This nine-foot artificial tree is pre-lit and covered with family mementoes and keepsakes from our travels including an ornament from our honeymoon at Glacier National Park, a metal building from Brian’s visit to Brussels and a Russian birch heart.

There are also plant and garden-related ornaments, some purchased at a garden store outside of London during our last visit. Blown glass carrots, peaches, hummingbirds and cardinals mingle with tiny pitchforks and spades. It may be winter but the garden is never far from my mind! Click here for a videocast of my favorite Xmas ornaments.

This tree is beautiful but Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the scents of a real tree. So each year we purchase a tree just for Graham’s ornaments. These range from 101 Dalmatians and Bob the Builder to Scooby Doo and the Flash, a chronicle of his childhood toy progression. This year’s cool ornaments are a Star Wars storm trooper and R2D2 & C3PO. Not to mention this cool rocket ship which screams "we have a boy":

His tree is the one we gather around on Christmas even to open presents, which makes it even more special.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Winter Wonderland

Our recent snowfalls have lent a holiday spirit to the gardens.

Christmas Cookies

It is a well-known fact in my household that while I can do many things, baking cookies is just not one of them.

I never seem to trust the amount of time that the directions tell me to leave the cookies in the oven, so my cookies are always well done. Okay, over done.

When I told Brian that I wanted to bake Christmas cookies with Graham this weekend, he just laughed.

I want Graham to have “typical� childhood memories of baking home made Christmas cookies. So I cheat a little. I buy a tube of pre-made sugar cookie dough, roll it out and call it home made. Graham doesn’t know the difference. He just likes to spread LOTS of flour onto the granite island and cut out his favorite shapes.

His cookie cutters of choice do not have Christmas motifs. He likes to use an old, old set with the images of cartoon characters such as Tom and Jerry, Droopy dog and a duck. They must be from when my brother and sister were kids.

We may or may not get around decorating the cookies. It doesn’t matter. The point is that we did a traditional Christmas activity together. And I’ve got pictures to prove it.

Afterwards, when Brian asked Graham how the cookies tasted, he said, “Crunchy.�

Some Christmas traditions never change.

Feeding my Inner Geek

Readers who love arcane information should look no further than the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books series. With more than 130 titles on everything from “Africa� and “Amphibians� to “Weather� and “World War II,� these books provide a comprehensive, in-depth look at a single topic. The books are quality products, made with gorgeous photographs and high production values.

Graham and I both enjoy them. Between the two of us, we had a huge stack of them checked out from the library last week.

Sometimes a novel or autobiography just won’t fit my mood because I want to learn something new. The other night I finished “Watercolor� and on my bedside still await “Rocks and Minerals�, “Medieval Life� and “Crystal and Gem� for when that mood strikes again.

For younger readers, there’s a spin-off series called Eye Wonder – same great photos and production values – just a simpler focus.

And they’ve even made a few of the titles into videos and DVDs. As I type, Graham is watching “Oceans�. His other favorites are “Shark� and “Planet.� He’s even going to give “Shark� the book to his school buddy for Christmas.

Check them out at www.dk.com.

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “What do You Do All Day?� by Amy Scheibe, a childhood friend. It’s a funny and frank story of a stay home mom in Manhattan. Run out and buy a copy now! (Okay, so that was a shameless plug!)

Also: “Chewing the Cud� by Dick King-Smith, the autobiography of the author of “Babe: The Gallant Pig�which was made into the classic film by the same name.

Listening to: “The Blue Last� by Martha Grimes. Only about 10 minutes left!

Graham’s current favorite: “Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman" by Dav Pilkey. I couldn’t have made that up myself if I had tried.

Remaining Garden Chores

Clean out my gardening tote. It’s filled with old plant tags, clods of dirt and other detritus.

Pack the canna, four o’clock and sweet potato tubers in sawdust for the winter and store them someplace in the house that won’t be too hot or too cold.

Today’s Grahamism

“What if the chickadee only said, ‘Dee-dee-dee-dee?’ Could it keep its old name?�

“I want an easy job when I grow up. I’m going to take pictures of dinosaurs in museums.�

“I don’t need to write a letter to Santa. The elves have already made want I want.� How do you know that? “Oh, Mom, it’s a long story.�

When Graham and I came home from running errands one evening, we discovered that Glynis had eaten the remaining 10 squares in Graham’s chocolate calendar. I told him that dogs that eat chocolate can get really sick and even die. He walked over to where Glynis was lying on the couch, gave her a pat and a kiss and said, “Good bye, Glynis.� And then walked away.

Graham sleeping. (Click image for larger)

As I lean in to give him a good night kiss, I sniff deeply of that heady aroma of sleeping child – sweat and sunshine, shampoo and joy. And I know in the very marrow of my bones that This Child is Mine.

I’ve read that smell is the most potent of the senses, attaching itself to events so powerfully that even a faint whiff of a scent can bring back long-forgotten memories.

It also acts as a recognition device, a reinforcement of maternal process. Even the day after Graham was born, I could have chosen him from an array of other babies, just from his individual scent.

I think it’s an ancient response for women, going back to when we were simple primates. Have you ever noticed that when a baby is presented to a gaggle of women, almost the first thing each one of them will do when handed the child is to hold the baby close and take a deep sniff? We all laugh that we “just love the smell of new baby� but what we’re really doing is testing for recognition. We sniff and think, “Yep, this smells good but it’s not mine.�

That imprint of aroma is like olfactory DNA, something so unique and singular that it cannot be replicated. Every animal mother can tell her child from the all others in a herd, even when there are hundreds of them.

