It has been raining a lot and Georgia is finally out of its 3-year drought status. I have some more pictures of flowers and plants I saw while walking with Gizzy around Lake Irma and here they are:
This pretty
Magnolia flower snapped off the vine as I was photographing it. Doesn't it look like a rose? From a certain angle it even looked like a tulip. It's amazing how quickly it started to turn brown.
There are plenty of wild
Blackberries in the woods near my apartment complex. Many of them are already ripe, while others are still busily changing colors.
I sampled a few this morning as I walked outside with Gizzy. They tasted very sweet. I want to collect more to maybe bake a cobbler, but I was warned about the
Moccasins snakes that are abundant this time of year. When I go into the woods to pick berries, I don't take Gizzy and I wear hiking boots and long slaks and bring a stick and stomp my feet. I'm pretty sure that they are more afraid of me than vice versa. It is man, after all, that is the most dangerous animal on earth.
This is a very aromatic
Honeysuckle bush. There are plenty of those around.
A couple of bright yellow wildflowers that appealed to me.
Some more little wild flowers peeking through a fence.
I can't wait to sample some of the blueberries on this bush.
A pretty
Sago Palm growing near the Robert Simpson's Walking Trail.
Notice the two carved owls on top of the sign
The Walking Trail leads into the woods over bridges and then winds around to return almost from where you started near ye ole watering hole from where people fish.
People fish from this deck and if it weren't for the insects, that would be a great spot for a picnic.
The water from Bank's Lake flows into Lake Irma and from there to this fishing hole and then turns into a brook that flows along the Robert Simpson Nature Trail.
I think this is very pretty ornamental grass.
Another common wild flower that grows plentiful around here. Clustered together, they add a nice, bold splash of color to the landscape.
I don't know what these are, but I like their color and very unusual shape.
This crimson blossom belongs to some kind of vine climbing along a fence. I believe it to be a
Scarlet Runner bean.
This seems to be a pink
Petunia.
"If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck” -(Proverb)...and that's all I know about this little ducky!
A white
Heron looking for food
Yeah!!! The
Gardenias are back...I absolutely love them. Their earthy, musky scent makes me want to bite into them because to me they sort of smell like white
button mushroom and I LOVE mushrooms.
I took some home with me because there are so many, they won't even be missed and they make my apartment smell so lovely.
Some
Cat Tails growing on a mini peninsula in Lake Irma
There's many of these flowers growing here. It reminds me of some sort of Iris.
I like the mirror image in the water
I will enjoy these pears later this year!
Don't know what this bush is, but it's not a Crape Myrtle.
Teeny, tiny flowers on the ground
Pretty palm tree by the lake, not a very common sight in this area.
A cluster of pretty
heirloom roses, the kind I have by my apartment
A closer look reveals a tiny, green spider on its pedal.
Itsy, bitys
spider...
My boy on his poop-out wagon, aka my rollator. It supports me and the boy when he's tired of walking, after all, he's a senior citizen too.
Inviting bench overlooking the lake
I don't know what kind of
butterfly this is, but it's sure pretty
Some more little wild flowers that I saw on the way home
Thes are the heirloom roses I planted and where I get my dried rose pedals from.
They smell very sweet and the potpourri I make from them smells like honey.
This
Crape Myrtle is covered with honey bees
...and so are the
popcorn trees. They have the most magnificent scent that fills the air. It reminds me of star jasmine with a musky undertone.
A big ole
bumble bee getting in on the action
Patches of
moss by my back porch...I enjoy looking at it, but in the summer it dies down, only this year it has been raining a lot. It reminds me of green velvet.
I wish I could figure out a way to keep it going all year. I have a small empty acrylic fish tank that I could convert into a terrarium perhaps, and see if I could keep a patch green all year.
Due to the rains we have lots of little white
mushrooms popping up all over the place
My little potted
lilac bush finally bloomed. It's a hot weather lilac, I forgot its name. This area really isn't for lilacs. It's too hot here. I miss seeing lush, bountiful lilac bushes. Lilacs are my most favorite blossoms.
