My Apron Valentine

Flowers from my sweetheart, Peter.

It's Valentines Day!  Chocolate, flowers and love along with sweet memories that come from pleasant surprises are all in the air today.  This morning, I was hunting through my linen closet for white embroidered pillow cases, of all things, and found instead, on the very bottom shelf, one of those unexpected, sweet memories...handmade aprons from "Grandma D"!  No, she wasn't actually my grandmother.  Rather, she was my cousin Bob's (as opposed to my brother, Bob) grandmother and we called her "Grandma D".

Looking back, I remember seeing "Grandma D" only at family holiday gatherings but always wearing one of her signature handmade aprons. I remember her as a tiny, quiet woman with grey/white curly hair, kept neatly in a hair net, who wore black cat-eye glasses and sensible black shoes.  She was always in a dress or skirt and she always, always had a crisp, freshly made and lovely apron on.  And, at least in my memory, I'm pretty sure, she never wore the same apron twice. (Note to self:  I must remember to ask my Aunt Jo about this sometime.) While I was growing up, not only did she wear her own creations, she also made them for my aunts and mother and gave them to them for birthdays and Christmas's, which brings me to why I currently have four of them.

My sister, Chris, and I divided up these aprons, so many years ago, while going through our mother's things after she died.  We fondly recalled "Grandma D", who had passed away, along with her seemingly tireless and artful apron handiwork, many years before our mother and most of our aunts. My mother was the proud owner of six of these although Chris doesn't remember that many--Keep looking Chris  I know you have a purple one as well as a green one somewhere! And, as sure as I am sitting here writing this, for the life of me, I cannot remember "Grandma D" making aprons in any fabric other than a gingham check, but in a rainbow of colors, all intricately embellished with ric-rac and cross-stitched patterns on the pockets and along their hems.

Chris, who is currently downsizing her home and moving to a new one, recently sent me two more aprons not made by "Grandma D" but just as special because they were our mother's, like this delicate chiffon apron she says our father gave to our mother for Valentines Day, long ago. I rarely recall my mother, a tomboy herself while growing up and a lover of sports like baseball and especially swimming, wearing an apron, even as I grew older. However, apparently she did. Of course this would have been before the age of feminism and during the age of June Cleaver, the Beaver's mom (as in Leave it to Beaver, not the Justin Bieber type) was still gracing our television sets each week wearing her own freshly starched apron that adorned her "petti-coated" dress, a fashion statement of the day, to be sure.

Apron by Grace features it's own reversible and attached hand towel that flipped and buttoned to either the left or right sides, depending on the wearer's preference.

Pretty pocket.

Chris also sent this little vintage treasure. I think it was made by a woman named Grace who owned a quilt shop in Merrimac, Wisconsin that my mother, sister and I would often visit when I was very young. It was such a special place, almost magical to a little girl, filled with lovingly made quilts, neatly folded by color and pattern, with handmade dolls and stuffed animals propped up among the quilts and for sale as well. There were sewing notions, sewing baskets and candy stacked and organized on shelves behind a long, polished counter top filled with other handmade do-dads and brick-a-bract. It was such a wonderful, imaginative and colorful place to go browse and enjoy Grace's wonderful sewing creativity.

Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner in 1987 and paying homage to "Grandma D" with long time friends, Judy, Cathy and me, in my kitchen...boy, were we young or what??

So, as I hold these beautiful aprons close to my heart and straight out of my past, I am filled with sweet memories of my early childhood and recall so many gentle women from my family as well as friends that I loved and still love, wearing a "Grandma D" original, an icon of their time and of our family, on dates such as  Thanksgiving, Christmas and yes, Valentines Day,   What a lovely time and a perfect day to reminisce about love in all of it's forms.

As the song goes,"There are faces (and things) I remember...in my life, I loved them so."  Happy Valentines Day and may you also have sweet, vintage valentine memories to linger over today.

Why Wait for Spring?