So at night, when mothers everywhere tuck their little ones in to bed, we can sleep in peace, too, because we know This Child is Mine.

A mother’s nose knows, and it’s never wrong.

Deep Purple

With all the chartreuse leaves popping out on trees and cheery yellow daffodils in bloom, a garden’s deeper purple flowers and foliage can make a welcome change.

This spring my gardens contain wild prairie crocus...

Wild prairie crocus. (Click image for larger)

...snake’s head fritillary...

Snake’s head fritillary. (Click image for larger)

...and grape hyacinth.

Grape hyacinth. (Click image for larger)

From emerging hosta shoots...

Hosta shoots. (Click image for larger)

...to the ruffled edges of “Plum Pudding� heuchera...

“Plum Pudding� heuchera. (Click image for larger)

...and the stalks of “Husker Red� pensetemon,

“Husker Red� pensetemon. (Click image for larger)

...purplish leaves also add color and form.

And don’t forget the punch provided by the bright fuschia of Turkish tulips...

Turkish tulips. (Click image for larger)

...and waxy-leaved bergenia.

Bergenia. (Click image for larger)

What I’m Reading

Browsing through: “Foliage: Dramatic and Subtle Leaves for the Garden� by David Joyce.

Listening to: “Dragonfly in Amber – Part 1� by Diana Gabaldon. Continuing the tale of romantic Scottish time travel.

Graham’s current favorite: “Owen & Mzee: the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship� by Isabella Hatkoff and “What Do Illustrators Do?� by Eileen Christelow.

Today’s Grahamisms

Graham and I were out running errands one night last week when it began to rain quite hard. We rushed from a store to the van, trying not to get wet. As I buckled him into his booster seat, most of my body still outside the van, Graham said, “Oh, the water makes everything sparkle, even your butt.�

While walking down to Big Park on Medicine Lake, Graham said, “I think the Seven Wonders of the World is wrong. Howler monkeys should be on that list because when they howl it can be heard for seven miles.� Then he demonstrated by hooting at the top of his lungs, startling a nearby walker.

Graham’s class has been studying art for the past two weeks, and every day he brings home artwork that he has done in the style of Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt and others. One day, he announced, “My favorite artist today is Andy Warthog.�

I’m sure there are very specific guidelines on categorizing plants as ephemerals but I’m using my own loose interpretations here.

I would start out with the crocus, a cheerful spring bulb guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face. They come in a variety of colors....

Purple crocus. (Click image for larger)

....and build dense clusters as they multiply.

Siberian squill also form cheerful clumps, creating a wash of blue color like a river or stream.

Siberian squill. (Click image for larger)

The woods are the perfect place to look for native spring ephemerals. The other day I took the dogs for a walk in nearby French Park. On our way back from the woods, I glanced into the brush edging the walking path and was astonished to see not one, but two clusters of bloodroot in bloom.

Bloodroot. (Click image for larger)

I must have been truly distracted on my way to the woods because I completely missed them, which was a pretty incredible feat considering how white the flowers are and how evident they are against their surroundings.

Bloodroot remind me of strange alien life forms whose bat-like wings surround them when it’s cold and open up with the warmth of the sun. Very cool.

Budding Bloodroot. (Click image for larger)

My astonishment continued the next morning when I stood with Graham in our driveway, waiting for the school bus. I glanced up into our woodland/dry streambed garden, and there was a single bloodroot in bloom.

I don’t remember planting it, even though I know I’ve wanted to add bloodroot to that bed for years. Obviously I did so last year!

I would even add trees to my list of spring ephemerals, in this case the magnolia species.

I’ve too much Dakota prairie in me to ever want to transform myself into a Southern belle, but if it would mean being able to enjoy the sights and scents of magnolia trees for more than just a few days, I would certainly consider it.

Our “Merrill� magnolia trees are seven years old now and have truly come into their own. Last week’s unseasonably early warm weather made the buds pop, and every day I came home from work to be greeted by even more blossoms.

The two magnolia. (Click image for larger)

The threat of rain concerned me because a hard rainfall can wipe out an entire tree’s blooms in an instant. But luckily, the rain never arrived, and we’ve been graced with glorious blooms for almost a week.

And the fragrance! Just step out of the house onto the deck, and you are instantly enveloped in a cloud of sweet smells, which travel all the way to the front yard. Working in the yard is certainly enhanced by this kind of aromatherapy.

The trees are uplit with landscape lights and are eerily beautiful at night, their delicate white blossoms glowing in the dark.

All these spring flowers are lovely but don’t last long, so you really have to stop to enjoy them while you can.

More Spring Photos

The hellebores continue to please me with their greenish, waxy-looking flowers. I planted three more last year.

Hellebores. (Click image for larger)

Since they are in Pont’s main flight path through the garden, it remains to be seen if they’ve survived.

Last fall I planted 96 “Czar Peter� tulips in the middle bed of the back gardens. They are coming up nicely, with an unusual purple stripe along their leaves.

Czar Peter leaf. (Click image for larger)

Taking Care of Business

In spring, my list of things to do grows longer by the minute, and Brian has to talk me down when I start to get that frantic look in my eyes. I could be outside every spare minute and still not get it all done. That really puts me in a panic when I let it get to me.

