For the last several years, I have planted more and more daffodils, and this is the best year yet! My early bloomers are fading now, but the middle bloomers are all opened and are stunning. I have many different kinds...I think I counted 12 or more. I just love all the different colors together in one vase. To paraphrase Joan Rivers, one can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many different kinds of daffodils.
My Easter cactus plant has been threatening to bloom any day, and somehow its first bloom actually opened Easter morning! Now, how did it know it was Easter?!
Yesterday afternoon the first yellow magnolia bloom opened, and by the time we returned from dinner at my daughter-in-law's house, many blooms had opened. Today the weeping cherry turned pink. The cherries along the drive are in bloom, as is the pear tree. My bluebells are peeking through, and soon they will take the place of the fading first-blooming daffodils. Isn't this time of year wonderful?!
I woke up early this morning to watch the launch of the space shuttle. It is fascinating to watch the astronauts crawling through the shuttle hatch and then being strapped into their seats. They then lie there on their backs for several hours until launch time. Within 90 seconds of launch the shuttle is going 1000 miles per hour....and in only about 8 and 1/2 minutes they are in orbit. It's amazing! I learned by listening to the NASA TV channel today that launch times are decided by when the earth rotates the Kennedy Space Center into the same plane of the space station's orbit, so that the shuttle can be launched into an orbit that will allow it to catch up to the space station. After this one, there are only 3 more shuttle flights to the space station, then the shuttle fleet is being retired. In the future, astronauts will be "cosmonauts" - launched to the space station in a Russian space capsule. A couple of days ago, 3 were sent up to the station - 2 Russian men and one American woman. The Russian capsule is very tiny and the 3 space travelers are really packed into it. The bravery of all these people is astonishing....but the view of the earth from space must surely make it all worth while!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
It's A Beautiful Saturday!
It's a beautiful Saturday - cool and sunny. This weather will help my blooming daffodils to last a while. Our friend Marion has given me permission to print her poem about daffodils...many have told me that they miss hearing Marion read her poems on the radio. By the way, I have made it easier for you to post comments. I am new at this, but I have changed some settings, and think I have the problem ironed out.
DAFFODILS
My Lord - what a morning! For as far as I could see,
A row of awesome trumpets slowly turned toward me.
A cheerful yellow, like the sun, sweetly bowing - every one!
Behind the trumpets were lacy frills, I'm speaking now of DAFFODILS!
Why - there was yellow everywhere, upon the ground that once was bare!
It seemed they blew a tune to me, a song of spring, and joy, and glee!
They sprang up from the wintry ground, now there were dozens to be found.
It seems so long since I recall, when they were planted in the fall.
To go this long without a trace, then God produced them by His Grace!
They put a dance into my stride, to take some DAFFODILS inside.
Just put them in a lovely vase, to fill and light a gloomy space.
In passing by, to take a whiff once more would give my soul a lift!
On tabletop or windowsill, I love the golden DAFFODIL!
Thank you, Marion, and as you always say "God Bless"!
DAFFODILS
My Lord - what a morning! For as far as I could see,
A row of awesome trumpets slowly turned toward me.
A cheerful yellow, like the sun, sweetly bowing - every one!
Behind the trumpets were lacy frills, I'm speaking now of DAFFODILS!
Why - there was yellow everywhere, upon the ground that once was bare!
It seemed they blew a tune to me, a song of spring, and joy, and glee!
They sprang up from the wintry ground, now there were dozens to be found.
It seems so long since I recall, when they were planted in the fall.
To go this long without a trace, then God produced them by His Grace!
They put a dance into my stride, to take some DAFFODILS inside.
Just put them in a lovely vase, to fill and light a gloomy space.
In passing by, to take a whiff once more would give my soul a lift!
On tabletop or windowsill, I love the golden DAFFODIL!
Thank you, Marion, and as you always say "God Bless"!
Monday, March 22, 2010
A Multitude of Daffodils
Thanks to the warm weather and the rain, my gardens are full of daffodils. I picked my first bunch yesterday. The fact that spring is really here is slowly sinking into my brain. We saw a star magnolia tree in bloom on Saturday, my pansies show more color each day, the forsythia is nearly in full bloom along the driveway, and even the viburnum buds are filling out. I feel we can slowly give a sigh of relief...we've survived another winter!
