garden chronicles, winter update

its been rather a wild weather winter, I cherished those warm 60 plus degree days that had me working feverishly in the new rose garden, but then the rains came long and steady, weeks and weeks worth, with a day or two for drying out and more to come, I AM NOT COMPLAINING, BUT I MISS BEING IN THE GARDEN! I kept wanting to get out and take pics of the rose garden as I was working, but never quite did more than a click here and there...

 

 

the start of 8' high deer fencing and the planting of a large circular garden with center and side alleys.

 

 

the iris have been sending up sparse rebloomers, even at the end of the January,

my friend Jonathon...

 

 

the real story this winter has been the winds! several days worth of 60 mph gusts, we had our first causality this year with the tractor...

 

 

a 30' live oak just snapped onto the tractor crushing the seat, steering wheel and tweaking the body. my husband has been welding it straight again and ordering new parts to get her back in shape so she can keep working the in the garden!

 

 

 

sitting home reading on a typical stormy morning I got an email from a friend that my favorite store was having a spur of the moment weekend sale, everything 20% off, I barely had time to turn off my computer before we were in the car, I knew just what I wanted, a new pedestal for a statue in the rose garden!

 

 

flora has been the love of my garden life for decades, she is still living at our other home, I am not sure how we could get her off the hill, I do love her dearly, this pedestal will be for her, or for her cousin i am willing to embrace for our next chapter...

 

 an ode to my darling flora...

 

 

not only has it been exceptional wet, it has been cold! for days and days, ok weeks and weeks, its snowed tiny flurries a few times, but this morning I woke up to that wonderful white magic of pure joy and solitude...

 

 

caramel cake

its been raining for ages...

 

 

 heavy, constant, wet and wild

 

 

the perfect time for baking!

 

come in from the rain, shake off your brellie and cut a nice warm slice!



 

 

brown sugar caramel bundt cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2
  cups butter, softened
• 2
  cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1
  cup granulated sugar
• 5
  large eggs
• 3
  cups all-purpose flour
• 1
  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2
  teaspoon salt
• 1
  cup whole milk
• 1
  (8-ounce) bag toffee bits
• 1
  cup pecans, chopped
• 
  CARAMEL DRIZZLE:
• 1
  (14-ounce) can condensed milk, sweetened
• 1
  cup brown sugar, packed
• 2
  tablespoons butter
• 1/2
  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside. Beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until a wood pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean, 75 to 85 minutes. TIP: Cover the top with foil to prevent excess browning is necessary. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. spoon caramel drizzle over cooled cake. CARAMEL DRIZZLE: In a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before using. NOTE: Make sure you drizzle the caramel while it’s still hot. When cooled the caramel does somewhat harden.

 

Reading goals 2019

GOAL 250

My goodread reviews

my library thing

K's read 700/568

Oldest

1

2

3

4

5

Really want

1

2

3

4

5

A to Z

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Audio

1

2

3

4

5

Garden

1

2

3

4

5

Historical fiction

1

2

3

4

5

The house girl

Annelies

Finding Dorothy

Night tiger

Bowlaway

The Cassandra  

Non fiction

1
2
3
4
5
The inner life of animals
Inheritance
Brutally honest
Team of vipers
Eulogist
Off the rails
90%

Road trips

1
2
3
4
5

Summer/ chicklit books

1

2

3

4

5

Talk to me

Red address book

Weight of  the piano

The last romantics

Summer pop

The curiosities

Thrillers/mysteries

1
2
3
4
5

Watching you
As long as we both shall live
Perfect liar
A cold and lonely place
The suspect
once a liar
No exit
The lost man
Silent patient
judgment
What doesn't kill her
Wedding guest
I invited her in
Dead ex

Watery



1
2
3
4
5

Christmas

 1

2
3

Winter

1 my last continent
2
3
4
5

a book set in ...

Caribbean
Egypt
Italy
Spain 
Tibet

 genre challenge

a cookbook
an audio book 
a book over 600 pages
a book with a color in the title
a book with a season in the title
a book with a family member in the title
a book with a cat on the cove

a book written by a favorite author

a nyt best seller

a book that's been too long on your tbr list
a book made into a movie or tv series

a best seller from 2019

book that becomes a movie 2019
a book that's been mentioned in another book

An inspirational book
Tango lessons

a book with an unreliable narrator
The hiding place

A book recommended by a friend
Disclaimer

a book written as letters
Dear mr. You

a book with time travel
Here and now and then

a book that takes place over a characters life
 the romantics

 book set in a hotel

Siracusa

a book about an interesting woman
Code name lise

a book that makes you smile
The lonely heart hotel

a book you didn't think you would like
Maze at Windermere

a book about an immigrant or refugee
The test

an espionage thriller

Lost girls of Paris

a book with an eccentric character
The accidental further adventures of the hundred year old man

A book that surprised you
Virtue falls

a book with a story in the story
My real name is hanna

a book with a subtitle
The gown

A memoir
Last words

a book from a nonhuman perspective
Fox 8

a book with multiple authors

An anonymous girl

a novel set during wartime
The first conspiracy

a book with a red cover
Pompeii

A book set in the wilderness
Freefall

A book with a single word title
Looker

a book by or about a person with a disability
The strange case of dr couney

a book from a genre you never read

the emissary

book published in 2019
The dreamers

a book about a difficult topic
The widow

a book with pictures
The herbiary

a book recommended by a stranger
Dear American airlines

a book set in two time periods
The au pair

a book with the main character a different ethnicity than you are
Sister of my heart

a book involving a mythical creature
Going postal

a book set in California
Hero dogs

a book with a title that is a characters name
Lisettes list

the first book in a series
The widow

happy reading to all!