My favorite place to visit from now until late fall is Black Creek Greenhouse. It is owned and operated operated by a Mennonite family and was started in 1980. It has a wonderful selection of all types of plants, plus you can also pick up some locally grown produce and farm fresh eggs. Customers use a…
Tag: photos
Closer Look
This is a close-up of a bearded iris blooming in the yard (Germanica Hemstitched). The nice thing about a macro lens is that you see things you never noticed before such as the fluffy “hairs” and the inner part of the bloom. It is a reminder to be a closer and more thoughtful observer of the wonderfully diverse…
Apple Cream Coffeecake
This coffeecake includes slices of apples and a cinnamon-nut mixture in the middle of the cake and extra cinnamon/sugar/nuts sprinkled on top. Apple Cream Coffeecake 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Spring Planting with Mule Power
It is time for spring plowing and planting. This is an Old Order Mennonite farmer with a team of five mules working his field. There are two different “horse and buggy” groups who live in this area — Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite. They differ in their dress and customs but share many practices such…
Hidden in the Woods
The pink ladyslippers are making their annual appearance in the woods. Due to all of the downed limbs and trees from the October snowstorm, we do not have as many this year. But if you look closely and are careful of where you step you can still find groupings of the delicate pale pink member…
Zesty Pork Loin
With a marinade or rub, a boneless pork loin is easy to bake or grill. This recipe uses a marinade that includes red pepper flakes to give the outer part of the roast a little zip and a glaze made with apricot preserves. Zesty Pork Loin Boneless pork loin roast (2 – 2 1/2 pounds) Marinade 1/2 cup light…
Hazy with a Chance of Farms
As a complete newbie when it comes to photography, I learn something new each time I head out to take some photos. I spent an hour driving around this afternoon making photos of some of the local farms. I was wanting to capture all of the various shades of green at this time of the year….
A New Perspective
I invested (“invest” sounds so much more responsible than I spent money on something I wanted but did not really need) in a macro lens for the camera today–40mm 2.8. Came home and, without reading any of the directions, put the lens on the camera and headed outside. Since we have an early spring, I have both…
Covered Bridges of Berks County
We spent an afternoon during the Easter weekend making a tour of the five covered bridges in Berks County. Four of the bridges are still used by traffic and one is located in the Berks County Heritage Center park. The Greater Reading Convention & Visitors’ Bureau has a map and guide to the bridges which you can print by…
Pulgogi (Korean Barbeque)
We lived in Seoul, South Korea for two years and during that time, we learned to enjoy many of the Korean foods. Pulgogi (Bulgogi), or Korean Barbeque, is one of best-known Korean dishes. As we traveled around to different sites, it was common to see Koreans cooking pulgogi on a small grill on the sidewalk…
The Promise of Peaches to Come
The peach trees are blooming at the local orchard with the promise of sweet, juicy peaches for the summer. The strange weather this year does not seem to have damaged the apples nor the peaches. While peaches are usually associated with Georgia or South Carolina, there are many peach orchards in southeastern and central Pennsylvania. We are…
Cornbread – The Essential Food of the Rural South
I grew up in rural southeastern Arkansas. When I say rural, I mean 10 miles on a gravel road from the nearest town which had a population a little below 3,000. We did not have electricity nor indoor plumbing until I was in the first grade. Getting a telephone line out to the house took a lot longer and that did…
Mmmmm…. Chocolate
Pennsylvania has a long history of chocolate and candy making — from the well-known large companies such as Hershey, Ludens and 5th Avenue (both of the last two companies were originally located in Reading) to small companies such as Wilbur Chocolates in Litiz or Reppert’s in Oley. There are also many very small chocolate makers such as Lorah’s Handmade Chocolates. Started forty…
Find the White Throat
Even though it is officially spring, we have a few of our “winter” birds still taking advantage of the bird seed. There are a some dark-eyed juncos and I saw this white throated sparrow today hopping among the spring flowers and weeds (Look in the back in front of the boulder). They will leave soon for their summer…
Turkeys are Back
Two wild turkeys came wandering in the backyard today pecking at the stray bird seed on the ground. We have not seen the turkeys since last fall when we had groups of 20-30 roaming the yard regularly. One year on Thanksgiving day we had 30 turkeys in the yard, however we were satisfied with store-bought turkey rather than…
Laotian Embroidery
These are examples of embroidery from the northern area of Laos and Thailand. These pieces were purchased during a trip to Thailand. Laotian women weave these beautiful textiles on looms using silk thread. They are traditionally worn over their shoulder when visiting their Buddhist temples, and oftentimes left as gifts to the monks. The embroidery serves an important…
Shark Teeth and Wild Onions
Once again it is spring and I am digging up the wild onions in the flower beds and yard. I know wild onions have their beneficial uses but they always grow where you don’t want them to grow and they grow in such profuse numbers. It seems that as soon as I pull one up, another rises in its…
Welcome Spring
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24 Sightings of spring and the promise of more to come.
Flowers and Phoebes
You know that spring is arriving in our area when you hear the call of the Eastern Phoebe in the early morning. The phoebe is a small gray flycatcher and usually arrives in the early spring. According to local folklore, it is time to buy the Easter ham when you hear the phoebe. However, this year…
Coast-to-coast “Don’t Miss” Exhibits, Part 1: 82 Amish Quilts from the Esprit Collection in Lancaster, PA
Here is a great opportunity to see some marvelous quilts.
Nature and Life Notes 