Surprise!

I purchased this tiny cactus last summer. If you look closely, you will notice that these blooms are hot glued to the top of the cactus. They aren't native to this plant. The store knew what they were doing, though, because I'm not sure I would have bought just a plain green, prickly cactus. It was the pretty bloom that drew me to it. Last summer it had one pale pink flower. The papery petals opened and closed with the rising and setting of the sun, which I found totally endearing. Anyway, I left this little guy out on the porch all winter. The pink flower turned brown, shriveled up, and went away. The cactus stayed green and seemed to be alive, so I just left him there. Imagine my JOY when a few days ago I noticed multiple purple blossoms opening to greet the morning sun! Nature is some kind of amazing, don't you think?

Poetry Month - Part 5

The final Tuesday in April...can you believe it?! Since I've shared all of my most favorite poems, here's something a little bit different.

"Yet, it is true, poetry is delicious; the best prose is that which is most full of poetry."~Virginia Woolf

I wholeheartedly agree with the quote above. There are numerous books on my shelves that I would classify as poetry, though they are written entirely in prose. Currently I'm reading "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier. Here's a bit of poetic prose from his book:

"She rose and walked beyond the orchard to the margin of the woods where the tall autumn flowers---goldenrod and ironweed and joe-pye weed---were beginning to bloom yellow and indigo and iron grey. Monarchs and swallowtails worked among the flower heads. Three finches balanced on blackberry canes, the leaves already turned maroon, and then flew away, flaring out low to the ground, their yellow backs flashing between their black wings until they disappeared into a clump of dog hobble and sumac at the transition between field and woods."

Jake Had a Bath

Now he's soft, snuggly, and smells so sweet!

My Grocery List

Monday is grocery day. I try to limit my trips to once per week, which requires me to be very organized in my meal planning and list making. I usually spend some time on Sunday afternoon coming up with the week's menu and the list of ingredients I'll need to make it happen. There's nothing I dislike more about grocery shopping than having to repeat an aisle because I forgot something. In order to avoid this, I've divided my list up into sections resembling the store aisles, resulting in a much more pleasant and quick shopping experience. The black and white computer print out was looking a little dull to me, though. Since I leave the meal plan sitting on my cookbook stand all week, I decided to add a pretty vintage graphic to it. This week I chose an old Domino sugar ad...I particularly love the butterflies in the corners.

An Early Dinner

Sometimes the simplest recipes turn out to be the tastiest meals. My friend, Cookie, sent me a recipe for Pepper Crockpot Roast. With just two ingredients and many hours of cooking, my crockpot worked its magic once again. Two pieces of homemade bread, a slice of melty provolone, and the tender shredded beef became a delectable Saturday evening treat.

Thanks, Cookie!!

Miss P.

"I know that squirrel is up there."

After three long months...

Grey's Anatomy is finally back with new episodes! I've had this date marked on my calendar since they first announced its return. Hooray! Yippee! It was a good episode, and next week looks to be even more exciting...only seven more days!