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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

MARCH MADNESS

Hello dear friends!  Aren't we having a glorious spring?   With forsythias and daffodils in bloom and buds on the birch and willow trees, everything is bathed in a golden glow.   Yesterday while taking Georgie on his morning walk in the back fourty,  I spotted this little scene.  Something about the yellow wheelbarrow leaning against the compost bin and the hedge of forsythias just made my heart leap.  It just speaks of the  hope of an abundant garden, doesn't it?

Speaking about leaping hearts!  On Sunday I came around the corner and spotted a fox skipping down the street.  He was a jolly  fellow  and very handsome!  He climbed atop a ridge to give me a better view of his magnificent  self and I sat for a good quarter of an hour watching him  while he sat warily keeping an eye on me.  Finally he became bored and sauntered off over the ridge.  Hope I meet him again!

I also had good fortune in spotting something else this week.  Yesterday, I had to make the eighty mile (one way!) trip to do some banking.  Every time I have to make a trip to the big city with it's crazy traffic, I'm always so grateful for my little home tucked away in the middle of nowhere.  Anyway, I'm digressing here.  To make the trip worthwhile, I stopped at my favorite thrift store.  This little place is always a treasure trove and today was no exception.  Sitting on a shelf, just waiting for me, was this whale oil lamp.
Of course it didn't look like this when I found it.  Someone had filled the font with nasty moldy looking seashells and had inserted a tipsy electric socket on the top.  I brought it home removed the electrical parts, shook out the shells and now have a lovely antique that just says "New England".  So is it  collector's luck or a good eye that I manage to accumulate such lovely things for so little money?  Probably a bit of both. Oh!  Guess how much it cost. Four dollars!

All this yellow is making me hungry for something lemony.  I think I'll make some lemon squares.  That should be nice and refreshing for a snack when I come in from turning one of the garden plots.  Here's the recipe:

Lemon Squares

Crust:
1 C. flour
1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
1/2 C. butter

Melt the butter.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Put into a greased 8 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Lemon filling:

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. lemon juice

Beat the ingredients together.  Pour over the baked crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Cool and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.  Cut into squares.

PS:  I forgot to add that we had our first meal of asparagus from our own plot and we mowed the lawn today.  Two things I can never remember doing in March.  We are really enjoying our early spring!

21 comments:

  1. I love lemon squares! Great find on the lamp....beautiful indeed.

    We had frost last night. All the local strawberry farmers were freaking out with worry about their plants. Makes me thankful I only had one potted plant outside. :-) Hubby graciously brought it in and put it in the guest bathroom (away from kitty paws).

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    1. We had frost the other day too, Shara. All the cherry and apple growers are worried. I'm thinking about stocking up on cherry pie filling and dried cherries just in case the prices skyrocket. Hope it didn't hurt their crops. Poor farmers can never seem to catch a break! I noticed some blossoms on my Alpine strawberries today so I guess the frost didn't bother them. Only one of our apple trees and a pear tree were foolish enough to have buds on them.

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  2. I like the picture of the yellow wheelbarrow as well, yellow is such a nice sunshiny color. Your recipe for lemon bars sounds yummy, lemon bars are one of my favorite treats, I love lemon desserts. How wonderful that you spotted a fox, such wonderful animals. I have only glimpsed one once in the wild, running across a country road from one field to another, it was quite a treat. How great to find a whale oil lamp, I have never seen one, I always get the bug to go hunting for treasures this time of year. :)

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  3. That is just the sort of wheel barrow that I need--it looks far more stable than those with only one wheel.
    This is an amazing springtime--dare we trust it?

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    1. It really is Sharon (I'm glad to know your name!). I'm not going to plant anything like tomatoes or peppers, but I did plant lettuce today. It would be heavenly to have fresh lettuce in April! Oh! and the peas were started too. Just love this time of year.

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  4. That's the second fox I spotted this month April. Years had gone by before that. I was searching for some things to wear while I garden. I destroy all my summer clothes each year. But I'm too cheap to spend more than a few dollars on them. You just never know what you'll find! But I've got to get serious about the clothing hunt and stop buying things for the house!

