Lily of the valley fills the air....

My lily of the valley blooms around mothers day almost every year. I rarely see it. I only know when I walk close by. The scent makes you stop in your tracks and smile. You smile not only because of the wonderful smell but because it is the sure sign nicer weather is here to stay.

~Pink lily of the valley on the left- white variety on the right plus bouquet w/ white in middle~
I have lots of the Pink variety. I had read the pink variety is not as well known as the white but is considered rare among home gardens. I do have some of the white, but on an opposite hill from the sister. I pick a nice hand bunch to place in every room as soon as the bloom. So sweet smelling. Now I am waiting for ( Tractor boy's father) my neighbor's lilac tree's to bloom. He always lets me clip a bunch for the house.
Today we traveled over to a stocked pond fishing place. The Captain's Dad use to take him there when he was a child.
Panda & Lil' man had a blast and by the end, both kids were baiting their own hooks. Now the casting is a whole 'nother subject....
Frog & I tended to the picnic set-up instead of fishing. I really do not enjoy it like they do. It was a beautiful place. Wonderful fields of lush green grass, black birds with the red shoulders were flying and chirping, the wind was blowing, and the children... were not fighting....
It was nice.
I made sandwich's, deviled eggs, romaine & spinach salads, plus this wonderful yummy Berry crumble pie. I have a few bags left in the deep freezer of Blackberries, Raspberries, & blueberries, I have been dying to bake with. So I baked us a pie to take along on the fishing picnic trip. I found the recipe here*, but of course I never do anything by the book. I added cinnamon to the filling & hand crumbled walnuts to the topping. I may perk around with again next time. Maybe add some sweet apple to balance out the overtone of tart berries- Nothing a little Vanilla bean ice cream wouldn't fix. But ice cream on picnic would involve an ice cream maker and we all know when you need an electric outlet, there is never one around. I would love to have a hand crank ice cream maker for that very reason and hope to have one within the next 2 years.
Other things I am working on include a HOMEMADE Cider Press! I would LOVE to have one to make all the apples around here into cider (maybe some "apple jack") and vinegar. I have been on the search for how to's, but everything seems to cost within the same range of just buying one from Lehman's. The wood is pricey since you need it to withstand the pressure from pressing and the spiral ratchet is not inexpensive. I put a request on freecycle, but that is a long shot. I thought maybe, just maybe, someone may have one in their garage they have not used in years or just have no use for. Maybe it is old and needs repaired(-I can bring it back to life). Someone is bound to have one that is just collecting dust and taking up space.
I could go for one of those shop presses and make a cider press, but we'll see what I can find.That is just one of the projects I am looking at. Tell ya more later.
Sweet dreams,
Tammie