Our lovely “lioness” Merry Margaret (Maggie) is now resting in peace after a long, well-lived 14 years. Our hearts are very sad this week, but the weight is lifted slightly knowing that she lived with spirt and greatness even in her last days.
Maggie, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was more than a handful from the get go. She chewed siding, ripped up flowers, dismantled a Japanese Maple and eventually learned to leap a 6 ft fence (still don’t know how she did that). Maggie also stole tomatoes off the vine, dug holes so deep you couldn’t see her shoulders and would swim in circles until she yelped from exhaustion if we let her near water. She was crazy and so full of life that we loved, loved, LOVED her. I’m not sure if I ever truly asserted myself as the “alpha female” in our relationship, but it was worth sharing the title for her.
Maggie was a lover of tennis balls, snow balls, rawhide chew sticks, compost piles (no joke) and the beach. She rarely got cross with another animal (even goats, cats and the annoying little dogs we tortured her with).
We loved you, Maggie, and will remember you always.
How cool is it to have your own kid’s recording on your iPod? Serious! Listen to Ben’s 12-bar blues. He layered the tracks and it’s him playing the bass, the rhythm guitar and the lead guitar on this song. So impressed.
BTW: The picture is of Ben and his friend, Quincy, hanging out before their jazz band performance. Don’t they look awesome? Cool cats.
Winter wreaks so much havoc on my yard. It’s mossy, bare, and generally yucky. But, a beacon of light that keeps the grower in me happy is found in evergreen herbs. My most successful examples are the bay, garlic chives, lavendar and rosemary. They look great all year, and I cook with all but the lavender through the winter. The rosemary is probably my favorite, because it just makes my risotto so delicious. The bay bush is a close second as it looks fabulous and adds a nice touch to those warm, winter stews.
Several years ago I added an almond tree to my “orchard.” I absolutely love that tree…and, yes, I really did get about 30 almonds off of it last year. The reason it is my favorite though is the beautiful blossoms. Just gorgeous. My goats also agree. They are practically drooling when they look over the fence!
Not much is happening in this very early spring time in the veggie garden. But, there are a few bright spots. My garlic is doing excellent. I planted 3 different varieties in late October and 100% of the bulbs are now reaching for the sun.
And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I have planted seeds for sugar snap peas and some lettuce. Not much action there. In another week or so, I should see sprouts, and I’ll be ready to plant another row.
For those of you itching for spring and planting season, did you know you can get an early start right now? Sugar snap peas (the ones you eat pod and all) and lettuce are good to go and prefer the chilly temperatures. I planted peas and my first round of fancy, romaine and iceberg lettuces this weekend. To keep the crops coming for longer, be sure to leave space for a second or third planting every three weeks until mid-April.
Some of you may not be ready to work the garden beds and put up your trellises for peas. Well, I have an easy solution for you. Planters with a tomato cage stuck in them work great for the little climbers. I plant the pea seeds in a circle to match the cage and fill in the middle so that the seeds are all about 1 1/2 inches apart. The cages are a great support and when the peas are done, you can pull it out and put in some flowers for the rest of the summer.
Just finished up an article that lays out a St. Patrick’s Day menu for your feasting pleasure. I really do love all of dishes. Now that I’m thinking about them though, I don’t think I can wait for St. Patrick’s Day. Corned beef sandwiches may have to make an appearance on our table next week!
Ben had his first live performance with the Laurel Ridge Middle School Jazz Band last night. The event was a high school fundraiser called “Swinging with Spaghetti.” We’re not usually big fans of the spaghetti dinner night, but I’ll have to say that this one was really well done and very well attended. All of the music was excellent and it was a super festive evening. The kids got lots of grins and applause for playing “The Office” theme song.
Ben is already a stellar guitar player and decided to take on the challenge of learning the electric bass guitar for Jazz Band. I’m very proud at how he powered through the struggles of a new instrument and reading music for the first time. He played great last night and fit right in with the rest of the musicians after just 2 months!
Love the clothes, too. Haven’t seen my boy in a tie since he was 5 at Uncle Chad’s wedding 🙂 Looking and sounding good, kiddo.
Ahhh, remember fifth grade? Girls are kind of cool and kind of scary. And then, the music teacher makes you perform cheesy songs, play the recorder and hold hands and dance with a GIRL!!!
Joe’s concert tonight was so cute and so funny. Joe, of course, added the humor. First, he didn’t even want to go. No surprise. Then, when he got there, he hammed it up. Funny expressions, funny gestures and he even went down on his knees and threw his hands up in the air in relief when the dance was done. Unforgettable as usual. Love that kid.
Oh, boy. Myron’s got an epic song with this one. He’s tackling Moses and the Plague! Anyways, it’s a fun romp as usual.
Background: Myron LeRoy is Ben’s most excellent guitar instructor and is the featured singer and guitarist. And, in this song, he dragged Randy Sage along on drums. Randy is Joe’s drum instructor. Both are a couple of real talents and real good guys.
