Kaseys Korner

can you stand one more

amaryllis photo shoot??  I promise my repertoire of bulbs is almost up.  This lovely pink lady saved herself for last:

 

A little shy at first, very slow to unfurl her loveliness to all the world:

 

A thing of beauty cannot be kept under wraps for very long no matter how hard she tries.  When the reveal finally occurs, it's such sheer perfection one wonders if she's "fake" (gasp!)

She's not offended by the question.  She takes it as a compliment.  Touch her petals very gently and you will see she's real in every sense.

  

and I am the lucky one to live with this beautiful lady.  How much better does it get?  especially on the last day in January.  It almost makes you forget we're still in the throes of winter...

bird watching

The recent frigid temperatures have caused me to re-think pulling the feeders.  They are now back in place (at least for the time being) to help the birds thru the cold temps and snow covered landscape.  I've seen no signs of the Kestrel the past few days so maybe he's moved on??  All has been well except, yesterday, I sighted this little finch who was minus one eye:

 

I've seen other injuries/infections from time to time while birdwatching too.  One year I saw a finch who had what looked to be an infectious sac covering one eye.  Maybe this is the same bird several years later??  I seriously doubt it tho.  I think handicaps in nature prove to be fatal.  They need all their faculties about them to escape predation.  One thing I do have (while bird watching) is a willing companion to help me identify new visitors to the backyard:

 

He never hesitates or complains.  You gotta love that about him.  I think he may have been the first one to spot the one-eyed finch???   Has anyone else noticed any anomalies of nature outside their windows??

fresh snow tag

In light of all the inclement weather we've been experiencing lately, I thought today was the perfect day for a snow project.  Check out this tag I made three years ago now:

 

Oops, looks like I cut off the left side of the tag.  The little sticker across the bottom reads "sparkle."  I think that was a subconscious slip ~ not being careful because I'm really not interested in snow AT ALL.  pretty bad, huh?  Here's a second view, this time focusing on the snowflake charm:

 

I hope posting the tag isn't bad luck.  I have no desire to be "snowed in."  It's happened on several occasions and I can tell you, it's not as much fun as it's made out to be.  This is about all the snow I can handle:

 

I can shovel this much.  It won't keep me from getting where I need to go and if I try hard enough, I can even say it's pretty.  Okay, a stretch for me.  But I guess it kinda is.  As long as it's not zero degrees to boot....

everything is just "dovey"

not really.  but it sounded good, right?  Yesterday when the thermometer hovered around 5 degrees for a high temperature, I looked out the kitchen window and saw a group of Mourning Doves huddled together in the aspen tree.  They looked absolutely miserable:

Don't worry, you're not alone.  I feel the same way about the weather.  I hardly saw them move, they stayed frozen in place, hunkered down against the cold, just getting thru the day. 

 

Hang in there little doves ~ things will get better soon.  (and thankfully today, the temperatures have moderated a bit).  They will be pecking around the ground again looking for food.  Isn't it amazing how 30 degrees can feel "warm" after living at the zero mark for a couple days?

Oh Mary, say it isn't so

My Mom, who generously keeps renewing my subscription to Mary Engelbreits "Home Companion" magazine, informed me last night that she had received notice that the Dec 08/Jan 09 issue was their last issue.  

 

No, no, no.  How can that be?  Darn economy.  It is was my all-time favorite magazine.  As a crafter, you only had to look within to be inspired.  I have kept almost every single issue since first subscribing and many, many pages are dog-eared and well worn.  

  

Home Companion was a combination of all the things I love;  crafting, vintage/flea market finds, gardening and decorating.  It's my "go-to" place when I'm in need of inspiration.  Always uplifting and always something between the pages to spark my passions.  Darn it all.  It's seriously depressing news.  I wonder if anything can be done to prevent it?  Most likely not.  I can only hope it will return after a reader onslaught of mail and in brighter days.  egads.  I'm going to need a lot of chocolate to get thru this one.... 

ice crystals

If you've been reading my blog for even the tiniest bit, you've probably picked up on the fact that winter isn't my favorite season.  For that reason alone, this post will likely surprise you.  You can't get any more "wintry" than ice crystals.  Two things happened for these photos to even occur.  First, the crystals were on the outside of my front door (so I could stand inside and take the photos thru the glass!)

and secondly, I am unable to resist the lure of a good photo.  I just had to see what my lens could capture, especially if it didn't require boots and a coat. 

 

Don't the patterns look like needles on a tree branch? 

 

It was a balmy 3 degrees when I awoke this morning, and another 2 inches of fresh snow had fallen overnight.  The sky was still overcast, hence the gray background.  If my brain weren't so fuzzy in the AM's, maybe I would have thought to put a light behind the crystals to really make them shine.  Can't you just see how spectacular that would have been?

