Longwood Gardens

One my day trip to Longwood gardens last weekend I found some beautiful and different flowers.  This is one of them.  This is a bloom on a tree, I do not know what it is called.  It looks like a pink hairy caterpillar with yellow tips on the end of each strand of hair.

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 I liked this one because of the contrast between the yellow cluster of anther in the center and the burgundy petals that protect it.  

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 I am not sure what type of Orchids these are but they are beautiful.

 Although this Orchid has a few blemishes on its petals I still LOVE Orchids.  It kind of reminds me of Gene Simmons of KISS sticking out his super long tongue.

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 Here are some rich dark Purple Tulips sometimes referred to as Black Heroes.

 

 Lavender.  The flowers on a Wisteria vine are very fragrant with lavender.  My mother as two large Wisteria vines (trees) in her yard.  When they are in bloom I love to sit in her back yard and absorb the fragrance.  

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 There are hundreds of varieties of Roses.  Each one more beautiful than the next.  They say roses are a girls best friend (second to diamonds).

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The Lily

Lilies are my favorite flower.  I love all varieties.  This is a new one for me.  The Oriental Lily.  It has at least 2 sets of petals.   

Thank You for viewing some of my Reflections

 

 

   More pictures of Longwood Gardens coming soon…

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Mr. Keebler lives at Longwood Gardens!

I found Mr. Keebler and the Keebler Elves home!  While walking around the beautiful grounds of Longwood Gardens, I spotted this large old tree.  It was a big old tree that had to be more than a 100 years old.  It was HUGE.  I could not fit the whole tree in a picture.

At the base of the tree you could see the large roots going into the ground and you just know that the root system has to be at least 30 feet or more out.  Remember that a trees root system is twice the distance of the branches that extend out.  As I examined the roots, I noticed an indentation in the base of the tree.  It was a doorway.  

My imagination began to run wild as if I was about 8 years old again.  It popped into my head about Mr. Keebler.  The elf that lives and works in a tree.  Could this be his home and workshop? 

 

 

 

 Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place.  It was once the private estate of Pierre S. du Pont.    According to the records of the Garden he purchased the property to save trees that were scheduled to be cut down and used for lumber (is this one of the trees that he saved?)

This is just one of the beautiful wonders in my back yard.  I will be posting more pictures from Longwood Gardens.  I have over 700 to review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grandmoms Pound Cale

My grandmother, Bernice, was a busy woman in the kitchen.  She loved to bake sweets especially Pound Cake and Jewish Apple Cake.  I especially liked her Pound cake.   The top crust is sweet and flaky, you do not need any frosting only ice cream.

She knew just how much I like it so she made sure that I had it on my birthday every year for at least 20 years in a row.  Now that’s love.  I could get it any other time but I had to put in my order.

I have finally gotten to the point that I can make her cake almost as good as she did.  Here is the recipe try it and let me know what you think.

 

1 pound of butter room temperature

6 eggs

1 cup of sour cream

2 teaspoons of lemon

3 cups of sugar

3 cups of flour

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Cream butter
3. Beat in 1 egg at a time
4. Add sugar 1 cup at a time
5. Add lemon
6. Add sour cream
7. Mix in half the flour
8. Mix in the baking soda
9. Add remaining flour

The mix will be thick not like your usual box cake mixes.  Pour/spoon mixture into a non-stick bundt cake. (If a non stick pan is not available butter then flour all sides of the cake pan and remove any excess flour.) Spread evenly in pan. Place in oven.

Before you take the cake out of the oven check to make sure it is done all the way thru. Stick a knife in it and if it is dry then remove cake, if it is wet cook for about another 10 minutes.

Cooking times may vary due to climate and altitude.

This grandmom’s pound cake goes great with old fashioned vanilla ice cream….Enjoy!

Colors

A couple of my new blog friends. gracefully50 and A Pakistani Boy,  have been blogging about colors and I thought that I would show my support for color.  It is spring and a lot of flowers will begin to bloom.  I love flowers they (most of them) send a beautiful fragrant in the air.  Most people smile when they receive flowers.

Here are some colorful pictures of flowers that I have taken over the past couple of years.

YELLOW

 

ORANGE

 PURPLE

 

I will be updating with more colors tomorrow, it is getting late here now.  Let me know what you thing about the colors/flowers.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Blue

Not exactly a flower but what the hect…

Green

As promised here are the additional flowers.

Thanks for the “LIKES” and comments!

A Day With Carlito & Caila

Carlito is a fun-loving energetic 8-year-old young man.  He loves his video/computer games.  Sometimes we have to make him go outside and play.  When I have him I restrict the video/computer games and when I do let him play I better not see any blood on the games that he is playing or he knows that it is time to turn the game off.

Caila is also a fun-loving very energetic you lady of 6.  Now she is the opposite of Carlito because she will play the video games but not for long.  She is one of those kids that you can not sit infront of the TV and expect her to sit still and watch a 30 minute show.  

She needs interaction and if you don’t willingly entertain her, she will be your shadow asking all types of questions and of course make you play with her.  Like now while I am trying to write this quick little blog she has taken a ruler and is measuring my arm and needless to say I have to stop to help her measure correctly (I don’t need any extra inches added..LOL).  She is a handful but so very loving.  She is my Caila Baby!

It is a dreary kinda day here in South Jersey but I needed to get my niece and nephew out of the house for a few.  We went to a local park and let them have some fun and blow off some energy. 

 Swinging to see who can go higher..Caila WON!

 

                                                                                                         Her shirt is correct…DRAMA QUEEN

 We had a fun day together. We went to the park, McDonald’s for lunch, stopped and got ice cream for a snack after dinner.  It was another GOOD DAY!

More post to come on my unwitting subjects…..