April Happenings

How is everyone doing? April has been filled with outdoor activity between the raindrops. and I even did some weeding in my garden. Joe gifted me with overalls he bought from here as he is a big fan of this company. The overalls are so comfortable and having deep pockets is a win win. Anticipating garden season, I hosted a "Plant & Sip" gathering and served breakfast pizza and mimosas. The younger generation is eager to learn to start plants from seeds, and I am eager to help them learn. 

I was at my camp for the Total Solar Eclipse and the day started off with blue skies and thin wispy clouds. We thought we got super lucky with the weather, and then we experienced the sudden thick clouds just before the stunning darkness and the distinct drop in temperature that came with it. The eerie quiet, and the disappearance of birds. My friend heard an owl hooting once it got dark. I’ll never forget the many things that happened simultaneously and lasted just a few short, but intense minutes. What a spectacular cosmic event.  

 

In my collage, I included a photo taken by Kurt Gardner who is a photographer near our camp, and he was able to photograph Bailey's Beads moments before totality. He had the right equipment to do so. 

We planted two elderberry cuttings on the day of the eclipse. as it will be easy to remember when we planted it :-)

These toadstooI berry brownies are adorbs. A friend shared the idea with me, and I baked brownies in a silicone sphere mold, popped them out of the mold and washed it, and then poured melted red candy wafers into the sphere. Then I placed the brownie back in the mold and that is the mushroom top. For the white stem, I dipped strawberries in white chocolate and attached it to the underside of the brownie and held it while it hardened. It only took about a minute to harden. Then I put the white dots on the mushroom with white chocolate. 

On a hike, I spotted this truly beautiful mushroom called Scarlet Elf Cup. And so vivid for this time of the year.

In my garden, these blooms brave the cold with grace. Hellebores are so elegant and an early spring beauty. They are also known as Lenten Roses, and bloom in the garden around Lent. .

"New York Night" hellebore is stunning and catches everyone's eye. 

Navy Bean Pie is new to me and we ended up loving it served with whipped cream. I joined a "foodie" book club last year and had never participated in a book club before. But I was excited about this one since I love reading and talking about food. When we started meeting, the group just seemed to gel. The books have been fun and engaging. The food and wines shared by all have been outstanding. Win-win-win! When I was taking a photo of the pie, our granddaughter Claire snuck into the photo. I guess she loves having her photo taken.

We read "High On The Hog" (you may have watched the series on Netflix).  Acclaimed cookbook author Jessica B. Harris traces the contributions of African Americans to culinary culture. Many of the foods we think of as “Southern” have origins in either Africa or through the enslaved. Former slaves succeeded in food related businesses, and we celebrated some delicious and restorative foods of the African American experience. Although the story of African cuisine in America begins with slavery, High on the Hog ultimately chronicles a thrilling history of triumph and survival.  

My contribution was Mac ‘n Cheese and Navy Bean Pie with whipped cream (resembled sweet potato pie). Some of the other dishes were banana pudding, collard greens, oxtail soup, pickled okra, and delicious Benne wafers (unique to the Lowcountry since Colonial times and brought from East Africa (Madagascar), through West Africa, and brought over to the southern United States by the African slaves).

My group of friends "The Scoots" got together for coffee which we all looked forward to. We always miss the ones who go to Florida for the winter. 

We had a wonderful Easter, and the kids are growing up too fast. Grand-niece Lily is on the left, Xavier is in the middle, and granddaughter Claire is on the right. Xavier just turned 8, and Claire will be turning 4 in August. 

xo

Deb