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Friday, March 4, 2022

March Musings

We made it to March, friends, and in just over a week we change the clocks - woo hoo, spring is surely on the way! 

Meanwhile we are still buried in snow on the mountaintop, but the light is changing in that beautiful way it tends to do in late winter. 

I must be desperate for some outside time in the sunshine because I actually shoveled a path to my patio swing the other day. 

That swing is placed in the perfect location to get the full impact of the winter sun in the afternoons. It's my favorite place to spend time in March, when I can't be out in the garden starting spring clean up. 

I sit on the swing and listen to the birds singing in the trees and plan my spring garden. I tip my head back and soak in the winter sun, and dream of warmer days to come. 

Of course I've already gotten a head start on my spring garden - I started the first seeds about a month ago and they are doing quite well. So far I have all my pepper varieties started as well as all my herbs, leeks, and alpine strawberries. I also planted celery seeds but there's no sign of them popping up yet. 

I'm not doing flowers from seed this year as my gardens need to be in great shape by the weekend of June 11th, when my beautiful daughter gets married. 

I'll actually buy flats of flowers at the nursery this season to make sure everything is photo-worthy. We have so much to look forward to this spring indeed! 

This is my beautiful daughter Amanda and her fiancé Alex - they were in Paris this week and took this photo on the top of the Eiffel Tower. I'm so happy they got to have that amazing experience, and so grateful that they are home safe and sound. 

We never stop worrying about our children, do we? Once a mom, always a mom. 

My other 'children' love the winter sunshine that pours through the front door in late winter - I open the door and put down their blanket and they sit there for ages soaking in the sunshine and watching the bird feeders. 

The winter sunshine gave me the boost to start a little spring cleaning last weekend. Every so often I need to take everything off the counters and clean them with bleach. It always feels good when it's done, but I do wish there was a non toxic cleaner that would do as good a job. 

Perhaps this weekend I'll tackle the other side of the kitchen. I also need to replace the microwave over the stove as it shorted out this past week. It's always something when you own a house, isn't it? 

My kitchen is not trendy, but it sure is cozy and it's also a very hard working kitchen. It's amazing how many incredible meals have come out of that kitchen in the 7 years I've lived in this house. 

As spring approaches I crave more salads and fruit....and sometimes salad with fruit, like this strawberry goat cheese salad. 

I have been enjoying the fresh spring berries that are in abundance at the markets right now and working them into many of my menus. 

I try to make sure at least one day a week is 'meatless' and plan around that, such as this grilled vegetable sandwich and butternut squash and apple soup. 

Sweetie is super easy to cook for, which is a blessing indeed. We both adore pasta, so once a week at least it's on the menu, such as this incredible Rigatoni a la Vodka. 

Tonight is another cold one with temps dropping to the mid teens but Sunday the forecast shows mid 60's and rain - go figure! That should help take out some of this snow for sure. 

Last year we had an early spring.....could we possibly get so lucky two years in a row? 

Meanwhile, I guess I'll be like Miss Molly and just snuggle in and be patient....after all, you can't rush Mother Nature! 

26 comments:

  1. I am so glad you're blogging again! It's like sitting at your kitchen table with you - or on your deck in the nicer weather - and having a lovely "friends" chat about our kids, our fur babies, the changing weather, decorating, plans for our gardens, and of course, the wonderful meals we're cooking!

    I give you so much credit for starting so many veggies (and sometimes flowers) from seed. That's something I've never done, but I also don't have anywhere to do this. I do have a basement but I'd have to buy some kind of table to set everything on, the special lights, etc. Guess I don't want to do that bad enough. ;-)

    Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming wedding! I know you do wedding and event planning...are you helping plan her wedding?

    My hubby will eat just about anything, too though neither one of us is crazy about pasta. We'll eat it - it's just not one of our favorites. It bloats me terribly anyway, so I guess it's all good. Thus said, one of my planned meals for the upcoming week is a NY Times recipe for cheesy baked pasta. I had some ricotta leftover in my fridge (from a meatball recipe that called for it) and I didn't want to waste it, so did some Google searching.

