Gatherings and Give-Aways

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Despite the cold, cold nights, the trees keep producing.

I never take it for granted when I pick a fruit in my own garden.

Hello dear friends,

Thank you for your e-mails, cards, letters, and the photos of My First Bird Book and Bird Feeder, which you've been snapping and sending to me from bookstores all over America!

January has been a time of many changes and much reflection, a busy time for work, garden, and gatherings, so this will be a short posting, and it sort of jumps around–a bad habit I have and one which my grandmother Nonie Clarke called "jumping around like a fart in a skillet."

The old farm table is set for our New Year's eve supper. Rosemary, the herb of remembrance (and believe me, all at the party were doing lots of remembering of friends and loved ones) is garlanded down the table. We hadn't planned a gathering, but our friend Bruce had a mother in a local care facility, another friend had a husband in the hospital, another just wanted to be with us, so we all came together for an evening of friendship.

I always drape the dining room chandelier in olive branches to bring peace to the new year.

Susie Bassetti (my cooking class co-teacher), John Gonyer, and my Jeff.

Susie Bassetti brought their first pressing of virgin Taggiasca olive oil (an absolutely amazing taste), and a bottle of Bassetti wine. Ginny helps prepare the salad.

We all cooked and contributed and later we had a huge fire in the fireplace. Our friend Ginny passed on the tradition of writing what you want in the new year on one side of a piece of paper. On the other side, we had to write what we wanted to erase from the past year. We all did that, wished each other well, and tossed our papers into the fire.

Nights grew freezing cold. Around midnight, Jeff and I would drape citrus trees, succulents, and lemon verbena in sheets and my nightgowns.

Don't the nightgowns look like they're hugging as they do their job of protecting the succulents?

And everything survived the 32 degree weather (colder than in Maine).

January has mostly been about work, getting over colds, and resuming a normal life after the hectic holidays. Since I work alone all the time, it is a special joy to welcome my Kiddie Writers Group to my home for the first meeting of 2013.

Only my girlfriend Sherry Shahan (Ice Island just released in paperback) would bring me a newly sprouted avocado as a hostess gift. I love it.

Elizabeth Spurr (my Lizzie) has a new book out called In the Garden (pre-school board book), and another just being released, At the Beach, also a pre-school and both published by Peachtree.

Artist/illustrator Helen K. Davie, author Cindy Rankin, author Elizabeth Van Steenwyck, who is the author of more than 65 books for children, one movie, and a zillion magazine articles.

Author/illustrator Stephanie Roth Sisson shares a storyboard for her new illustrated children's book, which will be published by Roaring Brook. Steph has a long line of books to her credit, but this will be both written AND illustrated by her.

The group does very clear, instructive critiques. Always done with love and the interest of YOU doing your best work possible. They spent 45 minutes critiquing a synopsis I have been slaving over for two weeks. A synopsis–what could be so hard about that??? Everything. You try to encapsulate 250 pages in just two pages. And, it has to be exciting, have a narrative arc, AND make an editor WANT your work. Yikes. (Cynthia Bates, who won "Most Promising Manuscript at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, is a fantastic writer, who has had things published, but is awaiting word on her novel). Good luck Cynthia (she is behind the book lampshade)

Enough already. I have gone on too long and must get ready for a birthday party for an 80 year old friend. 

Please do leave a comment, and you will be eligible for the drawing of this gorgeous Timber Press book, Garden to Vase by Linda Beutler, which will lead you to creating fabulous and unusual bouquets from your garden.

And, if you are a member of the Grimy Hands Girls' Club and you are drawn for the book, you'll also receive a bonus of these fantastic, hand-saving, Royal Horticultural Society gardening gloves, which were donated to the drawing by Gardener's Supply of Burlington, Vermont, one of my favorite companies (employee owned and operated). I have a pair, and they've saved my hands from bramble and rose scratches, from cold and water, from everything. They're wonderful.

Heavy duty Winter Touch garden gloves from Gardener's Supply.

Thank you for stopping by. Please leave a comment so that you're eligible for the drawing, which will be held one week from today.

Simple joys,

Sharon

Thank you to Country Gardens (Early Spring 2013) for featuring My First Bird Book and Bird Feeder in your pages. I love all the birdie products and stories. You're the best.

Feather Your Nest

Bird's nest cookies simple enough for a four year old to create

Dear Friends,

Spring, birdsong, nest building, hidden eggs, and the magic of newborn birds. How could anyone not love this time of year?

A real bird's nest, which is NOT simple in any way!

To celebrate the season, we make simple bird's nests for our special family gatherings. These nests are easy enough for a four year old (with grown-up help) to make. They're featured in the cooking section of my book Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars. 

If you're like me, you do not feed your children much sugar, but I believe that "everything in moderation" is a good adage. Sometimes the forbidden becomes the desired. So, remember moderation and have fun making these sweet little nests.

Sometimes (it depends on the children) I add a bit of toasted coconut to the freshly formed nests. The coconut looks very twiggy and natural.

By necessity, this is a short, short posting. A big schedule crunch has me on the run, but I think things will return to normal by next week.

I'm happy to announce a series of winners of the give-aways I posted last week. The winner of the Gardener's Supply kneeler is: Dee Nash, Red Dirt Ramblings.

The five winners of the Peaceful Valley Farm Supply tins of seeds are: Jeri Landers (Hopalong Hollow Gazette), Martha Ellen (Anonymous), Donna Conghaile (Conghaile Cottage), Clarice (Storybook Woods), and (Bees, Birds, Berrries and Blooms). Winners, send us your mailing addresses. Please.

Last week, I received a FABULOUS book, The Birding Life-A Passion for Birds at Home and Afield from Clarkson Potter (this is a colorful, coffee table sized book). I literally lost myself in the glorious pages, which are filled with history, decorating, and the homes and studios of great bird artists like Audubon, Charley Harper, Kenn Kaufman, David Sibley, Julie Zickefoose, and others. I loved the profiles of irreplaceable ornithologists, such as Stephen Kress, who reestablished the puffins on Egg Island in Maine, and the personal collections of antique and contemporary carved birds featured in the homes of passionate and dedicated bird lovers. You will want to feather your nest after reading this book!

One of the treats in this book was seeing photos of Hog Island, Maine, which is where you can go to an old-fashioned camp to learn about the magical and amazing lives of birds. Years ago, I received a scholarship to Hog Island Ornithology Camp from the Audubon Society. Jeff and I spent a week studying birds outdoors, catching and banding them, and studying specimens in the lab and on the land and sea. 

If you're a bird lover, you will treasure this book. If you're just beginning to appreciate birds, well, this book could send you into the stratosphere. TO WIN THIS BOOK, simply leave a short comment on my blog about what birds mean to you and how they enrich your life. The winner be chosen next week by a random drawing. I feel so happy to pass this on to YOU.

All joys,

Sharon

Forgive Me My Clay Feet

Borage in bloom in the pocket-sized kitchen garden. Scientists have found that Green Lacewings often  lay their eggs on the stems of borage when given the chance. Could it be because of the hairy stems, which would be a great protection for eggs?

What would I do without my garden?

What would I BE without my garden?

Dear Friends,

As many of you have reminded me, I DID promise to pull the give-away winners out of the hat on March 25th–and I DID. I just haven't had the time to post a blog. Chalk it up to my clay feet, which is truer than true. This garden of mine is mired in a gooey clay after the wonderful and welcome rains we just had. No matter that I've been feeding and topping the soil for six years; it still hasn't succumbed to my coddling.

Looking from Mockingbird Studio toward the kitchen garden (tin tubs are filled with mini-gardens planted by grands). Spring glints off every shimmering new leaf.

I am painting some final illustrations for My First Bird Book and Feeder, which will be released this fall, and I had to write a Lowe's blog article, and finish an upcoming personal article for Country Gardens magazine. The article was fairly lengthy, and it took me a bit longer than expected, but it is in the hands of James Baggett (editor of CG), and he will prune it as necessary.

Artichokes, rhubarb, arugula, chives, calendula, and so much more in this little pocket paradise.

Please check the end of this entry for the winners and for the upcoming give-away for this new posting. Remember, members of my Grimy Hands Girls' Club will receive a bonus give-away if drawn as the winner.

Ok, now it is time for me to admit that I am CRAZY about scented Pelargoniums (often called Geraniums) and have collected them for too many years to mention. I think I was a teenager when I bought my first, which was an Attar of Rose. You will become addicted to these easy-to-grow and  little plants. When you look at some of their blooms, you'll swear they are as glorious as orchids (my humble opinion).

Peppermint scented Pelargonium is famous not only for its scent, but also for the big (sometimes five inches across), softly furred leaves. This thrives in the shade here in San Luis Obispo. I have had this plant in all my gardens since my son Noah bought it for me for Mother's Day decades ago. This one is about five feet wide and three feet tall. I take starts to grow indoors, too. This produces a tiny, white flower, which I add to fruit salads and cold summer drinks.

What a sweetheart. This is Apple, scented like its namesake, and the flowers are about the size of a dime. These flowers, mixed with others more colorful, look lovely sprinkled over custards, salads, cheesecake, homemade ricotta or yogurt cheese. Both the apple and nutmeg are great diminutive plants for containers.

Nutmeg looks similar to apple, but the scent is very different. Though I must admit that if you've ever grated fresh nutmeg, this doesn't really smell like it. Use these flowers as above.

Oh, that garish Mrs. Taylor. She always was a show-off (in the world of scenteds).  Lipstick red and proud of it.

This Coconut is the tiniest, with blooms smaller than my baby fingernail. This actually does smell a bit like coconut. I have only been able to grow this from seed. It self sows prolifically.

Village Hill Oak scented gets large. I cut these for floral arrangements, and they last for a week. Look at those dear, splotched faces. I love them. The leaves have a dark center splotch.

Lime. The name says it all.

Lemon crispum (aka fingerbowl because it was once floated in fingerbowls at fine feasts). This photo belies the small size. This little charmer looks great in a pot. Mine has been in a big terra cotta container for a dozen years. I constantly cut this for bouquets and cooking. Yummy.

Skeleton Rose, with its finely cut, rose scented leaves, is delightful. I use this bloom in my homemade yogurt cheeses. It is lovely.

Ok, remember that I have clay feet. I might have gotten some of these names wrong, but I'm fairly sure that things are correct. I labeled them as soon as they were planted.

I could show you about another 30 of these scenteds, from apricot to ginger to cinnamon, mint to Lemon Balm, but I think you get the picture that I love these members of my garden family. If you're thinking you might be hooked on scented Pelargoniums, let me recommend the FABULOUS catalog and web-site of Mountain Valley Growers, which is the nations' largest provider of certified organic herbs, perennials, and veggies. I have dealt with them for many years, and they never let me down. The way they ship their plants guarantees that there won't be any fatalities.

Part of a large order of plants I received from Mountain Valley Growers. These arrived in compartmentalized cardboard boxes and not one was damaged. Fabulous!

My pal Karen Weir-Jimerson's book So Much Sky goes to Jeri Landers of Hopalong Hollow Gazette. This seems very fitting since Jeri leads the same sort of life as Karen. Congratulations, dear Jeri! We will send out your book this week.

Congratulations to Laura from Cottage and Broom. You've won the fabulous kneeler from Gardener's Supply Company in Burlington, Vermont. They'll ship the kneeler directly to you.

Good-bye for now and enjoy every minute of your spring. Remember to be kind and don't let anyone get your goat.

All joys,

Sharon

P.S. Because of the enthusiastic response to my last postings, Gardener's Supply Company is donating ANOTHER fabulous kneeler for another give-away. Leave a comment on this posting. Gardener's Supply will ship your kneeler directly to you. This is a great, 100 percent employee owned company.

Also, the wonderful folks at Peaceful Valley Farm Supply are offering FIVE of their tin seed collections as give-aways to five of you who comment on this blog. Peaceful Valley will ship directly to you and will include an up to date catalog of their great offerings.

Drawing for both the kneeler and the five seed tins will be the day of my next posting. Notice I'm not giving you a date so you can't chide me about being late.