An Herbal Timeout and Happy Easter!

The Herbal Husband comes home soon and I'm going to take a little break from blogging!  Hope you all have a great Easter and I'll be back blogging soon.  Can't stay away too long!

An Overnight Guest!

No, not inside, outside!  Haven't seen a deer in the way back for a while because of all of the snow.  Now the tender vegetation is coming up, they know exactly when to come and browse!  Hopefully, I will get some cleaning done inside now that it is raining out!  Got to run!  Talk to you later!

I Have Survived for the Most Part!

I'm in the home stretch of being with the birds and the plants by myself!  Here is my breakfast this morning!  A vegetable omelet with an egg and 2 egg whites (out of a carton) and 2 T. of skim milk (mixed in a bowl), spinach, mushrooms, a bit of onion (veggies cooked in the microwave for a minute).  Spray a cooking spray in a pan and heat on high.  Pour in egg mixture, let it set up, turn off heat and then add veggies and 3 T. of reduced fat mozzarella cheese in the middle, sprinkle with some herbs, fold the ends to the middle and serve.  I'm thinking of mixing the veggies and cheese together before putting it into the omelet.  I must tell you that it is very filling and delicious.  Hope you will try it.  I have just about lost about 20 pounds and not just because I have been cooking for myself.  I have done pretty well, but it does take A LOT of brain power to plan your meals.  I hope to do some more planning when The Herbal Husband returns later this week!  Hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you may be.

An Early Morning Awards Ceremony!

My best girlfriend and her daughter, Miss C and I went to Heinz Field today for the 71st Annual Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair awards ceremony.  It was quite an impressive event.  Miss C had the highest score at her school so she along with 39 other participants from her school were competing for awards along with hundreds of other students from various parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.  I think I heard her school's name several times.  Our girl did not win any awards this time, but wait until next year!  Congratulations Miss C!  You're number one in our eyes!  Heinz Field is an impressive place and has beautiful views of Pittsburgh!  Hope you had a great day wherever you may be!

Guest Blogging for The Herb Companion Magazine!

It has been almost a year since I started guest blogging for The Herb Companion magazine and I have loved every minute of it!  It was such a nice weekend past that I had to spend some time in the herb garden starting the spring cleanup.  So here is my report on how the herbs fared during the February snows.  It is the link.  Hope you enjoy it!  If you have any questions about the spring cleanup in your herb garden, please let me know!  Chilly again this morning.  It's only March.  Can't wait for spring for real!  Hope you have a great weekend wherever you may be.

Cheep Rooms on Thursdays!

This is a pretty mundane birdhouse in our yard.  It is supposed to be a wren house, but everything but a wren has lived in it!  Last renters were yellowjackets!  It was a surprise when you were trying to work weeding or planting in that part of the yard!  Keep away from the front because they were very protective of their space!  Always an adventure!  Hope you will click the photo along the right side of this post to participate in this weekly event inspired by Tufa Girl and her blog, Texas Tufa.  Join in the fun!  Really late blogging today because I was at a Penn State IPM Seminar all day.  Loads of information and a great lunch  makes for a great day.  Talk to you later!

I Can't Believe This is Still Around!

The black squirrel is still around the garden.  It doesn't usually hang around this long.  Maybe it knows The Herbal Husband is not around and I'm a softy!  It is raw, cold and drizzling.  Nice to get some things done inside.  Might go get a cup of tea!  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

BTW, I'm still waiting to hear from Rhonda Dobson!  Please Rhonda e-mail me your mailing address and I will send you your prize.  You actually won! 

Sure Sign of Spring! (UPDATED)

First daffodils!  Whoo! Hoo!  Finally, out from under all of that snow.  We had a warm weekend and rain this morning!  Bingo, daffodils!  Lots more to come, but I need to get ready for my talk this evening to the Moms of Multiples!  My hats off to them!  I took the easy way out!  No kids and no pets!  Just wanted to say had fun with the Moms tonight!   I think they enjoyed it!  Oh, too many exclamation points AGAIN!  So here is another shot of spring.  The tete a tete daffodils have started to bloom as well.

I am still waiting to hear from Rhonda Dobson!  Please Rhonda e-mail me your mailing address and I will send you your prize.  You actually won!  

Even Kitty Was Enjoying The Day and Happy Spring!

The cat was on the walk the other day just snoozing away!  Then it was up prowling through the sticks to find dinner. We had two loose dogs roaming the neighborhood yesterday!  We are out of control!  Hope The Herbal Husband gets back soon!  Oh, maybe not, he usually stirs things up!  Always an adventure!

