The Garden Thread - May, 2025

May 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Liz]

Did someone say chocolate?

Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pie / assembled in minutes / needs chilling

Ing 3 cups mini-mallows 2 1/2 cups cold h/cream, divided, 1/4 tsp k/salt
12-oz bag semi/choc/chips 2 tbl sugar 9" baked pie crust or cookie crumb crust

Instructions Micro on HIGH in 30-sec bursts, stirring between each, 3 c mini-mallows, 1/2 c h/cream, 1/4 tsp k/salt til mallows are fully melted, about 2 min. Hold 2 tbl choc/chips for garnish. Immediately add rest chocolate to warm marshmallow mixture. Stir/melt smooth; cool until barely warm 30 min.

Whisk 2 c cold h/cream, sugar, beating on low, gradually increasing to med-high til stiff peaks form, 1-2 min. Reserve/refrigerate 1 cup for topping. Fold rest cream into cooled chocolate til no streaks remain. Transfer filling to crust; smooth. Refrigerate 1-3 hours til firm. Top w/ reserved whipped cream and choc/chips. Slice and serve.

Notes: can do day ahead loosely saraned after filling firms up in fridge. Stores up to 3 days.

[Qiviut]

Busy morning - Walmart at 7 to shop. As of 11:45, the cinnamon apples have been in the slow cooker since 9:30, the Bolognese sauce is simmering until 1:00 & the Cole slaw is made. Company ETA is 6:30 so I am taking a break for a cup of tea before I clean the kitchen & help mom with the guest room.

It’s been a ‘beautiful’ morning with clouds hanging low on the mountains & a nice, gentle rain. We had rain last night as well - might get us out of the drought we were in. What I planted Wednesday looks very happy.

Bunbun update: he or she has received a ‘thumbs down’ from mom. Against advice, mom put some hostas in the ground & Bunbun has been seen scouting the area. Rabbits evidently love hostas ... all varieties. Bunbun is going to be humanely trapped & relocated - I figure the church cemetery is a good spot - cover from predators nearby, a field of alfalfa next door, no nearby gardens to raid & the folks in the cemetery won’t mind. The Veterans cemetery I used to visit (one of my dearest friends is buried there) had rabbits & deer that came out at dusk & owls hooting in the woods - seemed special to me, so I look forward to maybe seeing Bunbun when I visit my dad.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Deer like Hosta, too. And so does the random, on-the-lose Steer! Ask me how I know, LOL! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Eating from The Land, Your Hand, Your Garden or Pantry.

Beau is at a County Conservation Conference this weekend, so I am making a simple supper for myself:

Scrambled Eggs - from my own hens - only hours old!
...with Asparagus - just picked from the garden.

Grape Juice from last years’ crop, and a snack later of yogurt and homemade granola. Life Is Good!

Got a lot done today:

Watered the newly planted Nanking Bush Cherries and the Asparagus

Mowed the house yard and the garden

Watered in the greenhouse - twice - it’s HOT in there!

Found a HUGE jar of Honey that Mom got locally, but it was too much for her to use. Simmering on the stove in the jar as it’s all crystalized and I’m hoping to save it! It’s a pretty bee-hive shaped 2 quart jar.

Re-filled water jugs from the rain barrel. (The hoses aren’t laid out, yet.)

This evening I have all the dog/mule/chicken/steer/dog and raccoon chores to do, plus feeding everyone. And the Beagle and the two cats. Animals get fed FIRST before people, so I’m going to go do that NOW because I’m hungry after my busy day! :)

[MomwithHope]

Raccoon chores??? That would translate into something different her I bet. Congrats on a good work day. I did pretty good here too. Weedwhacking tomorrow.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You DID have a Good & Productive Day! We both did! I’m really tired! I’m waiting for Beau to call once he’s bunked in for the night and I can go to bed early with a good book!

‘Raccoon Chores’ include feeding and watering, ‘Jennifer Cooniston.’ Our beloved ‘George Cooney’ passed away this winter. He was 10 years old! Ancient in Raccoon Years.

