Opportunity is Knocking - 9047 Monmouth Drive 

Almost 1,700 square feet on almost a third of an acre. This MLS-exempt property in the Ladue School District (Reed Elementary) has two bedrooms and one full bath up, with a sleeping area and full bath in the lower level. A beautiful "Leave it to Beaver" fireplace mantle graces the ample living room with light at both ends. This house is being offered in its present condition, and you may take a sneak peek during Alan Brainerd's estate sale on April 4 - 6. Best of all, you'll be in walking distance of my garden where free plants are always available. Save the date!

Spring

 

                                                                    San Francisco

Saint Francis is supposed to have said, "Preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, using words if necessary." He now graces a corner of my garden, courtesy of my firstborn child, who gave the statue to me for Mother's Day.

Cookies in the Spirit of a Busy Advent Season

The only Chistmas Cookies I found time to bake were from a mix, and no shame here--they were quite good. Here's the recipe:

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
6 T butter
1 c powdered sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 lg eggs
1 tsp lemon zest (this could be omitted)
Note: These cookies could use 1/2 c of sugar.

Oven 375 degrees. Melt butter, set aside. Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in separate bowl.

Mix cake mix, cooled butter, eggs, (and lemon zest if you will) by hand. Dough is stiff. At this point I refrigerated the dough.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll liberally in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Store cookies in layers with waxed paper in between, and a breadcrust to keep them moist.

SUMMER'S LAST BREATH

It will be 90 degrees again or I'll eat my laptop. And then it will snow here...but until then I'm remembering a shot I made with my phone when I was rushing off to an open house. Of all the summer pictures, this one says it all.

How I Spent My Summer...

Everything's Better With Cheese

Spicy Garden Burger

It was a busy summer with no time to "put up" any of the garden's bounty, excepting a few peaches. While reflecting on this and grilling burgers, I spied a potted  jalapeno plant that my daughter Vanessa grew. Idea: slice a few peppers, press into the meat, and grill. Presto!

(Tip: be sure to slice thinly and press deeply.)

Maximum Joy for a Minimum Investment




Big Max is currently 40 inches in circumference
 

Around these parts I like to use something called the "Work to Fun" ratio as a yardstick for spending our family's precious free time. Let me give a random example.

A man buys a boat for several thousand dollars, and then spends several hundred more for insurance and licensing. The boat needs some work before it can be "enjoyed," and it is located four hours away. The man's wife (who uses a bathroom that hasn't been remodeled since 1938) works on weekends selling real estate and cannot get away often. She has begun receiving bills for the boat's storage, however.
 
The maiden voyage of this craft on a 108 degree day resulted in a lost ski tube, whining offspring, and a van which ran out of gas on the launch ramp. The Work on a scale of 1-10 was a 10, and the resultant Fun was a 2. You do the math: 10/2=5. Anytime that ratio exceeds 1, it's not worth it for me. For the sake of balance, the man claims he did all the work and that the ratio is a subjective measure. Point taken.

Back to Big Max. After throwing several seeds in a raised bed during June, there is now a pumpkin the size of a VW in my yard. Note the weeds--I've been busy. This is Missouri, and the drought continues. We can only wonder how big Max would be if it had rained! Big Max Pumpkins have a Work to Fun ratio of just 10% and are highly recommended.

Improve Your Perspective: Stand Back

 

There it is, my almost-dream house on a hill, four years into the five year plan that will never meet schedule. Right now the three season porch is in a state between dismantling and rebuilding. The bathroom I use every morning hasn't changed since 1938. One person, my husband, is the sole architect and renovator for all improvements. Since he is the proprietor of a wood flooring company, you can imagine how much time is left for leisurely refurbishments.

I used to keep the "before" photographs running as a slide show on my PC, the daily reminder of how far we've come. In a whole house rehab, most of your money is spent in the kitchen. Thank heaven that's (for the most part) finished. There are four bathrooms, not counting a crude toilet area in the basement originally used by the help. I'm thinking about $4-5,000 each for materials plus lots of inconvenience and bad words uttered rounding out the process.

As a real estate licensee, I view  a lot of properties and have the chance to see beautiful renovation work in many great St. Louis neighborhoods. Sometimes the budget gets hit with necessary expenditures that aren't exactly House Beautiful features. Fixing the roof before it leaks. The unglamourous and expensive driveway replacement...when you want a pool, and an outdoor kitchen, and a carriage house. (Note use of the conjunction 'and,' instead of 'or.')

One reminder that provides perspective for me is a photograph of my cousin Angie Byler, RN with husband Mark Byler, MD and their son Luke. The three have spent several years in Zimbabwe doing medical missionary work. Patients with TB, malaria, and AIDS are brought by donkey or wheelbarrow to Sanyati Baptist Hospital where blackouts and supply shortages are routine. When I begin to obsess over cabinet knob finishes or the color of tulips, I look at the picture and remember that I am not the one facing real dilemmas in this world.

Someday this house will be a showplace, but not tomorrow and not next year.  Perspective adjustments have become necessary due to my occasionally painful sense of realism. I can handle the truth, even the black and white bathroom. Just stand back and keep it in perspective.