I’m still clearing out perennial beds, but I’m almost finished with that chore. I was able to cut back most of the clematis this weekend and got a start on pruning the shrub roses. But when I look around, I see the prairie garden to be weeded, the early vegetables to get planted, the wisteria to be pruned and on and on. Yikes!

Sometimes I feel smug that I’ve gotten so much done already, and it’s only mid-April. (Is it just me or did Spring come early this year?) And at other times, I’m just overwhelmed.

Today, I had to tell myself just to give it up and stay indoors to tend to mundane household chores (Lord, do I hate ironing). I could feel my internal gardening pressure rising as the sun came out. It was supposed to rain, dang it! When it’s pouring out, I can work indoors without any guilt.

There should be gardening therapy for people like me. Not a therapy where sick people do gardening to feel better. I’m talking about therapy for “people who garden too much� or wish they could garden more, something to help them feel better when they can’t.

Maybe I’ll add that to my list of things to do.

What I’m Reading

Browsing through: “Architectural Plants: What to grow and how to grow it� by Christine Shaw. Too bad most of the plants won’t survive in Zone 4.

Still listening to: “Outlander – Part 2� by Diana Gabaldon. Continuing the tale of romantic Scottish time travel. Two disks left!

Graham’s current favorite: “The Borrowers� by Mary Norton. Another children’s classic. And “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late� by Mo Willems.

Today’s Grahamisms

While watching a silly cartoon in which Baby Bugs Bunny and Baby Daffy were building a “huge� castle, Graham said, “That's not the biggest castle I've ever seen. Actually I've never seen one but I know I will some day.� Too right, boyo.

“City Gardener,� Mom’s current favorite BBC gardening show was on. Graham watched for a while and then said, “You know, to make everything look really great, we need to paint the house green and add bricks all around the gardens. So get going.� Just what I need, a six-year-old design critic.

And it’s hard to believe that our tiny baby....

Graham at one day old. (Click image for larger)

....has grown into a big boy of six.

Graham with his BD cakes. (Click image for larger)

We held a small party this weekend for a mixture of old friends and new. The theme was superheroes and the eight boys (and one little sister) made their own capes, wrist bands and goggles. (Many thanks to my friend Wendy who shared her professional ideas and supplies.)

Flash greets everyone in the entry. (Click image for larger)

Making super hero wristbands. (Click image for larger)

Making super hero capes. (Click image for larger)

Games included Bad Guy Bowling and a race to save Superman’s life by gathering all the kryptonite that had fallen into our yard the night before when a meteorite whizzed overhead.

Super heroes hunt down kryptonite. (Click image for larger)

Our heroes located all the kryptonite. (Click image for larger)

Then there was a piñata, Spiderman cakes and opening presents – all in two hours. Whew!

At the Batman piñata. (Click image for larger)

Piñata opened! (Click image for larger)

Even time for gifts! (Click image for larger)

Dad & Graham play some chess. (Click image for larger)

And soon another year will zoom by and we’ll find ourselves at party number seven, wondering where the time went.

So here’s to you, my sweet babaloo. Happy, happy birthday.

We’re Back in the Garden, Baby!

The Maas family spent some time doing garden clean up this week, lifting leaves from the front perennial beds so the bulbs could come through.

Graham was my helper guy, gently pulling the matted leaves back to reveal yellow daffodil and crocus shoots. Each time he found one, he would shout, “Mom! Look! More garden treasure!� He was especially enamored with the tulip shoots declaring that they looked like candy with stripes of white, yellow and red.

At one point he told me, “We make a good team. You know how to garden and I know how to have fun.� Indeed. I thought they were one and the same.

Today Brian removed the bags of leaves that protected tender plants during the winter, and Graham helped with box elder bug extermination, his trusty squirt gun filled with soapy water. Any time he saw a box elder bug, he would shout, “Do you want to go to heaven?�

He was quite proud of his efforts saying, “We are saving the gardens. Dad and me are shooting the box elders and you can get the slugs.�

More Signs of Spring

The goldfinches have ditched their drab gray winter coats for shades of yellow –from the softest cream to bright lemon.

The dogs no longer need their coats when we go for walks.

A bunch of asparagus was only 98 cents at Cub this week. As I was cooking it, Graham said, “I smell something stinky.�

I made my first chive omelet of the season.

Brian uncovered the willow furniture under the pergola.

What I’m Reading

Still reading: “John William Waterhouse� by Aubrey Noakes. A look at the Pre-Raphaelite painter and his work.

Listening to: “Outlander – Part 2� by Diana Gabaldon. Continuing the tale of romantic Scottish time travel.

Graham’s current favorite: “The Borrowers� by Mary Norton. Another children’s classic.

Today’s Grahamisms

"When Pont dies and is a dog angel, will he still be in the house but we just can’t see him? What if I walk through the house and trip over him?"

"When superheroes crash their cars, they get zero dollars back."

I started at the very beginning and made my way from A to Z, meticulously copying names, addresses and telephone numbers. Technology crept in with the addition cell phone numbers and email addresses, when available.

I noted all the changes that had happened to my friends and family through the years. There were a lot of physical shifts as people moved up and on from apartment dwellers to homeowners. I must have worn an eraser clear through with some of the more transient folks who have moved from state to state. Some people’s addresses I transferred even though I knew they will have another new one in the next couple of months.

