Sharing

Do you know how it is when you see something so amazing, you want to tell the world? That's how I'm feeling about this photo of the beautiful, castle-like Logan, Utah LDS Temple (dedicated in 1884) and its gardens on HollBurd's blog! Take a look, and enjoy! I must have a copy of it on my wall! ~CJ~

Mountain Hike

It's the middle of May, and I'm sitting here with a hot cup of Camomile tea and a purring kitty on my lap to warm me up. Outside the trees and tulips are dancing around in the wind, hither and thither, and the shadows on my patio come and go as the clouds play peekaboo with the sun. Today would be the perfect day to fly a kite, up to the highest heights, in the middle of a big field! But here I sit behind my computer, sending a post and pictures out into blogland.

My computer has been very sick, but after a deep cleanse, seems better than ever, thank you very much. Phew! Thought it was going to die for a while. Happy to have it recovered. So a little catching up is in order. It's not that I have a real following out there of bloglookers who are confused with my silence and wondering what's up. No, nothing like that. It's more a bit of an obsession now in continuing my story as a sort of creative therapy, if only for one person...myself. And that makes it worth it.

I love to see the world wake up after the long winter. My eyes are feasting on the colors! So long to whites and grays...GREEN is taking over, with bursts of reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, and a big BLUE SKY! Yesterday I took a hike up my favorite mountain trail and caught sight of some colors. The mountain tops above are still packed with snow, but along the trail I saw tufts of green grass and lots of bright yellow wildflowers.

And here's a closeup of Elephant Rock, and the bench (above the rock, center) where we rest before trekking back down the mountain. However, the upper trail was covered in snow and mud yesterday, so I only got about halfway up and then had to turn back around. Soon the gray scrub oak and shrubs will turn green!

And the valley below...with the Great Salt Lake in the background...

A marvelous day for a hike! ~CJ~

April's Color

It's been six days since my last post, and we've had crazy weather that felt more like winter than spring. Rain, wind, hail, and temperatures in the 30s were the norm this week. But that didn't stop my tulips from finally blooming.

Last week they were mostly buds, and now...

...a proliferation of color, almost as tall as the Japanese Maple! How I love spring, even when she masquerades as winter. She's not fooling me. ~CJ~

Garden Kitties in the Sun

It's one of my delights...my kitties follow me out into the garden. First they roll around on the patio. I assume it's a good back-scratch for them. And then they find a sunny spot to soak up the sun, sometimes keeping an eye on me, and sometimes just closing their eyes and enjoying the warmth (like Rascal kitty, above).

We've had a crazy cold and wet spring this year. But Sunday morning, for just a few hours, the sun was bright and warm. Mother Nature celebrating Easter, I believe. The kitties and I enjoyed some time in the garden soaking it up.

About a month ago I cut last year's leftover catnip sticks down to little nubs, in anticipation of replanting in a new, unbroken pot. Patch kitty is in love with the catnip nubs. See how she hangs out on the pot...and then practically curls up inside? I love to see her enjoying herself so!

My first tulips are in bloom. Such intense yellow and red. One exotic firey pattern. How can they be so perfect? Year after year they never fail me!

There are many more to bloom. It's just beginning!

The hyacinth is as delicate and uber-fragrant as ever. It seems I can smell it now, just looking at this picture! Can you catch a whiff too?!

There's nothing like a sunny, flowery garden to lift the spirit and fill us with peace and appreciation for the beauty of the earth. ~CJ~

Cupcake Craziness

Buttered corn on the cob, spaghetti and meatball, bunny face, peep, swimmin' fishies, spring flowers, etc. My good friend Elizabeth and I collaborated on these sweet creations! (How about the broccoli?!)

Minestrone Soup Photo Story

I've always wanted to do this...photograph the making of a recipe. So here it is...my photo story of making minestrone soup. Which turned out very yummy, by the way! The recipe is at the end.

 

Scrumptious! Here's the recipe (adapted from www.food.com):

Minestrone Soup

3 tbs olive oil

1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)

3/4 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup frozen green beans

1/2 cup minced celery (about 2 stalks)

4 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves) or 1 tsp garlic powder (if you don't happen to have fresh)

3 (14-oz) cans vegetable broth

2 (15-oz) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15-oz) cans great northern white beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes, including liquid

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbs minced fresh basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

3 cups hot water

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup small shell pasta

Directions:

1. Head 3 tbs of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until desired consistency.
6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup yummy servings.

Enjoy! I sure did! ~CJ~

Gold!

I did some birthday stitching for my dad based on childhood memories of our gold panning days at Coldwater Creek in the Sierra mountains of Northern California. During the summers that we lived in California, our family would camp for a week or so in the California mountains, and dad would pan for gold. He taught us kids how to pan as well, but we spent most of our time playing in the creek. Did he ever find a nugget? Of course! Many! Although, none so huge as in the stitchery. Ha ha!

I found the image on the internet and added the surrounding details. 

The best part was finding gold, sparkly embroidery thread for the nugget!

So fun to put a smile on dad's face with this little surprise. ~CJ~