There is Always Thyme for......

Pink Saturday

2009-09-26T12:33:00.005-05:00

Another Beautiful Fall

Pink Saturday!

Although the calendar

has declared

it's fall...

My Garden

has chosen to ignore that.

Even the geraniums

in the front planter

are growing strong!

I should be taking advantage

and go for a walk...

But instead I think

I will visit

Beverly

and all of us other

Pink Saturday Pals!

Have a Nice Day!

Robyn

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY! Let's Play Catch-UP!

2009-09-15T23:21:00.004-05:00

It's good to be back

in front of the computer.

I have so much to tell you,

where should I begin?

Well, I am sure that you've heard

the news. I have joined the masses

of the unemployed. I think that I will

take a little time to kick back and

enjoy my freedom for a few months.

I made the mistake of looking at some

colleges and universities online.

My phone has been ringing off the hook

with offers.

I am totally undecided in what

I would like "to be

when I grow up...."

All I know, is that it won't

be in a small office again.

I need job security and benefits.

Meanwhile, my Mom needs some medical attention.

So it's a good thing

that I am available to take care of her.

Have any of you ever experienced

Cellulitis in your shins?

It's not pretty or fun....

I really feel for her.

The Minnesota State Fair was up and running

for it's full 12 days.

Certainly, Jacob and I couldn't miss that!

Neither could anyone else,

for that matter.

It boasted record attendance.

Almost 2 million visitors this year.

Me and about 160,000 (on average)

of my closest friends a day

were confined to a 320 acre plot.

More about that later this week.

Cousin Jay from Orlando

couldn't miss the fair -

On our "Off-Day" we hosted a BBQ -

Brats and such...Stay tuned -

I'll post that on Foodie Friday!

Jacob went back to school

on the 9th of September.

All I have been hearing is

"Did I tell you how much I hate school..."

(But I think he secretly likes it -

at least the socialization part...)

I really miss having him around here

during the day.

And I'm not thrilled with the

homework battle that ensues each night.

After that, my Uncle Larry & Aunt Betty

from North Carolina came for a visit.

So it was a week of BBQ's, family reunions,

re-visiting old neighborhoods,

and Yahtzee!

Oh, and Jacob has tried

to help curtail our Bunny problem

by installing an electric fence

around the flowers.....

But as you can see - the littlest of bunnies

just shimmy underneath

and eat to their hearts content.

Oh well....

Robyn

Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by

Susan from A Southern Daydreamer!

Pink Saturday - The Minnesota State Fair Edition

2009-09-12T09:59:00.005-05:00

Just a few little

Pink Saturday

tidbits from the fair.

I'll be back in action

next week

when all of my company leaves

and the dust settles....

See Ya,

Robyn

Don't forget to check in with

Beverly

from

How Sweet the Sound!

for more PS!

Check This Out....

2009-08-27T00:49:00.003-05:00

Isn't this the coolest!

Jacob made this especially for me!

Jacob and I are enjoying our Pronto Pups and Poncho Dogs

and so on.....we'll fill you in on every bite when we return!

Robyn

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY! Grampa's Birthday

2009-08-26T00:34:00.007-05:00

Monday we celebrated

my Dad's birthday!

With a little dinner on the patio.

I got to use my new $3 cake pan from Marshall's.

It worked beautifully.

I used the lemon cake recipe from

one of our Foodie Friday recipes.

Everyone loved it.

It was so moist and lemon-y!

(I used a bit of cocoa to darken the batter for the center.)

Poor Grampa had to peel the Idaho potatoes

for his own birthday dinner.

We had roasted & boiled

Corn-on-the-Cob!

We had it both ways, because

Grampa wanted it

and it was his

birthday afterall.

I preferred the roasted.

It was basted with melted butter,

minced garlic, S&P,

and a squeeze of lime juice.

The best part was the breaded fish.

Grampa's favorite.

He loves it dredged in flour,

than the egg wash, & the crushed Premium Saltines

the good old-fashioned way.

Look at how crispy and delicious it is....

I used my little deep fryers out on the patio.

I just love this little thing,

and notice my beautiful extension cord.

It was custom-made especially for me,

by my future electrician!

This is as close as I am going to get to an outdoor kitchen.

