Lilac

Lilac blooms and goes so quickly that before you know it, you haven't even picked any for the house and they're over. These are just a tad past their best, but still lovely and fragrant. I have two bushes, white and this deep lilac, isn't it lovely?

Our lilac bloomed in the middle of April. I heard that global warming is making things bloom earlier and the insects are totally topsy turvy over this.

Christy

Oak Split Hoof Arm Chair

I found this chair in the trash several years ago. I've always meant to do something with it. I think I will this year. If I look hard I think I've even got the piece of wood that fell off. I loved the turned arms and legs. It's all solid oak.

Christy

Girls Day Out in The Amish Country

Just the right shop for our day out together

Inside the Girl's Day Out Shop

Little Garden Shop

Couldn't resist hamming it up

Great icecream at Lapp's icecream store

Nursery run by Amish

This was the Lapp nursery, a very popular Amish name

It was a huge greenhouse

Amish transportation

In the Amish country

Farmland

The long road home

Girls Day Out

Four of us old friends drove up to see another friend who lives in the Amish country area. This is the long drive up to Marianne's home. A caravan in the woods. The setting is so quiet and peaceful.

Marianne's little garden. The whole area is just rocks. You have to plant woodland flowers and plants to get anything to grow.

Janice and I dug up some ferns in the woods. It was so interesting their roots ran laterally over the rocks, embedding themselves in the fallen leafs and foliage debris. We took a shovel with us, but it was useless. I'll show you some pictures of the ferns planted in my garden.

Marianne above photo on the right.

Just such a lovely day with old friends.

Christy

Food and Friends

ii

This is a gathering of a group of friends who have known each over thirty years, dare I even say that.  Who over that period of time have had their ups and downs in life.  But here we are gathered together at Marianne's for a day of laughter, fun and reminiscences.  A happy day.

Good food always seems to accompany a happy time and this is no difference, with a wonderful lunch.  Several different chicken salads, one with curry.  And lots of good fun chatter.

Christy

The Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia

This is the theatre we went to for Ballet X. It's a small theatre. We saw four short ballets choreographed by different people.

• One Word Play
  
• X or Y
• Carry Me
• Hide

We especially liked Carry Me. It's a look at the reversal of roles between parent and child as time passes.

We drove down in sun but it soon became overcast and chilly. We were able to park next door at a hotel parking lot.

When we came out we walked over to the Kimmel Center to take a look at it.

If we weren't on our frugal campaign we might have eaten out. But as it was we took coffee and brownies with us.

There are many Theatres on The Avenue of The Arts.

Christy

White and Purple Lilac

From the lilac bushes in my garden.  I love lilac and their fragrance.  It seems that they hardly open befor they're over.

Christy

Wisteria

This is a wild wisteria that a friend gave to me. It comes from the woods down near Cape May. Several have vines that come from the original one, in their gardens.

It is beautifully fragrant and flowers for about two weeks.

I had a cultivated wisteria I bought from a nursery, it never did flower. So I love this one.

Christy

Ballet X

I was given tickets to the see Ballet X. I don't think I've been to a ballet since I was a child. It's at the Wilmer Theater in Philadelphia.

My co-worker Jen, won the tickets in the Philly Blooming competition. She couldn't go so asked if I would like them.

So this will be fun. Just need to come up with parking, which is always a problem in a city. Will probably make a day of it. Do we splurge on eating out at all? Always a question when income is limited. Well we can always go to Starbucks and get a coffee. But hey! I'm going to the ballet.


Christy

A Picnic at the Park

This is where we sat enjoying our picnic. Tuna fish sandwiches, oatmeal raisin cookies and coffee.

A fisherman and his catch a rainbow trout.

When I was a child we called these Dock leaves. If we got stung by a stinging nettle; which there were quite a few of where we played, then you would pick a dock leaf and rub it on the sting and it would take the sting out.

A little garter snake basking in the sun, until we came along.

Spring blossoms.

Christy

What's flowering this week?

Lasagna Manicotti

I made a cheese and tomato lasagna. Four layers of lasagna, layered ricotta cheese and mozarella cheese with tomato sauce.

I had bought a large container of ricotta and did not need to use it all in the lasagna. I wanted to do another dish, but not with a tomato sauce.

So I made, my take, on mushroom and cheese manicotti. First of all I hate to stuff manicotti shells, they always split on me. So I cook lasagna spread it with a mixture of ricotta, beaten eggs and a little finely diced onion, celery is good too. Roll up the lasagna and place in the dish. Top with sliced fresh mushrooms, mushroom soup and sprinkle with mozzarella. Cook at 350 f for about 25 minutes.

So two meals from a large ricotta on sale for $2.75 and mozzarella on sale for $2.50 the other items I had. Mushrooms a punt, $1.50. I used half. Tin of mushroom soup $1.00. Tomato sauce one bottle $1.25 and added frozen tomatoes from my garden.

Christy