It was New Year's Day, 2012, just a little over a month ago and it was a cloudy, cool day here at Blooming Hill but nothing like it could have been for that time of the year.  I was walking through the gardens, admiring the muted hues and tones plants take on during their winter respite while making a list of chores that need to be completed before the first breaths of spring arrive. Of course, I had a sneaking suspicion, looking at many of the plants that seem to have not gone fully dormant by then and even now that the first breaths of spring may have already arrived.

I think that's why I decided to experiment a little. After all, it had been such a mild December and January seemed to be coming in like a March lamb, way back on that first day of the year.  Many of the lavenders still looked rather vigorous without too much frost-kill and cold damage. So, I decided, on a lark, to take some lavender cuttings and see just what they would do. The stems, although stiff from the cooler weather, were clearly green and healthy as I scratched away a little of their grey, woody protective coating. The leaves at the tips of many of the stems were still not only green but also soft and pliable hinting that the natural sugars and oils inside many of the plants may still be running at least somewhat freely.

I took sixty cuttings in all that day from several varieties like "Victorian Amythyst," known for it's plump and true purple blossoms, culinary favorites "Melissa" and "Royal Velve",  "Baby Blue" because I don't think yuo can ever have enough of this true Hidcote rival in the gardens and even a little of real vintage "Munstead" because real Mustead is getting harder and harder to find these days even though many nurseries will tell you that they have the this plant. Given the time of the year, I didn't put too much stock into their surviving. Yet, in spite of it all, hope does spring eternal so I dipped them in rooting hormone, and planted them in some pro mix, tented them up inside plastic storage boxes placed in a sunny guestroom window with a grow light on top of them for good measure. I crossed my fingers, said a little prayer--I did say that hope springs eternal, you know-- and walked away.

Flash forward, almost six weeks later, and these happy little plants have not only settled in but also thrived and are growing vigorously, almost ready to make their spring debut way ahead of all of the other cuttings that I will be making in April when the green things really get going and, for the most part, a much better and reliable time, at least for me, to be taking lavender cuttings here in Northern Virginia. After removing the plastic box/tents away from these cuttings, the entire room was filled with the lavenders' citrusy-green scent!  Proof positive that spring is not too far off.

This coming weekend will be reserved for transplanting most of these little guys into bigger, sturdier pots with some fresh pro mix and then easing them into the greenhouse where the nights can be a lot chillier than what they have been used to.  Still,  I believe that the cooler and humid climate with constant, natural light together with a bigger pot will be better for them in the long run.  Keep your fingers crossed that this good idea does not go bad!

Generally, January is thought to be the time to peruse catalogs and order seeds and not for making and plant cuttings straight out of the garden. Maybe it is the luck of the lavender along with the mild weather but I'm glad that I asked myself in the garden that day, why wait? Either way, in the words of Martha Stewart, "It's a good thing." And, making lavender cuttings on New Year's Day was a  good decision too--at least this year.

Foot Surgery

The weather has been so lovely here at Blooming Hill and I'm stuck inside with a foot, the size of a well fed ground hog, after having bunion surgery on my right foot, last Thursday.  How does this have anything to do with gardening, you wonder?  Well, if I didn't get that foot fixed soon, I would not be doing any gardening come the first sign of real spring--not this pseudo stuff that La Nina keeps throwing at us. 

Between La Nina and global warming, I'm hoping that I will not have a piece of beach front property anytime soon, since the Chesapeake Bay is only about an hour and a half further east and the Shenendoah and Potomac Rivers are a mere 20 minutes from my house.  I saw a past cover from Time Magazine showing a polar bear clinging to a small iceberg with the caption reading, "Be Worried.  Be Very Worried."

• TIME Magazine Cover: Global Warming: Be Worried. Be Very Worried ...

  Apr 03, 2006 · TIME Magazine Cover: Global Warming: Be Worried. Be Very Worried
  

  www.time.com/​time/​covers/​0,16641,20060403,00.html

Anyway, right now, my main concern is to get myself mobile again one of these days and lose the walker.  (I'm old but I'm not that old!)  Good thing my freezer has plenty of ice and thank goodness for Tylenol as well as my good friend and neighbor, Joyce, who has been walking Tucker for me. So, for the time being, I'm down and I'm out in a very sore foot kind've way.  Time to go find my own block of ice--not sharing today with any polar bears...sorry!  And, not taking the polar bear's plight or our earth's plight, lightly either.

