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From time to time, Milk Street sends me products to test. This week I received a jar of Flavor Jolt. This is a blend of vegetables and seasonings to give dishes more 'umami' flavor. It has dehydrated tomato, carrot, shiitake mushroom, onion, garlic, corn and miso. Add some marvelous flavors in seasonings like turmeric, paprika, …
Continue reading Sunday Chat – Garden and Trying a New Seasoning Blend
Our little goldfinch flock continues to visit the smorgasbord, and a few cardinals are now stopping by regularly. I think I have a mated pair and two of their juveniles. This is a juvenile male, he looks a little moth-eaten, with his baby feathers molting and the new brighter red ones growing. I've seen another …
Continue reading Sunday Chat – Garden, Cooking, Sewing and a little Philosophy
Our guild recently held a retreat for 11 members at Febuary Hill in Jonesborough, Tennessee, run by the owner of Tennessee Quilts. We booked several days to sew, and chat, and eat, and shop. Some of us met for lunch before the retreat began, and we drove up at the same time. Arriving in the …
Our goldfinches have been here about twice a day lately for easy meals. The whole flock stops by at once and it is fun to watch them vie for position and argue with each other. Here, nine of them are on the feeder at once. Then, there were four more on the ground in this …
It is hot and humid here now, not my favorite time of year. I really do hate the heat, especially when it climbs above 80 and the humidity is high. The good things about summer, though, are pretty birds, beautiful flowers and fresh produce. Our local flock of goldfinches are feasting daily at the feeder. …
Last week, I showed you some of my hostas, and mentioned that I needed to check on the gladiolas out back. Well, they are blooming their best. They have multiplied over the past couple of years, and now are a beautiful patch of apricot flowers, amongst the weeds and poison ivy on the mountainside behind …
Continue reading Sunday Chat – Gladiolas, Wildlife, Cooking, and Quilting
A foggy morning last week gives the early hours an ethereal quality. I like the silence it brings as even the birds take a pause from their daybreak choral performance. The Japanese word shinrinyoku for 'taking a forest bath' again comes to mind. The filtered light has a soft quality. These turkeys came by on …
Our local flower show continues to do its annual spring parade in the garden. The mountain laurel had its day, and now the dogwoods are blooming. This year they are a pristine white. For some reason, they sometimes have a green hue. On the veranda, my pots are looking fuller. I used to plant only …
Looking out the front sliding glass door on a rainy day this past week, a wet and bedraggled looking Gracie was sitting at the doormat, looking hopeful. It is apparent she still has pups in her nest. Of course she got a nice, fat, peanut butter sandwich. It was still drizzling, but she took her …
The birds have been giving choral performances every morning and most of the day now that spring is here. The bluebird has decided this is a great perch and sits here often enough for me to get his picture. That branch may fall off the tree soon, as it appears to be dead, but the …
Continue reading Sunday Chat – In the Garden, Quilt, and Show
From My Carolina Home 