Happy 2026

 2026, How did we get here? 2025 went by so fast!

This year I would really like to keep this journal current, my gardens thriving, 

do lots of baking, reading and maybe a little painting.

We already have a list of projects that we would like to get started on 

so now we just need to make them happen!

Happy New Year everyone.

Here comes the cold

Sharing a few blooms before the cold comes.

Cosmo's, Cassia, yellow Forsythia sage which has fallen over, but when it's standing upright,

it's about 6' tall

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Orange Cranberry relish for Thanksgiving

Things that make me happy.

Picking mamma's mandarin oranges, the good fruit cake mix from the Piggly wiggly

and big bags of fresh cranberries from Sam's for homemade orange cranberry relish.

Mamma's mandarin oranges and fresh cranberries make the best relish.

There are a lot of recipes out there for orange cranberry relish

so, please check them out but here is mine. 

No real measuring and it changes from year to year based on how sweet the oranges are.

Wash the berries and remove any damaged ones

I use the big bags from Sam's

Put berries in a large pot add enough juice to come up the 

side of the pot about an inch or more.

add at least 1 cup of fresh orange juice or you can use a good brand of juice. If you do use a store-bought juice, you may not need to add much sugar.

Add 1/2 cup of Sugar in the Raw to the pot 

(I think this brand of sugar gives it a deeper flavor.)

Stir often as it cooks down and berries pop

I just let it cook on low until the berries are popped. Add the pinch of salt, zest, 

fresh grated nutmeg, and a dash of cinnamon. Taste, if it needs more sugar add it now. 

Cook a bit longer, taste again add more if needed. 

Once you have your sweetness like you want, and the berries are completely cooked down 

stir in the chopped walnuts and mandarin oranges. 

Stir just enough to mix and not break up the oranges to much.

Allow to cool and refrigerate.

I spoon into mason jars and share with the family.

1 large bag fresh or frozen cranberries

fresh orange juice

Sugar in the Raw 

Zest of one orange, about 2 teaspoons

Pi pinch of salt, fresh grated nutmeg, a dash or more of cinnamon, chopped walnuts

large can of mandarin oranges chopped or leave whole if small, 

pick out any seeds.

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enjoy, Cherry

41 years and still going strong.

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May 10, 2025 Veggie Garden update

 

April 24, 2025 Veggie Garden update

 

March 27, 2025 White Wisteria

 Hopefully the pretty Wisteria will help you too ignore my moans and groans.

I have swollen ankles again.

Getting ready for the 2025 growing season

This is how we are spending Valentine's day

 

We are expanding the veggie garden.

We have taken the space between the veggie shack and my shed and added

concrete block beds along with a walk-through arbor.

I can't wait to start planting.

January 2025 ~ It Snowed!

 January 22, 2025 

I finally got my wish to see snow covering property.

I got out at first light and walk around taking a few pictures.

We're south Georgia so don't get this but once in a blue moon.

Our back yard and the veggie shack

Driveway side of the front porch

Left side of front porch

Front yard Crape Myrtles line the drive.

November 2024

November showed out a little before the cold started.

Confederate Rose

Golden Dew Drop ~ Duranta erecta

One of the Cassia trees still showing off 

Candy Corn ~ Cuphea micropetala

 

July 12, 2024 veggie shack update

What's growing at my place

Trees & Shrubs

Abelia grandiflora, often referred to as Glossy Abelia ~ If I could only have one shrub this would be it.
I like the new variety's but, I have to have the original. It is evergreen year around and when it starts blooming it is covered with little white bell-shaped flowers that smell heavenly. The bees and butterflies love it to. It's an oldie but goodie.

Althea's, Magnolias, (Tulip & Little Gem) Crape Mrytle, Chaste, Cassia (for beautiful golden fall blooms). Loquat (for its fragrance and fruit.), Camillias, Tea Olives, Banana shrub, Mock Orange, Confederate Rose, Indian Hawthorne, 

Spirea ~ White Bridal wreath one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Just when you can't stand winter any longer here comes the beautiful white blooms.

Spirea ~ Pink Double Play Doozie is a new favorite in early spring the foliage is a deep red and by late spring it will be covered with lots of bright purple-red flowers that will last until the first frost.

(Gardenia) Cape Jasmine ~ which is what I call them because that is how my daddy referred to them, and they were one of his favorites. 