The life changes were more bittersweet with the inevitable deaths. I’ve lost several aunts and uncles in the past few years, and it was sad to have to eliminate an entire couple from my permanent record. Even though my grandfather has been dead since 1985 or 86, I kept his address. For some reason it’s important to me to remember the street number in the tiny town where he lived.

There were heartbreaking divorces to note, proud transitions from children to young adults with addresses of their own, and lots of joyful additions as friend added babies to their families.

My biggest concern was that, with all the Post-it note updates, I wouldn’t have enough room in the new address book. I somehow have lots of friends with last names beginning with M and N and who had to spill over into P in the old book.

So I tried to be ruthless. If someone wasn’t on my Christmas mailing list or I hadn’t been in contact in at least five years, he or she was gone. It was surprisingly easy. It made my mindful of the old Seinfeld episode when Elaine only had a small supply of contraceptive sponges, and each new man she met was judged “sponge-worthy� or not.

Was the woman I knew from community summer theatre back when I was a teenager address-book worthy? No. Was the acquaintance with whom I had lunch once or twice eight years ago worthy? No. And so on and so on.

When I was finished, my address book held only the names of the people with whom I want to remain in touch. It may not be frequently but if I want to call or drop a note, I can.

So if you receive my 2006 Christmas card or I call you out of the blue in a few weeks, consider yourself worthy.

I do.

More Signs of Spring

The redwing blackbirds are calling in the marshy places.

Pussy willows have appeared again along the path by the stream where I walk the dogs.

So has the goose poop. Bleh!

Easy Appetizers

I attended a gardening lunch this weekend – a great idea by the way and thanks for the invite, Rebecca – to which I brought the easiest of appetizers. The recipe came from the Desperation Dinners section of the Strib:

Just microwave 4 oz of cream cheese for 7 to 10 seconds and then stir in something to give it some taste. Serve with crackers or French bread slices. For savory spreads use two tablespoons of pesto, salsa, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers or blue cheese. For a sweet spread for fruit or graham crackers, add ¼ cup crushed pineapple, fruit preserves or whole cranberry sauce. I used pesto and dried tomato pesto for two savory spreads and chutney for a sweet spread.

They tasted great and were incredibly easy to mix up. Give them a try. I recommend using whipped cream cheese over the brick, if possible.

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “John William Waterhouse� by Aubrey Noakes. A look at the Pre-Raphaelite painter and his work.

Listening to: “Outlander – Part 2� by Diana Gabaldon. Continuing the tale of romantic Scottish current favorite: “The Box Car Children� by Gertrude Chandler Warner. A children’s classic.

Today’s Grahamisms

“Mom, you need hearing lessons. I never have to tell Dad something."

“I know how you hate slugs, Mom. When summer comes, you should spray them with soapy water. Dad and me, we hate boxelder bugs. They always come in the house. So this spring and fall, we’re going to spray them with soapy water and kill them. That’ll teach them a lesson.�

“Today we had a real weatherman from Channel 4 talk to us about weather and tornados. He said that we should think about being a weatherman some day but I’m going to be just like my father.�

“I know what to do when there’s a tornado. You go into the basement or the bathroom and you always stay away from the windows. The best place to go is the bathroom because there are pipes under the bathtubs that go way underground so if a tornado comes your house could blow away but the bathroom will stay.�

I counted the blooming snowdrops under the front maple. They had arrived a week earlier than usual.

I lifted bags of leaves from the hellebores and took a peak. Imagine my surprise to find so many blossoms here as well. I keep forgetting that in warmer climes they bloom in December.

And I took a quick inventory of all the other bulbs that were starting to poke their way through the soil, including these early crocus and daffodils.

That was about 10 a.m. By 4:30 p.m. when I could finally get back in the garden and do some work, in this case cutting back some shaggy-looking grasses, the first little snowflakes appeared. And then there were more snowflakes and more snowflakes and more and more.

Monday morning brought our first and only true winter storm of the season. Then we had another big dump on Thursday. All my pretty little blooms and bulbs are now covered by two feet of snow.

The good news is that these early emergers are tough, and the snow will keep them well-insulated. Actually, the snow is starting to melt already.

We may receive more snow in March than in any other month, but at least you know that it won’t last. Soon these same plants will be uncovered again and they’ll be here to stay.

At last!

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure� by Christopher Lloyd. Just started: “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell� by Susanna Clarke, at Brian’s recommendation. And “Julie and Julia : 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen : how one girl risked her marriage, her job and her sanity to master the art of living� by Julie Powell. It’s a hoot!

Listening to: “The Secret History of the Pink Carnation� by Lauren Willig. The tales of a female spy in the vein of the Scarlet Pimpernell.

Graham’s current favorite: “No Flying in the House� by Betty Brock.

Today’s Grahamisms

After his St. Patrick’s Day Irish dance performance, Graham said, “When I was dancing, I felt like I had to scratch my hair but I knew I couldn’t do it on stage so I just kept on dancing.�

“I miss Sister Olivia (our dear, departed Dalamatian). I wonder where she is in heaven. Maybe if we threw water up in the air, we could see her.�

“Maybe I can get married when I’m 17.� (Mom says, Maybe not!)

You look at that child and think, “Where did you get that poise, that comfort in your own self?� and hope that it will last through the inevitable gawky and uncomfortable years ahead.

