Have You Met Mayapple?

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Every spring I begin the hunt for the mayapple. This is a plant that grows wild and usually it I find it in ditches alongside the road, but sometimes it is growing in the midst of a group of trees.

It is a plant that you might notice because it usually grows in colonies. My research tells me that these plants may be connected underground through  systems of thick rhizomes. (Rhizomes are subterranean stems of a plant often sending shoots and roots from its nodes.)

Also called hogapple, Indian apple, mayflower, umbrella plant, wild lemon, wild mandrake, American mandrake or “devil’s apple”

The leaves are large and umbrella shaped. If that’s all you see, you are missing the magic of this plant. Each stem splits and a flower grows in the V.

Here is a young bud, but look below and see the fully developed flower. Some must be shy or else the view is better looking away from the road. So delicate and beautiful!

Just like an apple blossom from a tree, this flower develops into a miniature apple.

The ripened fruit is edible in moderate amounts, though when consumed in large amounts the fruit is poisonous. I wonder what a massive amount is. The apple is no bigger than an M & M. The American Indians used it for medicinal purposes. It can also be used topically for warts.

Interestingly it is not the apple that develops in May, but the blossom appears in May. Apparently the apple develops later, so maybe I have not seen the fully developed apple. When the weather gets hot the plant seems to wither away until next year.

Now you have met Mayapple, perhaps you will be seeing it as you drive country roads.

I Knew It Was Spring . . .

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I knew spring finally arrived when my husband announced, “It’s shopping time again.” No, he was not telling me to head out to the nearest mall and find the latest styles for my wardrobe. He was referring to the birds who come to my small bicycle planter.  It seems that coco liners are just what the birds need to create that special touch in the nest.

For about two weeks the birds land on the rim, take stock of what they see, then they begin the process of dismantling the dirt filled liner. Robins are the greediest, but wrens have been spotted pulling out their fair share. They peck, pull, pluck until their beak is full. Off they fly to construct their nests. Moments later someone else is back on the rim gathering another beakful.

I suppose the building time has passed, as no one has been to the planter for a few days. I know they will return as soon as we put in the new liner and dirt.

The following robin pictures were taken from inside the house with the lens zoomed to catch the shoppers in action.

Easy picking or should I say easy pecking for the nest.

She checks out the possibilities with a critical eye.

Do you think you could get another strand in that beak?

The current condition of the bike planter.

See the gap in the tree? A wren found a new home.

Soon we will have new neighbors on the side of our house.

I knew spring would finally arrive. I just had to be patient.

Colorful Ride

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Finally, spring seems to have blown into town so I was able to take my bike out on the road. As I pedaled along, the colors of spring waved to me from the side lines. I had to hop off the bike and snap a few quick pictures to remember the vibrant colors of spring. (Just in case there are days ahead that aren’t quite so bright.)

Spears of grape hyacinth put the grass to shame.

Who wins the competition in the category of yellow?

These poor blossoms looked like they were in jail, looking for a way to escape.

The trees didn’t want to be left out. They waved their branches as I pedaled by. They reminded me of those students who wave their arms wildly saying, “Ooo, ooo!”

Did it snow?

I savor the evidence of spring’s arrival, finally!

A Free Ride?

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Tap, tap, tap my fingers move across the keyboard in my lap. My iPad sits beside me. Ding! That sound tells me I have a new email message. I finish my comment then head over to the mail tab that is open on my screen.

As usual the iPad has downloaded the message before the laptop. I click the “Check mail” button and wait the few seconds to see who sent an email. Maybe it’s a notice that someone commented on my slice. Maybe it is notice that a blog I follow has put up their slice for the day. Or maybe it is a friend dropping me a note. It is none of those options.

The From tab says Info-Toyota; the subject tab says Avalon-Complimentary Rental. “What’s this? I ask my husband. He reads car blogs all the time, so if Toyota had a deal, he would know about it. He has no clue what this is about. I open the email and read Try Before You Buy. Complimentary 2013 Avalon Rental.

“I wonder why we got that?” I muse. My husband quickly sends a message to his friend who works at the Toyota dealer to see what he knows about this deal. The response is immediate. He writes back, its a deal, you should take advantage. They only sent it out to certain people.

“I wouldn’t mind driving one for a day,” my husband says. “We could go to St. Louis for the day.” He wants to visit the REI store. I wouldn’t mind because then I could finish reading my book plus that means I’m not cooking either. Sounds like a win – win situation for me.

