Rocks, Roses and Rhubarb Crumble

It’s Canada day and we have one of the friends Lizzy made on her second Camino, Solanna Anderson from Vancouver, BC here to celebrate with us. We believe that our celebration of Canada will not be too shabby for Solanna as our neighbors are Canadian, and they always shoot off a lot of fireworks in our hay field on Canada day- Even the animals, well acquainted with our Anxiety remedy, enjoy the local show. Not a bad gig to sit in the garden on a summer night and watch fireworks!

We are in day thirteen of “Camp Kitchen 2010” and the strange meals coming from our “kitchen” have surprised us with their wit and style. Culinary achievements included a Camino flashback meal for Camino pilgrims Lizzy, Ben and Solanna that included lots of gazpacho, grilled meats and a rather bizarre looking but very delicious spanish tortilla ( we had some charring issues because of our makeshift heat source). Does it sound like we are about to burn down our house??????? Let’s just hope the Sears man has the right part tomorrow.

During our stint sans stove, we have discovered pizza made on the grill is particularly good and that an electric fry pan needs to be cleaned well between stir fry and french toast. Culinary disasters included a strange loaf of cake broiled in a makeshift oven. Also, one day I made a big rhubarb crumble for the crowd and even as six or eight people stood around watching me prepare the gigantic pan of crumble, no one said the obvious, “Where are you planning to cook this?” We had all forgotten our problem until I went to preheat…… Thank God for the kindness of neighbors and their working stoves!

Out in the gardens, the Roses are beginning to give way to midsummer beauties like Day Lilies, Delphiniums and Bee Balms. We bid them adieu with a few more shout outs.

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The incomparable Lauriana Rose, so good for mental acumen and well, just plain thinking straight.
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Here’s Great Maiden’s Blush known as Cuisse de Nymph in France ( leave it to the French to have a sexy name, nymph’s thigh and the English to have the unsexiest name possible) This Rose from our additional Flower Essence list puts on the most enormous show. I love how it describes itself, “I AM the irrepressible expression of myself.”

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One more gorgeous Rose from that same additional Essence list, Sissinghurst Castle Rose with its affirmation, “ I AM imperishable beauty and strength of purpose.” This Rose helps us know our own strength to handle life’s challenges, as well as feel more clearly the spiritual support available to us to deal with our life situation.

Out in the gardens, William, Jim, and Ben have been harvesting rocks from our hedgerow for Ben to assemble into walled terrace overlooking the perennial gardens. This dream to have a stone terrace on the south side of the house has been with me for twenty years…….. since Ben was eight. The wait was worth it. Ben’s years working with rocks really shows in his crafting of this new wall.

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After his coffee break with May May and a few more days work on the wall, Ben is going to Ireland to visit the relatives, make some Flower Essences for the farm, and play some golf. Yahooo for Ben!!!!!!

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