We have such short summers and cold winters

that I couldn't justify installing one.

Meanwhile, we had a visitor to our garden.

One that wanted to get in on the BRP*

(Bunny Relocation Program)

A Possum!

Look at those teeth!

Look at those gross crusty claws - YIKES!

Let's visit Susan

A Southern Daydreamer

for today's

Outdoor Wednesday

posts.

Robyn

Happy Pink Saturday!

2009-08-22T11:22:00.002-05:00

I've just gotta share

my beautiful Dahlia's

with you again today.

I finally had the time to read this book.

Now I'm off for #2.

I thought I saw them on a rack

at Marshall's.

I hope they are still there....

Meanwhile, I'm off to check out

all of the other pinkies out there today....

Beverly's

How Sweet the Sound

Robyn

You are Gonna Wish...

2009-08-20T22:21:00.007-05:00

By the time you are done reading this

you are going to wish this was

Wordless Wednesday....

Let's start off with a pic of Miles.

As you know, he has been diagnosed

with allergies and raging ear infections.

Well, if you ever had a dog with ear infections,

then you know what they entails.

Trying to give your dog pills!

The first day he took them as good as gold.

I thought, Hmmmm! This is going to be easy.

NOT!

The next day, I brought out the whipped cream.

He loves, loves, loves that. And it worked

like a charm. Until, (there's always the until)

Jacob opened his trap and told Gramma all about it.

How we covered his pills in whipped cream and

he couldn't get enough of it. Well, the dog can

still hear. He heard every word of it. So, to make

a long story short, he wouldn't touch the whipped cream

the next day. He wouldn't even look at it. He turned

his head away. I forced the pill into his yap.

He spit it out as fast as can be. He went as far

as to step on the pill to hide it - I kid you not!

Wednesday was Squirty Cheese from the can.

Okay, that worked. But not on Thursday.

Thursday was peanut butter. It didn't work.

I had to be a tiny bit mean. I had to force it.

But he still loves me.

He came back and kissed me later.

(We have a few more days to go...)

I've been fertilizing my patio pots

faithfully this summer and here

are the results!

But...I 'm not sure what to say about this little guy.

Did he get too much water?

Not enough water?

I just bought him last weekend

from the Home Depot.

Would you take it back?

That would be embarrassing!

I should do it -

just to mortify Jacob.

I've had requests for shots of the back yard....

I must say - Jacob has done a beautiful with the lawn.

He is the main man on the lawn mower!

This shot is from the patio

looking straight back to the shed.

This is from the swing

looking back to the patio.

And here is the back of the house....

(Above there is a pic of Jacob's

log cabin.)

Woo Hoo! I'm having a ripe tomato!

I see a BLT in the near future.

The Bee has sprouted BEANS!

How kind of those silly rabbits to leave me

one very pretty Canterbury Bells.

I planted at least 7 this year.

I bought a few cucumbers the other day

because I was hungry for

Refrigerator Pickles, and so was my Dad.

The usual ingredients...

cucumbers, sliced onion, S&P, a bit of sugar

and white vinegar.

No real recipe - it's all to taste.

You'll want to be sure to use lots of pepper!

It's better that way. Trust me.

Be sure to refrigerate -

they are way better that way, too.

Last but not least....

Ta Da!

A few of the offenders

have been relocated

in the

BRP*!

(*The Bunny Relocation Program)

They are darn cute though, aren't they?

But keep in mind....

These stems used to be Coneflowers!

See, I told you

you would have preferred

Wordless Wednesday!

Robyn

Tootsie hosts Fertilizer Friday

Gollum hosts Foodie Friday

Artie hosts Share a Garden Sunday

How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 3) Outdoor Wednesday Edition

2009-08-18T23:08:00.005-05:00

For those of you

that have been following along,

you know that we have traveled

"up north" to the

Mississippi River Headwaters.

On our return leg of this vacation,

we stopped at the

Blanchard Dam

to search for

Cross Rocks.

Cross Rocks or Staurolites

or sometimes they are called

Fairy Stones can only be found

in a few places of the United States.

If you want to read more about it

you can click here.

It looks like Amanda is not afraid

to get her hands dirty!

Ask Jacob -

That water was pretty darn cold!

Here are some of the prisms

but not a very good cross in the bunch...