I am still waiting to hear from Rhonda Dobson!  Please Rhonda e-mail me your mailing address and I will send you your prize.  You actually won!  Off to take a walk and then work in the herb garden!  Happy Spring!  It can't come soon enough for me and maybe you as well!  Talk to you later!

This Cheered Me Up Today!

I had the garage door open today and guess who flew in?  A ladybug.  Looks like a multi-Asian.  It is taking walk around our lavender in the container.  I think this is the sweet lavender.  There are a couple more lavenders upstairs in the living room.  Hope you had a great day.  We are going to have a beautiful Saturday and hopefully, I can work out in the garden.

Cheep Rooms on Thursdays!

You will need your binoculars again for this one.  It is a teapot birdhouse along with other yard art in my neighbor's down the street.  Didn't see any activity around this house.  Have a little tea with your lodging?  Hope you are enjoying your day wherever you may be!

I Do Remember Planting These!

These crocuses I remember planting and they are always a bright spot in the early spring for me.  They look like little irises.  The Herbal Husband may be back from this snow escape next week!  I have nothing done!  Gotta keep this short.  Mailing my winners' their prizes today.  Have not heard from Rhonda Dobson.  Please Rhonda send me an e-mail with your mailing information and I can send out your prize!  Have some things to do this morning.  Will be back this afternoon with my Cheep Room on Thursday!

Photo Tag Fun!-UPDATED

OK, as you remember from yesterday, I was tagged by Julie of MoonCat Farms Meanderings to participate in Photo Tag Fun!  Well, here goes.  This is the tenth photo from my first photo file.  I think if you don't have a tenth photo in your first photo file.  You go to the next file and the next until you have a tenth photo!  OK, here is my photo.  It is from our 25th (Oops, I meant to say 20th.) anniversary trip to France in October 2007. We are well on our way to 25, but haven't gotten there yet!  I must say that October in France is a pretty fabulous time to be there.  This is from a garden show called Festival International Des Jardins De Chaumont-sur-Loire.  This festival celebrated mobiles.  Unfortunately, this photo does not show the hundreds of mobiles throughout the show.  The show for this year starts April 3 and runs through October.  This photo looks like it has some lavender hanging out in the foreground.  The memory is a little foggy!  The trip to Paris and surrounding countryside was amazing!

So here are the rules of Photo Tag Fun:

Open your first photo file.

Scroll to the 10th photo.

Post the photo and tell the story behind it.

Tag five more people!

Here are my tagees:

Flower Lady's Musing for her cozy cottage, tranquil music and beautiful flowers even in the heat and humidity of Florida.

Olde Common Scents from, Alyssa for primitive living style (I almost said primitive style!) and for inspiring her son, Will to get those little growing hands dirty in the garden.

A Southern Garden by Becca for her southern accent even in her writing and for her courage and strength.

Bernideen's Teatime Blog for her elegance and style and love of history.

and finally, because there can only be five, Peggy R of My Affairs with Art (not her husband) and Daily Life.  She will definitely inspiring your crafty side.  You have to check out her bunny baskets for Easter.  Very cute.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!  Hope you are enjoying the day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.  Got to go tag some ladies!

And The Winners Are!

Thank you to everyone who entered my 500th post contest!  You are why I am still writing all of my adventures!  I have a mailing address for Tufa Girl.  I have an e-mail address for Kay'sflowers and I will be writing you shortly, Kay.  Seanymph, S. and Rhonda Dobson , please e-mail me your address information, I will get these notepads in the mail to you all.  I'm still working on yesterday's tag.  The birds are chirping at me to feed them.  This Daylight Saving Time business has me all messed up!  More later today.

Lots Going on Today!

I was online earlier today and found that my dear friend, Julie of MoonCat Farms Meanderings has tagged me.  So sorry, Julie, I had my day planned already.  So I'm going to take an extra day to announce my tagees!

I didn't even have time to take new photos, but there are new flowers blooming!  Whoo! Hoo!  Don't forget you have until 10 PM this evening Eastern Daylight Saving Light to place a comment to win during my 500th Post Contest!  Just place a comment on this post to enter.

I had lunch with my master gardening friend, Lyn.  We always have a lively discussion.  She loaned me a book, Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells.  I'm surrounded by books, but she convinced me that I would enjoy it!  I'll let you know.

