A Kansas Country Garden in 2013

I have spent a delightful end-of-the-year afternoon reviewing and reflecting on my 2013 garden. How easily both the highs and lows of a gardening season are forgotten! I am thankful for this little blog which has become a great way to record happenings. Would you like to join me and we look back over a very blessed year? If you would like to see more photos or read additional information, the caption under each photo is a link back the to original post. Here's a toast to gardening! Every year brings surprises and delights!

February

Crocus are always the first to bloom bringing hope of winter's end.

The crocus were soon covered by a foot of snow!

March

The daffodil season began in March

April

Due to a cooler spring, the daffodils had a much longer bloom time.

A very late ice storm brought beauty and devastation to the garden.

Spring was rather slow in coming. Below-This crabapple tree bloomed, but other trees did not.

May

Spring finally settles in

There were fewer lilac blooms, but they were lovely

The poppy season is brief but cherished.

Yes, we all need to stop and smell the roses. The scent is quite delightful.

June

The bloom of the Missouri Primrose is one of my favorites. Below: This David Austin rose has brought me so much joy over the years.

Lilies add an elegance to the garden.

July

Nothing says "Kansas" like our glorious sunflowers.

Hibiscus bloom in spite of sweltering heat.

August

August brought rain and an end to a two-year drought--the flowers loved it!

Sweet Autumn Clematis has thousands of tiny blooms.

September

Autumn Joy Sedum is one of my favorite plants. It looks good in all seasons, even winter, but it really shines in the fall.

October

Brilliant berries on the pyracantha bush help bid a fond farewell to the gardening season. 

Top Ten Recipes of 2013

Here's a look back at some of the recipes featured on my blog in 2013. They have been ranked by the number of views that they had. I loved them all, but readers loved some more than others. (Click on the title or caption for the origional post and recipe.)

#10 Skillet Cookies

My mother made Skillet Cookies and I hadn't had them in years. The secret ingredient is dates. As the name suggests they are not baked, but a syrup is cooked in a skillet and poured over crisp rice cereal.

#9 Prize-Winning Brownies

Moist and delicious, they go together quickly for a tasty snack. This recipe was one used to win purple ribbons at the 4-H Fair. But there is a little more to the story. . . 

#8 Cheesy Crustless Quiche

Packed full of cheeses and accented with roasted peppers, this recipe works great for a week-night supper or a special breakfast. I often bring it to our monthly card parties.

#7 Sourdough Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake

Blueberries make a delicious coffeecake. 

#6 Red Pepper Honey Jam

I made this recipe for the first time this year and it was a definite keeper.  I don't think you can buy this at the grocery store.

#5 Sourdough Rhubarb Coffeecake

Yes, it was a year for sourdough recipes. We have this in the spring during the brief rhubarb harvest.

#4 Sourdough Banana Bread

Most homemade banana bread is good, but sourdough banana bread is superb!

#3 Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Cake

The chocolate chip topping is better than frosting--a perfect summertime treat!

#2 Vereneke with Ham Gravy

This traditional Low German dish is always on our menu at Christmastime. 

#1 Sourdough Zucchini Bread

Top recipe this year was Sourdough Zucchini Bread. Perhaps it was my lovely models. I think of Zucchini Bread as a summertime only treat but interest has continued throughout the year. Yum! Can't wait till next summer to make it again!

One of my goals for 2014 is to work on my food photography. A new camera and book may help. May I wish each of you a blessed New Year? 

Sing a Thanksgiving Song (all year long)

Who says there are no Thanksgiving songs? I actually heard someone on the radio say this. Well, they are wrong! There are beautiful Thanksgiving songs, but you might have to look in the hymnbook to find them. One of my favorites is "For the Beauty of the Earth."  I cannot limit this hymn only to the Thanksgiving season for I often find it drifting through my mind as I survey the world I live in and gawk at the amazing Kansas skies. Here then are the words to this beautiful hymn supplemented by photos from my garden and my childhood.

Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours!

 Lord of all, to thee we raise

 this our hymn of grateful praise.

He Prayed for Me: Jacob B. Becker

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

My great-grandfather, Jacob B. Becker was a praying man. Even though he never met me, he prayed for me. He prayed for my sons, too.

Jacob B. Becker
1868-1948

Jacob B. Becker began his life April 3, 1868 in Karlswalde, a small Mennonite colony in the Russian province of Volhynia.

It's Time: Baked Potato Soup with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

When the dusky autumn skies become a steely grey. . . 

When the nip in the air becomes a definite chill. . . 

When there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees. . . 

When the moisture in the air assaults your skin with tiny pellets. . . 

Then it's time. It's time for soup.