January Meetings...

Never a dull moment for this dedicated gardener, even in the dreariest and muckiest of winter days. In between planning garden changes, crafting, ordering seeds and plants, keeping the up the greenhouse and securing new spring items for the shop, I've been busy at meetings. One being a goal setting gathering where a group of women sat down and visually plotted out some goals for themselves during 2012.

It's easier than you think and I guess you have to be female to understand this a little better.  I showed Peter what I spent an afternoon doing. He took one look at the poster and said, "Really?...That's very nice, dear." Okay, not the most intellectually challenging thing for a bunch of college educated, professional women to be doing but it sure can get the ideas focused and in place while the creative juices are flowing.. As you can see, mine is all about lavender, the shop and the gardens...what else?

Jane Munzell, Judy Brown (hostess with the mostess), Peggy Carter and a new friend.

More new friends.

My friend, Judy, had a bunch of us over for lunch and a creative afternoon of laughter and friendship mixed in with  a lot of cutting and pasting ensued. Believe it or not, if you have not done this kind of simple, mental exercise or something like this before, you should, because you will not only find out a lot about yourself, you will also find out about all of the things you take for granted and should be thankful for whether they show up on your poster or not. So, I spent the afternoon with women from various professions including landscape architects and landscape designers who are most definitely a lot chattier than the male variety of Landscape Architect I live with.

Nick Weber

Fast forward to the next meeting which was a gathering of the members from the Herb Society of America's Potomac Unit held at River Farm, home of the American Horticulture Society and also one of the various  homes of our first U.S. President, George Washington, just up the road from his Mt. Vernon Estate. These meetings are always terrific...great food, wonderful friends and extremely  knowledgeable speakers. This meeting focused on the 2012 Herb of the Year, the rose, with well-known Rosarian, Nick Weber sharing his what seemed to be unlimited knowledge and experience in the world of cultivating and growing the genus Rosa.  Of course, his favorite rose is a red rose of any kind.

A Knockout Rose from my summer garden.

Among the hundreds of varieties and many classes of roses that range from simple, old varieties like Apothecary Rose and Rosa Gallica to the modern Hybrids, Floribundas and Grandifora Roses in shrub, climber, and miniature forms, he also spoke about "rose gathering foreys" and  "rose rustling." These practices are nothing along the lines of making off in the dead of night with a hundred head of cattle left  grazing out on the range. Rather, it's a much more genteel practice of spotting a lovely rose in someone's yard, parking your car, going up to that person's house, knocking on the door and asking politely if you can have a cutting of their plant to take home and propagate. The process almost always ends happily for the rustler, original rose owner and the rose itself. Sounds like quite a pleasant thing to do on a lovely afternoon, doesn't it?

While at the meeting, I picked up a copy of a book on Roses published by the International Herb Association which was compiled and edited by noted author and cook, Susan Belsinger, a member of the HSA Potomac Unit.  It's a wonderful compilation of stories, instructions, glimpses, recipes and opinions, not  mention facts, about roses from all sorts of herb and plant experts, teachers, lecturers business people and rose growers from around the world..

So, with that, January, for all intensive purposes, is just about over with. Here's to February and what it has in store when it comes to engaging gatherings and interesting meetings that will, to me,  go a long way in shortening winter days even more and, with each day, a little closer to the first blooms of lavender which compliment roses perfectly!

Graniteware

While leafing through Country Sampler Magazine, I came across what they say will be the "Top Ten Collectibles for 2012." I enjoy reading all of the home decorating magazines out there, when I have time and a few of them are and always have been my absolute favorites, like Country Living and Romantic Homes. They are especially comforting on a cold January day since perusing the plant catalogs too much just makes me all the more anxious for spring while the gardens seem to convey that it's just to cold to plan for anything. Even the greenhouse, packed with plants all snuggly and warm, just doesn't want to be bothered so, back into the house I go, plop myself in a cozy, comfortable chair and start flipping through some magazines while sipping a nice cup of Earl Grey Tea infused with lavender blossoms.