I'm trying to eat healthy foods more often, and I enjoy recipes that make healthy foods taste good. Tonight I made broccoli salad - my mother's recipe. It's really tasty. I used a couple of stalks of broccoli, chopped, a not-too-big onion, chopped finely, and a good handful of golden raisins, mixed together in a bowl. You can add crumbled, cooked bacon if you wish. The dressing is 1 cup of mayonnaise (I used the "light" type), 1/4 c. sugar, and 2 t. vinegar. I use a bit more vinegar as I like a bit of a tang, and Mom always used cider vinegar, so I do too. It's a great side dish and a nice change from steamed broccoli. Even though it's not Jersey Fresh broccoli, it's been really sweet and delicious. Next time you steam broccoli, don't over cook it, and try dipping your broccoli into a mixture of mayonnaise and soy sauce just before popping it into your mouth. If you've got it, add a dash of dark toasted sesame oil - really yummy. Trust me on this!
Do YOU have a broccoli recipe to share?
I'm trying to eat healthy foods more often, and I enjoy recipes that make healthy foods taste good. Tonight I made broccoli salad - my mother's recipe. It's really tasty. I used a couple of stalks of broccoli, chopped, a not-too-big onion, chopped finely, and a good handful of golden raisins, mixed together in a bowl. You can add crumbled, cooked bacon if you wish. The dressing is 1 cup of mayonnaise (I used the "light" type), 1/4 c. sugar, and 2 t. vinegar. I use a bit more vinegar as I like a bit of a tang, and Mom always used cider vinegar, so I do too. It's a great side dish and a nice change from steamed broccoli. Even though it's not Jersey Fresh broccoli, it's been really sweet and delicious. Next time you steam broccoli, don't over cook it, and try dipping your broccoli into a mixture of mayonnaise and soy sauce just before popping it into your mouth. If you've got it, add a dash of dark toasted sesame oil - really yummy. Trust me on this!
Do YOU have a broccoli recipe to share?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Later on Friday
Herb and I set our timer to remind us to look for the space station going overhead this evening. The sky was beautifully clear....we could see contrails of jets as they moved across the dark sky, the crescent moon was so bright, and we watched as the space station moved quickly overhead. It was one of the brightest sightings of the station we've seen yet....just a beautiful evening!
Herb and I set our timer to remind us to look for the space station going overhead this evening. The sky was beautifully clear....we could see contrails of jets as they moved across the dark sky, the crescent moon was so bright, and we watched as the space station moved quickly overhead. It was one of the brightest sightings of the station we've seen yet....just a beautiful evening!
Let's Continue!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Hello everyone, and welcome to this new version of Naturally Yours. I hope we can continue to communicate with each other through this new format. I'll continue to share with you what interests me, what I see in "my neck of the woods", my thoughts, etc., and I hope you will do the same.
My daffodils are beginning to open as I sit here writing....at long last! I heard a red-bellied woodpecker drumming on our big wild cherry tree yesterday morning, the swamp cabbage is up, my pansies are blooming away, and I even had the air conditioning on in my car yesterday. Spring is finally springing!
Tonight and tomorrow night look like promising times to look for the International Space Station to pass overhead. From about 7:48 - 7:53 tonight (Friday) it will be passing from the Northwest to the East Southeast, and tomorrow (Saturday) it will pass from the West Northwest to the South Southeast at about 8:13 - 8:17. If the skies are as clear as they have been, both should be good, clear sightings.
It you stop by this site for a visit, please leave a comment so that I know that you are able to view this blog. I'll "talk" to you again soon, so bye-bye for now!.....Sue
Hello everyone, and welcome to this new version of Naturally Yours. I hope we can continue to communicate with each other through this new format. I'll continue to share with you what interests me, what I see in "my neck of the woods", my thoughts, etc., and I hope you will do the same.
My daffodils are beginning to open as I sit here writing....at long last! I heard a red-bellied woodpecker drumming on our big wild cherry tree yesterday morning, the swamp cabbage is up, my pansies are blooming away, and I even had the air conditioning on in my car yesterday. Spring is finally springing!
Tonight and tomorrow night look like promising times to look for the International Space Station to pass overhead. From about 7:48 - 7:53 tonight (Friday) it will be passing from the Northwest to the East Southeast, and tomorrow (Saturday) it will pass from the West Northwest to the South Southeast at about 8:13 - 8:17. If the skies are as clear as they have been, both should be good, clear sightings.
It you stop by this site for a visit, please leave a comment so that I know that you are able to view this blog. I'll "talk" to you again soon, so bye-bye for now!.....Sue
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