it's a jungle in there

The greenhouse. By request.

The greenhouse is bursting at the seams.

Bursting, I say.

You have to see it to believe it, so let's take a stroll around.


I know you're all wondering how the zinnias are doing. They are doing well, thank you very much. A few of them even have flower buds on them, but I'm pinching them all back so they'll bush out a bit. It's painful to pinch off a zinnia bud before it's bloomed. It's an ugly job, but somebody's got to do it. They'll be heading out to the garden shortly, and if we actually get some weather that even remotely resembles summer, they should really start to take off.

Next on the tour...geraniums.

This is the third year we've overwintered our geraniums. After the first year, I got smart and instead of planting each geranium in its summertime oak barrel home, I simply left the geranium in its pot and sunk it, pot and all, right into the dirt. That way when the first cold snap is upon us, I just pop the pot out of the barrel and whisk it away to the safety of the greenhouse. Much easier than having to dig up and then re-pot the plants before they are moved inside.


We ran out of room in the greenhouse approximately thirty seconds after it was built, so the geraniums spent the winter on a makeshift table. The size of the makeshift table required to hold all the geraniums means things are pretty cramped in the greenhouse.

Side note:
It would seem that a person's intake of Reese's Peanut Butter cups, Oreos and Snickers has a direct effect on the ease with which a person is able to navigate their way around the cramped greenhouse these days.

Just sayin.


We overwintered quite a few of our petunias last year, so we were able to take cuttings this spring. Cuttings are so fun. You take a tiny stem, dip it in rooting hormone, place it in the dirt and before you know it, you've got a whole new plant.


Once they're well rooted, we transfer them to four inch pots and then they really take off.
When I say take off, I really mean that they pretty much turn into a wild and crazy tangled petunia mess. Petunias need a lot of room, and as previously mentioned, space is a bit lacking this time of year.


Eventually, we place the petunias in two gallon pots and sink those right into the ground, just like we do with the geraniums. Knowing we'd be taking fresh cuttings, we didn't need to overwinter all the petunias, just enough to get cuttings from each color. Since they're in such big pots, my hubby built a shelf so they wouldn't ramble all over our other plants once they kick into high growing gear.

(Please ignore the ugly yellow sticky bug catcher.)


In the background of this next shot, you can see our tomatoes in their cedar baskets. This is the second year we've planted them upside down and it seems to work very well. The tomatoes are the only thing that will stay in the greenhouse all summer. We'll keep all the windows open and they are on an automatic watering system, so other than a weekly fertilizing, they are pretty much care free.

Deliciously carefree. And delicious.


June first is the earliest we're comfortable moving things outside, so come next Wednesday, we'll be in a planting and moving frenzy.

Then it's Mother Nature's turn to take over.

Dear Mother Nature,
Please, please, please send Summer to Montana this year. She gave us the cold shoulder last year, so I'm thinking maybe we've somehow offended her?
Whatever we did, we're sorry. Very sorry. Very, very, very sorry. If there's anyway you can put in a good word for us and talk her into an extended stay, I'll be forever grateful.
Forever.
Sunshiny Love,
Teresa


Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

hold on to sixteen

Hold on to sixteen, as long as you can.

(I was sixteen when that song came out.)

(Please don't do the math.)

(Pretty please.)


My baby.

In a few weeks, he'll be a senior.

In a few weeks, he'll be seventeen.

Say it ain't so.


I have found the key to getting my boys to pose for pictures.

Can you guess?

A cute girl. And seriously, could this girl possibly be any cuter?

When a fella gets double-teamed by the cute girl and the mom with the camera, he stands no chance.

It worked with his big bro, and it worked again yesterday.


Adding a vintage soda to the mix doesn't hurt either.

Junior loves the vintage sodas.


Life is good.

Summer's coming.

School's almost out.

They have plans for picnics and swimming and ice cream.

(He has plans to make her play Nazi Zombies on the X-box, but I think for each game she plays, we should get a photo session in exchange.)


Hold on to this time, kids.

Real, grown up life is right around the corner.

It will come soon enough.

Just. Hold. On.

numbers

I am currently in love with the list format for blog posts. It's much easier (for me) than trying to form coherent sentences that somehow then magically turn into paragraphs, which then transition into a cohesive and succinct post that ultimately leaves the reader both informed and at least somewhat entertained.