I guess we have to keep at it!

Almost....

They were not ready to give up

until they found a cross!

Way to Go

Amanda!

Jacob brought these specimens home.

He wants to chisel away at them

this summer.

I think that a few crosses are imbedded in them.

What do you think?

Outdoor Wednesday

and

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer

is just a click away.

Robyn

Three or More!!!

2009-08-18T01:29:00.006-05:00

Today I am joining

Tam

for

Three or More Tuesday

I thought that you would enjoy

a few of the Dahlia's

from my garden.

As you know, the Bunnies have done their share

of damage to my garden this year.

I've never had them munch down a Dahlia before...

So I am especially excited to see these blooms!

I originally planted about

a dozen sets of tubers.

I believe about half

actually survived.

Somebody please remind me

to use chicken wire next spring.

Robyn

How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 2) Blue Monday Edition

2009-08-16T23:51:00.005-05:00

For those of you that have been

following along...

We traveled

"up north"

to the northwestern corner of Minnesota.

As we traveled from the Twin Cities

to the Mississippi Headwaters,

we stopped at many of the Antique

and Hardware stores along the way.

As you can see by this picture

Jacob may have died

and gone to heaven....

This was a future electrician's,

lamp collector & builder's

dream come true.

Jacob walked into this shop...

decided he needed a Monowatt

something of another

turnkey socket to complete

some sort of lamp...

He lost me -

but not the proprietor of this shop!

The man was giddy that

he was so knowledge-able

about such things.

He allowed Jacob to enter

the back room and the basement

of this antique lamp shop.

(I promptly followed - you never know

now-a-days...)

There were shelves everywhere

littered with every lamp part imaginable.

Inside these drawers were parts that I never

knew existed on lamps.

I was soon set straight that they are highly patented

& highly collected across the country.

I guess that lamp parts are

a hot commodity

for historical societies

that are re-furbishing

homes and buildings.

The man offered Jacob

a job if he wanted it.

I thought of Sally@Salmagundi

and her husband when I saw this chair.

If I had room in my Escape

I would have brought this home!

I could see these chairs painted

and recovered in a large

buffalo check fabric.

How about you?

Here's the blue part, Sally.

Hamm's Beer used to be brewed

around these parts.

"From the Land of Sky Blue Waters....

Comes the Beer Refreshing,

Hamm's the Beer Refreshing,

Hamm's"

This hutch was only $300!

$300!!!

I thought of Rue and her love of chairs....

and then I turned around....

because that's all I could do.

This place was a fire hazard.

Honestly. You could hardly

walk into this room.

More chairs, Rue.

And Woo Hoo....

vinyl!

This was Jacob's kind of vacation!

Everywhere he turned

he found something he HAD to HAVE!

Poor Miles.

When we returned

from our vacation

we discovered Miles had

allergies and raging ear infections.

$400 later he's feeling

as good as gold.

Stay tuned....

more vacation pix to follow!

Robyn

The How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Pink Saturday Extra!

2009-08-14T23:47:00.004-05:00

If you're a Minnesotan,

and you travel "up north"

to the lake -

You have to make a pit stop

It's a tourist trap

overstuffed with

every "kitschy" item imaginable.

Click Here

for great pix of the place.

As you can see,

I didn't get out of the place

without having to buy

something...

It's located

just right up Highway 10

in Royalton, MN.

About 90 miles north of the Twin Cities.

You can have free ice,

a free cookie and free water!

Who can pass that up?

Stay tuned...

more vacation pix to follow!

Robyn

PS: Don't forget to visit Beverly

@HowSweettheSound

for more

Pink Saturday

How I Spent My Summer Vacation... (Part 1)

2009-08-10T10:36:00.008-05:00

Come along with us as we explore

the headwaters of

The Mississippi River.

This interpretive center is located

Itasca State Park,

which is located

about 225 miles

northwest of the

Twin Cities,

in Minnesota.

It is an extensive state park

with lots to offer.

Today we will just discover the

the Mississippi River.

With just a short walk...

We're just about there...

It's great to stretch your legs

after that long car ride.

Here's a bit of history....

A look at some of the fauna....

(more pix to follow - later this week)

And here we are!

We've made it!

Joining Jacob and I on our vacation

is my niece, Amanda.

