There is something very special about coming home. After another trip back east to manage my Aunt Gail’s affairs, coming home is well…so satisfying. My own bed, getting back into a routine and the dogs are always so happy to see me. And now I am at my desk writing my Saturday Meanderings so all is well with the world. Thank you for joining me today!

Weather

Being away is also making me realize how much I take the sunny weather in Phoenix for granted. Out of the 7 days we were back east, 1.5 days were sunny. The Memorial Day weekend had frigid temperatures and lots of rain. I am such a weenie when it comes to cold weather now that my blood has obviously thinned with the 299 days of sunshine we see here in the Valley of the Sun.

Even our higher temperatures I am enjoying! I am so thankful that I did put shade cloth over the tomato plants while we were out of town. If you missed this post which is part of a fun monthly gardening blog hop, click here.

My Stylish French Box

This box has a new name called My French Country Home Box. I do have a quarterly subscription, which is a complete treat. If you are looking for the very best French brands delivered to your door, then I cannot recommend this enough.

The theme this quarter is “Time for Moi-Même”~ which is all about taking some much-needed time for yourself. From the high quality floral pillow case above to Mademoiselle Saint Germain facial serum, the box is full of sumptuous indulgences.

Not only is this the perfect gift for yourself, but for others. You can order it only once or subscribe quarterly. My French Country Home also has a shop where you can buy some of the individual items in the box. And the fabulous news is that I am an Ambassador for them and will earn a small stipend if you order it through my blog site to their link here.

A New Friend from New Zealand

I admit that I am not a Facebook user. It just so happens I did look at my Facebook page and found a new sweet friend, Carol Karl from New Zealand. She generously shared my stenciled bathroom floor project with her subscribers. If you missed that post, here it is.

Carol’s blog is Living My Real Life and her interests are similar to mine~food, gardening, house renovation and she makes jewelry (I do not). It is hard to believe that someone so far away found my blog~ it is small world, isn’t it?

Apple Season

Being born and raised in Connecticut, I associate apple picking with cold weather, cute sweaters and autumn leaves. However, my Anna apple tree is full of apples that we pick in June…..in triple digit weather. Something is just not right about that. But I have a big crop this year so pie baking will commence soon!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Connecticut will always be my first home. Though most of my adult life has been on the opposite coast, I love going back to my hometown of Norwich. Looking at it through more mature eyes, I have an appreciation now of those childhood gems.

High school at the Norwich Free Academy is filled with fond memories. During this recent visit, I tried walking the athletic field at Norwich Free Academy (NFA) to capitalize on the good weather, but it was closed to the public (probably a post-COVID thing). Instead I walked the campus (several times) noticing things I took for granted when I was a teenager.

Incorporated 1854, it is the only remaining privately governed, independently endowed academy in the state of Connecticut. Blending the very best of private and public education, NFA offered me a truly unparalleled four year student experience.

Between the history, gorgeous architecture of 12 unique buildings and stunning landscaping, this a-typical high school is more like a small college campus. I’ve never seen another high school campus like this one and I am grateful for the experience.

If I could only go back into my teenage body with my 65-year old eyes and see it all again….

Informative Posts

Andrea from Design Morsels is such a wealth of information. If you are wondering how high to hang pictures or how to do a gallery wall, check out her blog post here.

Kim from Shiplap and Shells is an incredible gardener and her sweet home in the Pacific Northwest is in nearly every magazine. If you want to covet her spectacular greenhouse, check it out here.

An Oldie but Goodie

This recipe is one of my husband’s favorites. Who doesn’t like Apple Cider donuts? Typically I make them in the fall, but since I did have some of the apple cider reduction in the freezer, they are easy to whip up.

Here is the original post. Not sure how easy it is to find apple cider now, but they are really good (and baked, not fried).

Thanks for Sharing

I just LOVE it when you send me pictures of something that inspired you through my blog. Thanks to my friend, Barb who made the coffee cake with blueberries for Memorial Day weekend and sending me this photo. Here’s the recipe again if you want something easy and delicious!

Well that’s a wrap! Have a wonderful weekend!

At our house, May equals fresh peaches. Generally, and depending on the weather, the first two weeks of May is when our peach tree is abundant with warm, juicy fruit. The only downside is that the fruit tends to ripen all at once. If you don’t glean it from the tree, then it becomes bird food.  

Peaches may be firm one day and ripe the next.  And unlike store-bought peaches, we pick these fuzzy fellows when they are soft and juicy.  We call them the “bend over and eat” peaches because if eaten upright, you will need a face wash and a shirt change from the abundant juices.