See? I'm already exhausted.

So, since we did bullet points last time, let's go with a numbered list this time.

Sound good?

1. I went on a road trip last week.

2. My brake line broke in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.

3. My brake line broke while I was sitting at a stop light.

4. Mere minutes before my brake line broke, I was hurtling off the freeway at seventy miles per hour.

5. Okay, probably about seventy eight miles per hour, if we're being honest.

6. It would have been very, very, very bad if my brake line broke while I was exiting the freeway.

7. Very bad.

8. Thank. You. Lord.

10. My road trip was more than 500 miles each way.

11. I used to be able to do this trip without batting an eye, but these days, Ye Olde Bod starts screaming in protest somewhere around mile 350.

12. It takes several hours to de-pretzel myself after I arrive at my destination.

13. I'm getting old and it makes me sad.


14. My camera lens is back.

15. The diagnosis was that the auto focus assembly had suffered traumatic shock damage due to impact. The remedy was replacement of the auto focus cam barrel assembly.

Say what?

16. I also sent my 24-70 in for calibration because the focus has really never been that great.

17. I have taken approximately fifty photos of my son's eyelashes to test the focus. Eyelashes are a great way to test your focus.

18. My son does not enjoy having me take numerous photos of his eyelashes.

19. Cry me a river, bud.

20. He loves it when I say "cry me a river". It makes him happy.

21. Speaking of my son, he found my Oreo stash, so that takes care of that little problem.

22. I've moved on to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.


23. And Snickers.

bullet points

* I dropped my camera.

* I said a bad word.

* My favorite lens is going to the hospital.

* It didn't appreciate being dropped so hard that the lens cap got wedged into the lens itself.

* I think my camera is okay.

* Time will tell.

* We finally had a sunny, warm day.

* I need about 10 more days just like this one to get my yard ship-shape.

* But that was yesterday.

* It snowed at my house this morning.


* I found some leftover zinnia seeds from last year and you know what that means.

* I'm planting them, oh yes I am.

* I cleaned out my drug cupboard.

* I found cough syrup from 1995, several Costco sized bottles of Dimetapp from 1997, and some really good prescription pain killers from 2004.

* I need to clean out my drug cupboard more often.

* I finally finished watching The Kennedys.


* I can't stop eating Oreos.

greek bread salad

I go to Bible study on Thursdays.

Well, not last Thursday.

Or today, for that matter, but generally speaking I do go to Bible study on most Thursdays.


(These photos have absolutely nothing to do with this post. In the editing process, I realized I ended up rambling quite a bit, and large chunks of rambling text without pictures to distract you from the rambling nature of the text makes me uncomfortable. Hence, we now have distractionary pretty pictures from my archives for your viewing pleasure.)

I've been to a lot of Bible studies in my day, but this one is far and away my favorite. Ever.

Why is it my favorite you ask? Three reasons.

A Bible Study Trifecta, of sorts.


First off, there is the study itself. It's been a great one. Really, really good.

Part two is...the people.

As I said, the study itself is wonderful, but the interaction between the participants and what I've learned from each of them is truly the highlight of the study for me.


What started out many months ago as a very diverse group of ladies, some of whom were perfect strangers, has ended up as one of the closest knit groups I have ever been a part of. Each and every lady there now permanently owns a pretty large chunk of my heart.

I love these ladies.

Part two of the trifecta actually has its own two parts.
A. The aforementioned lovely ladies.
B. One of my very favorite short and smushy people on the planet, Baby Tyler.


Baby Tyler is not a little baby anymore, he's a Big Baby. Immediately after his very first photo shoot last summer, I invited myself to become his honorary Auntie Teresa. I didn't really even ask his mom or grandma if that was okay with them, I just used the assumed sale approach and so far it seems to be working.

If it's not working, mom and grandma are too nice to tell me so.

I've been a shameless baby hog during every single study, and as such I got to enjoy one of my very favorite pastimes ever.....giving a sleepy baby his pre-nap bottle.

Baby Tyler and his mama Jess aren't going to be able to come on Thursdays anymore, and they will be missed in a very big way. It just won't be the same without them. My lap will be empty, the seat next to me on the couch will be empty, and no one will be trying to rip my Bible study book to shreds.

