sea holly

Blue is a very prominent color on earth, but when it comes to nature, blue is very rare. Even the few animals and plants that appear blue don’t actually contain the color. These vibrant blue organisms have developed some unique features that use the physics of light - the wavelength and structure of the organism. And for right now this is as far as the scientific explanation of why plants and animals look blue will go. 

A while ago I read about blue sea holly, how it's a prolific grower and a pollinator attractor. I'm all about helping out the pollinators. None of the garden centers around here carry sea holly so I ordered a couple plants from an online nursery. The instructions said to plant them in sandy soil. Then it hit me. SEA holly. It grows by the ocean and isn't typical to the midwestern farming state of Ohio. This called for a trip to the garden center to get a bag of sand to mix in with the midwestern dirt to hopefully make this a friendly environment for this alien plant to grow. Here it is, year two, and the sea holly is growing beautifully and attracting bees. 

Many flowers have symbolism and sea holly represents strength, independence, and admiration. Its spiky, thistle-like appearance conveys resilience and the ability to thrive in challenging conditions, much like its natural habitat along coastlines and rocky areas. Here, the closest body of water is the Great Miami River that cuts through farmland.

In the language of flowers, Sea Holly is often given to someone who is admired for their strength and determination.

It's also a member of the carrot family and its roots are edible.

Look at those purple stems! They are so pretty accented with the green leaves.

the friday feed: first tomato sandwich of the year

Since working at my friend's farmers market and working around fresh, local tomatoes, I have become very picky about this marvelous product of summer. It's a hazard of the job. During the winter, I do not eat imported tomatoes. They're just not as flavorful as those picked at peak ripeness. This past week I stopped by the market and was so happy to see trays of beautiful red tomatoes on display. I bought some and guess what I was going to fix for lunch?

Tomato sandwiches...one of the simplest dishes that can cause the most controversy. 

For me the perfect tomato sandwich ingredients are a ripe, juicy, fresh tomato, Home Pride wheat bread (not toasted), a sizable portion of either Duke's mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, and salt. The first tomato sandwich I ever ate was on my grandparent's farm in Illinois. Grandma fixed it with a tomato fresh from the garden, Miracle Whip, white bread, and salt. Heaven! The tomato sandwich eating experience is taking a bite of the soft bread as the juice from the dripping tomato sogs the edges and drips into the sink or onto the plate. That first bite of that first sandwich is such a taste of summer, of good things to come, and of course the anticipation of the next one.

Tomato sandwich…

Miracle Whip or mayo?

That’s the big debate.

the mulch pile

In yesterday's post I mentioned that the mulch pile would be done on Wednesday and as of 4:00 p.m. (1600) it was. Bring on the rain to clean the driveway off!

As I mulched around a downspout, a little toad  took me by surprise as he hopped around. He really blended in with the soil and I wouldn't have seen him if he stayed still. At the end of the sidewalk is a small lilac tree which, by how frantically a male and female cardinal were chirping, must have had a nest in it. As I spread the mulch underneath the tree, I heard the little birds and their peeping. Boy, oh boy, those mom and dad cardinals were giving me what-for. I was afraid they might dive-bomb me but they kept flying from the gutter to a tree and then to another tree. I kept talking to them, reminding them that I would not touch their nest, and that everything would be alright in their cardinal world.

It was very warm outside while mulching but no complaints from me. I drank almost a quart of cool water in one sitting. It was so refreshing and revitalizing. 

The mulch is done and I am tired. It's a good tired, one that gives a feeling of accomplishment, and one where I know it's going to be a good night's sleep.

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

While in New York City, I received a text from the frame shop that the pictures I had taken in a few weeks ago were ready to be picked up. I like the art that is in my house but it's always fun to add new pieces and these are the first new pictures added to this house. The young lady who helped me with my frame choices encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and get a red frame for one of the pictures. It's hard to visualize but she's the expert and was very excited about it, so why not. And you know what? I love it! (This photo doesn't do it justice. The red is much brighter.)

This next piece isn't exactly new. My parents bought it a long time ago during their travels in the Southwest. It was still protected by its original matte with no frame and had been tucked away in a box of "stuff" that I had taken from Mom's house in 2017 as my siblings and I were getting ready to put the house up for sale. Fast forward to last August...the remodeling project on our house was finished and I was putting boxes in our new storage room. And there was that box of "stuff." After all these years it was time to go through it. I took the picture of the roadrunner out and propped it on my dresser. It sat on my dresser up until a few weeks ago. It was time for this little picture to have a place in my house and now it's in its new home. 

And here they are, in my kitchen. The red frame picture is in its perfect spot. It's a blessing for food, for meals, for the grateful heart that prepares the meals in her kitchen.

