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Saturday, May 15, 2021

The usual busy day

Except that most mornings I do not go out and pot up my carload of mandevillas and hang them for my street to admire, it was the normal busy day for me. (I hate that leading space that eventually catches my eye and I must stop all and go delete it!)

Yesterday I staged this morning. I got the plants from the car and put them on the bench. I carefully, carefully went back to the shed and brought the hanging basket frames up by the plants. The three together are mighty heavy, especially to carry with one hand. 

I poked my thin old skin on some protruding part of a plant hanger, and I felt myself bleeding, all the way back to my improvised plant stand. But I could not look at it because I can only do one thing at a time, and I was walking. 

Back in the house I arranged the rest of the required paraphernalia on the counter, and retired to the loom or the television. I don't remember which it was.



Promptly at ten this morning, my sister and brother-in-law pulled in to help. The picture is when they were leaving, but no matter. Jan is nearly eleven years younger than I am. She got the white hair. What did I do wrong? 

In twenty minutes Tom and I had the plants potted up, and he hung them. It was the hanging I needed; when all the dirt goes in, I cannot lift the baskets. Jan watered them, and they left.

I came in the house and spent an hour weaving. Then I was really hungry, and came to the kitchen for lunch. Time for the cherry story.


When I assembled all my ingredients for cherry custard the other day, having no idea if I should use a tablespoon of jam or the whole jar, I decided to start with bread pudding. I do have three jars of jam, and I did use one of those jars in the pudding.

The smell of the pudding is wonderful. It's like being in a cherry forest. The first bite filled my head with cherries. It was a lot, but not too much. I used about two and a quarter cups of milk and four eggs. No sugar; that was all in the cherry jam. When I make custard, I'll use an entire jar of jam.

I read Debbie's find on resolving thick jam. Reheat the offending batch and add brandy. Fortunately, I have no brandy on hand. I mentioned I actually used one jar of the jam. When I realized I preferred it on my toast, not beside. I ran my little jar through the microwave, then stirred vigorously with my fork. There was no getting round too many cherries, but the jam turned to thick juice and it could all be distributed across a piece of toast.

At this point it was mid afternoon, so I took a nap. All that potting was exhausting. In an hour I woke up, spent half an hour deciding my TV remote actually needed new batteries, as opposed to an irate call to my IS provider. I found them in the junk drawer, and watched the better part of an episode of Letterman's My Next Guest.

Then supper, and here I am. When I am finished with that book, I'll tell you about it. Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard. In the meantime, the mandevilla, and the Gerbera daisy.







39 comments:

  1. I am loving your mandevilla and the daisy. Such bright and cheery colours.
    I hear you on the need to nap too. I am struggling at the moment and am nothing like as productive as you are.

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  2. The flowers are lovely, and your sky is too! I would die a happy woman having had cherry pudding or cheries on toast, yum, so much yum, and cherries are exceptionally good for you (minus the sugar) You will live forever if you eat cherries...they say...

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  3. The leading space bothers the heck out of me, too.

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    1. What you have to do is click on the delete arrow twice BEFORE you begin typing. You will see the tool bar above the text box shift slightly to the left on the second click. That sets the text for the rest of the post.

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  4. Your flowers, both hanging and potted, look magnificent!

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  5. It's after ten PM and you've got me craving some toast and jam!

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  6. We have to keep ourselves busy with something we're interested in.

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  7. I've never had cherry bread pudding... but I have had several other kinds, including peach. Love bread pudding - plain or any other way. My only objection is when it is too sweet. Actually plain bread pudding with bourbon whiskey sauce is my favorite.
    And so good of your sister and brother-in-law to help with the plants!

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  8. It all looks so happy. So glad they came to help.

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  9. You did have a busy day and needed that nap. The Mandeville and Gerbera daisy are beautiful. I hope Pig likes the daisy. Did you keep looking out to see your beautiful flowers? (That's what I would have done.)

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  10. So nice that you have help for the heavy (and high) things that need doing. Those mandevilla's are wonderful. Makes me want to have a couple on my front porch. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  11. The hanging basket looks nice and the cherry pudding sounds delicious.

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  12. I would give a lot for a good jam now.

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  13. I really like those hanging baskets, so pretty. I hope you didn't bleed too much, it is healed now?
    The cherry pudding looks yummy.

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  14. You must be pleased with your days work - it all looks lovely

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  15. hari Om
    Again you put me to shame, Joanne; I really need to get myself moving more each day! I have some supermarket live mint that I am trying to keep going, and repotting would be a way to do that. You have inspired me. YAM xx

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  16. I am glad that you had some help with the heavy lifting, and the results look terrific.

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  17. Your front porch is looking lovely. I like having very busy days. You know - keeps you off the streets at night (hahahahahahaha).

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  18. The weather forecast seems to be good, so I imagine that your plants are safe. We have tulips thriving, but then the garden will regress for awhile unless we get some bedding plants. I am not sure if the nurseries are open here or whether I will venture if they are.

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  19. Adventures in cherry jam! I love it. They are almost the perfect fruit, aren't they?
    And look at your cheerful blossoms! They will keep you company all summer. So nice to get help when you need it.

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  20. Those plants make such a nice entrance for your home! Chores add up and before you know it the day is done!

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  21. whatever you call that cherry thing, it looks good. I've been deep in yard work that last two weeks but it's raining today so I get to catch up. I'll spend the afternoon reading. might even finish my book. and nice to see the madevillias and gerbera daisy. now all is right with the world.

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  22. Great job on the hanging baskets. They will fill-in nicely I bet.

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  23. You had a busy day. The cherry bread pudding looks so delicious. I made, and burned, a little high-protein cakelet today. Boo! You guys are smarter than I am; I filled a flower pot, WATERED IT, then tried to move it. Should have moved it first!

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  24. But what about the bleeding? Were you OK? That looks so delicious!

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  25. It's a nuisance having thinner skin and being more likely to bleed. I also get perperas, a little red patch on my hand where blood has leaked from a weak bit of vein. It's a funny old business, getting old!

    The cherry bread pudding looks good....

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  26. With your Mandevilla planted, the unofficial summer has begun.

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    1. Now we both have little mandevilla, that have all summer to grow up.

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  27. Thank you so much for the lovely note to G.

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  28. You made me so hungry I had to stop and have a quick cherry Danish before I left a comment.

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  29. I love your garden! You make a couple of hanging plants into a whole area.

    The cherry recipes sound interesting. No cherries here yet. Soon.

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  30. Your photos are quite inspiring, Joanne. I might have to get serious about our yard work but I think I am more interested in your cherry custard creation. It looks fantastic.

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  31. I love reading about your days. You accomplish a lot. Love the hanging planters. One of my dearest friends would hang strawberries plants all around her patio and would love the flowering and the continuing harvesting.

    XO
    WWW

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  32. That Mandy plant was very pretty but it's the book I want to know about. Tell me about that book. And cherry jam, well, I'm always on board for that

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  33. I love Gerbera daisies but do NOT do well with hanging plants. :( How nice (and helpful) to have a visit from your sister and BIL!

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  34. Love the white hair comment. The women in my family get the white hair. The men get salt and pepper. I must be a man.

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