This is a view of Lake Itasca.

As you can see,

we had overcast skies.

It was a cool 70 degrees.

You can cross the river this way...

Or this way!

Or what the heck,

This Way!

The water was quite chilly!

(All of that digging my toes in the sand

wrecked my pedicure.)

But look at how clean and clear

the water is at the source!

Stay tuned...

more vacation pix to follow

this week!

Robyn

Pink Saturday! & Fertilizer Friday!

2009-07-31T23:17:00.003-05:00

It's Prime Time

My Garden!

The Stargazer Lily's are in full bloom!

How about a Dahlia...

this is the Cactus variety.

I had to plant it...

it was the last package

of bulbs left on the shelf.

The Bee is abuzz...

with Runner Beans.

A bit of Yarrow has survived

the Soapwort invasion.

The Cleome's are starting to bloom -

Yippee!

For more pink...

Visit Beverly

How Sweet the Sound

For Fertilizer Friday

Visit Tootsie

Tootsie Time

Robyn

It's Monday!

2009-07-26T23:55:00.005-05:00

This Bluebird

is happy...

We finally

had the time

to change out

the front planter!

I had the flowers

purchased for weeks...

Jacob brought them

from the back yard

to the front for me.

The pansies had their day...

They just can't take our July heat.

I bought petunias

and geraniums

to add to the ivy.

See, doesn't that look much better?

I've never waited 'til mid-July

to swap the plants out before.

It will be interesting

to see how they do.

My garden is filling in nicely.

The coneflowers are blooming

despite the Bunnies best efforts.

I have a tomato on the vine

with promises of more to follow!

The Scarlet Runner's

have climbed higher than ever!

And this is this week's "Grow Sign" shot!

Look closely,

it's in there somewhere...

This year's first Dahlia!

The Stargazer's are starting to show!

Next week's pix will be spectacular!

It's amazing what a little bit of rain,

and a whole lot of sunshine

can accomplish.

I'm linking this post today to:

Sally@Smiling Sally

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Artie@Color Outside the Lines

Tootsie@Tootsie Time

Robyn

Foodie Friday! ~ Dough!

2009-07-23T22:41:00.013-05:00

Jacob had a hankering

for Cheese Ravioli

and I wanted

Grilled Pizza.

So we said

What the Heck!

Let's go for broke

and make both of them!

We started with the ricotta cheese filling.

We added grated parm, shredded mozzarella,

fresh basil & italian parsley.

Mmmm! Mmmm! Mmmm!

Place the filling in the fridge,

until you are ready to use it!

The pasta is a cinch!

It's just 2 cups of flour & 3 eggs.

I put the flour in my largest bowl

and make a well in the center.

Add the three eggs

and mix it until it

comes together to form a ball.

Then knead & knead for about 10 minutes.

Roll it through the pasta roller.

Start at the widest setting - number 7.

We stopped at number 4.

I have this nifty ravioli mold I should have

photographed - Doh!

It has an indentation for the filling and a

zigzag ridge to help form the ravioli squares.

I just spoon one teaspoon of filling per square.

Put a bit of water

around each square

to seal the deal,

place another pasta sheet over all

and run over it with the rolling pin.

Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes....

The leftover scrapes made for a tasty plate, too.

Served with Fire roasted tomatoes, garlic,

and red peppers.

Now, onto the Pizza D' Resistance!

I grilled sweet red peppers and onions.

Hot Italian Sausage Links.

Grape Tomatoes.

The pizza dough is pretty simple,

and only takes 30 minutes to rise.

4 cups of flour, 2 packets of rapid rise yeast,

1 tablespoon of honey,

and 1 tablespoon of olive oil,

a palmful of italian seasoning and minced garlic,

1 and 1/4 cups of lukewarm water.

Mix all at once in your Kitchen-aid mixer

for about 10 minutes.

Place into a well-oiled bowl

and place in a warm, draft-free area to rise

to about double in size.

Rub your hands with olive oil,

grab a fistful of dough,

Spread it out quickly and carefully

onto a preheated tile (450+ degrees).

It only takes a few minutes to bake.

Remove to a plate...

Turn the dough over

(the bottom is now the top)

and put on your fav ingredients.