Although I like to read these trend articles, I'm always a little disheartened since my home never quite seems to be what's in style, probably because I've been married almost 32 years and it's wayyyyy too late for me to start decorating all over again. Even when Peter and I were just starting out in married student housing at Purdue University (Go BIG 10!) in West Lafayette, Indiana, aside from wedding gifts, our cinder block apartment was largely decorated with furniture handed down to us from our parents and grandparents.

I can remember Peter's grandmother, Ruth Rinek, a.k.a. "Gammy" saying to me one time when she came to visit during our first or second year of marriage, "This furniture is very nice for you, now and it will also make good basement furniture when you have a bigger place down the road."  Hence, a lot farther down the road, we still live with much of that "basement furniture"...in my living room, kitchen and bedrooms.   Of course, we must remember that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure and I really like my furniture, much of which are very nice antiques.   And who, in their right mind, would throw out an antique cannonball bed or chests and rocking chairs that have been in the family for at least a coupleof generations?

However, today I feel vindicated because, for once, I find that I'm actually trendy!...at least according to Country Sampler Magazine. Why? Because I collect graniteware--one of my most favorite things to do aside from growing lavender, of course. Number 4 on their list of "Top Ten collectibles for 2012" is graniteware. Woohooooo!  I collect that and have a lot of it, too! Who'd have thought that finally, after all of these years, I have a collection of things that's trendy when it is supposed be trendy?!

I started collecting graniteware pieces back in the 1980's when I bought a big light blue and white spattered wash tub for only $12 at an auction while on vacation in Wisconsin. I was hooked and there was no turning back. Since then, I have covered my walls, shelves and counter tops with graniteware and love each piece for it's colorful character and rough beauty. Graniteware, sometimes called enamelware or spatterware, was first manufactured in Europe, beginning somewhere in the 19th Century.  By the early 20th Century, this utilitarian line of kitchen cookware and bath utensils was being manufactured here in the USA, largely in the Midwest. Graniteware comes in a rainbow of colors and patterns ranging from yellows, reds and floral patterns to the most common greys and of course, my favorite, light blue. I also found myself amassing white with blue trim pieces in all of it's many forms. I know...I just can't help myself but this stuff is just too pretty and tells the stories of many immigrants to our country as well as pioneers and settlers who made their way across the USA.  Graniteware is certainly a slice of Americana at it's best.

Just in case you are wondering what else Country Sampler Magazine is predicting to be highly collectible this year, here's the list:
1. Blue and White Canton China. Figures...I collect Blue Onion China (pictured) which, apparently, is not so popular this year.
2. Antique musical instruments.  If the piano that Peter and his sister, Amy, learned to play on when they were growing up counts, then I'm in for two trends!  It's also a hand-me-down from Pete's parents and Kevin took piano lessons on it when he was younger as well.
3. Wooden Spoons...NOPE! Not my thing.
4. Graniteware.
5. Majolica.  I have never been a fan of these earthenware pieces.  Maybe a little too earthy for me.

6. Cow Creamers.  Hmmmmmm...
7. Carpet Balls.  I have new ones bought in garden shops and gift shops.  They are great displayed out in the gardens.
8. Wallpaper Bandboxes

9. Silver Plate serving pieces and flatware.  Of course...I collect pewter.
10. Jig Dolls. Wooden dolls with hinges for joints so they can move like puppets.  I don't have one single Jig Doll in my house...anywhere.  I think that's a good thing.

So, that's it, 10 categories of highly collectible things... and not even a mention or nod toward lavender plants...go figure.  Well at least I have my graniteware.

What do you collect?  Anything on this list?  I'd love to hear from you.  Maybe we can make up our own "Top Ten Collectibles."