North to Alaska--finally!

We boarded the Holland America cruise ship Oosterdam, along with 2,000 other tourists, and 900 staff, and set off for the Alaskan Inside Passage, setting our sights on Glacier Bay. There was a limit of only one ship at a time into the bay and the ship slowed down upon entering, passing between the majestic mountains, the blue sea, and white snow. Everyone spilled out onto the decks, not wanting to miss a single moment in the bay. We came close to Margery, who seemed to be in the mood to only calve some "small" icebergs. Then we just circled the bay, enthralled by the glaciers. Glaciers of white, deep blue, sapphire, purple and gold, were high up on the mountaintops, and spilling into the sea, and the air was chilled despite the sunshine. It reminded me of what those Titanic passengers might have experienced, with the chill of the iceberg field on a calm sea. It was absolutely amazing, because everyone out on deck spoke softly, as if they were in a church. They were--it was God's cathedral of nature! What a great way to start off a trip to Alaska!

Our Alaskan Trip Continued

After leaving Yellowstone, we journeyed on to Montana, where we got to experience mining towns up close and personal, viewing a mining museum, the Old State Prison Museum of Montana, a fantastic car museum, and more gorgeous mountain scenery. So far our tour bus traveled through the Grand Tetons, the Rockies, and next it was headed through Idaho and over the Cascades. We stopped at the Grand Coulee Dam, Lake Coeur d'Alene, a little town called Leavenworth, WA, where aplets and cotlets are made, went on to Spokane, which was enduring heavy flooding, and then arrived in Seattle, our ship's port of departure for Alaska.

Our Alaskan Trip

It's already July, and firecracker hot in MO. Been watering the garden, and enjoying the produce, and flowers. Now that it is hot, we can really enjoy our memories of our May/June Alaskan trip. We left KC in late spring, after the dogwoods had bloomed out, and began our journey by flying into Salt Lake City, experiencing a second spring, when tulips were still in bloom. We viewed the State Capital building, and Tabernacle Square, where we listened to organ practice of "Amazing Grace", kind of like our own personal concert!

Then onwards through the Grand Tetons, experiencing winter once more. We had sleet, snow, fog, cold, all typical winter weather--in the springtime! The animals were out and about, enjoying every minute of it. Saw massive elk herds, eagles all over, bear and bison sightings. We thawed out in Yellowstone National Park, enjoying the geysers, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, all the beauty of the caldera. Strange to think about walking about in the crater of a dormant volcano, which is bubbling underneath the surface of the ground, letting off steam in turquoise pools scattered about the park.

First Crop

There's an old children's book about the Civil War in Missouri, entitled First Crop and written by Gertrude Bell. It describes the terrible days of Order No. 11, and how families had to cope with their farms being burned, their livestock either taken by troops on both sides, or destroyed. But in the end, the teens of the novel are able to continue their lives despite the grief they have faced as civilians in the face of war. This book just makes me appreciate more the land we live on, and the trials and tribulation that the settlers of the past had to experience so WE too could harvest a First Crop.

We have just returned from Alaska, and meantime our garden was growing. Amazing--our first crop of peas and potatoes from it are just so delicious I wanted to share, even if in pictures.

The final product, Creamed Potatoes and Peas, is so easy I am including the recipe I used from a magazine.
You will need:
1 pound small unpeeled new potatoes, cut into wedges or, if they are really small, just use whole, covered in water and boiled for about 15 minutes or until tender
2 cups of fresh peas, steamed in the wave for about 5-6 minutes

Saute one small chopped onion (this too came from our garden) in 2 tablespoons butter, until tender, stir in 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, until blended. Gradually add in 1 and 1/2 cup flour, stirring well, and bring it to a boil over medium heat, keep stirring for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened. At this point add about 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, toss in about 1 cup chopped Canadian bacon, and the boiled and drained potatoes. Stir well, serve and enjoy!

By the way, I dump the potato water into my hanging jelly bean tomato plant because it is good for plants.

Our Victory Garden

Back in the WWII days, citizens grew "victory gardens" in their backyards, growing all sorts of veggies to put on the table, to stretch the ration card purchases. We have been gardening for years, because that is how my parents taught me, and I have hopefully passed on this desire to grow green things, either to enjoy in the home or at the table. In fact when Mom and I did a genealogy hunt in Lithuania in '99, we learned that our love of gardening comes from our Lithuanian genes. All my cousins had gardens in the country, and grew gorgeous flowers and veggies thru most of the seasons, inside and out.

This year we decided to try something different, because hubby had a shoulder replacement, and he and a tiller aren't compatible anymore. We did our research, talked to the experts at the Flower, Lawn and Garden Show this past spring, visited and talked to Powell Garden growers, and he went online to www.gardeners.com to design and print up templates for our new version of the Victory Garden--raised beds.

All I can say is "so far so great" because we have been harvesting the BEST spinach we have ever tasted, and wonderful leafy green lettuces that every bunny in our woods is dying to taste. After we built the raised beds, and planted seeds and seedlings, I suggested we fence it as we used to do our big garden. Hubby said, oh the beds are high enough. I said, please humor me. So he fenced all around our garden, and I am so glad because this year is a "big bunny year" and the dogs of the neighborhood (including our own) are big and heavy-footed. Good fencing makes good gardens, to paraphrase Robert Frost.

More spring before summer blows it away!

I just picked a bunch of spring blooms, before a storm blew in with its hailstones, and Violet kitty fell in love--with the flowers!

Then got busy beading some gifties for a tea coming up at our church. Hope the moms and girls like them.

Spring blooms

We finally have spring (sort of, actually, maybe...) because a day that goes all the way up to 85 or 90 is more like SUMMER, hello??? Well, we will take what we can get, because weather in MO is interesting to say the least. So we are busy cleaning out flower beds, raking up winter dead leaves, branches, stems, stuff that hides all the blooms coming out. Got our water garden up and running, and now I have the HUGEST tub of water iris I will have to divide--any takers out there, please let me know. Maybe I will plant them down at the creek, so the snakes, frogs and turtles will enjoy their blooms too.

And when it rains, I head for the beading room, creating new stuff for different events, like a High Tea coming up, or a good friend's move to TX. Keeps me busy. In between sewing American Girl doll Easter sundresses, which is also an interesting project. I found that by the third one, I had the pattern and shortcuts all lined up and it flowed! Now we just await strappy sandal delivery for the girls.

Speaking of Easter, I found the cutest bendy-earred bunny pattern online, so started mass producing them for little ones for Easter. I thought they turned out rather cute. Even made one for a little boy, a "chocolate" bunny!