Then the retail experiences came.  Bought new glasses after 12 years!  Sticker shock!  The salesman was amazed that my old glasses had made it 12 years!

Ended the day with a wonderful hour's walk.  Getting addicted to this exercise.  It's a great thing!  Hope you had a wonderful day wherever you may be.  Talk to you tomorrow with the names of winners!  Hope you are one of them!

An Alien in the Garden!

Oh, no, it's just Kitty with those alien eyes!  I wasn't quick enough.  Kitty brought a friend, brother, sister, cousin, some other relative!  Just looked like Kitty.  I thought I was seeing double!  They are multiplying around us!  If only they could do gardening work!  They take care of the rodents and also some birds!  Don't like that aspect, killing the birdies!  Oh well, just wanted to let you know that gardening work starts soon.  Hopefully if you are in the Northeast, you have your power back and we have turned the corner towards Spring!  Talk to you later.

A Little Wishful Thinking!

Thought I would cheer everyone up with a bouquet of daffodils from last year!  We aren't quite there yet, but they are up a little higher since the snow is gone!  Spring is just around the corner and the forecasters are talking about snow again!  They had better be wrong!  I'm off to exercise!  Hope you are enjoying your Sunday wherever you may be!  Talk to you later!

I Don't Remember Planting These!

Funny how you forget where you planted bulbs.  I just don't remember planting these crocuses in this particular spot.  It is in the front garden and there are a couple more places where they are coming up!  Senior Bulb Moment!  Hope you are dry and safe wherever you may be.  Off to exercise!  Talk to you later.

The Lure of the Herb Garden!

I couldn't stand it any longer!  My herb garden is out from all of the snow and I had to pull the first grass clumps, look for the first green (salad burnet), unflatten the plants and trim a few things (garlic chives) back before the rain starts later today.  Just as I thought in some cases, the snow kept the plants in suspended animation.  The lavenders were flattened, but the 'Nazareth' sages were pretty intact!  Hopefully everything will withstand the rain coming!  Not as much as Ivan but some creeks and streams are already flooding!  Spring is almost here!

Cheep Rooms on Thursday and Other Stories!

My Friend, Tufa Girl, encouraged me to get out and about and find a Cheep Room in the neighborhood.  Well, this first one is in the yard of a neighbor who was inspired to garden because of our garden!  When she told me that, it gave me goosebumps!  Of course, as I was doing my exercise, at various times, there were sparrows perched on the roof looking like they were using the Cheep Room!  Hope you will be inspired to join us in the search for Cheep Rooms.  Just go to Tufa Girl's subblog, Cheep Rooms and check it out.

OK, I'm getting old quickly.  The title of this post is Cheep Rooms AND OTHER STORIES!  So here are the other stories.  I had lunch today with my dear friend, Carol.  I worked with her at the law firm for almost 17 years and I have known her for 35 years!  Today is her dear dog's birthday.  So Happy Birthday, Bud!  He knows who is the boss in the family!  Here is a photo of Bud from my last visit.



My latest blog post is at The Herb Companion Magazine.  I have been struggling to cook for myself since The Herbal Husband escaped the snow.  I do have some help from historic sources and I have been experimenting with recipes.  Sooo,  please let me know what your favorite comfort food you cook, bake or make when you are by yourself!

My 500th Post! You Can Win-An Herbal Giveaway!

Who knew when I started this adventure in August 2008, I would still be writing about my herb garden and The Herbal Husband!  So, lucky you!  You may win something from the notepad extravaganza!

So just place a comment on this post and hope for the best.  This giveaway will end next Tuesday, March 16th at 10 PM Eastern Daylight Time (We lose an hour this weekend!).  The winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 10 AM Eastern Daylight Time.  So hopefully I can keep being inspired by all of you and, of course, by The Herbal Husband!

More of My Favorite Herbal Catalogs!

I  realized that I hadn't shared a couple of catalogs that came in the mail the other day!  I have been blinded by the sun around here!  It's going to end tomorrow.  Rain is on its way.  Hopefully, we will lose some more snow.  The catalog above is one of my favorite herb farms and until this year, they did mail order.  Now you have to drive to see them.  If you are in the vicinity of Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, Mulberry Creek Herb Farm is very close.  Stop by and see them.  I have written several posts about the Langans, Karen and Mark.  They are both obsessed with herbs and miniatures in a good way.  They have an annual herb fair at the end of June.  It is a summertime destination.  I have it on my list.  Here is their website.