Cardinal at my back door
We have so many of those red cardinals, I wish I had a better zoom lens. They all gather by my neighbor's bird feeder. The female is more brownish red and the males, of course, are all red with tht little treademark tuft on their heads.
I have to add, that this rain has done wonders not just for the environment, but the senses as well. I have never been able to smell the earth and the trees since I lived here because it has been so dry...I missed smelling the woods that I so fondly remembered when I was a child in Germany. I was beginning to think my sense of smell is failing me, but it hasn't. It's all there and I know thanks to the rain, I can take a deep breath amongst the Gerogia pines and it's all coming back to me ... the musky odor of the earth is back again, reminding me of mushrooms and blueberry picking as a child. Just marvellous!
And that's my Story, Morning Glory!
Honey Pineapple Carrot Salad
1 can crushed pineapple
2 packages (3 oz. each) lemon gelatin
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 pint whipping cream or 1-1/2 cups defrosted frozen whipped topping
Drain liquid from canned pineapple into measuring cup and add enough water to make 1-1/2 cups liquid. Pour liquid into pan and bring to a boil. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat and blend in honey, lemon juice and orange juice concentrate. Pour into a medium bowl and refrigerate until slightly thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Blend pineapple, carrots and whipped cream (or defrosted frozen whipped topping). Pour into a 9x9-inch pan and refrigerate until firm.
Serve each portion on a lettuce leaf and if desired garnish with a lemon slice and a teaspoon of shredded carrot.
ENJOY AND REMEMBER TO THANK YOUR HONEY BEES!
I love the way the morning light filtered through the trees. It makes for interesting shadows (I think.)
The next photo shows the "big" house on the corner reflected in the water. I think it looks pretty.
The next one looks like an up-side-down picture, but it's just the reflection in the water.
The following is of the solitary palm tree. It sort of sticks out amongst the other trees.
Look at all those blueberries on that bush. I can't wait to sample some of those:
Not much longer...
I showed these flowers before, but not as a close up. They look like some kind of Iris flowers to me, but I'm not sure what they are:
I just love that bright orange and yellow. Looks very fiery and glowing.
I took this close up of a blossom from a tree. There were more, but kind of high up and this one was the closest. Don't know the name of it, but it reminds me of a Carnation.
This must have been an extra sweet Magnolia because I saw several bees buzzing around the stem of the blossom.
They were almost fighting over it
Later, on the bridge this little dragonfly held her position till I was done photographing her from every angle. There was a bright green one too, but it flew away.
Just another pretty view of the water.
Gardenias galore!
Can you almost smell them?
There were so many, I didn't feel bad about taking a bunch home to make my apartment smell wonderful.
My boy likes them too.
As we were sitting there, I noticed a big white bird with it's wings open near the little peninsula.
It looked bigger than the rest of the herons I see around this lake. I suspected him to be a stork.
At closer inspection, I see that it was indeed a Wood Stork.
I was lucky enough to hide behind some trees and a trash can to take this better picture (luckily Gizzy didn't see him, so he didn't bark to scare him off)
Next stop, Hydrangea madness:
Lovely view down onto the water
Obviously, I didn't know when to quit
see?
My boy is being pushed home because he's a senior citizen and he's worth it, dahlings!
Till next time...enjoy the flowers!
Honey Almond Brickle Ice Cream
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey (Star Thistle, Orange Blossom or other light citrus honey*)
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a heavy saucepan, scald the milk, honey and sugar. Stir while it is warming to dissolve the honey. Heat until tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Do not bring to a boil. Place the yolks in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes until they are lightened in color. Whisk in the cream. Remove the scalded milk and honey mixture from the stove. Whisking constantly, add the hot milk to the yolks, a little bit at a time to warm the yolks. Return the custard mixture to the saucepan and place over a medium low heat. Stir constantly for about 8-10 minutes, or until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a clean bowl, add the vanilla, stir and place plastic directly on the surface. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Freeze according the ice cream machine manufacturer’s instructions. Place an airtight container in the freezer while the ice cream is freezing. Pack the ice cream into the cold airtight container and place in the freezer for several hours for best results.
*Any honey may be used, these are simply varietal recommendations.
ENJOY, AND REMEMBER TO THANK YOUR HONE BEES!
