Excerpts of my life

It rained all day last Friday. Then on Saturday a marvelous bright sun came up bringing with him a sort of magical vapor that wafted from the ground, making the garden smell like maple syrup... We had a special Easter program at church that morning, and so I got to wear my favorite silver high heels. I love those shoes... I can’t tell exactly why, but when I wear these shoes I feel like Cinderella in her beautiful ball gown. I say they're enbued with magical properties. They’re my talisman. I wear them almost on every special occasion.

Oh and I do have a face! ;) That's just the back of my head on the above picture! ;) People say long hair can be aging, and I see so many women my age with the same short, layered hair... but I want to be me, and you can never go wrong being who you are, right? So it will always be extra long hair for me!

I hurried back home after church, as some of our friends were coming for lunch and I had to get things ready. So I went to set up a pretty table with all sort of yummy and pretty things in it.

I had already prepared a marvelous cheesecake the night before, and because this was my first time ever making a cheesecake, I was super thrilled at how it turned out! That cheesecake was simply the best, most wonderful cheesecake I have ever had, and have ever made! ;) You can find the recipe I used here.

I made extra frosting and let it drizzled onto the plate for extra goodness. This recipe produces enough sour cream topping for a thick layer, but I used a thinner layer by reducing the amount of sour cream in half. It was super yummy!

Do you ever find yourself waiting impatiently and watching the flower buds, just wanting them to open so badly? I faithfully stroll through my garden every single day to see what small miracle is unfolding out there... I do this every year. Even in the grip of below freezing temperatures, at the beginning of March when nothing is alive. I talk to my plants. One by one I check them, one by one I talk to them and tell them to hurry up and grow and unfold. It’s a game of patience but really, it is more a game of eagerness and excitement, and sometimes even annoyance. Things just don’t grow as fast as I’d like to, and the sight of my dear roses in early spring could be very discouraging... waiting to see if they have yet survived another winter kills me...

Oh, and remember my "Enchanted Ivy Path", last year?

Well, now it’ll have to be called the "Enchanted Daisy Path! Yeap, my precious ivy had to be removed to keep it from tearing up our walls. Removing ivy roots wasn’t a fun job. I don’t like the use of herbicide, so the job had to be done all by hand and the help of Mr. Muscle.

I love English Ivy; they’re such a lovely intricate little plants and they conjure such fascinating mystery. They remind me of shadowy places, and abandoned castles and ancient stone walls and lovers in secluded secret gardens. But ivies are infamous for suddenly popping up in cracks and holes, and they can causes building walls to break further and badly damage the entire structure.

The impairment becomes more severe when ivies come into contact with wood. The roots would cause the timber to split, allowing moisture and fungus to enter and begin total destruction of the material. So I had to give them up.

I have planted a full row of Shasta Daisies in their place. Daisies are native in our area and they’re a magnificent source of attraction for birds and butterflies. I can hardly wait to see them grow! And of course, I have to have another type of climber growing there, but I haven't done that yet. Any suggestion on what would thrive in a semi-shady environment and won't destroy my wall?

May the birds come sit upon your window sill,

and may the flowers sing you an enchanted song

and may the sun shine sweetly upon your shoulders.

Peace be with you.

I'm linking this post to: Cottage Flora Thrusday