My Garden's Goodness

The time many Midwestern gardeners dread is upon us; while some welcome the respite of winter and plan for the coming season, others keep growing with row covers and buckets until the last lettuce leaf and pea pod have been harvested. I place myself firmly in the camp of the latter. Every day that a bowl of spinach can be harvested is a cause of joy for me.

The garden, yea my entire yard, has become a canvas on which I work with various plant mediums. Scent, shape, color, texture, and digestibility are all considerations. I have come to desire a seamless flow of vegetation which serve various purposes ranging from delectibility to mere frivolity; in other words, from raspberries to shaggy hybrid tulips.

The back of my property is bordered by a large stone wall. I'm pondering the relocation of my entire berry bramble to the east property line, and planting some espaliered trees in their stead. Trees are marked down in the fall, although varieties may be limited. Gardening has always fueled my sense of frugality. Getting a red maple or apple tree for $4 does wonders for your landscape as well as your budget.

My garden is a landscape puzzle of interchangeable pieces requiring only vision and effort to accomplish the changes. Right now there is a wheelbarrow loaded with ditch lilies (the removal of which was a rare demand on the part of my spouse) needing a home for the winter. A bag of 100 tulip bulbs waits on the porch. Hundreds of rose hips need to be clipped and dried. Tarragon, chives, oregano, and thyme crowd the drying space in my kitchen. Gardening for me never ends and that is why I love it. 

$1 Roses and Other Bargains

Ah, the frost is almost on the pumpkin, a surer sign than the harvest moon that garden bargains are ripe for the picking. This fragrant little bush rose was snapped up at Home Depot last year for one dollar. She suffered a minor attack from Japanese beetles in June, but since then she has bloomed profusely: abundant fuschia-colored buds opening fully to a tye-dyed, white-streaked pink. Installed right outside the back door, this was my daily reminder to focus on what was truly important in life. I always tried to stop and smell the gorgeous perfumed flowers no matter how hurried I was, and offer a prayer for all who needed one.

Right about now the lawn and garden departments are unloading their straggly stock. There may not be a picture or tag specifying the variety, but in the risk vs. reward trade-off, you usually make out ahead. For a small investment, a mystery daylily or rosebush will grace your garden, providing a colorful surprise come spring. Don't forget to peruse the packaged seed display. As a seed saver, I can confirm that year old (sometimes even decade old) seed will sprout if stored properly. Don't be afraid to spend pennies on the dollar for bargain seed. 

All this for a dollar, or two.

It's Not Over...Until It's Over

• Technically the fall season has begun. The Cardinals' Wild Card victory fever is high here, and I'm living among the faithful. Like baseball, fall is not over until it's over. There's still time for lettuces, spinach, and depending on how far south you reside, peas and cabbages, too. The quickest plants to get in before frost are the lettuces and spinach. And if a hard freeze is predicted, covering your crops (while sun and 45+ degree temps return in the daytime) will further extend your growing season.



Butter Crunch or Bibb (left) and Leaf Lettuce (right)

Spinach will give you the advantage of salads today and Spinach Artichoke Dip from your freezer tomorrow. The same is true of the pea pods. Fresh edible pea pods can be harvested sooner than the fully mature pods. Eating the entire pod when it's young and tender cannot be surpassed; it's that good. While having a variety of lettuces is wonderful, having produce which you can both eat today and freeze for later is ideal.

Last year I began a pea crop in March and it was finished by the 4th of July. Peas wilt in the heat and prefer a cool growing season during spring or fall. Replace them with a row of scallions or heat-resistant spinach until August wanes and you are ready to plant another crop.


There are several types of peas, or pea pods. While 'Sugar Snap' are quite good, you don't have to cultivate a Chinese type. Any pea may be picked while immature, i.e., the pod is flat and tender. The pea pods blend in well with the foliage; there will always be those which slip past you making it to full maturity. Harvest them for next year's seed, doing the same with beans in your garden which have been "missed."



Pea Pods

I'm Home

After a long, hot summer in a cold office basement, I am back to the place I love best. When my children were younger, they'd come in, slam the door, drop their books, and get a snack: in that exact order. And they'd call out, "I'm home." Now that half of them are gone, and drive a distance to return, "I'm home" means so much more. After spending the entire growing season in an office, I'm home. The garden was a wreck, but laboring to restore the vegetable and flower beds is the most meaningful thing I've done all season.

The water spigot here represents the font of life for my little acre. One hundred-plus degree days took their toll, reducing cantaloupes and pole beans alike to wilting masses. Cucumber beetles reigned the day. Not spending time in the garden every day allowed huge swaths of weeds to annex my strawberry and raspberry patches.


A couple breezy days of work have mended the garden; several rows of lettuce--Bibb, Iceberg, and Black Seeded Simpson--are coming along fine. The sugar pea pods are a few inches high, and the spinach has passed the cotyledon stage just in time for the rabbits to arrive. Yes, I am home.