So we now have a hybrid 2013 Avalon car reserved. Should be a fun day and a comfortable drive. However, it could be an expensive day if my husband decides he’d like to own this car. But I’m not too worried.

Step Back in Time

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Do these words mean anything to you: Black Cow, Slo Poke, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Jane, and Teaberry? They are candies and gum from my childhood. Are they in your memory too?

My husband and I went to a restaurant, new to us, in St. Louis this weekend and stepped back into time.  This is where the  Ingalls family would shop for all the needs of the family. The walls were lined with kitchen gear, books, wine, candles, and all sorts of knick-knacks to tempt you.

You order at one counter and you get a numbered card. Take that card to another counter where the hostess jots your number down and how many are in your party. Then you wait and mill about until she fetches you to sit at a community table.

While I was waiting my eyes wandered and landed on the candy counter. Candies I had loved as a child jumped out at me. There was the black wax mustache and enormous red wax lips. I slipped back in my mind, remembering the warming of the wax in your mouth, then the chew, chew, chew. My jaws started to ache as I recalled that ball of wax chewed until the last bit of flavor was gone. The Slo Poke and Black Cows used to be suckers that lasted all day as you worked on softening up the caramel. The Squirrel Nut Zippers were unknown to me, but the Mary Janes were another jaw exercise.  Finally, Teaberry gum was one of my favorite flavors. It wasn’t as readily available as the Wrigley gum flavors, so I always savored those sticks of gum. As I noted the candy of the past, I saw they also had candy from the present. Razzles and gummy  burgers were lined up next to candy cigarettes, Lemonheads, and Boston Baked Beans.

Should I need a candy blast from the past, I know just the place to visit.

A Meeting in Singapore!

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Hello friends! I’ve been on the other side of the world for the past few weeks. Last night I got home from a cruise that began in Singapore and ended in Hong Kong. This trip also took us to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, and Hanoi. Oh my, what a different world it is!

A highlight of the trip was getting to meet Jee Young in Singapore. I contacted her and we agreed to meet up for breakfast. Fortunately she offered to come to my hotel, so I didn’t have to negotiate unfamiliar territory on my own. We met in the lobby and headed out to have some toast. This seems to be a very common breakfast item in Singapore. This toast is not made from regular sliced bread, but the bread is more like Texas toast. We went over to one of Jee Young’s favorite malls for our toast and Singapore tea. Singapore is a city of mega-malls. These malls have multiple levels and most of them are underground.

After settling in with the tea and peanut butter toast, we chatted or should I say I pelted Jee Young with question after question. I think teaching in international schools is fascinating. So I wanted to know all about it, plus an interesting side note is my husband actually attended the high school where Jee Young is teaching fifth grade. He lived in Singapore for a year over forty years ago. He attended Singapore American School (SAS) during his junior year of high school.

I had mentioned this to Jee Young in an email, so she brought me an SAS coffee mug and T-shirt. How sweet was that? Thanks again Jee Young. My husband was touched by your gifts from SAS.

Our time passed quickly and soon I had to return to the hotel to check out and head to the cruise ship to check in there. Meeting up with a cyberspace friend is so fun. It is amazing the connections and friendships we have developed through this community. Thank you to Stacey and Ruth!

Merry Christmas to all and I will be back to share more details of this trip, but now jet lag is setting in and I can’t think.

 

Pandora Pizza

Is it a sign that trouble may be brewing if a pizza is called Pandora?

One Saturday my husband and I went to my favorite pizza place for our usual order: two diet Cokes, one large Greek salad, and one medium Black and Blue pizza, oops I mean Pandora. The salad came fairly quickly. I divided it between two plates and we consumed it. The plates were whisked away, drinks refilled, and we waited. . . and waited . . . and you know the rest.

As we waited, we could watch the pizza preparation area. It’s a fascinating beehive of activity. Pizzas going in the ovens, pizzas moving from the bottom to the top oven, pizzas going into boxes. We marveled at how they were able to keep track of the pizzas throughout their various stages.

As we watched, we noticed a new step to this pizza dance. A pizza came out of the oven, but the oven master cannot locate a home for the pizza. First he puts it into a box, but there is no paper for it. The pizza moves to a metal tray, again no paper. Confusion is all over the pizza man’s face. He flips through the boxes again, he juggles the pans, lifting and looking for that elusive paper. He asks several of the pizza assemblers if they know where this pizza is to go. They shrug and move on.