    It doesn't matter that your kitchen isn't trendy. Neither is mine! And look at all the yummy meals and dishes that we come up with. And our loved ones around the table. That's all that counts. And FWIW, I think your kitchen is beautiful.

    You could always disinfect/clean your counters with vinegar, but I'm assuming since it's white tile, you like the bleach to whiten it? Maybe then you could use hydrogen peroxide instead? That's whitening and non-toxic.

    Happy spring!

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    1. I'm trying to post at least once a month, perhaps more as we enter gardening season and there's more to write about Melanie. It is kind of like having a chat with a friend, isn't it? I love that analogy! Hydrogen peroxide may be a good idea, I'll have to try it out, perhaps in a spray bottle and let it sit and then wipe off. Yes, I use the bleach to whiten and disinfect the grout. For daily cleaning I use Mrs Meyers, and when I use bleach it really bothers my allergies.....which is not unusual as so many things trigger my allergies as I get older, just another joy of aging. I don't like cleaning with vinegar as I really hate the smell....unless I'm making pickles or a salad dressing! I'm making meatballs tonight....I bought yet another cookbook (go figure!) from a famous restaurant in NYC called Don Angie and I have to try the meatball recipe in the book - that's what I roasted the garlic for. Can't wait and I'll report back!

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  2. Hello sweet friend. So happy to see your post. Lots of beautiful and exciting things going on for you. We both have beautiful daughters getting married this year. My daughter will be married in October. Love seeing your sweet fur babies soaking up sunshine. I took a walk the other day because the sun was so bright and you are so right it feels great on your face to soak in the winter light. Your seeds are doing great you are going to have another fantastic garden this year. I know your mountain retreat will look beautiful for the wedding with your flowers. xoxo Kris

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    1. Well congratulations to you sweet friend - how exciting for you and your daughter as well!!!! I tried to sit on my patio swing yesterday when the sun was out Kris but sadly it was such a raw day I just couldn't....even with my long down coat on and my down blanket over my legs. I'll try again today if the sun is out at the right time....I sure could use some outdoor time! We should get a great melt in the next two days with those warm temps....I'll have to start cleaning up garden beds...I have a ton to do to get ready for the wedding!! I'm hoping the lilacs and peonies will be in bloom for Amanda's wedding - wouldn't that be lovely?

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  3. Your plants are looking great! You have a ton more snow than we do here in Indiana. Tomorrow will be in the mid-70's. Woohoo!

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    1. It was almost gone, Donna, and then we got dumped on again. Tomorrow and Monday should take care of most of it - can't wait!!!! I'm anxious to see if any of my bulbs are popping up under the snow....I planted a bunch more daffodils in the fall.

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  4. Your seedings look like they are doing great! Your daughter and fiance look so happy!

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    1. Thanks, Penny - they are so happy, and they LOVED Paris and had a great time! Too short a trip to do everything but they sure jammed in a ton while they were there!

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  5. Loved seeing the precious fur babies as well as your beautiful daughter and her fiance!
    Brenda

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    1. The wedding is just over 3 months away and I'm wondering how I'll get the house and gardens in photo worthy shape by that time! I could use a team for spring clean up but I guess I'll just tackle it a little at a time until it's done. Bring on the Advil!

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  6. The food looks delicious - congratulations on the upcoming wedding!

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    1. Thank you Bernideen - we're very excited, she's been engaged for nearly two years!

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  7. I loved this post. Amanda is so beautiful. I have two daughters in their 20s, both still living home and yes you never do stop worrying. One was in the city last night and I could not rest until she got home. It’s much more dangerous than it used to be. I love your kitchen. It is warm and cozy . I love the times before spring when you can sit in the sun and feel the warmth on your cheeks, without the pressure of starting the cleanup, just yet. Enjoy your Sunday.

