Color of the year

Is: RADIANT ORCHID

PURPLE is one of my fav colors. All shades. February BDay means your birth stone is purple: amethyst. The "gemstone amethyst is also the Zodiac stone for the constellation of Pisces. Amethyst is associated with spirituality, wisdom, sobriety, and security." 

So what does a bored creative person do when it snows AGAIN? Invent "The PURPLE Challenge". What is that you ask? It's a "a photo challenge to take pictures of how many things we are surrounded with already in our homes that is PURPLE." I called Patti, who is an artist who also has a winter bday & hates winter as much as I do. She grew up & still lives near the beach & ocean & even that doesn't make a Notheast winter any better! To get back: the point being with the Chalkenge was to not leave the house (which we couldn't) and take pictures of all the PURPLE things we had before we even had a chance to buy any of the new colored products that were already flooding the consumer market this year.  The reason for a new "Color of the Year": new stuff to sell & buy!! Great marketing idea.

We started just sending to each other the photos taken immediately with Air Drop.

But when we realized how much "purple stuff" we were surrounded with for years without even knowing, paying attention to, we decided to keep taking but post all to our FLICKR account & share that way.

Get the PICTURE? 

I won't bore you with all the photos I took that day. I ended up having almost 200 items that were purple so you can view all my photos on my FLICKR account if you'd like to continue this voyage through "The Purple Challenge". 

"It's alive, it's alive"!!

I'm talking about that little seedlings that I have started inside to get light under the grow lights I've set up in my garage. They need 16 hrs a day. 

I start in seed trays with seed starting soil. I put the trays first on fridge top  under lights to germinate with the heat from a light extremely close to their surface. And a plastic lid that acts like a greenhouse, making moisture.

Then they go under the long grow lights in the area I set up to allow me to slowly move the lights up away from seedlings as they grow. I will thin them out as they grow. You will want to look for the second set of leaves. Some I will eventually transplant into bigger individual pots. Give them all some food. 

When they're 'big enough" (the healthiest strongest only), and it's warm enough outside in spring, I start taking them in & out daily in a protected area ( not direct sun or heat of mid day) to "harden" them off. Meaning get them acculmated to the outside weather conditions. 

I had some "help" this year from Sophia!

It's best to pour the seed growing mixture into tubs and wet them all down mixing with your hand first. Because I learned the hard way that if you put it into the individual cells and then water, it takes you forever to get the substance to absorb the water.

After in, water again, level off, & start planting the seeds according to the packet's suggestions. 

Each little cell is like an area of soil outside.  Whether it's a row or the little cell, you still have to follow the depth that is listed for the seed to germinate properly.

All backs is seed envelops are different. Some just the minimum as they assume you know a lot already. If you choose one of them, you may want to look online first to supplement what they have told you or  compare to a similar flower or a vegetable to see what you did for that one in the past. Some even use international symbols like what's on the back of FRANCHI Seeds of Italy.

These which are from them but imported & distributed by the company from Florida put on translation stickers in English. And the envelope it self has some transitions by the flag of that country in addition to the picture symbols.

Or if you are like me, get seed packs mailed to you from another country or friends bring you some back when they are on vacation, your on your own to translate. Luckily I can read Italian!

The most important task, besides water & light is: Remember to IMMEDIATELY mark the cell or row with what is planted there. YOU WILL FORGET WHAT IS PLANTED WHERE. Trust me, I learned the hard way! And I'm talking outside seed planting too. I use ice pop wooden sticks from the Dollar Store & a Sharpie. No gardener is without these tools!

It's very enjoyable & fun to watch for the first sign of GREEN poking through the seed sprouting mix!

My Birthday

You get the hell out of "Dodge". In this case is not the real city of Dodge but where ever you happen to be living. NYC( Manhathan) is no fun in February.

