Spring Surprises

 

K-Mart Special

In 2004 I saw a picture in a magazine I decided to recreate in a corner planter of my woodland garden. It called for an angel trumpet that I could not find in a local nursery, but while at a K-Mart garden sale, this Cisterna Plum took my eye. And it cost only $5.00 so I decided to try it. It has done beautifully and blooms early with pretty pink and violet-red flowers. Violet red pansies look wonderful under it, but I haven't gotten them planted yet this spring. Soon...actually it's snow flurrying today, but it's predicted after tomorrow to turn warmer for a pretty Easter weekend. In the collage above, the plum is pictured on top left with a lone red tulip on the right. On the bottom left is the first white violet I've seen. White violets seem to like the soil of Castle Yonder and bloom longer and later into the early summer.

Mushroom Season Has Begun

We have a neighbor who asked permission to hunt mushrooms on our property, and he shares his bounty with us. Because he never died from mushroom poisoning, we have come to trust his expertise. He seems like a sensible fellow.

Black Morel mushrooms (Morchella elata) have just started their two-month season here. Oue Audubon Society Field Guide says the Black Morel is often the first true morel to appear in the spring, usually in poplar woods. We have lots of poplar along with hickory predominating. The Field Guide says alcohol should not be taken with alcoholic beverages as stomach upsets may result. Otherwise they are considered a "choice" excellent edible.

Rocky fixed them for our dinner tonight and after dusting them with flour, sauteed them in olive oil and butter. I fixed spaghetti and baked some refrigerated rolls. We missed having a glass of wine with the pasta. We also like them mixed with scrambled eggs.

Joseph and the Angel Narrator

 

Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a special request. I wanted Rocky and I to go to the Barter Theatre in Abingdon to see Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Actually, it was my 2nd time to see it, as I first went with my good friend, Jean, two weeks ago. I enjoyed it so much and wanted Rocky to see it as I knew he'd love the spectacle of it.

And spectacle it was! Clever costumes, lavish scenery, and great music. A smile came over Rocky's face in the first few seconds, and it never left him. How that filled my heart!

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a great favorite of ours, and this was one of his first productions if I'm not mistaken, in the 1960's. An added bonus was that Eugene Wolf, who was a friend of Rocky's  when we were doing the Barter Storytellers around 1998, was playing the part of Jacob. Gene had a big hug for Rocky when he saw him yesterday.

We finished off the day with dinner at the new Troutdale Bistro, a fine restaurant that just opened in downtown Bristol. We were so stuffed and lethargic when we got home I had to take a little snooze in my new stressless anti-gravity chair which was one of our mutual birthday gifts.