"TEA IN THE GARDEN" With Irises for 2026

 It is time for a first bouquet from our garden. 

 This year won't be a bulb year as we had a nasty 

March freeze but that doesn't mean we can't

 find other flowers.  There are no lilacs and

 even the Red Bud blooms were non existent.

I am thrilled to see cardinals building a 

nest in the lilac bush just outside a front

bedroom window.  That will be fun to watch.

The female keeps getting on top of the pile of

twigs she's bringing and squashing them down.

Today I set up a little "Tea In The Garden"

photo shoot.  We have lots of irises blooming

right now so they are the main event.

I made some cookies that are so similar to

Oreo Cookies you buy.  I will put the recipe

here at the bottom of this post.

The fabric topper is made with Pierre

Deux toile fabric.

I need to stop and read the new Victoria

magazine!  I do love it!

 Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cookies

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together 3 cups sifted flour, 1 ¼ tsp baking  soda, 1 tsp salt.

 Heat 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed,  ¾ cup butter, 2 Tbs, water to melt butter.  Add 2 cups Choc chips and stir to melt.  Beat in 2 eggs. Stir in flour mix.  Drop by heaping tsps onto Greased Cookie sheet and flatten slightly.  Keep sizes similar and smaller!

 

Bake 350 degrees 5 minutes   Cool

You will be forming a sandwich with 2 cookies

 Filling: 1 tsp peppermint extract:  Blend 1 cup sifted conf. sugar, 1/3 cup soft butter, 1/8 tsp

Peppermint extract!  Now Beat in 2 cups sifted conf. sugar alternately with ¼ cup milk –spread this mix between the 2 cookies to make a “sandwich”.

CLARK AMISH COUNTRY TODAY

 About 45 minutes from our home is an

Amish community that is wonderful to

visit and find lovely items. Over the years

we have kept their map and added to it with

scribbles - especially adding those who do

not participate in the map.  Farms selling

different items aren't marked terribly well so

the map helps.

Keep in mind these photos aren't the best

since they are taken from inside the car and

undercover since the Amish don't appreciate

cameras.  This would be a typical Amish farm

house here:

Their culture is so interesting.  We passed

quite a few schools and I noticed many

of the children were barefoot.  It was 

around 80 degrees out. 

I had never stopped at the first plant place

so I did today.  Lots of annuals and hanging

baskets.

The little building in the collage below is

one of the little schools.

We are expecting a storm tonight so several times

there were questions to us about what we had

 heard about a potential storm.  I was reminded

 that they do not have radios or televisions.

We stopped at 4 businesses and this plant place

above is a favorite.  I have no sense of direction

but my husband always figures out how to

find different shops.

 

Our car came home quite covered in dust

from all the country roads.  The dusty roads

 get much worse later in the summer.  We try 

to stop when we see a cart coming our way

to let them by without covering them in dust.

I have never been to their auction house but

imagine you could find some greatly priced

items.  I remember going to one in Pennsylvania

many years back in the 70's and got a whole

crate of cauliflower for 50 cents.  That was

fun!  I put all of it in the freezer too.

Everywhere there are goats, sheep, cows and

horses and chickens too!

We got some homemade butter which I  am anxious

to try and cheese that we purchased before

in the past.  I found thread that was cheaper

than Walmart's.  I love their spices that

they package themselves.  Today I bought some

of the large noodle "shells" to stuff for pasta.

I got my 3 hanging baskets made up quickly

after we got home.  They aren't very impressive

now but will be in the coming weeks.  I only purchased 4 plants for each one but I planted

marigold seeds in the middle part.  I save my pots

every year and just buy some dirt and peat to

go in them. 

 I just texted our across the street

neighbors as I offered to fill their hanging pot

again from when I made it up last year.  This

was my idea of a fun day!