Oak leaf and Limelight Hydrangea 

White wisteria, Yellow Lady Bank Rose, Duranta (Golden Dew Drop),

Perennials & Annuals that reseed themselves

Crium lilies, Rosemary, Autumn Clematis, Hibiscus, Roses of all kinds, lilies of all kinds, Salvias, Sages, Four O'clock, Shrimp plant, Coreopsis, Verbena, Clematis, Zinnas, Cleomes, Cosmos, Obedient Plant, Blue Mistflower, Stokesia, Lantana, Black Eyed Susans, Coneflowers, Pink Knot plant (Chocolate Soldier), Crocosmic, Mexican Petunias, Buddleja, Gaura (Whirling Butterfly), False Indigo (Baptisia) I have yellow and blue.

Annuals 

Spring ~ Coleus, Gomphrena, Marigolds, Morning glories, Moon Flowers
Fall ~ Pansies, Johnny Jump Ups, Snap Dragons, Ornamental Cabbage and Kale

As of June 2024, all of these are growing on the property.

And cats!

 My little veggie shack has exceeded what I thought it would be able to do. I have really enjoyed it. Things are starting to wind down and I can't wait to see what I can do in the future with it.

Hello July and hello beautiful!

Every year when these pink ornamental lilies would bloom the first thing my momma would do when I visited is make me go see them, she loved her lily's, and she had lots of pretty ones, but there was something about this one that she loved showing off.

 
Lord how I miss our walks around her yard and her showing me all of her flowers. 
I have been looking for this lily since momma passed. Last year my sister had some of this lily bloom at her home which is our childhood home and man was I jealous. 

Before momma passed, she made me promise to bring all of her potted flowers to my home. Now, we are not talking a couple of pots. We are talking two trailer loads, plus! 

I didn't want to just take the pots apart without giving them time for everything in them to come up.
My momma would plant seeds, bulbs, plants, the peach pit from the peach she just finished eating wherever she happened to be at that moment. So, I knew to go slow.

 
My sister and I found a peach pit in one of the first pots we emptied that looked like she had just put it there. She could grow anything, and she saved seeds from everything. 

Now, here we are 2 years later and all of a sudden, I have a pot full of momma's pretty pink lilies.

It was such a surprise the day they opened. This was the last pot that I was waiting on and I thought they would be white since I had just had a few white ones open up.
To my delight I now have a pot full of momma's pink lilies and I will treasure them forever!
I do plan to plant them right where I have the pot sitting plus moving some out into the other beds soon.

My sweet momma on her last birthday. To say she was a handful is an understatement!

This is a 4 ft long tub full of bulbs from just a few of her containers. 

 This is the third time this light pink crinum lily has bloomed this spring.

June 2024

JUNE 2024 Ramblings

VEGGIE SHACK

Planted first veggies on April 10th, 2024

Don't plant any yellow, orange or grape tomatoes! While they are cute, we did not eat the first one.

Only grow green bell peppers ~ because you pick the others before they turned!

Grow more banana and jalapeno peppers and other hot peppers.

Plant cucumber seeds every month during growing seasons.

Plant veggie shack with each type of veggie in a bed by themselves, to help keep beds cleaner.

We got just a little over an inch of rain in June, so I did lots of watering.

Since this is my first monthly rambling, I will add a few thoughts from before.

This spring was perfect for the flowers. We reworked all the beds by adding cross ties, bricks and organic potting mix. I moved trees, shrubs and perennials in every bed, and everyone is thriving.

Momma's Ilium Longiflorum often called Easter Lily came up everywhere and were beautiful this year along with her Amarylis.

Salvias and sages were added at the end of May and the beginning of June. 3 Rockin Fuchsia were added to the birdhouse bed. Blue and white Victoria (Mealycup sage) ~ add more white. Blue Brazilian, So Cool blue, which has not bloomed yet. Bog sage, Angel wings which is a pink. Russian sage. Planted Amaranthus seeds ~ Perfecta, in late May and I am loving how they are looking. I can't wait to see them bloom. Defiantly will be planting these again. 

Also added in late May ~ Wild Berry Coneflower which are doing wonderful and Watermelon deluxe which is a new variety. I am not sure I like the Watermelon deluxe as much as I thought I would it doesn't seem to be growing much. 

APRIL
While March and April were busy months it was also the hardest because I was having a lot of problems with my ankles. Which lead to lots of grass growing in the two larger beds which I may just let go until the fall. 

In April I planted an August Beauty and a Frostproof Cape Jasmine which I have wanted since we moved in. I added a Peggy Martin Rose to the rose arbor/ swing. 

Picked up 2 Sambuc Jasmine from Polk's which were added to the front porch pots which I finally painted dark gray.

Picked up a new rose for the Cross bed ~ Chihuly.

Went shopping with my girlfriend Bobbie and bought a Lilac shrub ~ Crimson Doll by Garden Debut
Really hoping this makes it but by June the armadillos were digging around it and I have lost a few limbs. 

So, this brings me kinda up to date. Hoping to continue with a "Notes" page every month.