Around the House and in the Garden

Once upon a time I had geese. They kept visitors at bay, and that wasn’t altogether a bad thing. And my were they delicious!

One year Jacob made a bunch of white wine out of two kinds of grapes: Edelweiss and Swenson Red. He named it “Swendelweiss” and put the picture of Elmer Swenson, a University of Minnesota horticulturist responsible for developing some of the hardy northern grape varieties, on the label.

This is a juvenile Northern cardinal, my favorite bird.

I take my smoothies seriously – they include ice-cream, milk, sugar, fruit, and an egg. People often pride themselves on their fearless cooking, now how about some fearless eating…

We had this beautiful rooster for a few years – but, sadly, roosters can become increasingly mean and aggressive with age, so when he attacked my three-year-old, his earthly journey had to come to an end.

I made these black raspberry pancakes once.

I have a distinct weakness for rainbows. This one is an ice-rainbow on a brisk winter day.

One of the things I love about winter is the quality of light and the sparkles everywhere.

First time we bought a large pile of wood like that, the first thing Josie did was climb on top and sit there. I couldn’t believe it, she was so fast, she was up there before I could say anything.

I love amaryllis – they are virtually impossible to kill.

And here’s a spring rainbow.

Every other year our apple orchard puts on an amazing display.

Our sugar maples.

Our vineyard, with all the posts and the vast lawn area, is a natural habitat for Eastern bluebirds. We have them nest here every year.

Every time I give birth to a child, Jacob plants a tree for me (he plants trees for me at other times as well, but these are especially memorable). This here is the Cyrus magnolia. I am excited for it to bloom for the first time.

And this is a pie cherry tree that grows cherry pies. Jacob planted it for me when Josie was born. Pie cherry is quintessential to the Russian soul.

A crazy amount of strawberry jam. Come summer, I’ll be making some step-by-step demonstrations for you.

My idea of decorating. This is our family totem.