Mine are caramelized onions,

pepperoni, italian sausage,

roasted red peppers,

mozzarella cheese.

Sometimes, I grill olives,

asparagus, and chicken breasts, too.

The skies are the limit.

Jacob likes pizza sauce,

italian sausage,

pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

I place the pizza

back on the grill's top rack

for about 2-3 minutes -

until the cheese is melty and brown.

There's nothing like

the grilled roasted-in flavor!

The dough makes about 6

8-10 inch pizzas.

I suppose you could

pre-roll out the crusts

and refrigerate them until party time,

but I think it is more fun this way!

Sometimes,

there is a little bit of leftovers....

which makes for a great snack later....

(or for breakfast the next day)

While you read through all of the other

Foodie Friday recipes.

Visit Gollum for the list.

Robyn

A Blue & Met Monday!

2009-07-19T23:40:00.003-05:00

It's time for me to celebrate!

Two Met Monday

projects were completed!

Actually, this was Gramma's Birthday Cake.

Have you ever had a cake from

Sam's Club? They are very good.

(I chose this cake 'cuz the frosting was Blue.)

This driveway has seen a better day.

It was patched and sealed,

and re-patched

and re-sealed.

I've never had an asphalt driveway before,

we've always had concrete in the past.

It was time for it to go.

In a matter of two days,

the crew removed the old driveway,

set up the forms and rebar,

poured and prepared the driveway.

I'm excited! It really looks so fresh and new!

Now we just need a little rain

for the lawn to fill back in.

(I may have to breakdown and buy some sod.)

While the garage was free,

it gave me ample room

to refinish the bench from the front porch.

I was so pleased with the bench

from the patio, that I decided to stain

this one with the same Sage stain.

Let's go check out all of the other

Blue Monday and Met Monday

ideas today!

Robyn

Pink Saturday!

2009-07-18T00:20:00.003-05:00

Nothing makes me happier

than reaching the weekend

after a very lonnnnng work week.

The Sweetest Part

Pink Saturday

of course!

I cannot believe

that it is already mid-July.

Where has this summer gone?

I am in the midwest

and it has been a very chilly week,

and a very weird summer.

I'm ready for a vacation

and

some sunny skies.

Robyn

PS: Click HERE

for

Beverly's Pink Saturday!

Foodie Friday!

2009-07-17T00:11:00.005-05:00

I thought

I would start out this Foodie Friday

with something enticing.

Everybody loves bacon...

It was on sale this week at the grocery store.

Besides Grampa was craving a BLT....

I've discovered that this is the perfect way to prepare it.

I put tinfoil on a baking sheet.

Spread the bacon out nice and straight.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes.

It comes out nice & straight & just perfect!

And the clean-up is a snap!

By the time everybody munched on apiece or two,

Grampa barely had enough left for his sandwich.

My Aunt made these yummy brownies

for our Family Reunion Picnic

and I have been craving them ever since.

They're called S'more Brownies.

Start with a regular brownie mix.

They're pretty simple.

They just require these few added extras.

Spread the Brownies into a prepared 9x13 pan

and bake as directed for about 18 minutes.

When you take them out of the oven

immediately cover them with the

entire bag of

Miniature Marshmallows,

and the entire bag of

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips.

Then just top it off with

the Graham Cracker squares.

(I think that maybe next time

I may crush the crackers into large chunks

and then sprinkle them on top.)

Return them to the oven

for about 5 minutes

until everything is nice & melty!

They are best

when you let them cool

before eating.

Although that is very hard to do.

Just don't burn your tongue!

Actually, they are better

the Next Day!

Just click here to visit Gollum

for more Foodie Friday!

Robyn

Fertilizer Friday! (Foodie Friday to Follow this Afternoon)

2009-07-10T14:31:00.004-05:00

I've Fertilized

I'm Flaunting my Flowers!

This must be the year for herbs...

They have really taken off

and they look and taste great.

The Soapwort or "Bouncing Bet"

is blooming bright!

As well as, the BeeBalm and the Yarrow!

The "Worts" Spider and Soap.

How DID they get their name?

That doesn't sound very pretty,

does it?

Here's a close-up of the Soapwort.

It will bloom from now until October.

My friend Sandy and I made this bench about 10 years ago.

(I don't know why Jacob's insulator collection

stopped here....)