And even LA with almost 365 days of SUN!! does have a winter. So great time to schedule a vacation on an island somewhere. I did quite a bit. No more planning celebrations here in Philly like I used to try and do in high school. My 16th birthday party was a disaster because no one could get down or up the street(a hill ) to my house. Nor the drive way that my father shoveled, salted & tried to de ice. Horribly sad birthday memory.

Traveling as an adult assured more success! Or living in a warmer climate too. At least throwing a party at home or meeting at a restaurant was a possibility! Birthdays are important to me; I like to make a fuss, not just for me. Fun reason to celebrate together with friends. I have been known to celebrate a whole weekend or even a month! 

This year I was keeping it small as good chance a snow storm would hit . So cooked a special meal at home on the actual day. Then met friends at a resturant.

First a cocktail to sip while cooking: a Dirty Martini. Hey, don't judge! I'm cooking my own b-day dinner!

I decided to make for the first time  the Roman pasta dish called "Bucatini all' Amatriciana". I found the correct pasta shape used at a store. It's a thinker pasta strand than spaghetti & it has a hole in the center. 

Of course I did the tomato sauce first. A think marinara. I use lots of garlic,  & tons of finely diced onions, carrots, celery. No meat. The veggies make it really thick. Of course I used the canned San Marzano tomatoes I made from the tomatoes I grew last summer. Ah SUMMER! Back to reality...

Prep.. 

Start pasta... 

Add all ingriedets to sauce..

Serve. Buon Appetito!!

 My dinner with friends was at our fav Vietnamese one. The food is excellent, prices really good. But the most gorgeous space is also a reason to go.  Atmosphere is just what we needed to forget the dull grey skies & dirty snow we are sick of seeing.

Don't you feel like you went some where too??

Disaster in garden!

DEER FENCE FELL!!

Worse than before!! I was looking out the picture window at yet another snowfall and something caught my eye as I watched the snow accumulate on the netting ( called "deer netting). I had to deal with this problem in a previous storm. That one I was out DURING the storm for 4 hrs knocking off the snow and securing the fence with more ties as the snow was weighing down the netting and it was sagging in between the poles. And while doing that I tried to drag a huge fallen pine branch. Stupid idea. Was very heavy but I guess I was able to drag a smiggen becuase when I decided I better leave it & get help to move it, and I just dropped it out of my hand, it landed on my left foot. And the excuriating pain immediately told me I broke my 5th baby toe!! How annoying is that? Great winter so far, don't you think?

 

So this storm when I pull my shade up in am & see how much snow fell, something looked odd to me about the fence. Hard to see here. But I ran down to look out the picture window. Yep! They SNAPPED!!  The bamboo poles holding the fence up snapped during the night!! Extremly windy storm last night & while not tons of snow, they are weak. Yea, who would think that bamboo poles could be weak?

I had to go out & see how bad. It was bad!! Look for the poles. Bamboo so light colored. See how they are not 8 ft high any more but folded over instead of straight up? That's a snap!

And if this wasn't bad enough, the deer fencing I put up at our garden fence by neighbor's house is down also!! The deer jump over that fence we found out because they KNOCKED IT DOWN GOING OVER! I guessed they either come up the hill from the park at end of my street & jump IN my yard that way or OUT from my yard there. That a neighbor saw 3 do!!

CAN IT GET ANY WORSE???

YES!!! The DEER WERE IN LAST NIGHT AGAIN!! I know by the gate of the fence to the park..... It's busted out!! The bottom is pushed out!! Looks like they tried to get out from here. This is where they first got IN 3 years ago on July 4th weekend. That's when this deer fence-thorn-in-my-side started!

