Category Gardening

Chicago – Tulips are everywhere…

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This year there are so many tulips around Chicago.

Here are two photos of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile (North Michigan Ave). On one side of the street, there were red/yellow colored tulips. When I walked to the other side, they favored multiple colored tulips.

I didn’t realize that tulips are perennials, so they come back again and again. Of course, this depends on the soil, how much water they’ve had during the year, etc. So, sometimes all of the tulips might not come back. For example, you might just see a lone tulip in someone’s yard, like this yellow one. Although, there seem to be some other sprouts that are coming to the surface.

Here are beautiful pink tulips. Such a fabulous color. This was in the evening. Were they going to sleep?

Tulips will only be in bloom until mid-May, so enjoy them while you can.

Happy Spring!

Walking: Gardening – Observations

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Do you have funny thoughts when you are walking? I went to visit a friend. We were walking the neighborhood. As we were talking, I stopped, giggled and had to take this picture.

I’ve always enjoyed gardening. Trimming the hedges, raking leaves, etc. I saw this bush, and immediately wished I had my gardening sheers with me. All those funny shoots sticking out, needed trimming.

Further on our walk, we came across this gigantic sunflower. Isn’t it amazing?

All alone, it grew so tall in such glory. There is a daintiness in this sunflower’s stance too.

There is beauty all around us. We just have to slow down to see it.

Have a great weekend!

Re-inventing the Bird House!

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This past weekend I was in Wisconsin. I happened to see these bird houses.

I liked how they look; however, made out of metal they don’t look too cozy. Also, I noticed they don’t have a ledge to put birdseed. Would birds go inside this DARK house to eat food?

What do you think? Would birds come or are they just for garden decoration?

Fall… Pumpkin shopping…

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I was looking at the pumpkins and came across these. I have to be honest, they look like they have a lot of warts on them. I don’t find them appealing and feel bad for saying this. Everything has it’s own beauty, right. Still, I thought, there must be a reason they grow like this.

Anyone familiar with these types of pumpkins?

A tulip… Alone or maybe not?

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I was visiting a friend. We were out walking. I saw this tulip all alone. Isn’t it a bit strange?!

It looks so healthy and strong. Was it transplanted? Was it the only bulb that survived? Tulips are always in groups, where are the others? This one does look beautiful.

I have a lot of questions to ask this dear tulip!

Gardening… The Artichoke!

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I just wrote a lovely post about this beautiful artichoke. Guess what – WP crashed, post GONE! For some reason, the “save draft” wasn’t working well. Early morning tech issues OR the Universe wasn’t keen on the post I had written, wanted me to START OVER! LOL

So, as my creative thought process has now disappeared, I will say… I was in California this past weekend. I went to Half Moon Bay by the ocean. It was wonderful to smell the fishy salty air and hear the fog horn. I used to go there a lot.

While walking on Main Street, I came across a gardening center and saw these artichokes. I don’t eat them much and always wondered how they grew. Now, I know. Seeing them makes me want to give them another try. I was reading that they are a good source of fiber.

Any artichoke lovers out there? What tips do you have to share on peeling / cooking them?

Gardening… What happened? Shortage of Dijon mustard?

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On my walk the other day, I saw this garden. Oh, no! First, what happened to this poor bush? Second, it resembles our chaotic world right now.

I was just reading that in France there is a shortage of Dijon mustard. Due to climate change and the war in Ukraine, there is a shortage of mustard seeds. Did you know that? Did you know that Canada supplies half of the worlds supply of mustard seeds? However, because of heat and a drought these past few years, their supply has been low. This is heart breaking for the farmers.

I looked up where a mustard seed comes from. It’s this yellow flower. See next photo a field of these flowers. Beautiful! The BBC has a great article, a little bit long, but explains the Dijon situation, “Why there’s no ‘Dijon’ in Dijon mustard,” by Emily Monaco, August 17, 2022.

After reading the article on Dijon, guess what I bought yesterday? YES, I got some Dijon mustard. I do enjoy it on a sandwich, with a sausage, hamburger and hot dog. I had no idea there was a shortage.

With climate change, we are starting to appreciate what we took for granted in so many different products / industries, right. Also, learning where / how foods that we have enjoyed come from.

Many people I know are starting to have their own organic gardens. The tomatoes are AMAZING! Same with the raspberries and blackberries. Oh and snap peas. I enjoyed seeing how asparagus grows.

Soon, we might all have our own organic gardens. Share with our neighbors.

Life as we knew it is changing rapidly.

Goats on Chicago River Cruise, ComEd celebrates, job well done!

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Finally, a feel good story coming out of Chicago. We need more stories like this in the news. Sharing, so you have a SMILE today.

ComEd uses about 200 goats to clear out vegetation under hard to reach power lines.

Kiko goats have hearty appetites, they can graze through 1 acre of land in a week. Nice to see them taking their jobs seriously. They are on loan from Goats on the Go. While they seem small, they do have a strong stature.

I’ll be smiling all day!

Here’s to the start of September and working hard — ALL OF US — goats included!

Sun Protection – Hats, hats & more hats!

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When you have a big hat collection, you need someone to protect it. In walks, Isabella, the Christmas mouse. Actually, this was a funny photo. My daughter saw this and said, “Mama, you’ve got a lot of hats!”

I explained that I had even more. It was becoming a storage dilemma. Global warming has made it impossible for me to go outside without sunblock, a scarf, long sleeve shirt and hat. Within 10 minutes, I look like the color of a lobster. No kidding, my skin feels like an egg in a frying pan, the sun is so hot.

Then add style. If I’m working out, wearing a stylish straw hat doesn’t work. If the weather is windy, now I need a hat with a tie around the neck. If it’s raining, I need a waterproof hat. If I’m gardening, I need wide brim, and cleanable. You get where I’m going with this. I’m slowly learning which hat works with which outfit/occasion. I’m lazy, ideally, I wanted 1-2 hats for ALL purposes. Grab and go! I learned that didn’t work.

Oh, and hats are seasonal. I can’t wear a woolen hat in the summer. So, now I have all these hats, and I’m not sure how to store them. They can’t be in hat boxes, my gosh, my life would be a nightmare opening each box. I need them in a pile, so I can pick and go!

I did see a hat tree rack like they have in retail stores. I liked that, but it takes up an entire corner of a room. Do I want to do that? Hum… still putting thought into this.

Any hat lovers out there. If you have ideas. SHARE THEM!