We're finally getting some peppers -

we'll have some Salsa afterall!

It's a beautiful day,

I need to go out & weed!

Visit Tootsie for more beautiful flowers!

Robyn

2009-07-07T22:44:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's time again for another

Outdoor Wednesday!

This week I'm happy to report

that the

Feverfew

has started blooming!

I think that it is so cute.

It reminds me of Daisies.

My all time favorite flower.

I plant Feverfew every year.

I guess you can brew a tea with it.

I don't do that .

I just plant it because it's cute.

Here is this week's version of the "Grow" sign.

I'm getting color in my garden!

So from now until fall -

I should have blooms!

I noticed this little hole

in the garden,

then I just stuck the camera

down in front of it and snapped.

After I uploaded my pix

I noticed this little guy

hiding out.

Don't be shy,

just click on the link below

to visit Susan

A Southern Daydreamer

for more of

Outdoor Wednesday!

Robyn

Blue Monday/Met Monday

2009-07-05T22:40:00.006-05:00

I have a dual post again today.

Today is Sally's Blue Monday

and

Susan's Met Monday.

For starters I actually completed a project,

and remembered to take a before pic,

and an after pic!

I have a cedar glider on my patio

that is so comfy,

but it was starting to look like

it had seen a better day.

I had a little help from Grampa,

he helped reinforce it,

then I sanded it and repainted it with

Behr Solid Stain in sage.

(Below is the before - see awful

it was starting to look?)

It was finished and dry just in time

for our 4th of July festivities!

I prepared a boneless turkey breast on the grill.

First I rinsed it off and patted it dry.

Applied a light layer of vegetable oil,

applied pepper and a little paprika.

I discovered that you don't really want

to salt it. The brine that it is packaged in

is quite salty already.

I snipped a few herbs from the patio

and placed them randomly around on it.

I used Sage, of course, some Marjoram,

and a bit of Thyme.

I placed it on prepared tin foil.

Sealed it up and double wrapped her.

(Just a note....place a drip pan underneath

if you want to catch any stray juices for gravy later.)

I'm from the old school, I keep it on the grill

until it reaches 180 on the

instant read thermometer.

We had the turkey breast, cheesy potatoes.

You know the ones made with hash browns

and two kinds of cheese,

(I placed them in a tin foil pan right onto the grill also.)

potato buns, and a Wild Rice Broccoli Salad.

The recipe is to follow.

See, the turkey breast turned out beautifully.

Juicy, not too dry,

because it is wrapped in foil.

I use the Cultivated Wild rice, not the cracked,

for this recipe.

I dice and add a red pepper (I used an anaheim ancient sweet pepper -

but you can use a red bell pepper as well,

a medium red or vidalia onion,

broccoli flowerettes cut into smaller bite size pieces,

and slivered almonds to taste

(that should be toasted, if you have the time),

to the cooked and cooled Wild Rice.

Then I add 3/4 bottle of

Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing,

(you could make your own with the Ramen Noodle packet)

one minced garlic toe, and a palmful of

Italian Seasonings.

See how pretty it is?

Jacob wanted the bottled Coca-Cola from Sam's.

(It turned out that it is from Mexico,

so it processed with sugar, rather than corn syrup.)

Just like the good old days.

I'm using my new dishes from The Pottery Barn.

Although the plates look like they are paper,

they actually are china, and my cup

appears to be plastic, it actually is glass.

Everyone got a kick out of that.

We are so green....

I hope you give this salad a try.

Everytime I take it somewhere I am asked for the recipe.

It actually tastes better the next day.

I'm off to check out the other Blue Monday offerings

and all of the great projects of

Met Monday.

Robyn

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-03T23:33:00.006-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

After a week of unseasonably cool weather,

(which I am certainly not complaining about)

The garden is starting to

grow buds and blooms as well as foliage.

Last weekend Jacob and I

hoped to pick strawberries....

Only to discover

that the fields are not open on Sundays :(

But, we stumbled upon

the nicest little

farm market.

(and wouldn't you know it,

I didn't bring my camera)

Along with freshly picked strawberries,

they had a small petting zoo

and a greenhouse.

I couldn't resist this pretty

variety of Clematis.

Her name is Anna Louise.

