But it is likely that they will remain in pots and hopefully endure storage while we are away in the United States this fall.

sigh......:-(

Stroll On The Beach----brrrrrr!!

I love the beach although the beach we have in our town is a bit of a disappointment, it is still a place to go to be near some water without having to venture too far away.   I took these pictures before the snow hit our little town.  Chris immediately headed for the drift wood...:-). It's amazing how much of that stuff comes in with the tide.  I have often wondered how much drifted in from China...??

who knows what he is up to now...haha.  Perhaps he is contemplating another "grand construction"?
 

Seems that this particular day, others were trying to take advantage of the fact that it was not raining cats and dogs for a change.

 There is something about water that has a peaceful feel to it.....

 Then there is the "side affects" that may come with all of that serenity...

 ....ahhhhhhh....

 and that was our little outing into the cold.  Time to head back to the warm comforts of home

We made it home before the snow. I tried to capture this picture twice and kept getting the reflection of the camera....:-(....sorry.

Anyway, we made it home and decided to enjoy some pigs in the blanket; or at least that's what my Mom used to call them...:-).  Comfort food! ha

 Hope you are enjoying the snow that has fallen since these were taken...:-)
See you next time!

Hot, Hot Stuff!

 Well, it's been a while since we got together and chatted about my latest "goings on".  So, I thought I would let you know what I had been up to in the last few days.  I have a post that was done some time ago that showed where I made a hot pepper sauce from scratch in my own kitchen.  I have learned from my last few experiences to approach the situation armed and dangerous!

 yep..  that's me..haha

And for pete's sake don't forget these.....

Now, proceed with caution! ha.  I started the process of cutting all of the peppers.  I used a combination of the following:

1.  Jalapenos-5
2.  Pablano- 1 large
3.  Thai Chillies-5
4.  Serranos- 5
5.  Fresno- 4
6.  Habanero-2

You might notice that I didn't use ALL of the seeds.
 

Next, I put about 5 cloves of fresh garlic through a press and set it aside....

Now, it was time to put the peppers (without the garlic) in a large skillet with about a cup of Virgin olive oil. I don't usually cook by "measuring", but my smell and taste.  But for those who need measuring, I estimate that it was probably about a cup or slightly better.  Keep in mind that different olive oils are for different purposes.  So, you want to make sure you choose one that is for "cooking" and not "dipping".

Time to chop the peppers.....

 Add to hot oil and cook for about ten minutes on medium heat.  You will be very happy to have covered your eyes and nose! Even with the vent on, the steam was still escaping into the air.  I had a fan on sitting in front of the kitchen window up on the table to pull the "aroma" out of the house.

 
After cooking for about ten minutes, turn the heat off and let the oil cool down for about 1-2 minutes.  Now, add the garlic, salt and stir.  If you add it before this, it will "toast" or burn.  Of course, if you want your garlic toasted in the mix that is fine too, but it can burn quite quickly.  So, be sure to remove it from the heat "just before" it has reached the desired color you want it to be because it will continue to cook in the hot oil for a few more minutes.  Let it cool in the pan completely WITHOUT a lid.  If you put a lid on it, it will make condensation and you will end up with water in your pepper oil.

I had enough to put some in a jar in the fridge and the rest went into this little jar that I bought a while ago for this very reason. Here is the finished product...:-).  This picture shows the jar nearly empty because we had already eaten some when this picture was taken.

It sits on the table with my "special" salt and pepper shakers that Chris purchased several months back....:-).

TADA!  Hope you all try this one day.  I know you can do the same thing with peppers that have no heat if this is too spicy for some of you.  Some times we use just the oil off the top and other times we use a spoonful on eggs or other dishes we enjoy.

See ya next time!