Maybe the deer fence at neighbor's came down by them jumping in or out too. Now I got to fix entire fence before summer. I got bamboo "curing" under car port. That's what I call it: it's drying out. My neighbor has it growing in her back yard & it's jumped her fence & invading the park. Three years ago I whacked some down with my trusty usefully sharp Hori Hori garden knife as I didn't have enough rebar to build the 1st 8ft deer fence where my property ends at the park. She had some old ones laying around & I saw that those were "hard", as opposed to the ones I cut down. They were still alive, growing, so "soft". So I cleaned out the park of ones popping up in the middle of grass and put under car port to dry out. Yes, they are horribly invasive. They haven't jumped into my property yet because my father built all the walls & there must be 5 ft of concrete every where! It's either a stone wall that my Uncle Ceasar a stone mason helped him build OR cement posts achored in cement to hold the chain link fence. Whew!! But the park.... That's a huge problem. The city of Philadelphia should thank me as my clearing the bamboo out allows the huge field & walk way open for all to use: kids, cyclists, dog walkers. I even stopped some growth by digging up the dirt, exposing the roots & pouring vinegar on them. Killed it right there. But it's easier and cheaper & less time for me now to just cut them down & use. Don't know about the future and this situation.

Sadly, for me, I am finding out with year 2 of a home built deer fence that bamboo poles are not as strong as they say. Maybe thicker poles ones are; not these less than an inch.  So much to do, rebuild the fence. It has to be 8-10ft tall. Look what they just did to a metal gate.

I am going back to bed.....

February means we're moving along

Moving as in moving along getting closer & closer to the END OF THIS SEASON!!

Decided it was time for FLOWERS!! Not that I could go outside & cut them to bring in. Miss that fun part of spring, summer. & fall. At this point over any holly cuttings, arranging dried selections of natural items from garden. Too soon to cut & force inside. Not into the forced bulbs this year.. So when I went to get some vegetaes at our local discounted buy in a mini bulk (2 pounds each) and unbelievably discounted flowers too, I spotted miniature orchid plants for $2.99 EACH!! OMG!! I could have more than one!!

It was too hard to decide on one. And I figured I could spend $10 on a bunch of flowers or a bunch of orchids which would live way longer than cut flowers. And maybe rebloom too, if I don't kill them!!  

I have a habit of killing house plants. I can grow & take care of vegetables & flowers outside. But inside, TOTALY different state of affairs.

So that's why cut flowers are a good thing for me. With this orchid deal, I could get a few for $10, keep some for me & place in different rooms and then give some to friends.

Heart Day

Happy Valentines Day!

Always a good reason to bake for & lift spirits at this time of the year.

I love rasberries. So therefore I LOVE Linzortorte! Rasberries and almonds: a classic couple!!

Decided to make cookies less complicated, more fun, and don't have to eat all at once. And easier to share!

My canning & preserving continues!

No one in my Italian family taught me to can and preserve the summer harvest for the dreary dead winter! No one ! Zero grandma. Nessuno. Nadie. Not one! Why? I have no idea why they didn't do this in the New Country as they sure as hell did in the old country!

It was my Italian cousins who are chefs, owned an Italian 4 star resturant that was part of the creation of Philly as a Resturant Town equal and/or reviling NYC, who introduced me quite recently to the joys of quick small patch pickling. Then other Italian cousins who visited from Canada with their loaded with home made pies & cans of veggies pickled. WOW!! Who knew! This stuff is GOOD! And easy to do. Well if you are a foodie.

I have friends who do "put up" tons of jars of tomato sauce( my family didn't). WHY???? I WISH my Noni (grandparents were still here to ask them WHY? This is YUMM!

So I started BIG and never looked back! This was my second winter of canning, so this year I decided to make use of all the winter citrus that shows up around here .  No it's not LOCAL! Ok! Give me a break! But it is from the USA!  So I wanted to do a lemon curd. And any vitamin C is good 'as it's needed.

Store bought is yucky. This was so much fun to make! I made almond cookies and made a sandwich of them with lemon curd. Gave some away of course. And look at the color! Sunshine in a jar!

Then I made Orange Marmade. I hated any marmalade. till I made it this year. Too bitter. But not these! The blood oranges were gone but I got some Cara Cara oranges at Trader Joes. These are Italian oranges, I found out, a salmon colored flesh,  super juicy & sweet. They also have the highest vitamin "C"  of any orange!

This colors are like SUNSHINE in a jar. Just what we need in winter!