An End Of The Year Miracle

We had a miracle here yesterday at home....an end of the year miracle. I was in the grocery store gathering goodies for a quiet New Year's Eve at home. After days of being cooped up due to this:

 

 

 

 

I spotted a miniature angel face Rose plant ,similar to the one I bought for my mother-in-law, this time last year. Not being a common color, I snatched it up immediately.

I had forgotten that we had one crysalid in the terrarium, wintering over.

When I got up today, I found this:

 

I had to do a double take......

 

It was the first Christmas we were celebrating without my mother-in-law......ever....could it be that knowing how difficult it has been this holiday season that we were given a sign that all was well?

 

I can tell you that we all feel at peace tonight......the end of a year with more changes than we had ever experienced before...and while there were many changes, like that butterfly, we survived and even experienced a radical change in the way we view things...Life will do that to you....

 

From everyone at The Strawberry Mallard...Me,Becky, Angus, Macy, Princess, Bootsie,Lucky, and our in the crawl space kitty, Blackie aka Audrey Hepburn( another tale or tail for another year ;o)..we hope that the new year will bring you peaceful growth...like that butterfly.

It's Simply September!

One of my favorite things to do here when the weather cools down ( and we once again have a little peace and quiet by the beach....) I can do from the back window...watch the migration pattern begin. The monarchs have begun that fevered flight back down south, and they are fluttering all over!

 

Come closer and you can almost here the wings beating...

 

We always have an abundance of wildlife but the colors begin to look a little more vibrant..

 

Even Blackie our little feral feline friend,can feel a subtle change in the air!

 

 

Doesn't it look as though a meeting has been called to order?

 

Turning our attention to the garden we find lemon thyme in abundance....NICEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

 

I have been waiting for a cool evening to make these cookies! One of my all time favorite cook books:

 

My lemon thyme was calling me to make a variation of these crisp thin wafers.........I improvised a little to include the melted drizzled dark chocolate!

 

Mmmmmmmmmm......you can actually spot the chopped lemon thyme in the cookie!

 

Now I have to tell you that if you are looking for the calorie content, you need to end your search now.....I have prepared a guilt free treat here and will not reveal it...however by looking at the recipe, you can pretty much guess that it will be a little on the high end ;o)

....and NOOOOO, neither G-dog nor the Beckaroo are getting any of these.....even without the chocolate!!!!!

Miracle In March!

After all the flooding..........the lives that ended much too soon...

I could not have been more amazed today!

I went into the kitchen and found that we had new life!

After all of the dark days we have had, I can only call her my "Miracle In March". A female black swallowtail butterfly emerged from her cocoon in the wee hour before dawn. Hibernating from Fall, picking today to announce her arrival...completing her journey after many months.

F.Y.I. - About Butterfly Gardening

This has been a passion of mine for about 15 years now. Ever since a friend of mine worked for the Dreher Park Zoo in WPB, FLA., and introduced me to it, I was hooked for life!

I watch for the female lay the eggs on the host plant, then I clip the host plant leaf( or leaves ) and bring them inside. You actually can tell when she will lay one. I can get close enough to actually see her deposit it! You can expect to find up to 20 in a clutch; she will just flitter about pick a stem.
Normally they will lay them on fennel, parsley, dill or carrot tops.I fill the terrarium everyday with fresh clippings, and just change the paper on the bottom. They hatch out after about 5-7 days

When the eggs are first laid, they are yellow. As they become more mature, they darken. When they are almost black, you can expect a caterpillar to hatch out. It really is like running a butterfly day care here, since you can expect to have them in different stages for many weeks. For some reason, the males seem to fly west, and the female south, after being released.

The most amazing sight I have seen, is the emergence of a Hummingbird Moth from the chrysalis. If you are familiar with them, they really do look like mini hummingbirds (they even fly backwards, like them.)

I would recommend this project for ANYONE with children, to bring them closer to nature ( and God!!! )There are so many incredible books on the subject. The Easter analogy always touches my heart....and truly this year, with all the loss we and many others, it is especially poignant...this female hatched after the funeral service held for my aunt yesterday and YE I do know that Someone was trying to get my attention :o)

Bet ya didn't expect to get a crash course in butterfly gardening here today ;o)