I cringe when I try to squeeze a peach at the grocery store and find it hard and an odd color.  But, with fresh peaches, they need to be used quickly~~or canned for storage.

We use the peaches in many things~fresh pies, peach crumble and cobbler, and peach jam. But one of my favorite recipes is for Peach Salsa.

This recipe uses the freshest ingredients. I’m not one who likes really hot things-that are so spicy that you can’t feel your lips. Instead, this one is just plain flavorful.

Simple ingredients and the rest is just chopping. I like to leave the peaches in slightly bigger pieces for texture and flavor, while finely chopping the onions and serrano chiles. Also, I don’t peel the peaches, however, you can if you’d like.

For those of you who have rubbed your eyes or elsewhere after chopping chiles, you know how important it is to wear gloves.  The seeds are the hottest and it’s easy to get the chiles’ juices in the wrong places. You can adjust the heat to your personal preference by adding more chiles or red pepper flakes.

Toss all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Serve with your favorite tortilla chip.

Doesn’t this look delicious? It is another winning recipe. I didn’t need to can any of it as it disappears quickly.

In addition to tortilla chips and tacos, this salsa is great with grilled pork loin, fish or chicken.

The inspiration for this recipe was found in Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.  A few years ago, I spent the summer learning how to can the abundance of fruits and vegetables from our garden.  This is an excellent addition to your pantry and the recipe can be easily doubled.

Have a happy Tuesday. I am finally back in town and will share my story on my Saturday Meanderings. In the meantime, it feels good to be home. Enjoy!

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

I have missed writing to you these last few weeks. Technological problems are fixed on my website so we are back in business. Happy Saturday and thank you for joining me for Saturday Meanderings~where we discuss all good and exciting things!

Fun New Finds

Eufy Plug-In Lights

Our home is a two story house, with all the bedrooms on the second level. Navigating downstairs in the middle of the night feels treacherous to me. By the time I find the light switch in the hall, I am precariously close to the top step of the staircase.

Recommended by Annie from Most Lovely Things, these little lights can plug in anywhere. They are bright enough to light a path for you. There are four in an order. Illumination occurs when there isn’t enough ambient light. Their small size doesn’t obstruct the second outlet.

With one placed at the top of the stairs and one in the front hall, they provide the perfect amount of glare free light. It feels so much safer now without being too bright. You can find them on Amazon here.

Orchid Pot

I am always in search of items that are pink toned to go in the dining room. You can find blue and white just about anywhere, but it is so much harder to find pottery with these softer colors.

This coral orchid pot from Dear Keaton is just so pretty. Even though I am beyond the stage of adding more things to my home, this purchase did not disappoint. It is the perfect size for my dining room mantel and the orchid fits into it very nicely. BTW, it is a faux orchid!

I don’t recall who turned me onto Dear Keaton. Their style is a bit more contemporary than mine, but they do have some unique pieces. Check them out here.

Updates!

Pizza from Italy

We are experimenting with the Talia de Napoli pizzas from Italy (see blog post here). Now I did master the cook time (10 minutes in our convection oven). By adding some additional tomato sauce (I prefer my homemade one), freshly grated mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and a few slices of pepperoni, this is now our favorite pizza. My husband likes sausage on his (not mine). Here is the link to Talia de Napoli. Nothing like a pizza made in Naples, Italy to have on hand in your freezer.

Foster Dog Update

A few weeks ago our daughter had a foster dog, Peaches. Peaches, now Freckles, is living with our wonderful neighbors, David and Nancy. She is literally right next door. Freckles hit the jackpot as she is loving her new home and her sister, Luna. Don’t you love a happy ending?

Gardening

I have a dilemma. For quite some time now, I am battling worms in my geraniums. They bore holes into the young blossoms, destroying their ability to bloom. Literally, I hand pick these creepy worms off the flowers. Some plants are worse than others.

We have several huge pots of geraniums located on the front porch. It is so time consuming to search all blossoms and squish the predators. Does anyone know how to get rid of these pests? We have tried sprays to no avail. Help, please!

The tulips are just now blooming in the bulb garden. This bright, cheerful red flower, coupled with the purple hyacinths, is a joy to behold. To see the entire bulb garden in bloom last year, click here.

Right now I am harvesting all the greens in the garden. The minute the temperature goes up, the lettuces bolt and become bitter. Last week our temperatures were in the 80s and this week it is chilly and in the 50s. Typical strange spring weather.

