Tea and Flowers...through my window!

In my kitchen I bake cherry scones and serve them with tea. In my garden, I till the soil, plant seeds and watch each seedling emerge and stretch till it becomes a flower. So, do I like being cozy in my kitchen or dirty in my garden.  The best of both is ok for me.  

It seems like when Spring comes to Oregon, it just doesn't take its own sweet time.  It's more like you wake up one morning and you see green leaves on the trees, bulbs pushing green foliage through the cold earth and then the "bleeding hearts" begin to bloom.  The first flower to bloom in our garden this year.  

Ever since that first bloom, I enjoy my tea in the garden.  We have planted so many seeds that we have lost track of what and where we planted them.  Ray started squash, tomatoes and peppers in the house on a ledge near our kitchen window in early April.  I surprised him and planted his squash seedlings in the garden while he was in CA a little over a month ago.  Well, the surprise was on me and the snails put their bibs on and went to town!  So, we replanted some squash and sent the snails packing.  

Now I think we have several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, dill, cilantro, four types of basil, along with flower seedlings such as Bells of Ireland and Sweet Peas, among about 20 others. 

I once said that I am seriously thinking of planting a dollar bill in the soil in my garden and watch what grows.  A money tree maybe?  I doubt it.  But the earth here is so rich and full of nutrients and that makes for an agricultural heaven for blueberries, marion berries, wine grapes, grasses, clover, vegetables, hazel nuts,  and everything else that grows so naturally here. 

So, tomorrow morning I am off again to the farmer's market with my garden basket.  I will fill it with farm fresh eggs, grain fed beef, asparagus, lettuces, peony bouquets and oh yeah, Marion Berry Pie.  I am not allowed to come home without the pie.  Our guests are even getting spoiled with the pie lately and loving every slice.  Ray says that as long as he gets one slice of it, he is willing to share.  What a nice guy!

Can't wait to share our garden and make you Thai Basil Quiche or Shirred Eggs with yellow squash or Spring Frittata with cilantro or any other yummy delight we can prepare with our backyard treasures.