The Rosemary Story

Last spring we started a lot of plants from seed which was a very successful venture. There were cannas, geraniums and lisianthus as well as the usual tomatoes and peppers. More about those another day. Today I want to tell you about Rosemary!
Quite the challenge it was, trying to grow Rosemary from seed. I did some research and found it was very, very difficult to start, but some web sites did give some hints and ideas. My first packet of 100 seeds (yes, I did say "first.") was planted in two little containers. It took a long time before TWO came up, one in each container. There was only one problem. They weren’t Rosemary! I couldn’t find out what they were, so after they had the second set of leaves I took a picture of them. One day when we went to an Earl May Nursery, I showed the picture to a the gal there and asked if she could identify them. She said she'd look it up. She did and discovered they were Lemon Balm!! In the meantime, that packet of seeds was replaced, and I started over. To shorten the story, I bought even more seed and did get some plants, probably about twenty in all. They were planted out in the herb garden did very well. I kept two potted in the greenhouse. (Shown in the picture.) I have had three growing in the house through the winter which will go back outside when warm weather comes.
By the way, I found that Lemon Balm is quite tasty when chopped and added to salads. It is a very pretty plant.

April in the UK

Everywhere you go there are daffodils. Planted along roadways and in round-abouts, around houses, and in parks makes a beautiful picture. Added beauty happens when you see primroses in the park at Worcester and hyacinchs with the daffodils on a main street.

Spring Snow!

Springtime snow, a continuation of winter in Iowa!
It brought the birds to the feeder.

My Thoughtful Neice

Last night I received an e-mail from my neice, Mary Jo. She found this article in a Twin Cities newspaper and thought I would be interested.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/16905686.html

Of course, something that promotes Etsy always makes for a happy feeling. I wonder how many other publications have had similiar articles?

Coventry Cathedral

In Coventry, England we viewed the remains of a medieval cathedral which was destroyed by German bombs on the night of November 14, 1940. Only the walls and the tower were left standing.. Rather than seek revenge the Provost vowed to work towards reconciliation. The statue of two people hugging, which is now part of these remains and labeled with the inscription "Father Forgive", is representative of that reconciliation.

Look At This, Norma

Way back when, my sister and I collected Beanie Babies. In fact, she got me started collecting. Well, you know, she's from the Twin Cities, and they are always ahead of Iowa!! So I had never even heard of Beanie Babies. Now look how far it's gone. I knitted this little scarf for Glory. I love knitting scarves and have some listed on Etsy, so why not knit one for a Beanie Baby? This pink scarf is for sale there, too, and Glory goes along as the free gift. Let's see. Beanie Babies. Oh yes, that's how I met my husband, too. :-) :-)

 

Linger a Moment

Let us linger a moment on this dark, chilly day. Only 29 degrees at 1:00 pm.
Actually it's a happy, warm day.
It's EASTER! He is Risen, as He said!
Because of that we have "a Living Hope."
Hope was the message in church this morning.
A message to warm us.
Here is another taste of warmth.
Cannas grown last summer.

Cleopatra (yellow) and White Speckles

Tewkesbury, England

Tewkesbury Abbey began as a small monastery in 715. The present building was started in 1090. It is believed that, with the exception of Westminster Abbey, this Tewkesbury Abbey contains more medieval tombs than any other church in Britain.

This Abbey and a few streets in the town were completely surrounded by water in the Flood of 2007 in England. There were still places closed when we were there.

A sign at the Baptist Burial Grounds read, "this burial grounds has the tombs of many noted families, including Shakespeare's family."

Sharing England

Sharing England through pictures. Beginning today I will show some that we took in October, 2007. These are some typical street scenes. Some were taken as we drove, so they may be a little fuzzy.

Almost time for Rhubarb Pie

Soon the rhubarb will be showing signs of growth. I can't wait to make one of my favorite pies.
Pie recipe moved to right side of page.

Robins

Robins enjoyed lunch today but not necessarily the chilly weather.

My Etsy Shop

http://milarks.etsy.com

Think Spring

Today is dark and chilly.
Woke to see a layer of snow everywhere.
So looks like Spring is delayed again.
Here's a bright spot ---The hibiscus we had in the house produced this blossom.

We enjoyed the birds all winter. The cardinal in flight was neat.

Spring is Here!

Yes! We saw our first robins this morning. Three--four--five in one bush and another five or six in the tree. None were on the ground, but you can't blame them for that. We still have a lot of snow.

Last year the robins came the end of February. We have a picture of about 20 feeding under the bird feeder in the snow. Looking out at them this morning, EG said, "Got it wrong again, fellas!"

The weather may still be chilly, but the robins know the promise of Spring is everywhere.

Song of Solomon

2

11 : For, lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
12 : the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

My Etsy Shop

This is the first thing I would like to do. Show you how to get to my Etsy Shop. If this is something new, and you wonder what it is, the best thing to do is click on this ---

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428

This is my location on Etsy.com.

For anyone who likes handmade things, the whole Etsy site is a fun place to explore.

My First Blog

Today I am writing my first blog. What an experience! What an unknown!

I wonder where this will lead?

I wonder whoever will read?