Winter Beauty Bonus!

Here we are five days into January 2013 and it's time I got back to blogging! Our nest is now empty once again as both my chickies have flown back to their "other" homes... The laundry is caught up and the freezer is a little lighter... Supper is in the oven - a nice rich Beef Stew - slowly simmering away and smelling yummy. I love "comfort food" in the winter, don't you? Stews, soups, chili, Shepherd's Pie... yummmm. Just add a salad and some crusty rolls and my tumtum is happy...ahhhhh.



I neglected to share these Amaryllis photos with you in December when this was in full bloom. It had two stalks with four blooms each. My photos are not the best, but you get the idea. It is such a treat to me to have fresh blooms in the midst of a cold snowy winter. There's not much I enjoy more than this (well, maybe chocolate.... wink...) Although the two stalks did not grow quite as tall as usual (I blamed it on the lack of sunny days) the red blooms added a festive touch to my blue kitchen! I cut down the two stems about  a week ago and placed the pot back on my kitchen windowsill to watch the three emerging leaves grow...
 



Imagine my surprise when two days ago I see this! Another big bud is growing - there's going to be more blooms! BONUS!!! How lucky am I?!! I love the anticipation  - watching each day as the stalk grows a measurable amount and the bud slowly cracks open to reveal the unfurling petals. As the long cold winter stretches ahead of us, what a treat to have this to look forward to. Of course.. the blooms never last quite long enough. Too bad they couldn't last for weeks instead of days... But hey!  I'm happy. I'm certainly getting my money's worth from this bulb!!

Peace,
Linda

"Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed and a giant oak in an acorn." 
~ William Arthur Ward