February 28, 2021- Goodbye winter- It is Week 1 of the playoffs

It seems like only yesterday we were pleased if it got to 20 degrees. I actually wrote something like that a week ago. Well,  one day this past week it was 30. Then it was 40 with 50 in sight. When it is sunny and 40 you almost do not think you need a coat.

It certainly feels like spring is really here. The cardinals in the neighborhood delare it with the what seems like early dawn. 

In the backyard the snow is pulling away from the house. The snow line is really moving several feet each of the last few days.

We are fast apporaching that time of year when there will be something new...every day.

When I went out yesterday morning I spotted this.

Yes, that is a little snowdrop. We are thinking there will be a flower maybe Tuesday.

Yesterday afternoon when I went to look at the snowdrop, I spied these little aconites. They have raised their geads out of the ground, thinking about opening.

Many, many more will appear in the next several weeks.

It is coming.

                              Picture Contest

It is fitting that the picture contest is entering the final stages.

The next three weeks will feature the playoffs.

But here was your surprise winner in Week 13. What a great color.

The full voting was

I should add that there were 2 more votes for the zinnia that were on a separate ballot. I made an techical mistake.

The blue morning glory, called Heavenly Blue, advaces to the playoffs.

There are 15 contestants who have advanced. There will be 3 weeks at this next stage.

That were 13 weekly winners , which got to 14 since in one week there was a tie.

The one wildcard turned out to be cactus flower with 37%, for second place in week 11.

I would have seeded 3 pictures based on their weekly percentages. Since pictures 3 and 4 tied for that thrid spot,  I put  them both into week 3 of the playoffs. Lemon drop, a strong performer, falls into the "rest of the field".

Those top percentages were

Pastel Iceland Poppy 47% in Week 8

Orange Coneflower 45% in Week 9

Clematis 41% in Week 3

Tree Peony 41% in Week 12

Lemon Drop 40% Week 7

So here is week one of the playoffs

#1 Oncidium Orchid

 January 1, 2020

    What a wonderful orchid. It is so reliable. It is only fitting that a picture makes the finals from the first day of 2020. It certainly wins the award for having the most flowers in any one picture.

#2 Red Peony 

May 27, 2020

Red is always such a great color. I will have that team competition in extra time in a month. 

#3 Pastel Iceland Poppy

 May 23, 2020

This Iceland poppy needs no introduction. Iceland poppies are the best, Three have advanced to this round. This one got the most votes. I love the misty qaulity of this picture. It was taken very early in the morning. Remember that magic time.

I have more than a tray of little Iceland poppy seedlings fattening up in the basementat the moment. In a week they will get to spend some time outside.

These Iceland poppy pictures are all the better with my having grown them from seed.

#4 Blue Siberian Iris

June 1, 2020

Iris are such a feaature in the garden. This blue one is one of the best. I do so look forward to the Siberian Iris this year. 

#5 Pasque Flower 

April 11, 2020

I remember this picture came out of nowhere. I love that little purple tuft in the center of that yellow part. I also love how this flower is just so very hairy.

There you have it. Round 1. 

No one said this round would be easy. 

Right Now

It still is all about our snow. But with snow comes fun, particularly if you are 4 years old.

Having enjoyed our grandchildren when it was cold, it is even better to enjoy them when spring is coming.

Maisie just turned 6 months old. With Chistopher as an older brother I expect she will be on a scooter before too long.

Julia's recipe 

Pork vindaloo sort of 

As readers of this blog are aware, the family from Maine has been here for a while. It has been hectic and sometimes tiring and altogether delightful. The grandchildren are a lot of fun, which is a plus. Sometimes Katie cooks, which is also a plus. This recipe is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. It is even quicker and easier if someone else does the cooking! 

The ingredients: about 3 lb. of pork roast (boneless, as it happens, but bone-in would be fine); 3-1/2 cups (or so) thinly sliced onions; 3 tablespoons smushed garlic; 1-2 tablespoons of olive or regular or coconut oil; 1 can of coconut milk; 3 tablespoons grainy (not baseball) prepared mustard; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 teaspoons of salt (kosher); 1 tablespoon wine vinegar (red if you have it, otherwise white) plus a big bag of frozen chopped spinach. 

Yes, a few ingredients are not pictured.  

Note the scale. I finally broke down and bought an old-fashioned, not electronic, scale. It works great. 

Katie started by cleaning and slicing the onions and cooking them gently in the oil over medium heat in a big Dutch oven (aka enameled pot).

She turned the oven on to 300 degrees.

After about 10 minutes, the onions had given up and begun to brown a bit. 

Then she added the garlic and stirred it in briefly. And then she added the mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt and vinegar. 

When the spices became fragrant, she added the can of coconut milk and the chunk of pork.

Right after this picture was taken, she put the lid on the pot and put the pot in the oven, where it cooked for maybe 3 hours. Maybe 4 hours. Basically, until the meat broke apart into chunks when poked with a fork. 

Here is the pot, with the meat having fallen apart. 

She took the pot out of the oven and let it cool so that the excess porky fat would rise to the surface to be spooned off. And she pulled the port chunks out and shredded them with forks. 

I do not always have the patience for shredding with forks. Sometimes I just chop the meat up. 

Here is a picture after the dish had been defatted (to an extent - no point being driven about it) and the shredded pork put back in the pot.

Shortly before eating, she added the bag of frozen spinach and heated the stew up until the spinach melted and was warmed through. 

Here it is on the table, where we served it with rice (basmati, I think, but any rice would work) and salad. And probably berries of some kind with yogurt.  At the left side of the pot is our grandson Christopher's place. He often eats carrots on the side. 

On the plate, covering the little pile of rice. Some diners added a drizzle (or dollop) of yogurt which was a pleasant tangy contrast. 

A nice meal for a chilly day, which we will continue to have for at least another month. 

We had some leftovers, perfect for lunch.

Odds and Ends

Here is the back yard as of yesterday morning. Little shoots are coming up in the places where the snow retreats. That is  by the house. The back of the house faces south. The backyard is always several weeks ahead of the rest of the garden. I am not complaining. 

 I do wonder how much  snow will be left in a week. There are temperatures predicted into the 50's by the end of the week.

The happy snowman fell apart after one day. The sad one lost its head yesterday.

Christopher was out with food coloring yesterday.

Be safe

Better are times are almost hear. You just have to ignore the Iowa legislature.

Philip