depending on where you are from, certain trees tell you that you are home. to a southerner, pine trees overhead are burned into your memory banks at an early age. this time of year , you can smell the spicy pine sap rising, and it goes with the feeling of an early spring day where the sun is starting to warm the air, but the breeze is fresh and feels slightly chilly against your cheek. it’s one of the first signs of change in the air.
last weekend we decided to get out and see some winter beauty before it passes. we headed towards an art museum that is out in the country near us, called the steffen thomas museum. the drive was beautiful, past orange and blonde fields of grass, gnarled oaks against stormy spring skies, and signs of times past every where. i got many inspirations at the museum and on the drive home. here are some of the inspirations i got.
i’ve been wanting to try making homemade crackers for awhile. i finally got a book called ‘easy homeade crackers’, by jim long. turns out, it’s real easy and fun. i started with a basic recipe that calls for 2 cups flour,1/2 cup water, and 3 tbs. butter. you can saute whatever herbs or spices you want in the butter before adding to the rest. i used one garlic clove and a couple sprigs of rosemary from the garden. because i’m genetically predisposed to never be able to follow a recipe, i replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with oatmeal.
throw it all in a food processor until it starts to form a ball. move to a floured cloth and roll out 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. before the last roll, i sprinkled coarse sea salt all over. cut in shapes with a pizza cutter. prick all over with a fork. bake on ungreased baking sheet at 325 for 20 – 25 minutes. great with goat cheese and tasty to snack on.
this past weekend was the first in months that wasn’t 40 degrees and overcast. in fact it was sunny and 60! believe me, i got out there and started clearing debris out of the garden and doing some sprucing up. i spotted a clump of daffodils in the woods, so spring has announced its’ intentions to proceed. i’m anxious to get planting in the garden, but with all the rain, it’s still too muddy to get on the tractor. soon though…
today it’s been one year since we started this blog. rinne, kristen and i have had an exciting year working together and documenting all the beauty. we hope that it inspires you to look for the beauty around you. remember: beauty is free and abundant and brings joy to the spirit, so get out there and find some,wherever you are.
i know a lot of you are sick of snow, but you have to realize that for southerners, snow is a transient beauty spectacle that’s rare, unpredictable, and wondrous. it’s not likely to last more than a day, so i’m happy to say that we always have the good sense to take the day off and appreciate it.
i went for a walk out at the botanical gardens. not much going on yet, but i was captivated by winter’s shadows.
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