Daffodilmania

This past winter was long and brutally cold. The dogs did not want to go out and romp in the snow. Ice crystals decorated the windows in the house. I lost count of the number of times the driveway had to be shoveled and I thought my ugly UGGS would be permanently molded to my feet.

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."  

The earliest burst of spring color, daffodil yellow, trumpets spring's arrival. This is no caution light; spring is here...good bye winter. And in beautiful Oakwood, 1 1/2 acres filled with over 160,000 daffodils scream, "Hello Spring!" to the winter-weary.

What a beautiful sight this is for tired-of-looking-at-winter-grays eyes! It's a sea of sunshine. Cars drive by slowly to catch this happy yellow moment, walkers stand at the curb and take in the dramatic yellow landscape.

But spring in Ohio means one day it can be 80 degrees, people wear shorts and cut the grass, then it snows the next...

Under the giving snow blossoms a daring spring. ~Terri Guillemets

The snow was short-lived, but here long enough for people to take some beautiful snow photos. After one day of snow, the daffodils popped back up strong as ever to have people once again slow down in their cars and for the walkers to congregate along the curb. As William Shakespeare said, "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."

Wordless Wednesday {Winter}

Snow Ice Cream

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

When Mother Nature dumps snow on you, make snow ice cream.

The Midwest got walloped with another polar vortex this week...more frigid temps and more snow. So many people complain about the snow and the cold, but you know what, it’s winter in Ohio, folks. This is what happens. 

So life has given us snow. Before this white fluffy snow turns into icky gray slush, I’m going to get myself outside, scoop up some clean snow, and make snow ice cream. The recipe is easy...5 ingredients and 4 of them should be in your kitchen: milk, sugar, vanilla and salt.

This is a sweet reward for shoveling the driveway for the umpteenth time. And yes, I will look out for the yellow snow! Beware of brain freeze, too.

Simple ingredients for this special treat

Milk + sugar + vanilla + pinch of salt = yumminess

Snow in my grandma's measuring cup. She would be smiling!

Snow ice cream!

Topping of choice: maple syrup

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 cup milk (any kind)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

8 cups clean snow or shaved ice (more or less depending on the density of the snow)

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together until combined. 

Go scoop up some fresh (clean!) snow, and immediately stir it into the milk mixture until you reach your desired consistency. Top with sprinkles or other ice cream toppings if desired.

The ice cream should be fluffy and not runny, but it melts quickly, so dive in right away!

The Road Less Taken

Wanderlust can be satisfied by taking a road less traveled. The other day, I went downtown to have lunch with my dear friend, Annette. On my way home, I cut through the South Park neighborhood and saw a sign for SPUG, aka South Park Urban Garden. I'm all for community gardens. It's one way of bringing neighbors together...digging in the dirt, watching the fruits (or vegetables) of labor growing, looking out for each other's gardens, trading vegetables..."I'll give you this bunch of chard for 3 of your tomatoes."

Those spur-of-the moment decisions are what satisfies wanderlust. If I had not decided to turn off of Warren Street onto a side street, I never would have come across SPUG. Gotta listen to that little voice!

This is the sign that caught my eye and made me pull a U-turn to go back and investigate

The fall garden plantings

A garden guardian ~ 

Woodman Fen {Five Rivers MetroParks}

It's amazing what a person can find out when walking a dog...a dog is a "chat magnet"; people want to know his name, breed, how old, "he looks like my dog," how much does he weigh...

So when Hunter and I were at Delco Park, a woman inquired about him and soon our conversation evolved into how an area at Delco should be planted with flowers to attract butterflies. There's a small butterfly garden in the park but this spot could be a butterfly meadow. Anyway, she asked me if I had been to Woodman Fen. I had not so when I got home, I looked it up and put it on my list of places to explore.

Woodman Fen is a 33-acre wetland ecosystem located in Dayton's Belmont neighborhood.   Many years ago, this area had been converted into a vegetable farm. In 2003, Five Rivers MetroParks bought the land and restored it back to its natural state. You'll see prairie and wetland plant species as you walk along the boardwalk. There is also a trail that circles the perimeter of the fen, but I didn't walk that because this time of year the bees are very busy gathering the last of the pollen. I sure didn't want to have them mad at me for disturbing their work!

This is a magical place in the middle of a city..."fen-nominal!"