The page was mottled and creased from use, but over a year ago, I'd closed the book on one of my favorite recipes after being diagnosed gluten and casein intolerant. This morning, with time on my hands (since we're attending mass tonight with the our trappers) and a rumble in my tummy, I decided to pull out my copy of The Breakfast Book, by Marion Cunningham and try to adapt one of the recipes so I could eat it. When my daughters each ate two, I knew I'd succeeded, so I decided to share it with you. GFCF Nutmeg Muffins 2 cups of gluten free flour mix (I used the one from Gluten-Free Baking Classics) 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 whole nutmegs, grated* 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon xantham gum 2 eggs 7 tablespoons Earth Balance Baking Sticks, melted 1 cup unsweetened almond milk Preheat oven...

Jim from Buffalo pointed out in my fences and arbors post that I didn't have any pictures of arbors. I then realized I'd only shown a closeup of the gated French arbor. I apologize. I've posted the arbors in winter before, but I've never shown them festooned in roses. I don't know about the picture quality. I had to go back to 2005 to find a spring photograph. This is from my oldest digital camera, an Olympus Camedia with 3.2 megapixels. I remember when 3.2 was a lot. For those who aren't into digital cameras, my baby point and shoot Sony has six megapixels, and my new Nikon has ten. The rose on the arbor in the foreground is 'Zephirine Drouhin', a bourbon, dating from 1868. Like many bourbons, it can be grown as either a large shrub or as a climber. I often see it listed in magazines as...

What's blooming in my backyard? Not much on this sunny day. Does moss count? Nah . . . . I did find a few things though. Kale and a Purple Pansy. Kale has its closeup. Another shot of Magnolia grandiflora with a locust shell on the underside of the leaf. It's legal because there is a bud in the picture. That's all I have. If you want to see what's going on in other gardens across the country, please visit May Dreams Gardens and look in the comments. I did see a bluebird scout yesterday. Spring is on its way!

Yesterday, the gates and fences bordering both my garden and the six and a half acres surrounding it stuck my fancy. The line "'Good fences make good neighbors'" from the poem, Mending Wall, by Robert Frost came to mind. Later, I reread the poem and saw new meaning in it. I think Frost was poking gentle fun at his neighbor and all of us. Now, I know that Frost was speaking of emotional fences , not literal ones, but after living in the country for nineteen years, I find I support the neighbor's point of view. Here, fences do make all of us, both human and animals, good neighbors. Although my barriers aren't herculean, they give everyone, including the wild dog packs which roam, boundaries. A word to the wise: if you tire of your dog, you are not doing your animal any favor by dropping it here. Before we...