Hollyhocks ~ March 5, 2016

It's been what seems like ages ago now, but in my very first home I had a variety of Hollyhocks. When we had just moved in, it was the way of people out in that country area to give gifts of flowers and other plants from their own gardens, to help a new neighbor get started on their own flowerbeds. I received at least half a dozen or more different types of flowerbed plants and flowers, but the Hollyhocks were among my favorite.

I remember I was given the colors of deep maroon, peach, yellow and magenta. Prior to that time, I had never seen Hollyhocks, so I was quite amazed at the height and show that each stalk presented. Over the years, the different plants seemed to cross pollinate so that eventually the flowers on each stalk varied with a blend of another color from a different flower. My yellows had a bit of peach in them, my peach had a bit of magenta in them and my magenta had some of the deep maroon in them. They were actually quite lovely, and reseeded themselves so abundantly!

Our closest neighbors had shown the children how to make dolls, or dancing ladies, from the flowers.

I actually learned a lot from many of those old country folks! Remembering times like those are some of my sweetest memories. So when I recently remembered just how much I loved those Hollyhocks, I decided that I need to get a beautiful variety of them started here in my current home.

I hope I'll be able to find some Hollyhocks in my local nurseries that are already grown, flowering and ready to plant this spring. But if not, I will gladly buy some packets of seeds and get started on my own winsome display of these old fashioned beauties once again! 

Do you have a story about your favorite flowers? I'd love for you to share it with me!

~ ♥ ~

Memories In The Making

When my husband was young, he remembers pressing his nose against the metal screen of his bedroom window on many a sunny summer morning or warm summer night. The smell of the air, mixed with the scent of that metal screen, to this day, is a memory that is etched in his mind. 

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Likewise, I remember the sound of the creaking screen door of our summer cottage when I was a girl. It instilled such a fond memory in me, that when my father and I built our screen  house, I insisted on having a creaking screen door! Every time I went in or went out, I was greeted with the lovely sound that gave a happy lift to my heart.

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 For a time, my folks owned a cottage tucked in amongst several acres of pine trees. When Becca was still a toddler, we went there quite often. As she has grown, she has mentioned many times over the years of there being a certain smell in the air similar to that of the cottage in the pines. As young as she was, that memory will last her for as long as she lives. 

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The older I get, the more I realize that memories are not moments of time that we consciously determine to always remember. In fact, those things that I've vowed to always remember, have now become vague and elusive to me. There is nothing I can find that determines a surety for the making of a memory. Rather, memories are hidden in the everyday moments of life that, somehow, unexpectedly, in the picture of our mind, have become indelible. 

Childhood

Memories

Bonfire Season

With our warmer weather and mild evenings, neighbors nearby have started to relax around a bonfire. I love to smell the scent of it, knowing somewhere, families are gathering around the fire at night making wonderful memories together......

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Cinnamony Delicious Rice Pudding

Absolutely my children's favorite comfort food!

(a.k.a "Charlie's Barley Pudding", since I originally started making this with barley. Today my daughter requested that I go back to using 

barley instead of the rice since she thinks it tastes much better that way!)

 I've always enjoyed having something delicious baking in the oven or cooking on the stove top when my children first wake up, or when they walk through the door after being away. I want them to have wonderful memories of the delicious smell of HOME.

Time Well Spent