Just want to share with you a view of my garden from a different perspective. The flower garden in the foreground is abundant with petunias and nasturtiums. Hollyhocks are wildly growing everywhere. Inside the picket fence is my vegetable garden and the sweet building beyond is the hen house.

In the Kitchen

We are still plowing through all our citrus and will need to glean our trees very soon. The new blossoms are filling the air with the most heavenly scent. In the meantime, I made another Candied Orange Olive Oil Cake with Cornmeal and Rum. This cake is divine. There is something about the dense texture that reminds me of a peasant type cake.

You may recall I did make this for the first time in 2018 for a luncheon with friends. See that post here. This recipe is a good use of our oranges and kumquats and I do want to make it again before the season is over. Recipe is from The Kitchen McCabe and can be found here.

Fortunately, my friend, Donna gave me a bag of Meyer Lemons so another batch of marmalade is complete. Fresh bread with marmalade~it doesn’t get much better than that! To see the recipe, click here. I cannot rave enough about this marmalade.

At the top of the post is a picture of my homemade crackers/flatbread. Here is another recipe I just love and use often. Rolling fresh edible flowers in the dough makes them extra special. For the recipe and tutorial, see the post here.

Well, that wraps it up for another Saturday. I hope everyone is happy and healthy as it appears the world is slowly opening up again. Hope you have a relaxing weekend!

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

I often get asked if gardening takes a lot of my time. Overall, the answer is no. Yet there are times during the year where crops need changing, soil needs amending, trees require pruning, and flowerbeds need thinning and weeding. Now is the time to do the Spring Gardening here in Phoenix.

Fortunately, we have someone to help us maintain our 2+acres. However, he has been out sick for the last 6 weeks. My husband and I are enjoying the extensive yard work in the interim as it is giving us a chance to evaluate and improve our outdoor area.

The Orchard

Our orchard has primarily citrus trees, planted long before we purchased the home. From oranges to kumquats, we love being able to pick fresh fruit many months of the year.

Timing is everything when you fertilize your citrus trees. Generally, you should fertilize your citrus tree at least once every two to three months during your tree’s dormant periods of fall and winter. Then once every one to two months during the tree’s active growth of spring and summer. 

Therefore it is time to fertilize citrus trees now. President’s Day is my cue to remember, then Mother’s Day and Labor Day.

What Kind of Fertilizer

NPK is the abbreviation you find on any fertilizer bag. It stands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (K is the chemical symbol for potassium). Nitrogen encourages green growth, phosphorus encourages strong roots for flowers and fruit, and potassium encourages healthy fruit size, shape, color and flavor. Fruit trees need a balanced ratio of all three to support the growth of sturdy roots, strong branches and large, juicy fruits. Consider slow-release fertilizer as too much nitrogen at once isn’t recommended.

Fertilizer works best when applied to a mulch circle around the tree. Mulch circles keep grass from competing with the tree for water and food. They also prevent damage from lawn mowing, and help keep the root zone cool and moist.

Slowly we are working our way through each tree to create a large clean mulch circle around every one. In addition, all dead branches are being trimmed from the citrus trees. Soon we’ll have gleaned all the fruit, leaving room for fragrant blossoms to appear in next year’s crop.

To give you an idea of how many fruit trees we have: 4 Grapefruit, 8 Oranges 2 Lime, 1 Lemon, 1 Kumquat, 1 Limequat, 2 Tangerine, 1 Apple, 2 Apricot, 1 Peach, 1 Fig. That’s a lot of mulch circles!!

The Garden

As returning visitors to my Spring Gardening updates may know, there are 5 raised bed planters in my vegetable garden within a white picket fence: 1 raised flower planter and numerous surrounding beds at ground level.

With the winter garden reaching its prime, it is time for me to plant our Spring selection. First, I clean out all the dead/dying plants.

Next I add fresh compost. I am a huge fan of composting because it is easy, reduces your waste by 30%, and the plants love it.

To see a previous post on Composting 101, click here.

For my garden, I prefer compost that is basically clean; no small sticks or other dry debris. I sift the soil loosely over a wheel barrow before I transport it to the garden.

Here I let it sit in the beds for a few days or several weeks, depending on what I am planting. Currently I am awaiting a shipment of strawberry plants so the bed is ready to go!

Since I buy so many flowers, I decide to have a cutting garden this year. I ordered seeds willy nilly from Floret Farm, not taking the time to determine if they work for our planting zone (9B for USDA charts). What was I thinking?

