Sunday Snapshot: A Vase Full of Springtime

The vase full of forsythia buds that I shared with you in THIS post on Monday is now in full, glorious bloom in my dining room window. 

Who would think that bringing bare winter branches into the house would produce such sunny loveliness? All that was required from me was ten or so days of patience.

These are the branches that were left over from a larger arrangement that I took to my garden club meeting on Thursday.

"Arrangement" isn't really the correct word for what I did here.  I poked the left over stems into whatever vase I had on hand, and I hoped that the results don't look too awkward.  This works well with forsythia, because I think forsythia looks best when it isn't 'arranged'.

Every winter when I force forsythia branches like this, the process always seems like magic.  All it requires is to bring some bare winter branches into the house and to wait patiently while they spend ten days or so in a vase of water.

It wouldn't be a proper Sunday Snapshot without a peek at one of the our family of fur-kids.  Yesterday afternoon, well after I took the other photos in this post, I found Alice lounging on the window sill in the sunshine.

I usually only force winter branches once per year.  This year, however, I am enjoying the forsythia so much that I intend to start another batch later today.  I wonder if this works with dogwood?  I think I'll cut some and give it a try.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Fredericksburg's Version of a National Holiday

Every year, residents of Fredericksburg and the surrounding region anxiously await the Friday before Presidents' Day, knowing that this is the day that Carl's, a landmark nationally-known ice cream shop, opens for the season. 

Cash only, please, and there is often a sign in the window asking patrons for small bills.  Carl's has been a Fredericksburg landmark since 1947.  The menu is simple ... cones, shakes, and sundaes, with vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream ... still made using the original machines!!  

Sorry for the glare.  This is the best I could do through the window.

Yesterday's weather was unseasonably warm (we topped out at 77 degrees, on a day when the average high temperature is 47.), so it was a perfect afternoon to stand in line and get ice cream after lunch. 

Look at this beautiful blue sky!!

A few other folks had the same idea.  The line was half-way around the block.  I couldn't get a photo to show just how long the line was ... so I drew you a diagram.

You have to imagine the line stretching down the sidewalk and around, from point A to point B.  The X marks the approximate spot where we were standing when I took this photo.

The folks who work at Carl's are incredibly efficient, so it only took about 20 minutes for us to get to the front of the line.  While we were waiting, we saw one of our daughter's best friends (a former Brownie Girl Scout of mine) and we squealed and hugged.

Carl's really IS a landmark ... they're on the National Register and everything!

Carl's is only open 9 months a year.  They open on the Friday before Presidents' Day and close on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  One year, I was on a trip to San Diego with my sister the week before Thanksgiving.  We were at the zoo when each of us realized that it was Carl's last weekend ... so I phoned my husband and asked him to go there to get some pint containers and put them in the freezer for when we got home.

What did I have, you ask?  My favorite ... a maple nut sundae made with chocolate ice cream.

... and the OWOH Winner Is ...

One World One Heart was a three-week blog tour that took me to the blogs of some amazing and creative folks.  Yesterday was the last day.  At 9:00 last night, I let the random number generator do its thing, and the winner of the crocheted scarf is:

Paula in Tennessee, of Serendipity!!

Paula said:

Connie! I'm so glad I found you! Your blog is just wonderful! We have so much in common...I am also restoring a historic home. Ours was built in 1869. Have you discovered that living in and restoring an old house is a practice in patience?! You either love them and are in for the long haul, or you just don't attempt it. It's a good thing my husband and I are persistent and a little crazy, otherwise we would have abandoned this particular project a few years ago! HA! We are also big supporters of our local Humane Society and perform rescues of precious furry friends on a consistent basis. We live with our sweet animals, two dogs, two cats and various other critters that find their way to us. Both my husband and I are artists who work at other jobs by day and practice our craft in the evenings...after house projects, time with our sweet son, general upkeep on animals and said house, and a bit of time for conversation. In other words, we work that in where we can...even if it means in the wee hours of the morning. I bet you know how that is!

The scarf is absolutely gorgeous, and you are going to make one lucky person very happy!!! I certainly hope it's me, but even if it's not, I feel as though I've won a prize by finding your lovely blog. I'm signing up to follow you so that I can come back and visit again soon. Hope you'll stop by and visit with me when you have some time.

All good wishes!

Paula

Doesn't she seem like a lovely person?  As I read her blog, I was touched by her love for her husband, her house, and her pets.  I cried along with her as I read about their struggle to conceive and the emotional ups and downs of adoption ... and I rejoiced when I read the post about bringing their baby boy home!

This is Paula with her husband on their wedding day.  She posted this photo for Valentine's Day.

This is their house:

And here is Max, one of their dogs.  Everyone here knows how much I love dogs!

If I hadn't participated in One World One Heart, I probably wouldn't know about Paula and her blog.  I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with bloggers I may not have had a chance to meet otherwise, and make connections. 

Congratulations, Paula.  I'm thrilled that yours was the random number that was chosen! 

Now, Everyone, click HERE to go visit Paula for yourself.

Fooling Mother Nature for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

For those of us in northern climates, participating in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day in winter is a bit challenging.  When the weather is cold, we have to dream up unusual and imaginative ways to check in on the 15th of the month with other gardeners to show whatever is blooming at the moment.  This month, I offer forsythia buds that I am forcing in my kitchen window.