Where did I wander this past week? To the yoga studio every day. The moving and stretching, along with the instructor's guidance and the thoughtful words throughout the practice was good for the body, mind, and spirit. To the farmer's market and filled my basket with tomatoes, kohlrabi, strawberries, garlic scapes, and basil plants for my herb garden. To Home Depot to buy a wheelbarrow so we could haul the three yards of mulch to spread around the gardens and other beds around the house. That pile will be off the driveway no later than the end of Wednesday because rain is coming on Thursday. 

What did I wonder? My car flashed a warning that my coolant was low. I don't know a lot about cars but I pay attention to warnings on my dashboard.

I called the dealer, thinking I'd have to schedule an appointment. "You want to top off the coolant? Bring it in before 6:00 (1800)." I went to the dealer right after hanging up...didn't want that engine damage. I thought I'd have to hand over the keys, sit in the waiting room but no. He opened the hood, carefully took off the coolant cap, filled the tank at no charge. Now I know what to do the next time. I'll take it to the dealer 😉

the heart of the matter

At the end of September we will have been in our house for three years. The first year we lived here was for settling in. The second year we remodeled a large space that had a filled-in indoor swimming pool into living and storage space and while we were at it, threw in a kitchen update. This year, it's time to pay attention to the yard. We've been weeding and spreading mulch in the flower beds, planting new flowers,  and Todd dug out a couple dead bushes.

He left this big root ball on the driveway. Before I started grumbling about why he didn't put it in the trash bin, I looked at it and it struck me this mass of roots looks like a heart. The root ball is the heart of the plant. It's the foundation that the plant relies upon. This mass of roots and soil anchors the plant and allows it to absorb water and nutrients. Just as a human heart pumps blood, the roots in the root ball support the bush's overall health and growth by providing essential resources from the soil. A plant's heart, a human heart...both need to stay healthy for a long life.

 

monday's mulling: togo and balto (in new york city)

Everybody loves a story that is filled with adventure, danger, conquering the elements, overcoming the the odds to save civilization, complete with a happy ending, and the heroes are ordinary humans...and their dogs.

In January of 1925 an outbreak of diptheria threatened to wipeout the town of Nome, Alaska and sparked fears that an epidemic would spread, killing thousands if an antitoxin medicine wasn't supplied. It was winter in this Alaskan town that was located just south of the Arctic Circle. The antitoxin could only be delivered by dogsled and the only accessible route during the harsh winter was on a portion of the Iditerod Trail. 

The plan consisted of multiple handoffs between dogsled teams traveling all the way from Nenana to Nome. Twenty mushers and 160 dogs would take on this 674 mile course, traveling in gale-force winds, -85° temperatures, and whiteout conditions in the remote Alaskan Interior and if all went well, the serum would be delivered to Nome in time to halt the epidemic. The life-saving serum was delivered to Nome in record time, 127.5 hours, without a single broken vial. This heroic delivery is known as The 1925 Serum Run.

The mushers traveled between 18-40 miles, with the most being completed by Leonhard Seppala, a renowned dogsled driver who was known across Alaska, and his dog Togo. Seppala and Togo handed off the cargo to another musher and his sled dog, Balto, for the last part of the trip. Though Balto often gets the credit for saving the town of Nome, it was Togo who led his team across the most dangerous leg of the journey. 

So how does this story connect to New York City?

The story was a harrowing adventure tale that combined modern medicine and traditional mushing and the public loved it. Within a year, on December 17, 1925, an impressive bronze statue of one of the heroes who brought the serum to Nome was unveiled in New York's Central Park. That hero was a dog, Balto.

Down in the Lower East Side in a neighborhood known as Two Bridges is Seward Park, named after William Seward who was Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State. He purchased Alaska from Russia in1867 for 7 million dollars. At that time the purchase became known as Seward's Folly but eventually it proved to be a wise investment.

Seward Park was dedicated in 1902  and contained the first permanent, municipally built playground in the country. Togo's story took a while to be recognized and in 2001 a statue of Togo in full gallop was placed in Seward Park. His bravery and tenacity made him a champion sled dog.

And now you know...the rest of the story. Good day!

june 1

June is when everything starts to feel a little brighter. The days stretch longer, the weather warms, and moments seem made for memories—graduations, weddings, family vacations, and quiet mornings in the sun. 

Quiet mornings in the sun...hmmm. Last weekend Todd cleaned the winter dirt off the patio, uncovered the furniture, got  the area ready for having our morning cup of coffee outside and having some al fresco meals. Hasn't happened yet. It's been either rainy or chilly.

But, June is a month full of possibility, a fresh chapter where the joy of summer begins to bloom. Flowers have popped up because of all the rain. The neighborhood kids are out of school, riding their bikes around the neighborhood and setting up lemonade stands. Mulch piles fill driveways for gardeners to tame the weeds and beautify their flower beds. The warmer weather brings people outside and neighbors take time to chat. The world feels wide open again!