She is purple with a reddish stripe

on each pedal.

I also bought this Bittersweet vine.

As you can see, it likes it here!

It already has made itself at home!!!

The Cleome is starting to bloom....

I think that Miles has found a bunny....

My mailbox planter

full of Petunias

has filled in nicely.

Thanks for visiting my garden today.

Visit Tootsie @ Tootsie Time

for Fertilizer Friday

Artie @ Color Between the Lines

for Share a Garden Sunday

& of course

Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound

for Pink Saturday

Hope you all are having a

Safe & Happy 4th of July!

Hugs from

Robyn & Jacob

Blue Monday!

2009-06-28T22:46:00.005-05:00

Saturday was an iffy day. The skies were overcast.

It poured rain in the early morning hours.

The weatherman predicted that it would clear up by One.

We had planned this event for weeks. It was postponed

once already due to rain.

We decided - What the Heck!

Let's go for it!

We planned to cruise on the St. Croix River

for the afternoon.

My friend Mary & her husband Gundy

own a nice little houseboat

in a slip at the Sunnyside Marina.

Located in Stillwater, Minnesota.

This is the historic lift bridge.

It is very controversial right now -

with all of the bridge issues

we've had of late in Minnesota.

There have been plans to replace this bridge

for many years.

However, the Sierra Club has their concerns,

and each state MN & WI have their concerns

over the budget.

I digress. Let's just get on with the cruise!

If you enlarge this pic you will see that a wedding

is taking place on the waterfront.

Stillwater is a cute little town,

with fun little shops and many restaurants.

(It even boasted a few famous residents.

Jessica Lange and Sam Shepherd.)

Our boat didn't have to wait for the lift bridge to rise.

We just squeaked by underneath...

Here is another shot of the lift bridge's pulleys.

Jacob thought you would like to see this.

We didn't stick around long enough for me

to get a pic of it rising. Maybe next time....

However, I thought you might like to see

some of the homes

that dot the river bluffs,

or maybe a speedboat zipping by....

This home belongs to the owner of....

Anderson Windows.

And I was told that this is his daughter's home.

With my gift of gab - I set the camera down

and didn't get all of the shots I should have

for you - Like pix of our gracious hosts,

and their boat, and many of the guests,

and the wonderful buffet that Mary prepared for us.

Please join me in sharing Blue Monday

with another gracious host,

Sally of Smiling Sally.

She's just a click away.

Robyn

Short & Sweet: Foodie & Fertilizer Friday

2009-06-26T19:09:00.005-05:00

Today's contribution is going to be

just like me....

Short & Sweet.

I had to work today...

I know what you're thinking,

But it's Friday - and you don't work on Fridays.

Well, we still haven't hired a new Assistant

so it's just me, and patients were scheduled,

so what can I do?

Needless to say, dinner was Culver's.

Jacob found this cute little heart

in his package of cheese curds

and he gave it to me.

I just love him so.

Today is also Fertilizer Friday.

Notice I watered my herbs.....

Look at all the new healthy growth, Tootsie.

And as predicted - the Tiger Lily has bloomed!

And once again, Miles posed for the camera.

He really did. He noticed my camera, then mosied

over to the flowers and waited for me to take his pic.

So I have to show him - because I think he loves

his new found celebrity.

Well, I am off to visit Gollum

for more Foodie Friday goodness.

Robyn

Three or More!!!

2009-06-22T22:19:00.005-05:00

Out in the Sunporch

I have a tiny little collection.

A collection I started many years ago.

As you know,

Jacob loves the Antique Stores

& Flea Markets.

It gave me something to look for

while he was looking for

"his junk".

I created rules for this collection.

Only metal - not glass.

They all had to be different -

if at all possible.

& I couldn't spend more than $5.00.

And I could only buy 1 at a time.

Then they became popular.

They were featured in Country Living,

Country Home & BH&G's magazines.

Then the prices shot up...

It's my Flower Frog Collection.

I have 3 or more of the cage-type,

and 3 or more of the pin-type...

and a whole lot more in the jar behind.

Visit Tam

to see more

really neat collections.

Jacob added a little color to the garden

with a few of his blue-green insulators.

And this hydrangea

has a bit of blue poking through, Sally!

See more blue by clicking here.

Robyn