We’ve had Jennifer since she was a kit. She’s our ‘Training Raccoon’ in that the latest litter of pups can ‘sniff’ her so they know WHAT they’re SUPPOSED to be hunting, before they move on to Black Bears. Yeah. I’m NOT keeping a Black Bear in captivity LOL!

Jennifer is never in any danger. She lives a life of luxury. ;)

[MomwithHope]

Well she serves a purpose.

[FamiliarFace]

I love dahlias, but I can’t seem to grow them. This year, I bought 3 different pretty ones at two different garden centers. I couldn’t help myself. Trying again. Each one is in a different area. Hopefully one will survive and give me beautiful blossoms. Fingers crossed!

[FamiliarFace]

Can I just ❤️ your post? I can’t add to it, but it was really sweet.

[FamiliarFace]

Just purchased a rain barrel today. I *think* it’s my Mother’s Day gift from hubby. We are on the road tomorrow back to Ohio for just the day. We will get back tomorrow night. It’s easier to go back and forth in one day because the sun goes down later. We both hate driving at night. So installing the rain barrel won’t happen before Sunday, at BEST. SO MANY chores on the to do list right now.

I don’t know yet if we’ll get to see our youngest son, who still lives there. He starts his new job as a line cook/chef at a really *nice* (high end) Italian restaurant. I’m sure he’ll be nervous and excited at the time. Hoping I can squeeze in a hug before he starts his shift, but if that doesn’t work out, I’m just happy that he’s found a new job where there is room for professional growth. He’ll have Sundays off for a change (YAY!!!). Anyway, we are thrilled for him. He’s done almost every job in the food service industry, since he was a teenager. I think it fills a need he has for creativity and helping people. Plus, who doesn’t love amazing food, and amazing service to go with it?!

Our daughter sent me fresh tulips for Mother’s Day! They’re so beautiful, and it makes me happy, because I love tulips (so does she!) and ours have finished blooming.

Oldest son has his hands full. Tomorrow is his birthday, and Sunday is Mother’s Day. They have two young sons, 4 and 15 months. Last week the 4 year old was sick, and this weekend, the baby has something. So there’s usually very little time to celebrate HIM. He often gets the short end of the stick in this modern world. I hope he and his family have a fun weekend, with only a few sniffles to deal with.

[dakine]

They were good.. Now to resist temptation of going back tonight.. 😃

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Talked to my Mom, today. She’s still deciding when we should all meet for lunch for Mother’s Day...though it doesn’t have to BE on Mother’s Day. I usually send her flowers, so maybe I should get on that? Like RIGHT NOW? LOL!

She also told me that she’s coming out for the Memorial Day Weekend, so to have, ‘Her Room’ ready; she knows I don’t clean unless I ‘have to...’ because neither does she! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yay! Another convert to, ‘Diana’s Order of the Fish Taco!’

Extra fresh Cilantro and Hot Sauce...at no extra charge! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Mom used to make that pie. So, SO good! :)

[ladyjane]

Your mother is fortunate. There are some mothers who rarely if ever hear from their children. Others only hear when they want to make sure the will says they will inherit the house.

I once helped a friend with his mother at a nursing home. A nurse asked me to help another patient. Her son took her there one day at noon time and said he would return that night to have dinner with her. That was the last time he ever came to see her two years earler.

[Liz]

I dont like marshmallows——but this recipe would not be as easy and tasty without them.

[FamiliarFace]

That’s so sad.

[MomwithHope]

Happy Mothers Day tomorrow to all mothers here!

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you, and yes,

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our FReeper Mothers!

[Qiviut]

I was in Walmart at 7 am Friday & there was a guy in there, looked early thirties, who enthusiastically told me “Happy Mothers Day” and then went on for a minute or two about how mothers have to get the kids ready for school & some other things I did not understand.

It was obvious this guy was either head injured or had a serious disability. At first, I thought he was talking to someone else because his eyes were not focused on me. His speech was affected ... not really slurred, but hard to inderstand.

What I loved ... he was joyous & enthusiastic - every woman he met, he was telling them Happy Mothers Day - all seemed as surprised as I was & thanked him. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I wasn’t a mother.