These branches have been in the warm house for a week now, and the flower buds are almost ready to open.  This is a good thing, because I am planning to take them to decorate the buffet table at a garden club meeting on Thursday.

This winter seems to have dragged on longer than usual.  Forcing forsythia is my little way to get a taste of spring, when I seem to need it most.

If you've never done this, you MUST give it a try.  Cut a forsythia branch any time after late January, bring it into the house and place it in a vase in a warm window.  You should have flowers in about 10 days. 

I'm linking this post to:

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day at May Dreams Garden

Bokeh Party at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures

Sunday Snapshot ... A Vignette

Here is a little slice of life around here.

I was trying to take a photo of The Husband's latest oil painting.  (Have I not told you what a talented artist he is?)  After I put the painting in the window, Dorothy decided that it was her job to monitor the situation.  Anything important that happens around here is usually under the direct supervision of one of the cats.  That's just the way it is.

If you look closely, you will also see missing trim, spray foam insulation, and unprimed wood putty.  Such is life in an old house under renovation ... another facet of this snapshot.

I choose to focus on the adorable kitten and my husband's latest creation.  The other things can wait.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!!

Are You Invisible?

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments yesterday regarding my glove problem.  It was very comforting to hear that many of you are plagued with the same issue ... whether the orphan items are gloves or socks.  Most of you have heard back from me via email.  I always try to send replies and thank yous, because I truly DO appreciate the time each of you takes to read my little slice of cyberspace. 

If you did not receive an reply from me, it is because your address was not visible when your comment was sent to my Inbox.  This is the default setting in your Blogger Profile.  This is SOOO easy to change, and doing so will open up your blogging experience far beyond where it is now.  Remember what I said the other day about making personal connections with other bloggers?  You can't do this if your email isn't visible so you can take your conversation offline and into private emails.

It is super easy to make this change.  Let's get to it:

1.  Open your blog and click on the red Blogger icon to go to your Dashboard.

2.  Click 'Edit Profile'.

3.  In the Privacy section, check the box that says "Show My Email Address".

4.  Scroll down to the 'Identity' section and type in an email address, if there isn't one there already.

5.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save Profile".

Done!!

This is an issue that is very important to me, and quite a few other bloggers that I know.  I struggle with it every day, as new readers visit and leave comments, and I can't contact them to let them know how much I appreciate their visit.  When someone asks a question with general interest, I try to answer it in the comments, but I don't want to put personal replies there.  Truthfully, I almost never go back to someone's blog to see if my comment has been answered publicly ... I know I can subscribe to subsequent comments via email, but I created quite a log jam in my inbox by doing that one time.

If you have consciously chosen to be a noreply-comment Blogger, may I be so bold as to ask why?  Part of what I love so much about blogging is learning from others ... and I really want to know what led you to your decision.

As I say in my greeting in my comment form ... noreply-comment@blogger.com is a bummer!

It's Like Herding Cats

When working with roses, or working in the garden in general, it is important to have a good pair of sturdy gloves that fit well and feel comfortable.  My favorites are goatskin or deerskin, but I will wear any kind that fit my freakishly long fingers.  I like to have a pair or two in reserve, in case I destroy a pair and need a replacement right away.  If I don't have extras on hand, with my weird fingers, there's no guarantee that I can go to the store and find a pair that fits ... even gloves within a brand or style can vary enough to not fit.

Because of my habit of buying gloves when I find ones that fit, I have this situation:

There are 64 gloves in this pile.

This heap of gloves is the result of gathering every glove I could find yesterday from various locations around the property ... the house garage, the detached garage, the basement workroom, the greenhouse, and my car and truck.  It seemed necessary to do this because was in a hurry and I needed a pair of gloves on Tuesday morning, and I couldn't find an intact pair that matched.  I fumed and fussed and I put together a relatively-serviceable pair of mismatched gloves that morning, and vowed right then to put an end to the madness, by gathering up every glove on the property and matching them up.

I kept thinking that this was a lot like playing one of those 'matching' card games.  Pick two that match, and put them aside.

When I finished assembling all the matching gloves, there were 24 pairs in this crate ... each held together with a clothespin.  Just because I had a match didn't mean that I had a serviceable pair of gloves, however.  Sometimes, one glove in the pair was good and the other one was worn out ... like these.

There are cases where I actually remember what happened to the mate for a specific glove.  This one was part of my very favorite pair of gloves.  I carelessly left them outside, they ended up on the ground in the grass, and its mate met an untimely end underneath the lawnmower.  I kept this glove so I would remember what type to buy when I replaced them.

After all of this, there are still WAY too many single, unmatched gloves.  The top row contains the right-hand gloves, and the lefts are on the bottom.

I have no idea where the mates for these are. Were they worn out or damaged and thrown away at some time? Are they sitting somewhere in a pile in a place that I haven't looked.  Wherever they are, I still feel as if I should hold onto these singles, in case the mate ever shows up.  At least I'll put them somewhere that's accessible and labeled so we don't end up with the situation we had on Tuesday.

The weather here is supposed to be mild this weekend, and I know that I will need a good pair of gloves for the work I have planned outside.  Now, I can find them easily.