We’ve had that pleasure twice in the past week and will have it a third time when Graham performs again with Rince na Chroi, his Irish dance school, as part of St. Patrick’s Day activities in St. Paul.

This is Graham’s second year of Irish dance, and he has performed in two major recitals and an Irish Fair. He has improved tremendously in the past year at this school. The teaching staff is excellent, and he is surrounded by young women who watch out for him during performances.

And these girls also know how to have fun.

He hasn’t quite figured out that he is only one of two boys in the entire school, and I hope he never does. On Sunday a boy of about 10 or 12 years performed with another school, and he was fantastic.

Together we watched the boy dance, and I told Graham that he could dance that well some day if he stuck with it. I think he was just relieved that he didn’t have to wear a kilt like a boy from a third school.

On Sunday, several of the girls from Graham’s school were honored for having spent more than 10 years in Irish dance class. Dance doesn’t have a specific season like soccer or basketball. These girls are committed every week, practicing and performing year-round.

I hope Graham will continue to enjoy Irish dance so he can be that committed 10 years down the road.

Audio and Video Recaps of Recent Performances

Daffodil Addendum

When I wrote about daffodils last week, I forgot to mention that you should keep daffodils separate in bouquets, not mixing them with any other kind of bloom, unless you give them special treatment.

Daffodils are toxic to deer, rabbits and squirrels. But they are also toxic to other cut flowers without special treatment. Place your cut daffodils in a separate water container for several hours or overnight. Recut their stems and add to your mixed floral vase using clean water.

I didn’t know about this special treatment until I took a gander at the website of the Daffodil Society of Minnesota. Check it out.

The Little Pumpkin that Could

Somehow Graham’s little pumpkin plant that he potted up last Halloween is still hanging in, even setting blooms. Who knew?

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “Success Planting for Year-Round Pleasure� by Christopher Lloyd. Just started: “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell� by Susanna Clarke, at Brian’s recommendation. And “Julie and Julia : 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen : how one girl risked her marriage, her job and her sanity to master the art of living� by Julie Powell. It’s a hoot!

Listening to: “The Secret History of the Pink Carnation� by Lauren Willig. The tales of a female spy in the vein of the Scarlet Pimpernell.

Graham’s current favorite: “No Flying in the House� by Betty Brock.

Today’s Grahamisms

Brian and Graham had a snow day on Monday, courtesy of this season’s only blizzard. By the afternoon the weather had settled down enough for them to run errands. They stopped at Caribou Coffee for refreshments. While Graham was sipping his hot chocolate, he said, “This is what I call a relaxing day.� Indeed.

Graham is learning about the rainforest in school. “There are two kinds of snakes: stricting ones and poisonous ones. The stricting ones squeeze you ‘til you’re dead.�

In the last few days I’ve noticed a number of signs of Spring:

Sights

• For me, the most welcome and reliable sign of Spring is the seeing the first robin of the season. I first heard him, then saw him, in a flowering crab tree next to the garage, feasting on last year’s fruit. I usually see the first robin around my birthday, March 15, so this guy is almost two weeks early. A good omen?

• The trees are budding. Our “Merrill� magnolias have enormous furry buds, like a pussy willow on steroids, and the lilacs are plumping out as well.

• When I was delivering Meals on Wheels in St. Paul last week, the tulips in front of one client’s home were already peeking two inches out of the ground.

• One of the neighborhood kids was out on his bicycle yesterday, his winter cap tucked underneath his safety helmet.

Sounds

• The cardinals and other birds are putting on dramatic choral performances every morning, the avian version of “Hey, baby,� as they try to impress their womenfolk.

• As I took the pups for a walk yesterday, we were accompanied by the sounds of melting water rushing into the drains.

Smells

• There is an unmistakable whiff of thawing earth in the air, rich and moist and delicious. The flip of that is the unmistakable whiff of thawing dog poop that irresponsible dog owners left behind on their walks.

• The thyme that grows in the chinks of our stone garden walls has greened up. Crushing a few sprigs between my fingers brings the promise of summer.

Tastes

• During my walk yesterday, I was struck with an unexpected craving for radishes, one of the first spring vegetables. Bite into one and your mouth explodes with hot and peppery flavor. What a change from heavy winter food.

• The pumpkin soup I had planned to serve as a first course for a few girlfriends next weekend suddenly seems wrong. Wrong taste, wrong season, wrong, wrong, wrong. I might have to rethink that soup or find a way to brighten it up for spring.

These are simple little observations and totally subjective but for me they add up to the impending arrival of Spring. And not a moment too soon.

More Floral Value for Your Money

If any of you have been reading the blog for a while, you know I’m mad for daffodils. I love March because you can purchase inexpensive bunches of these cheery flowers to brighten up your world.

But even I was surprised at the deals this week at our local Cub grocery store. Five stems of daffodils were being sold at 10 for $10. Amazing! I purchased five bunches earlier in the week and went back on Saturday for 10 more.

Now I have a bouquet of 50 daffodils in one earthen jug on my dining room table – for only $10!

I’m not sure how long this offer will go on, but check it out!

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “Success Planting for Year-Round Pleasure� by Christopher Lloyd. Just started: “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell� by Susanna Clarke, at Brian’s recommendation.

Listening to: “Outlander� by Diana Gabaldon. Romantic time travel in Scotland. What a combo!