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    1. Thank you Susan, you are so sweet!! Yes, when my daughters were living at home I couldn't sleep when they were out. Now I panic if I send a text and don't hear back within a reasonable amount of time!

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  8. Your home is so cozy and pretty, I love getting a glimpse of it whenever you post. Whenever you start posting about seeds I know that spring is on the horizon and it makes me so happy! Speaking of happy, your daughter is beautiful and beaming. Glad they're home safe and sound. Will they be getting married at your ski mountain resort? I bet she's excited to have a pro helping her plan regardless!! xxoo

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    1. She is getting married on top of the mountain, Kim, but her reception is in a pavilion next to a lake....pavilions and tents without sides are all the rage this year, with Covid still looming! It's getting real now, just three months to go and I don't have a dress yet!

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  9. we are so alike as is our weather. I get out with my doges and to shovel. The wind off the lake is insane. Inside I clean...it's just something I like to do. Ever so often I use Clorox or Lysol to gt the germs, little ones can spread that. But mild cleaners also catch germs and I use them often.

    Love your meal ideas. The salad looks good, we shy away from them in the winter but
    t they are so refreshing, as are meatless meals.

    Hope to get a blog post up soon!

    Jane

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    1. I'm going meatless today, Jane, with a big pot of vegetarian chili and cornbread. I decided to soak beans overnight to inspire a meatless meal for meatless Monday - this is what I came up with! The sun is shining, and I'm hoping that by the weekend most of the latest snow fall will be gone and I can start spring cleanup. I need to get my hands in the dirt again!

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  10. Hi Debbie!!! So many wonderful things in this post. I LOVE that you started your seeds already! I'm itching to start too, but I have to wait another few weeks because I can't get them into the ground before end of May. I'm excited for gardening season! Congrats to your daughter and her fiance! They look so happy! And your furries are so cute. Your patio swing...reminds me of what I do. I plant a Roots chair in the snow facing the sun, I'm out in my big comfy bathrobe, boots and hat with a glass of white wine while I enjoy the March sun! It's a tradition for me once a week or so! This is a great time of year! Your house is VERY cozy looking! Oh the food! My Alex loves Penne Alla Vodka, and I also make butternut squash and apple soup, it's on the menu for March for sure! I still have 3 large jars of squash that I canned last fall, gotta use them up!! ☺☺

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    1. Rain, you and I are two peas in a pod no doubt!! It's brutally cold here today, and we are once again under the cover of snow....but hopefully it will melt again by the end of the week. I kicked the wood stove into action again for a few days....I admit I did not miss having a break from carrying in wood!!

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  11. You have shared such loveliness in your post Debbie... I too am growing lots of veggies right now. I've learned not to start things too early here, as we can't plant until the first of June. Your home exudes coziness and warmth. I love your red accents and white tile! We are getting more and more spring-like days here, and now we can see the ground, which of course is terribly muddy. But, soon that will pass, and I am already seeing sprouts of tulips, daffodils and crocus in my garden, very exciting! Always so thankful for the beautiful season of springtime :) Congrats to your daughter getting married... our son is also getting married this June. Exciting times! Blessings to you :)

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    1. How exciting indeed, Marilyn, congratulations to your son!! I was making progress getting garden beds cleaned up and then we got hit with frigid temps and more snow....so I'm back to my 'indoor gardening' and ready to start the next flat of seeds.

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  12. The snow may still be falling, but the light is definitely changing. Here's to hoping for a warm and wonderful spring!

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    1. We have three frosty nights this week, and then the forecast looks good Kelly - I can't wait until spring is here to stay!

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  13. Your kitchen is beautiful. Never mind trendy as it will be gone and out of date soon.

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    1. I completely agree! Trends come and go, so I have never been one to follow them in my home decor - how can anyone keep up with changing things out every time a new trend comes along?

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