FRY BREAD

Pay no attention to the monkey. These were pretty good. I got the recipe from another blog this morning, and decided to try them for our usual late lunch/really late breakfast/afternoon snack. The blog, Day to Day Cook by Dawn Spice has a lot of good recipes and interesting kitchen related tips and tidbits. I just ate mine with butter, and so did Zach when he got home from school and came over.

MINI ZEN GARDENS

Today was a good 'at home' day. This morning, as I often do, I woke up with my giant cup of coffee in front of the TV playing Harvest Moon Animal Parade on the Wii. When I was sufficiently awake to face the world, I cleaned up the kitchen, set some meat out to thaw for dinner and then went out to the garden. I hoed and raked my little garden plot, and planted a package of mixed varieties of eggplant. I had planned to plant another packet of eggplant, but then couldn't decide between that and some of the two varieties of cantalope that Glenda brought me when she and Jan came recently. Right now, I am thinking of going with the cantalope, but may change my mind again...
Later in the day, I spray painted a bottomless metal chair that I use as a flowerbed feature, and two metal people that hold flowerpots. I should have taken a photo of those, but didn't think of it at the time. Now it's too dark to get a decent photo, I think. Mathieu was here and he wanted to make a Zen dish garden like I made a few days ago. His turned out sort of half zen and half something else, but it looks good! Mine has too many rocks, I know, but it's hard to stop at just 1-3, for me. ;) Mat scattered lots of small rocks throughout his sand, and then added a small yogurt cup pond, too, and went around the edges of the dish with clover leaves.

WILDFLOWER WALK PART 1

Each spring, I always have visions of making a photographic record of each and every wildflower blooming in our 'yard', complete with positive identification of the ones whose names I am not familiar with... but I never get it done. Some years I have used a sketchbook instead, but still only get a few pages done. This year is shaping up to be no exception. Mathieu and I took a few of my little dolls and started off by walking just on the east side of the house.
Leopard girl is wondering what kind of flowers these beautiful bright purple ones are. They are growing thickly all over this year.
Pink Fairy makes herself at home in the gorgeous Indian Paintbrushes. These are my favorites, I think.
This little Munchkin boy, from the Lillipop Guild is looking worried in these Showy False Dragonhead wildflowers. These are everywhere this year. As you drive along the highways, you can see them in pastures where they look like really large ponds. They really do resemble light blue water in such large groupings.

Peter Pan and Leopard Girl pause for a rest by this dandelion flower. The dandelions are seriously taking over everyone's yards this year.
Ugh and Crank always do things the hard way. They went straight to the prickly pear and agarita. No wonder they are always in such bad moods.