Graham’s current favorite: “The Cricket in Times Square� by George Selden.

Visits to my German Russian grandmas were heralded with slices of another round treat – this one topped with rich custard and dotted with delicious fruit. We called it kuchen, the German word for cake, but it is unlike any cake Betty Crocker ever made.

Kuchen is more like a fruit pie or a tart, with sweet roll dough for the crust. Everyone has his or her preference but apple, prune, apricot, peach and rhubarb are favorites. Some German Russians add dry curd cottage cheese for “kasekuchen� or cheese kuchen. As other influences have made themselves known, people have added such “exotic� ingredients as chocolate chips, strawberries or pineapple. German Russians living in Kansas and other more southern Central Plains states make “blackberry� kuchen with the berries in question from a variety of the nightshade plant.

About a month ago, I developed a craving for kuchen. The easiest way to fix that urge would be to make some myself. Funny, I didn’t know how.

So, I emailed my friend and fellow hometown gal Carol Just and asked if she would teach a group of other German Russian kuchen neophytes. She agreed and an e-mail invitation quickly went out.

Soon nine people ranging in age from early 30s to late 60s had Saturday, Feb. 25, on their calendars. They arrived at my house that day bearing pie pans, large ceramic crocks, old fashioned aprons and the need to reconnect with their heritage, to learn how to make a childhood staple before those who could teach us were gone.

We had grown up in different places – from North Dakota to Kansas, Montana to California. Everyone had different memories of how kuchen was made by their family members. But the basic process, we knew, was the same.

Carol promised that, with her recipe, we could make an entire batch of kuchen in two hours. We actually made four batches, which did take us a little over our target, but by the time we were finished, 24 golden custard-filled treats filled us with nostalgia, a sense of accomplishment and not a few tummy rumblings.

Here is the recipe. It is so easy that even I, a well-known failure at baking round cookies, can do it. Now I can have kuchen, my favorite round sweet treat, anytime I want!

GERMAN-RUSSIAN CUSTARD KUCHEN

From Carol Just

Sweet Roll Dough:

4 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
½ C shortening*
½ C. sugar
1 pkg yeast**
3 eggs, beaten. (The eggs should be a room temperature.)
1 C warm milk, divided. (You can warm the milk in the microwave to body temperature, as if you were heating a baby bottle.)

Mix flour, salt, sugar and shortening as you would a pie crust - to a fine crumb.

Dissolve the yeast in ½ C warm (not boiling) milk. Add eggs and remaining warm milk to the yeast mixture. The liquid should get foamy as the yeast becomes active. If the yeast is not working, perhaps because the milk was not warm enough, you can add a pinch of sugar to feed it. Once the yeast has achieved the desired foaminess, it can be added to the flour mixture.

Form a “well� in the flour mixture and pour in the yeast liquid. You can mix this dough with a spoon, pastry blender or your hands. Only knead the dough enough to get all the flour moist. Do not overwork it. It should form a shiny, rounded ball. If the dough is too dry, you can add a little water or milk. Let it rise in a warm place covered with a dish towel.*** By the time the custard has been prepared, the dough will be raised enough to be ready. (If your home is drafty, you can preheat your oven to 200 degrees, shut it off and put the dough in there.)

If you have a “crock-type� bowl that is great. I don’t, so I use a regular stainless steel mixing bowl. This recipe will make enough dough for five 9-inch pie pans or six 8-inch pie pans.

Custard Filling:

While the dough is rising, mix the custard filling with a hand mixer or mix-master on low until the filling reaches a creamy consistency. Then put it into a double boiler. (Water must already be boiling). Stir constantly as it thickens. If it gets too thick, add milk and keep stirring.

(If you don’t have a double boiler, don’t worry. You can just carefully cook it in a regular pan, stirring often. Some recipes don’t even call for the custard to be cooked, but you would probably need to bake the kuchen a little longer.)

6 eggs
1 and ½ Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 C sugar
3 C whipping cream****
1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Cinnamon

This recipe fits a regular size double boiler and fills 5-6 kuchen.

When the dough has risen sufficiently (about twice the size), divide it into five or six parts by cutting it with a sharp knife. Rub a little Crisco or lard on your hands. Take a chunk and work it with your fingers into a little pancake shape. Then put it into the pie pan and flatten it evenly, pushing the dough only a half-inch to an inch up the sides.

Top with desired cut-up fruit. If using apples, choose a tart variety such as Granny Smith. Peel, core and slice it into thin pieces. If using dried apricots or prunes, you need to soften them in warm water by letting them soak. Or cover them with water and put them in the microwave for one to two minutes. Divide them in two with your fingers before putting on the crust. For canned, sliced peaches, drain and pat dry with paper towels. For rhubarb, cut the stalks into small pieces. If the rhubarb is frozen, allow to thaw and then pat dry. For cottage cheese, use the dry curd variety and mix with sugar. If you cannot find dry curd, you can use the large curd and drain first.

Carefully pour two ladles of the custard filling over the fruit and dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. You may want to set the timer for 15 minutes, check and then bake longer.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest. Custard will set as it cools.

I find that I can usually do this project from start to finish in 2 hours. The kuchens can be eaten immediately or stored in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen and reheated later in the oven or microwave after they’ve thawed.

*You can use lard if you can get it. Crisco or any vegetable shortening will do.