Spring Serenity

Never ending garden maintenance is eased by vistas of lush green and paintbox flowers. Don't you wish every day in the garden was as beautiful as this one? More foxgloves to see...I am so proud of these gorgeous stalks that one picture is not enough.

Rudbeckia - Masses of Color This Summer and Next

Growing Perennials from seed is a money-saving venture. Many will not bloom the first year, and perseverance is a prerequisite for not only growing the plants from seed but wintering them over in your garden until next spring. Then, perhaps you'll get to enjoy the flowers you've worked so hard to see.

Rudbeckia, the Latin family of the Black Eyed Susan, has both perennial and annual varieties. Both will flower the first year from seed. This perennial will scatter enough seed from its giant, bushy bouquet to keep you in Black Eyed Susans from now 'til eternity. Finches love the seed, and you'll be entertained just watching them flock to the bare stalks in winter.


This spring my garden had hundreds of "volunteer Susans," and being the frugal type I potted a dozen or so to give away.

Foxgloves From Seed

Fresh, Organic Sweets Are Right Out Back

Last summer I walked into a grocery and the only item on my list from the produce section was a lemon. It was a stunning revelation. The garden at home was full of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a melon patch which included watermelon and cantaloupe. Not to mention that everyday items such as onions, carrots, potatoes, eggplant, lettuce, spinach,tomatoes, peppers, corn....I'm losing track...abounded. Growing food is work; hot, arduous, dirty labor. But the rewards are sweet and sometimes spicy. And preserving food will extend those rewards into the cold winter months.

My strawberry patch is overflowing with ruby red Sequoia berries. This type was chosen over the Quinalt ever bearing variety, a decision I do not regret. Despite the claim that they produce all season long, the Quinalt plants which I have located throughout my garden haven't produced well. They do flower, but the yield is measly. I wholeheartedly recommend Sequoia protected by fencing. The 18" netting which surrounds our Sequoia patch has kept out rabbits, increasing our yield.

The Dwarf Elberta Peach Tree is loaded with over 100 little peaches; it's a dwarf, but the fruit will reach full size. Practicality tells me that some of the fruit may have to be removed early or supports made for the smaller branches. It will reach 8-10 ft. in height and needs no pollinator, although adding a Red Haven Peach in the yard is said to increase fruit on both trees.

Keeping Christmas in Your Heart Every Day of the Year

I believe many people are disappointed during the Christmas holidays because they build expectations which cannot be met. This year I decided to think about Christmas all year round; not just snapping up a present in July or getting something on sale. No, living the real meaning behind Christmas every day...not just for one day.

For everyone who decorates a Christmas tree on Thanksgiving and pitches it on December 26, listen up. Christmas is a season which lasts until Epiphany. Stretch it out, enjoy it, and Happy Holy Days.

Reaping What We've Sown

On many a hot day working in the garden, my thoughts turned to just what our labor would yield. Now, December and 30 degrees, a couple of my smaller butternut squashes will be roasted and cooked into a spicy soup. Here's the recipe:


Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
2-1/2 - 3 cups pureed butternut squash*
2 TBSP oil
2 tsp Cajun spice (or 1 tsp cayenne pepper)
1 cup diced raw parsnip (or potato)
1/3 cup minced scallions
3 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste


Prepare the squash: slice 1 medium butternut lengthwise and seed. Bake for 30 min at 325 degrees OR microwave until tender. Scoop out pulp and freeze any extra.
While the squash is being cooked, sautee the scallion in oil. Add broth, parsnip, and squash; simmer until tender, about 50 minutes. Remove pepper strips and puree the soup.


This soup is great when topped with a scoop of steamed brown rice. Substituting vegetable broth easily makes this a hearty vegan meal.

Photo of simmer stage.

I use a hand mixer to puree the soup. Don't forget to top with a half cup of steamed brown rice. It's quite hearty.

Blessed to Be Here

This is my world: nearly one acre of suburban ground with a 1938 brick colonial in the center. We began restoring this home in June of 2008, amid a shaky economy. The decision was quickly made to work week by week, avoid taking on debt, and salvage whatever was able to be re-used tastefully. The entire design for the kitchen was thrown out (it had been based on our previous tract home). This house will be returned to its former glory, minus some wallpaper and plus some 21st century conveniences.

Between evicting squirrels from the attic, repairing the roof, gutters, plumbing, furnace--oh, just name anything--the kitchen is nearly complete. The spacious yard and its fertile loam have distracted us many days from the inside projects. A significant portion of the yard has been transformed into a garden space which requires a great deal of attention. But the rewards of raspberries, strawberries, lettuces, peppers and just sitting around the firepit planning our next move are part of the journey.

Stay tuned for before and after photos of the house and garden.

Serranos

Planting Serrano chili peppers yielded a bumper crop for me; nine plants were about six too many...

Bugs don't bother them, nor do rabbits or possums.

I've strung them up to dry and wonder if our local Mexican eatery, the Hacienda, will trade chili pepper strands for a Margarita or two.

By the way, if you're crushing your own chili powder, start by removing the seeds and conduct a taste test. The seeds are the hottest part and you may want to go easy on them.