first spring weekend

this was the first weekend of spring and it was worth the wait! temperatures were in the mid 70's and after a long hard winter, it seems like things are actually looking up... especially the daffodils! i spent as much time as possible outside trying to soak up any and all warmth available. i ran the dog down to the creek so he could have a quick swim and through the woods to see if we could find where the eagles have nested this year. i watched the mister relocate leaves and rake thatch. we paddled yesterday and today, but stayed in our creek as the potomac river and chesapeake were a bit on the choppy side with all the warm wind blowing in from the south. i watched a crow couple build a nest in a loblolly pine and wondered if their babies would be adorable or evil. i drank cocktails and watched the sunset.

meyer lemon meringue pie

friday night i made a meyer lemon meringue pie, shown above. this is a recipe i remember my mom making and everybody loving. those meyer lemons made it sweet and tart to perfection...so much so the mister ate half of it friday, and then the remaining quarter saturday morning!

all that work for so little pie!

meyer's lemon meringue pie

crust

20 finely crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

combine ingredients in pie pan.

press with the back of a spoon to fit pie pan

bake at 350° for 10 minutes

set aside

filling

fine grated rind of 2 lemons

1 cup fresh lemon juice

4 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

beat egg yolks until smooth and lemon colored

fold in condensed milk

add lemon juice and rind.

blend til smooth

pour into pie crust

meringue

4 egg whites chilled in chilled mixing bowl

8 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
dash of salt

combine sugar, salt and cream of tarter

whip egg whites 

add sugar mixture one tablespoon at a time just before peaks begin to form.

whip thoroughly after each addition

whip til stiff

top filling with meringue.

spread with spatula or back of spoon to form peaks.

bake on top rack of oven at 350° til top browns, 10-15 minutes.

mushroom time

yeah, it is that time of year again: mushroom time!
these were tiny ones.

stormy skies

the storms blew through earlier this week...

now its all sunshine and smiles.

rainbow

storms are ending- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

@ tacos el gringo

so super fresh!

 Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

spring has sprung...and i like it!

before the rain started, I spent a couple hours raking out my flower beds, doing a little weeding and prepping for mulch. the sedums are starting to froth and the crocus are up!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

flood alert

i get alerts on my i-phone when anything bad happens or is going to happen in the dc metro area. right now, its a flood alert , and that is not good! all of the sand, salt, garbage, asphalt scrapings, car drippings, kitty litter, dog crap, and varied rubbish from the last few months of wintery hell will be washing down the sewers to the creeks and rivers, and finally into whatever water you live near. polluted stormwater overflows into our water supply. here are three ideas from the audubon naturalist society we can all do to try and reduce the toxic stew.

1. fix leaky cars

2. choose organic fertilizers, but don't apply them if your yard is frozen or before the big rain storm. 

3. use CMA-calcium magnesium acetate- for future de-icing ventures

here are ten other very easy household ideas to help our local waterways and reduce your carbon footprint.

pansies and violas

today was 60-something degrees and it made me want to plant some flowers-but i know that's wrong! we are in early march, and freezing temperatures can hit at any time during the next month here in the mid-atlantic region. so, what to do when you want to see some green with a punch of color? plant violas and pansies! these hardy little beauties sneer at frost and smile through snow.

they often re-seed themselves, also.

green house envy

as the snow melted and the sun heated up the earth, i passed lots of steamy greenhouses this weekend: i covet one.  a little one, though: not a huge, gorgeous one like this beauty at the botanical garden in curitiba, modeled after the crystal palace.

snow drops

now that the snow has finally receded, spring is emerging! snow drops are everywhere and trees and shrubs have begun budding out.

i couldnt be more thrilled!

a beautiful tree

i really hate cold weather, like the kind we have all winter. but one cool thing about winter is that deciduous trees get to show off their true forms.  the black versus white contrast is very striking.

cactus collection

i collect cacti and succulents: i have one cactus that was found in the yard of my parents new (to them) house in 1968...another plant, a rosary bead succulent baby, was my grandmother's: my dad remembers it being around over 60 years ago. i also have prickly pears in the yard, euphorbias, a variety of hens and chicks and many many different types of sedums. if you dont collect cacti because you dont like needles or refuse to house succulents because you forget they need water occasionally, try these great candles from the candle factory. they will fill a space with ambient light but are not poke-y at all.

karim rashid discovers roots

crazy-prolific designer karim rashid  designs vlek planters for spanish furniture manufacturer vondom. the self watering vessels maintain optimum moisture up to 120 days, and also have a self feeding ability.