For some reason I make the assumption that all flower seeds are planted in the Spring, which, is not the case here in Phoenix. With 10 packets of flowers seeds, only 5 are able to be planted now. The balance will have to wait until fall.

Using jumbo craft sticks, I mark the location with the name of the flower, planting date and # of gestation days. Since the sun patterns will change in the next few months, I will be interesting to see how they do in this location.

Some of the winter vegetables are looking so good and healthy, there is no need to remove them just yet. It is very rewarding to head to the garden just before dinner and pick ingredients for a fresh salad. Most of my tomato plants survived the winter so I will keep those too.

If you live in this area, my go-to bible for gardening is the Planting Guide for the Valley of the Sun by Kevin E. Erdmann (2004). I finally found the link online for the Bedding Planting Guide and here it is. However, if you are interested in the Vegetable and Herb Planting guide, contact me at marycrz@cox.net and I can scan it and email it to you.

What I love about this planting guide is that it tells you when to plant by month, whether to plant seeds or starters, if they are annuals or perennials and when they bloom. For a complete list of what you can plant this Spring, see last year’s post here.

The gardening activity will continue as I make my plant selection so more to come on that! Keeping my fingers crossed that the frost is over, as it was 37 degrees yesterday.

Being out in the fresh air and sunshine is just heavenly. The only drawback to gardening is that I am so sore! Time to use those muscle relaxing bath salts I made over the holidays. See recipe here.

Happy Wednesday!

What a week of strange weather all around our country! Sometimes I feel a bit guilty sharing beautiful sunny photos of Phoenix. However, when others are under snow and in cold temperatures, I am hoping my photos are uplifting and a reminder that Spring will eventually arrive. Another Saturday Meanderings is here where we talk about new and exciting things this week.

Pizza from Italy

Italy is one of our favorite places to visit and there is nothing better than eating pizza there. Often we found a cobblestone alley restaurant serving wine and food, loving the ambiance of this country.

Did you know you can actually order pizza from Napoli, Italy? From the website of Talia di Napoli, “We’re bringing authentic neapolitan pizza straight to your door. Each one is all-natural and completely handmade in the heart of Southern Italy.”

The pizzas currently come in an 8 pack and you can select the type you like. My order consists of 4 Margherita and 4 Primavera pizzas. They are very well packed and frozen when they arrive. And you get 10% off on your first order. Price-wise they are less than our local pizza shop.

We tried one for lunch this week and you can definitely taste the wood-fired flavor. I believe I over-cooked mine a bit and next time, I would add additional toppings. But all in all, it is so fun to get a pizza directly from Italy, where we have so many fond travel memories.

For more information on Talia di Napoli, click here.

Local Farmer’s Market Find

Since COVID, I have not been going to the Farmers Market as often. Right down the street, the Uptown Farmers Market is really one of the best. And it is so well run, especially during COVID.

Since I am in an apron many hours a day, I did treat myself to a new one. One of the market’s vendors, Aprons by Lee, has a wonderful selection. Lee loves fabrics and hand makes each apron. The pockets are lined and she will make custom aprons too.

Aren’t these cute? One for me and one for my dog-loving daughter.

Dreaming about a Vacation

Has anyone taken a river cruise? Highly recommended by my friends, Sam and Melody, I am investigating a potential Christmas Markets river cruise at the end of this year. It is a cruise down the Danube and stops in places like Vienna and Budapest. Prices seem fairly reasonable right now. Hopeful that travel will open up later this year, I may just take the leap!

Tablescape Photos

My neighbor’s granddaughter is in town for a few months and she is helping me with some aspects of the blog. We did spend a few hours one afternoon, playing with different table settings. I cannot wait to show all of them to you, but here is a preview.

The soft blue Indian block tablecloth is again, from my friend, Darviny from @dayswithdarviny. Red Swiss polka dot paper placemat is from Hester & Cook. I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and do something other than a white tablecloth. The dishes are vintage Brown Westhead and Moore Cauldon bowls from England and a gift from my friend, Sandy.

Computer Glasses

Lately I notice my eyes seem to get tired, especially after a long day on the computer. This week and a visit to my eye doctor, we discussed getting computer glasses to relieve eye strain.

Since I do wear one contact lens in my left eye for seeing up close and one lens in my right eye for seeing far away, I did order new computer glasses. The prescription will change in only one eye so I can do up close work on the computer, and be tinted for blue light protection.