**I use “quick rise� yeast to speed things up.

*** To honor my heritage I try to cover the dough with a “day-of-the-week� dish towel that a long-deceased relative embroidered for my wedding 37 years ago. Trust me….the dough likes being blessed with the wisdom of elders.

**** If you are REALLY worried about your cholesterol, you could use 1/2 and 1/2.

This recipe (slightly modified) can be found on Pg. 61 of the “Kochbuch Der Deutschen aus Russland,� a cookbook published in 1968 by the Rugby, ND, Heart of America Chapter of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS). Irene Friederich submitted the recipe. Irene and her husband, Judge Ray Friederich (both deceased), were founding members of GRHS.

Introducing Flickr

My husband continues to push the envelope on new blog development. Over on his blog, the Viking Underground, he has introduced mobile blogging, podcasting, videocasting, and interactive polls. Som of these things has introduced to my blog as well.

I now bring you the beta-testing phase of Flickr. Flickr is the best way to store, sort, search and share your photos online. Flickr provides a way to organize them in such a way to make it very easy for you to navigate through them.

Over the years I have had people ask me for the original sized photo so they can download them and make their own prints and such. On the other hand, I've had people ask for smaller versions as they have limited broadband resources. With Flickr, the issue is solved.

Click on any of the photos in the "Jackie's Flickr category in the navigation area to the right of this entry and you will be able to view more photos from the kuchen party. Just click on any of the kuchen related photos and this will take you to the actual photo within my Flickr account. Notice the "All Sizes" link above the photo? Click on that and you will have your choice of 5 photo sizes to view from. You can also run your own slideshow.

Enjoy!

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “Success Planting for Year-Round Pleasure� by Christopher Lloyd. Just started: “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell� by Susanna Clarke, at Brian’s recommendation.

Listening to: “Outlander� by Diana Gabaldon. Romantic time travel in Scotland. What a combo!

Graham’s current favorite: He has moved on to yet another series of chapter books –
�The Littles,� both the originals by John Peterson and those adapted by Teddy Slater.

Remaining Garden Chores

Start reading through those garden catalogs that are piling up and make some decisions!

Clean out my gardening tote. It’s filled with old plant tags, clods of dirt and other detritus.

Pack the canna, four o’clock and sweet potato tubers in sawdust for the winter and store them someplace in the house that won’t be too hot or too cold.

Today’s Grahamism

While watching a television program, “That was in the old times when everything was in black and white.�

“My superhero name is Speedy Boy. I don’t fight crime until nighttime.�

“Mom, do you love snow? You should because it makes a blanket for your flowers when they sleep.�

“Pteradons make sounds like the chickens of the dinosaurs.�

We have done all our major landscaping projects with Dundee nursery, working with landscape architect Jay Siedschlaw. Last year Jay’s photos of our gardens were used as Dundees’ ads in Mpls.St.Paul magazine, which was rather fun to see.

At the end of the season last year, Jay asked if we would work with him to enter our gardens in the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association’s annual Landscape Design competition.

Frankly, we didn’t feel our gardens were ready at that time, but this year we will gather photos and write text so we can enter. Any awards given go to the landscape firm which did the design, but we would feel like winners, too.

Check out this site to see which gardens/designers have won in previously years.

You make the call. Will we take home the gold?

A Royal Double-Take

I’m reading a book which features photos of the British royal family taken through the years by photographer Cecil Beaton.

One photograph from 1942, which shows the King, Queen and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, made me look twice.

In the lower right-hand corner of the photo, seated on the edge of an armchair is a sixteen-year Princess Elizabeth. Is it just me or could she be my sister? I even showed the photo to Graham and asked, “Who does this lady look like?� and he said, “You, Mom!�

I’ve often thought the now-Queen Elizabeth looks like my aunt LaVerna. It must be the German ancestry that we share with the Queen.

Good genes and true breeding always tell!

A Second Flush

I always try to keep something blooming in the house during the dreary winter months. This year I’ve had tremendous success with a simple primrose I purchased from Cub Foods in January.

It has produced gorgeous coral flowers like the Eveready Bunny – it just keeps going and going and going. It bloomed solidly for almost a month, took a breather and has produced another set of flowers.

I bought two pots of primroses for $4.00. The other plant, which had yellow flowers, petered out pretty quickly, but this little plant has proved to be a great value for the money.

Gardeners may not have luge or skeleton or snowboarding but we still have some serious fun.

So for your enjoyment, a Musings column from April 12, 2001…

Garden This!

The recent appearance of the XFL, the latest entrant in the X-treme sports arena, gave me an idea for the Home and Garden channel: X-treme gardening shows.

For me, gardening is a blood sport. A weeding session is not complete unless I’m bleeding from some cut or gash incurred in a tussle with an errant shrub or vine. The measure of a truly successful day is the number of Band-Aids I display at the end of it.

It took only a little imagination to dream up a perfect lineup for an evening’s viewing.

Starting at 7 p.m. with “Run for the Roses.� Two teams of lean, mean gardening machines compete in a series of physical challenges. In one event, team members would run an obstacle-course relay. Contestants carry a bag of cow manure up a steep slope, dodging small children and hurdling clay pots of different sizes on the way. As each competitor completed a leg, he or she would pass the 40-pound bovine baton to the next competitor. The winner would be the first team to cross the finish line.