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  5. Missed you this month, Jane! I love what you have been into this month! If you have time, read William Carlos Williams "Red Wheelbarrow." It is only 16 words, but your yellow wheelbarrow made me think of it!

    We had ONE asparagus spear yesterday to share between us.. in the garden... raw.... Yummers!

    Hope you have a great week!

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    1. I'll have to look that up, Matty. That asparagus was so sweet! I could eat it everyday. Next up, something with rhubarb!

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  6. Very cool on the asparagus! I love lemon squares! I made lemon cake with lemon frosting and lemon filling for our wedding, so I really do love everything lemon! :) I love your lamp! Thrift stores are always kinda iffy for me ... you never know if you are going to find something. Although I did just find a new-to-me thrift store not too far from where I live!

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    1. Isn't that strange, Jane? Usually this time of year the asparagus bed is buried under a few feet of snow. I love everything lemon too. That's so cool about your wedding cake! We had cherry nut, guess that shows how immature we were. I never have any luck at the Goodwill. Seems they cull everything for the more current things. I love to find vintage clothes (have quite a collection of vintage slips and Pendleton 49ers) so I go to the smaller stores. This little store always yields the best treasures! I've found Hull pottery, Irish Dresden, toleware, and now this oil lamp. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it's out of the way and I rarely get to it.

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  7. So are we :) I was able to go out and enjoy it fully with my daughter and son this afternoon - just glorious :)
    m.

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    1. I'm glad that you are having a lovely spring also, Maria! Everything looks so lush. Especially after a very long, gray winter.

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  8. dear jane,
    beautiful pictures. i have never seen a yellow wheel barrow,here in germany.but i like yours.here makes the warm weather a break.i love asparagus,too.thanks for the recipe.... i think i will it try.
    have a nice day,
    love regina

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    1. Hello Regina! Today a few snowflakes are falling. Oh well! It was nice while it lasted! Just think, soon you'll be harvesting apples again!

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  9. Wow! Asparagus and lawn mowing in March? Never here. Your lamp is wonderful... I love thrifting and coming home with a treasure that other's didn't recognize, I actually feel my heart beat a little faster when I spot it! :) Enjoy your beautiful weather and playing in your gardens.

    Blessings, Debbie

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    1. The joy of the hunt, Debbie. Springs like this are rare here, too. Have lots of pictures with the kids and their Easter baskets, standing outside in the snow. Sure is nice to have a mild one for a change!

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  10. Hi Jane! Love you post today, and what a great find you made at the thrift store! Our predominant spring color here in the low country is pink. Everywhere we look their are azaleas in all shades of pink. They are huge this year and loaded with flowers. We have a large patch of yellow wild flowers growing by one whole side of the pond. They just popped up and from a distance they look like daffodils. I had to smile when a neighbor told me at the post office that she loved our daffodils! :) I am happy to hear that you are having such a wonderful month. Thanks for the lemon bar recipe. I just made a big lemon cake on wednesday. I used a filling that tastes like lemon pie which is one of my absolute favorites. Have a good evening ahead! Delisa :)

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    1. Isn't it funny how the colors come in waves, Delisa? Right now we have yellow, then my white garden blooms and the other gardens have pink and purples. The golds, oranges and reds finish up the growing season with a bang. Have to confess that after I posted this little missive, it turned cold and I didn't feel like lemons were quite right. We even had a bit of snow yesterday. The poor little Robins are very confused!

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  11. I couldn't help but smile as you told your little tale about the fox. Also, you certainly did a good job of polishing-up that oil lamp. It's too bad you didn't show a before picture. Your lemon squares sound lovely as well. I shall have to try them sometime.

    You seem to have a pleasant blog. I've enjoyed my first visit.

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    1. Well hello, Mara! Thank you for stopping by. I always forget to take before pictures. Too excited about getting the refurbishing underway!

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  12. We like lemon squares too. Try using key lime juice sometime for a different taste. :-) I think I might make these for Easter.

    I just got your latest post notification, and can't believe I've missed several, so I'm having to back track to catch up.

    Have a wonderful Easter ~ FlowerLady

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