“I bet that is our pizza,” I predict to my husband. We watch as workers come to probe the pizza to determine what kind it is. Now you may be wondering what the waitress is doing during this time. She is standing around, waiting, she takes out her phone and checks it, she brings pizzas to other tables near us. She does not say, “I will check on your order.” Meanwhile this pizza has moved from one end of the table to the other end. Finally, it is shoved to the side.

I stopped the waitress as she whisked by our table, “You might check on our pizza. There’s one that’s been floating around back there,” I tell her. She goes to investigate. We continue to watch the saga unfold.She realizes this is our missing pizza. The owner is called in. He brings the now cold pizza to our table with profuse apologies. They will make us a new pizza, do we want this one too? Not really, since we watched everyone poking it. So another twenty minutes pass before we have our fresh hot Pandora pizza.

Good thing we didn’t have to be anywhere that evening, because we would have been late. It is a tasty pizza, but I’m sure it will be a while before we go back.

FYI: the toppings on the Pandora are Greek sausage, pepperoni, sliced tomatoes, black olives, and blue cheese (plus mozzarella cheese). So good to have that tangy hint from the blue cheese.

Take a Step Back

Are these photos taken high in the mountains, perhaps the Alps? Could one be a volcano waiting for the right moment to blow? Or is it a glacier sliding down a mountain side?

Actually it is none of the above, but of course you knew that. If I pull the camera out a bit more will you be able to solve the mystery?

Could that be an entrance to a mine below the mountain? Is it the bed of a dump truck? Perhaps it is a railroad car. Sadly, it is none of those. Well let’s pull the camera lens back just a bit further and see if that helps.

New information comes to light as the camera pulls back. There are small trees, shrubs, and weeds. The yellow metal seems to be from an old flatbed train car. This is my view to the right. Let’s see what is straight ahead of me.

Ahh! Now you know I am on the riding trail. I do ride by mountains, but they are made of limestone gravel. There is a rock quarry alongside the trail. During the ninety degree days, as sweat rolled down my face, I would imagine myself high in the mountains embracing the cool breezes. I longingly gazed at the mountain of gravel hoping for a breath of cool air, but that cool air never came.

I want to remember, sometimes you need to step back to get the big picture.

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Getaway

Think about how you can say the title:

Get Away! Firmly and distinctly two words, uttered in annoyance.

or

Getaway – All syllables run together, spoken an a calm voice with a twinge of hope. You can get away from the daily chores and do something out of the ordinary. I have done that.

My husband and I have escaped life of home and we are enjoying some freedom. My schedule of work is not as busy as last year, so we took a few days to explore new biking trails.

The air has been clear and cool. The trees were beginning to put on their fall colors. As I pedaled, I watched the scenery looking for a  glimpse of wildlife. There have been many squirrels who dart and dash under the wheels of the bike. At one lake there was a heron, picking its way through the muddy bank. It was still in the same area three hours later on our return trip. Wouldn’t you know there was a snake sunning right at the beginning of the ride.

Not only has the biking been enjoyable, but I have been able to visit with relatives that I rarely get to see. A delightful evening was spent at my cousin’s home. We talked for many hours, catching up on cousins and what they are doing. The family has been spread out in all parts of the world.

It’s nice to step away from daily life and experience new adventures. I hope we get to do this more.

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Tasty Treat

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Do you like coconut? Do you love the creamy tang of cream cheese frosting? Are pecans a nugget of crunchy goodness to your taste buds? Those are the flavors I crave every year on my birthday. All the flavors are nicely wrapped up in the package of an Italian cream cake.

Sunday I made this cake. Monday was my birthday. I savor every morsel of this cake as I won’t be tasting it again for another year. After the birthday piece has been eaten, I begin to slice and share pieces with family and neighbors. It is always sad to see the last piece go.

One year my friend insisted on making the cake for me. She has a good heart and great intentions, but not all the required ingredients. This cake must be made in three nine inch cake pans. She did not have three, so she thought she’d use a 9 x13 and a small square pan. The cake didn’t really cook all the way through. Then when she went to frost it, she didn’t have any cream cheese, but thought she could substitute sour cream. Shall I mention that is not a good substitution? Like I said, she has a good heart and great intentions. The cake, not so good.

So that is why you can find me baking the day before my birthday.