Another event would be a test of speed, skill and manual dexterity. As the competitors race to be the first to plant 1,000 daffodil bulbs, viewers would grimace sympathetically as the repetitive-stress injuries accumulate. In the final event, a prune-off, two competitors wrestle a wild apple tree back into fine bearing form – using only a left-handed shears and a dull pruning saw! See the suckers fly as they hack, saw and snip the tree into submission! The winning team would receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Chelsea Garden Show.

The 8 p.m. offering would feature gladiator-style hand-to-hand combat in a show called “Garden This!� At the bell, two warriors would enter a garden center from opposite ends with identical shopping lists of planting materials. They would dash around furiously to fill their carts and fend off their opponent. (Each, of course, wearing protective kneeling guards, wide-brimmed hats and thick leather gloves.)

Just imagine the commentary: “Here comes Diane from aisle seven. She’s closing in on Lucinda like a heat-seeking missile. There’s a hip check, a cart-ram, and yes! Diane has the Verbena bonarienses and she’s moving on. But look, Chet, Lucinda has drawn her Good Grips trowel and is lunging at Diane. Watch as Diane fends off that blow with her dibble. What pluck! Oooh, that had to smart. She should have just handed over the Purple Wave petunias quietly.�

This stylized Battle at Bachman’s would be prime-time pleasure for sure, but it wouldn’t be for the squeamish.

The final show would be the reality-based “Survivor: The Back Yard.� A motley crew would be thrown together to design and plant gorgeous perennial borders in that most hostile of environments: a Zone 4 suburban back yard with deep shade and clay soil. As passions and tempers fester among the hosta and heuchera, members of the Plumbago tribe would be voted off the island bed until only one survivor remained. The winner would get either $1 million or Smith & Hawken deck furniture, whichever is cheaper.

OK, OK, maybe this is a little extreme. But with such a short growing season, we scarred and battle-eager X-treme gardeners will do just about anything to get our fix.

What I’m Reading

In the middle of: “Cecil Beaton: The Royal Portraits� by Sir Roy Strong. Photos of the British royal family from the 1930s on.

Listening to: “Jewels of the Sun� by Nora Roberts. It’s fluff but I get to listen to Irish accents while driving to and from work.

Graham’s current favorite: He has moved on another series of chapter books – the “Horrible Harry� series by Suzy Kline.

Remaining Garden Chores

Start reading through those garden catalogs that are piling up and make some decisions!

Clean out my gardening tote. It’s filled with old plant tags, clods of dirt and other detritus.

Pack the canna, four o’clock and sweet potato tubers in sawdust for the winter and store them someplace in the house that won’t be too hot or too cold.

Today’s Grahamism

While watching a commercial that ran during the Super Bowl in which a man walked obliviously down the street while NASCAR racers whizzed by, a baseball was hit toward the screen, and other sports activities occurred, Graham said, “Well, you sure don’t see that every day.�

I seem to recall reading a long time ago that at the end of the 19th century, the average American woman was 5 feet 4 and weighed 136 pounds.

So what happened, ladies?

We are not a large family but certainly close to average. I stand at 5 foot 4, Brian at 5 foot 8 and Graham has yet to reach four feet at nearly six years of age. My weight falls below the French average and Graham has consistently been at the 40th percentile all his life. When Brian was training for triathlons, his weight was comparable to mine.

He and I have observed some disturbing trends when we shop for clothes. During certain trips to menswear stores filled with sizes reaching proportions of XXXXL, Brian has not been able to find a single item in the size “Small.� None. Nada. Zilch.

This winter, he was in the market for a new wool topcoat and found one he liked at Jos. A Banks. Of the nearly 300-stores nationwide, only two of the topcoats were in the size 38 that Brian required. Luckily, one of the coats was tracked down and shipped to Brian.

Women’s clothing designers have taken a different tack. To boost the egos of the women purchasing their clothes, the designer have shifted the sizing scale so that previously larger sizes are now marked as smaller. So a size 10 five years ago is now an 8.

While quality designers have always been generous with clothing sizes, is it really necessary to have a size 0? Is the woman wearing it actually two dimensional, like a piece of paper? Maybe when she turns away from you, she disappears.

And how does this affect our kids?

The alarm has already been called to the spread of obesity in our nation’s children. One of my student volunteers told me that in his “food tech� class (our old home ec?), the students watched the documentary “Super Size Me.� When I was in high school, we watched scary sex ed films about herpes, not Big Macs.

Kids need to learn that you are what you eat. If you fill your body with junk food, what comes out will be junk – decreased energy, increased sickness and lack of respect for yourself. But if you eat a reasonable amount of a variety “growing foods� such as fruits, vegetables, multi-grained cereal products and meat and dairy, your body will thrive.

How do we combat this growing trend toward an ever-larger citizenry? The solution is pretty simple: eat less, move more. A person doesn’t have to go on a starvation diet or live at gym to make progress. Eat well and sensibly. If you have a big meal at lunch, eat a smaller one at dinner. If your work building has many floors, skip the elevator and take the stairs. Take a quick walk around the building twice a day to clear your head and get your heart pumping.

These are simple choices to make but they can help build a healthier lifestyle.

Maybe some day the new average can return to the old one.

Shamless Plug

For those dog lovers that want to keep tabs on our two whippets, head over our Dog Blog (The Dogs of Our Lives) as Brian has begun posting a photo almost every day. Sort of like a doggie picture of the day.