Not inexpensive, but we only have two eyes and it is important to care for them. Once I receive the new glasses I will let you know if they improve my eye strain.

Spring Will Come

No matter what is happening in our crazy world, nature is a constant reminder that life goes on. Here are some photos of things that are reminders that Spring will come~it does every year.

A Big Heart

My middle child, our daughter, Julianna is an animal lover. Even as a little girl, she rescued birds that fell out of their nests and I remember finding a a pigeon residing in her room. Sigh.

As an adult, in addition to working full time, she fosters rescue dogs. This young woman has a gift. She will get a dog who is scared, unwanted, or abandoned, and then provide them structure, shelter, food and love. Within a short period of time, it is amazing how these dogs transform.

Her latest foster, Peaches, is one of a kind. We are hoping our neighbors adopt her as I am growing rather attached to this sweetie.

Blog Updates

I have been working on a re-design to the blog website, but naturally having technical difficulties. In order to fix them, I may be down for a few days some time in the future. But hopefully I will be able to give you a heads up beforehand.

Again, I cannot thank you enough for all the support, kind words, recommendations, recipes and thoughtfulness you have shared with me. It always warms my heart to hear your stories of something that inspired you from my blog.

With that, I wish you the best of weekends. It will be a gardening one for me as it is time to plant the Spring beds.

Be safe, be warm and most of all, be healthy!

Happy Saturday, my friends! The weather is just beautiful here this week: ~70s during the day and 40s at night. I believe our frost risks may be over so next week will be lots of gardening. Thank you for joining me today for another edition of Saturday Meanderings and all good things this week.

Valentine’s Day ideas

Do you have Valentine’s Day plans? We are planning a very small dinner party~outside, of course. In 1998, we had our first formal sit-down dinner party for this holiday. We have missed a few years over the last 23, but this is one of our favorite events. More pictures next week.

If you like to make special meals, I highly recommend the Heart-Shaped Ravioli recipe. I am making this meal for our college daughter and her roommates. See blog post here.

If you are looking for a quick gift for Valentine’s Day, check out these very pretty and affordable 13 oz. 3-wick candles from Target. Designed by Studio McGee, the quality is excellent and the price even better at $15.00 each. The ribbed glass container has a lovely wooden top with a gold handle. The scent is Mandarin Orange Blossom with notes of jasmine and blonde woods (what are blonde woods?). Other scents are available. If you don’t follow Studio McGee, here is their website. Great ideas for inspiration.

First Blooms

January is a big pruning month here. The roses get whacked down to the ground and the stone fruit trees get a significant haircut. But Mother Nature is so generous and quickly rewards my efforts with these beautiful blooms!

Remember the bulb garden I planted last year? And the mystery of the stolen plants? If not, see post here. Last October I re-planted 50 hyacinths and 100 tulip bulbs. The new growth is just now emerging from the dirt and I am so excited! Maybe I need to post security cameras out there to see who the culprit is….

Being Accountable

In my attempts to be healthier, I do try to exercise frequently. But on those chilly mornings where I am nestled under my down comforter, the last thing I want to do is get out of bed and work up a sweat. My dear friend Barbara and I now text each other when we complete a workout. I can honestly say this is such a motivation: “If Barbara can do this, so can I!” Such a simple way of keeping each other on track. If you need some encouragement to move, link up with a friend.

New Tablecloths

White linen tablecloths are a classic, but sometimes it’s refreshing to branch out. Darviny @dayswithdarviny sent me these two fabulous tablecloths. I love the look of Indian block patterns. Though she doesn’t have an online shop just yet, she has a well-cultivated colorful style. Please make sure to follow her on Instagram.

Making Scones

In making lemon curd and Meyer Lemon Marmalade this week, I obviously need something to spread these luscious lemon toppings. Referring to the book, Dessert University, by Roland Meisnier (the former White House pastry chef), I make dried cherry scones. Some scones tend to taste like baking powder, so I’m a bit picky on scone flavor. But this recipe is truly delicious. I find it a bit odd to use a hard boiled egg, but it goes unnoticed.

Also, I greatly alter the recipe. Instead of making them into quarters, I just shape the dough and use a biscuit cutter. See recipe below and my notes.

Animal photos

Our Maine Coon, Donovan, recently darted outside. Now that he has a taste of the great outdoors, he is very keen on escaping once the back door is open. I love this photo as he has his “hunting” eyes on while he nibbles on the greens.

Meanwhile, Cooper and Sox love staying inside and napping on their comfy blankets.

Have a warm and loving weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest!