I AM worth it!

  Every now and again, we all need to be reminded that we ARE good enough.  Sometimes we get hammered down by the brutal reality of life and it seems that our inner feelings start to lag.  We ARE good enough.  In fact, we are beyond good enough.  We are perfect.  That perfection may be different with each of us but we are perfect in our own ways. 

  With everything that has been happening on the Bayou over the past year, my confidence was beginning to take a beating.  Stress from caring for ill family members and for ill and aging pets just about took its toll.  I was beginning to doubt my own self-worth.  Trust me when I say that is a hard thing to handle.  My remedy was to work myself into a frenzy with home renovations and yard work.  Then, that too, started to take a toll on this old body.  Something had to give.  While I could not take a break from the care-giving responsibilities, there had to be some easier way of stress relief other than my tried and true method of hard work.  It took the idea of a very dear friend to "plant" a bit of happiness.

  One day, this sweet friend mentioned that we should buy ourselves flowers.  While it was nice to receive flowers from others occasionally, buying them for ourselves could reconfirm our confidence.   I do not buy flowers so, instead, I picked.  I picked a bouquet of gardenias and stuck them in a vase. Well, that was done so why did I not feel better?  After doing a few chores, I walked back into the living room where the bouquet sat and immediately noticed how nice the room smelled.  That was nice.  Later, I returned to the room and noticed that the sun beaming through the window was highlighting the blooms.  That was nice.  Still later as I sat editing photographs, the flowers, once again, caught my attention and I thought of Tina, my sweet friend.  Yep, THAT was nice!  

  Those three things lifted my spirits even without much effort on my part.  While I did not buy my flowers, I had followed Tina's advice and had some just for me.  I was worth it!  The effect was pretty special so, today, I went out and picked another handful of gardenias.  If one bouquet lifted the spirits to any extent, perhaps I needed to repeat the process.  I think Tina is on to something here, folks.  Doing one small thing just for ourselves can make all the difference in the world.  It is important to take care of ourselves not only physically but also emotionally.  Tina, thanks for the advice!  A vase of flowers  each week can bring a lot of smiles.

A Favorite of Mine!

  The best part of this time of year is all of the fragrances that fill the yard.  Over the years, I have planted things that bloom at different times of the year. All of these blooms waft aromas over the hillside in waves of sumptuousness! Citrus trees, peach trees, wisteria, roses, jasmine...all leave the yard sweetly scented.  Just this week, the jasmine is starting to fade so it is being replaced by the delightful gardenias and magnolias.  I happen to like the gardenias so much that I have rooted another dozen or so!  This should just about fill the entire yard with their happy blooms and enticing scent.  

  Odd fact....gardenias belong in the coffee plant family.  Now go figure!  I knew there had to be some link as I love both! 

   Odd fact....while gardenia blooms are usually white ( a few are pale yellow), if the petals come in contact with water, they turn "coffee-brown".  While I love coffee, brown gardenia water just does not have the same appeal.

  Odd fact....gardenia blooms make great flavoring for ice cream!  The fresh blooms can be used as an ingredient in making homemade ice cream.  The ice cream tastes "flowery" and smells just like the bloom.  I have made this and it is really tasty!

  Odd fact....after the bloom fades, a small fruit appears.  When ripe, this fruit is used to make a yellow dye that can be used in food or fabric. This I have not tried!  Maybe I should!

  Odd fact....some herbal concoctions use the gardenia fruit as a fever reducer.  Another thing that I have not tried.  Maybe I should not.

  Odd fact...ok...enough odd facts about the gardenia bush.  Trust me when I say that this is a wonderful addition to any garden.  The dark green foliage and brilliant white blossoms add visual pleasure while the fragrance will knock your socks off!  If you are wearing socks and are not barefoot like I usually am.  Then there is the added bonus of using the blossoms as air freshener inside the house!  A vase of gardenias makes everything smell better!

It is a bit "planty"

  I don't even think that is a word..planty..but that is exactly how my son described the bowl of ice cream that I handed him.  Planty?  Whatever! Sure, I did make it out of flowers but shouldn't he have used the term "flowery" instead of coining some new word?  Oh, well.  I liked the Gardenia Ice Cream!  It did, indeed, have a slightly flowery taste, smelled a smidgen like the gardenia bloom and have an almost too creamy of a texture but it was not at all unpalatable.  In fact, I would have said it was downright delicious.  I suppose not everyone is keen on picking flowers from the garden and plopping them in desserts.  I, also, suppose that perhaps men just are not that anxious to eat things that might smell like one of the scented candles sitting around the house. Me?  I am not that picky!  I like things that smell nice.  Candles, flowers, ice cream...it matters not!

  I admit that I have never attempted to make ice cream using flowers before but, then again, there is always a first time for everything.  The success of the dish now has me curious if rose petals or violet petals would create a different taste.  Several years ago, my daughter and I were feeling a tad adventurous and made several batches of jelly using different flowers.  Hibiscus, Violets, Roses, Nasturtiums and Lavender blossoms all were washed and used as flavorings.  My favorite of those was the Hibiscus!  It has a slight cranberry taste and makes a beautiful dark red jelly.  I am not sure that I would like dark red ice cream so, perhaps, the Hibiscus will be reserved for teas and jelly and not make it to the freezer!

  To make the ice cream, I used a standard recipe that Mom used to use in the old hand-cranked freezer.  I altered it a bit to suit my needs but it worked well.  The cream and milk was infused with the Gardenia petals and vanilla bean for an hour and then strained before proceeding with the final ingredients.  As for freezing, I sort of improvised.  The ice cream maker has not been used for years and needed a good cleaning. I merely filled a stainless steel mixing bowl with ice, added salt and situated a smaller stainless steel bowl inside.  The smaller bowl held my ice cream.  Hehe..then I had the bright idea of using my handheld mixer to "turn" the smaller bowl.  Using the lowest setting, the ice cream was stirred causing the bowl to rotate on the ice.  It worked like a charm!  I will include my recipe in the "Cooking on the Bayou" page for any who are interested.  Try it!  It is definitely unique!

Sweet Southern Nights

I love living on the Bayou!  Sure, sometimes there is the unmistakable stench of low tide but mostly there is the sweet scent of the flora of the area.  Early in spring..around the beginning of March, the delightful aromas start with the wisteria. The purple and white cascading blooms fill the arbors with sweetness!  Next comes the citrus blooms then on to the roses and jasmine! The citrus have a spicy scent while the roses and jasmine compliment each other with their distinct bouquet.  Just about the time these start to wane in late May, our hillside bursts into magnolias and gardenias!  Wow!  I never know which I like the best during those sweet  southern nights!

This evening just before dark, I was out for a late stroll about the hillside.   As I neared the back of the house, a familiar scent wafted on the breeze.  I immediately knew that the two magnolia trees had to be in bloom.  Even though it was getting a little too dark to be safely tromping about the woods, I just had to go see for myself!  The blooms were all too high to pick so I just stood there and soaked in the aroma!  Ahh! I could have stayed right there but darkness was starting to settle in and I better get myself where I could at least see where I was putting my feet.  No use in stepping on a cottonmouth moccasin!

If the magnolias were blooming, then the gardenias surely were!  I headed to the front of the house to investigate!  Sure enough, there were the two small gardenia bushes that Michael had planted last year.  Both were in bloom and both were magnificently aromatic!  These I could reach so I started to pick one for inside.  Oops!  Or maybe not!  A fine group of ants had decided that the flower was for them and I was not about to bring ants into my house!  I would just have to smell the blooms from afar!  Planting these on the south side of the house was ideal!  The breeze lifts their smell and brings it in through the open windows!  The cooling night air just heightens the scent!

Both magnolias and gardenias are instant reminders of a bit the good old South.   Both have heavy white blooms with thick, leathery, dark green leaves.  Both, also, have intensely fragrant blooms and it is that fragrance that makes them so unforgettable.  Open windows, rocking chairs, magnolias and gardenias..this all with a backdrop serenade of the small tree frogs and big, ole bullfrogs lets you know that you are down south on a Bayou!  Yep..I wouldn't trade living here for any place I have been yet!  Love my Bayou!