Another rhubarb dessert

(Photo from Taste of Home)

Mmm-mm, we love rhubarb treats in the springtime! I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and we really enjoyed it: Rhubarb Icebox Dessert. The only thing I did differently was to leave off the vanilla pudding layer. I'm sure it would have added a lovely flavor and texture dimension, but I had no vanilla instant pudding on hand and no time to make up a substitute. So I just skipped it and sprinkled the reserved graham cracker crumbs on top of the marshmallow cream layer instead. It was wonderful! I have now put some vanilla instant pudding in the pantry so I can try this recipe again.

Robin's egg blue

We knew there were birds building a nest in one of the eaves of our garage, but only found out last weekend for sure that they are robins. The mother robin has been sitting on the eggs since then. Mr. T and our granddaughters set up a stepladder while the mother was off the nest temporarily and got the great pictures of the beautiful robins' eggs.

One of my granddaughters got this photo of the mother bird from quite a distance. She (the mother robin) is a bit skittish.

And one more picture of the eggs.

The large white object to the right is a large old-fashioned Christmas tree bulb. (We have these strung under the eaves of our garage.)

Rhubarb Cheesecake Dessert

(Photo from Taste of Home)

Yesterday I tried a new recipe for our potluck lunch at church: Rhubarb Cheesecake Dessert.

For a change, I didn't do anything different to the recipe when preparing it. Usually, I make some changes even when I make a recipe for the first time. But I made this just as written. It went over very, very well. I must have had a half dozen requests for the recipe, and will get those out to the people who asked ASAP (in case any of them happen to be reading this). I will definitely be making this dessert again!

Crab Quiche with Hollandaise

(Photo from Taste of Home)

Last night I tried a new recipe for supper: Crab Quiche with Hollandaise. I have made crabmeat quiches before and we always enjoy the flavors. But this is probably the most flavorful crab quiche recipe I have ever tried and will probably be the one I use from now on. It contains frozen asparagus stir-fry blend, one of our favorite frozen vegetable mixtures. (I usually buy the Great Value brand.)

I did make a couple of changes. I used about half the amount of cheese and I used imitation crab, about 4 ounces, instead of canned crab. Also, I used a packet of hollandaise sauce mix rather than making homemade hollandaise sauce as specified in the recipe.

If you're looking for a good quiche recipe, give this a try. If your family enjoys seafood quiches, I predict you will enjoy this as much as we did!

Lovely lady's slipper flowers

Last weekend Mr. T got some wonderful photos of our pink lady's slipper flowers. I thought it would be of interest to share not only the pictures, but also what my Wildflowers of North America book (by Robert Lemmon and Charles Johnson) has to say about them:

"Pink Lady's Slipper, Pink Moccasin, Stemless Lady's Slipper, Two-Leaved Lady's Slipper, Squirrel Shoes, Noah's Ark, Whip-poor-will shoe -- all these common names and probably more are applied to this woodland plant. It is perhaps the most common, widespread and at the same time the crankiest member of its genus. To illustrate:

"You may find it flowering in May and June from Newfoundland through New England and on to North Carolina. From this general line it extends west to Tennessee, into the Mississippi River region and Manitoba. Bogland, damp woods and dry rocky ones -- all are acceptable homes for it. And yet it is notoriously difficult to transplant successfully into some new spot which seems to be perfectly suited to its needs. It may appear there by itself, probably by means of stray seeds, and become well established. But that is another mystifying story.

"This baffling, unpredictable Orchid rarely grows in close colonies. You may find several plants within a square yard, but as a rule they are more widely scattered. It is almost as though they resented crowding."

Who knew they had so many common names? I was only familiar with the first two. Some of the names surely are whimsical.

I can also vouch for the fact that these plants are unpredictable. When we moved here, we had large groups of lady's slippers in our woods. Over time, the groups seemed to get smaller and move around from place to place in the woods. We tried transplanting a couple of them to the wildflower garden, where they thrived for a few years and then disappeared.

This year, they are in a slightly different place still -- in fact, at the edge of the woods quite close to the road. Some are light pink, some are dark pink.

Some are solitary, some are in small groups, like this one of four.

Mr. T counted some 40 lady's slippers just in this area alone!

Do pink lady's slippers grow in your area?

Lilacs

When I was growing up, my parents had some pretty lilac bushes and so when we established our own home, Mr. T and I wanted to plant some, too. We ended up transplanting some from my parents' summer place, where there was a huge hedge of lilacs near an old stone foundation. For years, our lilacs did not bloom; then, a few years ago, one or two blossoms appeared. Each year we see more and more flowers, and the bushes themselves are spreading, too.

I think it is so fascinating how lilacs are so often found beside old cellar holes and crumbling foundations. Even out in the woods, lilac bushes can be found blooming in such surroundings. People planted them by their houses and now, even though the houses and outbuildings have long since disappeared, the lilacs continue to bloom. Writers have written eloquently about this:

"Lilacs are in bloom now ... They bloom in almost every dooryard. In fact they bloom where there is no longer a dooryard. Often only a stone chimney may be left where a house once stood.

"Who lived here? ... Did they build the vanished house for future generations? If so, why was the place abandoned? Lovingly it could have been rebuilt on the same site, for the ancient stone foundation is here. Never mind, the secret belongs to the long ago, and we must not disturb it. It is permissible to gather a few lilacs in memory of those who planted them."
~ Gladys Taber, The Stillmeadow Road



And Still the Lilacs Bloom

'Twas not by chance the lilac fair
Became New Hampshire's flower,
For it was hardy like the folks
Who grew it by their bower.

The farms were passed from sire to son
Who loved this land and nation;
And lilacs were a part of home
To every generation.

Years passed, until the farmhouse old
Fell slowly in decay,
Yet lilacs by the rotting walls
Still bloomed along the way.

The ones who planted yonder bush
Are now within their tombs,
But still beside the cellar hole
The purple lilac blooms.

As though in tender memory
Of those they would recall
Each year the fragrant lilacs bloom
Beside the garden wall.

No fairer tribute to the dead
Can we in love display
In cemeteries through the land
Upon Memorial Day.

Though gnarled and twisted by the storm
As generations toil;
Forever may the lilacs bloom
O'er dear New Hampshire soil.
~ Wilfred Tatham, Musings by a Mountain Trail


I love our lilacs and hope they will continue blooming and thriving for many years to come. They are such sweet old-fashioned flowers!

A few more wildflowers

Here are just a few more wildflowers.

Bunchberry -- these flowers will soon disappear and a cluster of berries will take their place.

Lily of the valley -- I love these for their scriptural significance. These are not technically a wildflower, as they were transplanted by Carrie from one of my mother's flower gardens many years ago. But they have spread, over the years, to all corners of the wildflower garden. Their scent is simply delicious.

Bugle weed -- also called simply bugle. These plants were given to Carrie by a friend, Mrs. C, many years ago. To my knowledge they have only started blooming in the past year or so.

A closer look at the bugle weed. Isn't it pretty?