 

I think that's as close as I'm getting to winter photos.  I usually try to avoid them like the plague.  You know, denial.  It works for me.  If I do it long enough, it's eventually spring.  What a happy thought!

the wonder of white

To amuse myself the other day, I decided to photograph, in detail, parts of my New Years bouquet (can you believe it was still alive let alone thriving)??  Check out the white mum under the magnifying lens of my camera:

   

If you stretch your imagination, can't you also visualize it as a sea anemone?  I can almost picture one of those clown fish darting in-between the petals for protection.  (or have I watched "Nemo" one too many times?)  If you're having trouble imagining with me, I think you'll like the next photo.  No imagination involved, just pure beauty:

 

The "pin cushion" center of the white Daisy.  The color made even more brilliant by the surrounding white petals.  Here it is again, this time with the camera pulled back:

 

Good stuff, right?  Taking these pictures has made me wonder why white gets overlooked in the garden?  or maybe I'm the only one who overlooks it?  It certainly has the powerful effect of enhancing colors around it.  Maybe my little game has helped me see that value.  Now I'm off to try and stay warm for the day since my outdoor world has been coated in a fresh covering of white this morning too.  Good thing I'm into seeing the beauty of that color, huh?!!

a taste for the finer things

apparently my cat and I have that in common, much to my chagrin.  On the cats part, that is.  As you all know I purchased a "mystery" orchid in September that was on clearance at Lowes:

 

It was my first attempt at growing orchids so I was beyond thrilled when it sent out a shoot a month or two later:

 

Over the next several weeks I watched that shoot grow longer and longer until it reached approximately 10" and started developing buds:

The buds were coming along nicely, fattening up for the beautiful display ahead:

when my sweet kitty (who knows he is loved because he still resides at this address even after such an egregious offense) developed a taste for Orchids as well.  Notice what happened next:

 

Yes, that's exactly right.  He ate the tip of the bloom shoot.  Can anyone get me a valium?!!  Just kidding.  So NOT funny tho.  I was beside myself for the better part of the day.  Then I decided to let it go, what else could I do?  The damage was done.  Hopefully Orchids are forgiving plants.    Meanwhile the two buds that remained untouched during the nibbling incident continued to develop and I continued to photograph their progress.  Long story short, we have a happy ending:

 

The first bud has opened and the mystery is solved.  We know what color it is, what it looks like, etc., etc., now.  While I was secretly hoping it would be pink, I honestly can say I am thrilled it was happy enough with the conditions in my home that it decided to even grow and flower.   Let's take one more look:

 

Simply stunning.  We'll see what happens next.  With kids and pets, you have to expect the unexpected, right?  Moral of the story, at this point (and it took me a while to get here), I'm happy I was left with two buds so that I could at least see what I had purchased.  I can live with that and I am thrilled at my one (with a second in waiting) exquisite blossom.  All is well for now.

Footnote to the Cat:  From here-on-out could you please confine your gastronomic explorations to the oat grass I plant specifically for you.  Much obliged.

PS.  You all knew what was going to happen before I finished my story, didn't you?  When I mentioned "cat" & "orchid" in the opening lines, you knew....

Desert Island Plant Challenge

As usual for me, I'm a day late, but the "Desert Island plant challenge" sounded so fun and I enjoyed reading so many other gardeners choices, that I'm going to participate today, tardy or not!  Thank you to Shirl from Shirls Gardenwatch who hosted the challenge.  The premise is that there are no restrictions to growing conditions, any plant will grow and food plants are readily available.  Knowing that, which three plants would you take with you to said deserted island?  Oh my.  What a loaded question.  It's so hard to play favorites when it comes to flowers.  I know I have to select one tubular flower because I just love that shape.  Snapdragons are the first to come to mind, like these pink ones from last summer:

 

But I would be equally happy with any penstemon, so maybe let's pick one of those instead:

 

Since I seem to be making my selections by shape, let's pick something sorta round & frilly next.  Maybe a poppy?

 

I like every kind of poppy there is, Oriental, Peony, Iceland, California, etc.  But I also like tuberous begonias in the frilly category too.  What's a girl to do?

 

I think, pick something entirely different.  I'm going with peonies for this category.  The scent alone would make them worth hauling along for the journey:

 

Now that I've gotten my frills covered, the last choice is going to be really difficult.  I don't want to leave anybody behind.   If we were all going to be stranded together, I'd omit Roses because so many of you are taking them already.  I'd enjoy yours and bring something different for the variety.  Like a buddleia:

 

Nothing attracts a pollinator quite like them and it would be so enjoyable to watch the butterflies while laying in the warm sand, soaking up the sun (skin cancer worries non-existant on said island too ~ my new rule!!).  BUT, since I don't know that I'm going to be stranded with anyone, I think I HAVE to pick a rose for my last choice.

I prefer an olde fashioned variety but I wouldn't be picky.  Although this David Austin selection would absolutely work.  Whew, that was tough.  While I enjoyed it and would love to be on an island right now, I'm glad I don't have to make that choice in life and leave all my other beloved blooms behind.  If you'd like to play along, click on Shirls blog (highlighted above) and join the fun.  A side benefit is going thru all your summer photos to make selections.  It sure brightened my day!

is it spring already??

I hesitate to mention the unseasonably warm weather we've been experiencing (the past week) because I know how much of the country is in a deep freeze.  I promise not to go on and on about it, but I have to talk about it because of an interesting side-effect.  Yesterday, while I was out measuring for my new pond (excitement almost uncontrollable here but we'll contain it for another day), I noticed a bare patch in my front flower bed.  The wind had blown away all the leaf mulch and our warm temperatures had melted all the snow.  In my hurry to extend the tape measure, I almost overlooked some little specks of green:

 

Can you believe it?  I did a double take.  In the mildest of winters, the earliest I've seen bulbs emerging is February and those are usually crocus.  These appear to be daffodils although I planted a plethora of new bulbs last fall in this area so I can't be sure.  I'm not sure whether to be excited or worried (because I know winter is far from over no matter what the thermometer says today).  I also noticed my new monarda 'Fireball' has remained green thru the cold & snow:

 

With a little more temptation, it looks as though it will start growing.  While all these signs of life are encouraging to me, I hesitate to break into a spring dance because I don't know what it means for them when the temperatures do drop.  Oh my, such a dilemma.  I guess there's nothing to do but let nature run her course, right?