At least I don't think anyone else will try to shred my book. A couple of these ladies do look like they've got a little wild side hiding under the surface, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

In an attempt to fill the hole left by Tyler and Jessica's absence, I will now move on to the third Bible Study Trifecta factor.

The food.

Oh, the food.

When we started meeting way back when, I'm pretty sure the food was supposed to be on the snacky side. But, very quickly it evolved into full on lunch, and not just typical lunch....fabulous lunch.

The last time we met up, it was my friend Delia's (Tyler's grandma) turn to wow us with her culinary skills. She did not disappoint. Among other delicious things, Delia made a Greek pita bread salad, and I found myself going back for seconds, thirds and fourths.

Delia shared the recipe, so I made a batch the next week and proceeded to eat the entire thing in two days.

I made another batch yesterday, and this time I had the good sense to take some pictures before it vaporized before my very eyes.

This is one of the few recipes without cream cheese that I've deemed worthy to share on this blog. It is delicious, and when you go to the store to buy the ingredients, make sure you buy enough to make more than one batch because I guarantee you'll be making this more than once.


Greek Bread Salad

1/4 cup chopped jarred pepperoncini, plus 1-1/2 tablespoons pepperoncini brine
1-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano - I didn't have any oregano
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved - I used Campari tomatoes from Costco
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
cucumber, peeled and sliced. I didn't peel mine. Lazy.
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup sliced kalamata olives - I think Delia used black olives and it was equally delicious
1/2 small red onion, halved and sliced thin - I left this out

2 (10-inch) pita breads, (not pockets), torn into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced - I left this out
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley - I left this out, too
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine pepperoncini brine, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and mustard in medium bowl. Slowly whisk 5 tablespoons oil into vinegar mixture. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, olives, onion, and pepperoncini and toss to combine. Let sit 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss pita, remaining oil, garlic, and remaining oregano in medium bowl.
Bake pita on rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through baking.
*The second time around I baked my pita at 350 and stirred them every four minutes. They got away from me the first time:(
I also cut up all six pitas in the package and just tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled them with Kosher salt. Why toast two pitas at a time when you know you're going to make the salad at least fourteen more times.

Stir toasted pita and parsley into salad. Let stand 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Since I wasn't serving the entire salad at once, I added the feta and pita to the veggie mixture each time I made a bowl for myself. Soggy pita is not happy pita.

I have no doubt I will eat this salad on a very regular basis until I make myself sick and never want to see it again.

Greek Bread Salad....an entire batch every two days will do ya good.

a garden confession

I have something to tell you. There's really no way to soften the blow of what I'm about to say, so I'm just going to spit it out.

I planted my zinnia seeds last weekend.

I planted a lot of zinnia seeds last weekend.

I planted a shocking number of zinnia seeds last weekend.

Can you tell I'm stalling?

Okay, are you ready?

I planted one thousand, one hundred and ten zinnia seeds last weekend.

There, I said it.

1110 zinnias.

Eleven hundred and ten.

Eleventy ten.

I am a sick person.

I truly don't know how it happened. How can there possibly be that many seeds in those little packets? I just kept opening packets and planting seeds. I didn't count the holes in the seed trays as I was planting. I didn't even think to count the holes. About three quarters of the way through my seed packet stash, my guess was coming in around five hundred, and even that was pretty alarming, but when I did the final count (I finally did the seed tray count....seven across and fourteen down...ninety-eight per tray), I about fell off my chair. I'm using the wedding as my justification, but deep down I know I passed ridiculous a good six hundred zinnias ago.

Keep in mind the seed tray holes are very small and the zinnias will have to be transplanted into bigger pots while still in the greenhouse. Then I have to find a home for them all out in the gardens. That means I have to handle 1110 zinnias two more times.

Houston, we have a problem.

I wonder how many days it will take me to plant them all. I wonder if I have room to plant them all. June just may find me setting up a roadside zinnia stand, peddling my extras to passersby.

Actually, I think I'm going to look at it as a challenge. I'm going to find a place for each and every one of those zinnias if it's the last thing I do.

Please. Send. Help.

Truth be told, I'm a bit embarrassed by my zinnia numbers, so in an attempt to distract you from my zinnia gluttony, I'm going to totally switch gears and try to tug at your heart strings just a bit.