The other catalog I received is from The Rosemary House.  The exciting part of this year's catalog is that the Rosemarians are coming my way this year.  One of their bus trips is coming to see Pittsburgh's Powerful Gardens.  It is a day of herbal friendship, learning and delicious herbal food.  Who knows you may even see me!  So check out the website above, even to see their upcoming events or ask for your own catalog.  It's jammed with all things herbal.

Tomorrow is a very special day for me, my 500th post.  There may be a slightly large giveaway pending!  So don't forget to check in tomorrow!   Hope you are enjoying a sunny day wherever you may be.  Took a walk this morning.  It is almost like California here!  A girl can dream!  Talk to you later.

Nothing but Blue Skies Do I See!

Can't explain what a wonderful streak of weather we have been having!  Had the window down in the car today and took an hour's walk outside.  Feeling great.  Have lost 17 pounds since mid-November!  Even had a retail experience buying some new exercise clothes.  Well, as you can see by my banner page, the herb garden is finally appearing and practically all of the lavenders are flattened.  Hopefully once everything is revealed, it will revive itself.  Keep those fingers crossed!  Hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you may be!  Talk to you later!

I Think Hazardous Duty Pay Is In Order!

I heard a thud the other day as I was in the house.  So when I went out to feed the birds, this is what I found.  The ice in the front gutters is finally coming down.  That's the good news and no gutter has fallen either!  More good news!  Really we have been very lucky.  Our neighbors next door lost all of their gutters in the front.  No, they didn't run away, they just fell off the house!  Big repair job.  Still keeping my fingers crossed and you should also!  Here is the last bit of ice and it should come down today with the warmth of the day.  Never a dull moment here!  Off to water the plants.  If you don't hear from me for a day or so, don't worry!  Just kidding!  Getting close to my 500th post!  Stay tuned!

Since You've Been Gone!

You know that song.  Just hum it while you read this post!  I don't even know all of the words, but since he has been gone, we have had bright sunny days!  I'm just being honest!  I get away with being a slug while The Herbal Husband is here.  So it is appropriate that I have to do it all now!  Most importantly feed the wildlife.  So here is proof that the little darlings are getting nutrition!

 

As you might be able to see above, we feed the squirrels too.  Sometimes they are the only ones eating.  It drives you know who crazy!  Last photo shows the sparrows up front diving into the box.  They peck the bottom of the box when there isn't any food.  Wildlife fun and unpredictable!  Hope you are enjoying a sunny day wherever you may be.  I'm off to watch the snow melt!

Cheep Rooms on Thursday, But It's Friday?

Well better late than never!  This computer stuff never gets easier for me, but thanks to my friend, Tufa Girl, I will be dragged into the new age of computers!  I never knew what an meme is.  An meme is a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet.  Now you know too!  You need to post a post on your blog and connect it to Tufa Girl's blog and you will be off and running.  Well, Tufa Girl always looking for fun, thought that finding birdhouses outside or inside may cheer us all up.  Check out her blog, Texas Tufa for all of the details.  There aren't many rules and if there are rules, hopefully, they can be broken once in a while.  I already have broken the Thursday rule.  It's Friday!

Here is my entry.  As you can see, it is an outhouse with two divisions, management and labor.   It sat on the dining room table to be photographed.  The Herbal Husband's vitamins, a classic touch!  Hope you are having a great day.  The sun woke me up this morning!  Talk to you later.  Remember to join the fun at Cheep Rooms on Thursday!

72 vs. 2

I can see plants in my herb garden again!  It may be until the weekend until I see more.  We are having a beautiful sunny day except it will be noted in the weather records as a cloudy one!  The title of my post refers to number of sunny days this winter versus cloudy days!  You would be right if you guess two sunny days!  The 'Burgh is not the place to be in the winter.  The Herbal Husband will be checking in from time to time and the blue jays enjoyed the peanut caddy this morning.  The peanuts were gone in short order.  Got a lot more to think about since The Herbal Husband left.  Talk to you later!  P.S.  65 days so far in the year and we have had 5 days of sun!

Wish Him a Happy Birthday!

Lemon verbena bread/cake for The Herbal Husband!  He has made it through another year!  Always happy for that!  Going to celebrate at Red Robin with a free burger!  Free is the best!  If you click the link, you can sign up for a free burger on your birthday as well!  He is getting calls from family and friends from around the world!  Tomorrow he is taking a vacation from the snow!  While the cat's away, the mouse will play! ;>}  Talk to you later.