Just yesterday, I said my goodbyes to my middle son. He's heading off to a very hot place, very far away.

Then, last night I had a great talk with my oldest. He's getting out of the Coast Guard in three months, planning his wedding and he and his bride-to-be are mapping out the next phase of their lives as a married couple.

They're all grown up. I'm loving my grown up boys.

They are extremely cool people.

But, occasionally I miss these little fellas.

A lot.


I found these photos just a couple days ago. We had just moved into a house that had no grass, and each and every day was spent in their version of little boy heaven. They each got a hose that was turned on with a trickle of water, and they spent hours and hours playing in the mud.

Simple days and good, clean fun.

Then I found this picture and it made me laugh to see that even though it was taken five years later, the expression on my younger son's face is pretty much the same.


Of course I can't leave out my youngest....my baby. My 6'4" baby. Look at those curls and those cute little bunny teeth. Fourteen long years ago.


"Sunrise, sunset.

Sunrise, sunset.

Swiftly, fly the years.

One season following another, laden with happiness and tears."

*

*

*

Did it work?

Did you forget about the zinnias?

perennial favorites - redux

The Meadowbrook Farmer and I have been out working in the garden this week. We did absolutely no fall clean-up last year and so we are paying the price now. Leaves everywhere, nasty, crispy flower stalks half bent over. Weeds, weeds and more weeds. It is fun though, to see the perennials popping up here and there, knowing their gorgeous glory days are right around the corner.

I thought I'd re-post my list of favorite perennials in honor of their amazing ability to survive these very long, very cold Montana winters.

Is it cheating to re-post? I hope it's not cheating to re-post.

This was written last March when all my plants were still in full lock-down mode.

Ready? Let's dream some summertime flower dreams together.

Perennial Favorites - from March 1, 2010

Are you making your garden plans yet? I know we still have a way to go, but I have just started really thinking about what I'm going to be doing in the garden this year. Flower successes that I'll repeat again, and things I'd like to change. I'm making lists of seeds, and thinking about bare spots that need filling in the perennial bed.

Bleeding Heart is one of the very first bloomers in my garden. They are so pretty and old fashioned. Last year, we planted some white ones too, and I can't wait to see how they do this spring.


Hardy geraniums are one of my very favorites. Some varieties get huge, leggy and out of control, but this one, Birch's Double, is one of a few varieties that know how to behave.


Peonies. Good gracious, the peonies. I always want to bring bouquets inside, but mine are absolutely filled with ants. I'm always afraid I'll wake up the next morning to find the kitchen crawling with the little buggers.


Dianthus. Pinks. Whatever you call them, they are a treat. Their sweet smell is so fresh and a little bit spicy. Yum.


Black Eyed Susans are everywhere in my herb garden where pretty much anything goes as far as color. Nice because they bloom a bit later in the season after most other perennials are done.


Delphiniums are quite possibly my favorite perennial ever. They have a couple strikes against them where I live, the deer love them and the wind can topple them, but they are so worth the hassle. And usually if you're a flower in my garden you have to be able to totally fend for yourself or you're outta here. Not delphiniums though. I'm willing to coddle those baby blues a bit. They're the favorite child. Shhh. Don't tell.


I'm very torn about what to do with my hollyhock patch. When they are good, they are great, but more often than not, the foliage gets very nasty looking and the ugliness overpowers the beautiful blooms.


Last year I vowed to tear them all out, but of course now I want to give them a second chance. All of my fall tough talk is gone. The birds sing, the bee's buzz, and I am deluded once again, that this year my hollyhocks will be beautiful for more than five minutes.


Another later summer bloomer is Purple Coneflower. It took a long time for me to really start liking this plant, but it blooms till frost, and you just can't say that about your average joe perennial. That reason alone earns it a spot in my heart.


There are many, many new varieties of Coneflower, and I have tried quite a few of them. Big Sky Sundown is a great color and fades to a pretty pinky orange. Very fun.


I could ramble on forever about ye olde garden, but at some point I should probably wrap up and save some for another day. A few last favorites....


Columbine, Sidalcea and Trollius.

As you can see, the "less is more" philosophy has no place in my garden. When it comes to flowers, more is more. That's my story, and I'm stickin to it.

Every year I try at least one new thing. What are the must have perennials in your garden?

Be an enabler and share your favorites.