NATURE IS...

Can you see it? 

"Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again, until suddenly we take the hint."

 ~Robert Frost~

CONTINUING OUR VISIT TO THE MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA 7-16-24

Before I forget, I thought it important to mention that the museum is closed on Mondays.  This is just in case anyone out there is visiting the area and may want to go there. 

Above is an older photo of the museum, from one of our visits shared in this post. The flowers below were found on our recent visit in the flower beds at the side of the museum not too far from where we entered the Glen Burnie Gardens.

This was found right outside of the museum's main entrance. Called Southern Globethistle, other names are Globe thistle and Small Globethistle, with a botanical name of Echinops ritro. Like other thistle plants, it has prickly, weed-like leaves. It is drought tolerant and will grow well in dry soil.

Looking for information on this flower, I came across a new blog to me. The host is a lady called Audrey Driscoll and she also writes stories. I haven't looked into that yet as I was more interested in her flower posts. She has several including this Southern globethistle. If you are interested in taking a look you can go here.

Native to southern and eastern Europe (from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus) and western Asia. The species is sparingly naturalized in scattered locations in Canada and the United States. It needs a full day of sun, at least six hours to remain compact and grow well. It will grow leggy if shade persists.

Next is the Purple Coneflower, also called Eastern purple coneflower and Hedgehog coneflower. Botanical name Echinacea purpurea. It is an herb native to North America. I have a few of them in my garden and no doubt you are familiar with them as they seem to be everywhere. Its genus name, Echinacea, means 'spiny', because its flowers are especially like a prickly sea urchin, which also has the same genus name. Some people think its flowers resemble petals around pinecones, and so this genus is called the coneflower. Since it has purple petals around the cones, it's called the purple coneflower.

The red flower is Scarlet beebalm. You can see very nice photos of it here, and also other colors plus different types of flowers if you scroll down their page. The ones in the flower bed near the museum were not looking their best, but I still liked them. Shriveled up with the heat probably but still flashy with their red skirts. A few other names are Oswego tea, Crimson bee-balm, Bergamot and Scarlet monarda. Botanical name Monarda didyma. 

It is non-toxic to humans and is a perennial herb. It forms a cluster of bright red flowers atop a 3-foot long stem, which is particularly attractive to hummingbirds. 

The leaves are aromatic with a minty smell, and can also be brewed into a tea. The Oswego people taught the early European colonists to do this in the New York area. Its common name, Scarlet beebalm, refers to the use of a resin which is derived and used for its ability for healing and pain-relieving, and especially from bee stings, hence its name. Most of the flowers are scarlet red-colored, so it is often called scarlet beebalm. You can read more at this link.

I always am curious as to where they originated, and this one is native to Eastern North Amerca and Canada. Its native range is from Quebec south to Maine and down to Georgia, and westward from Ontario to Minnesota, and down to Missouri. It is also native to Washington and Oregon in the west.

Across the road from the museum and up the hill you will see an old silo. It is one of the last remnants of what was once an old working farm here. On this page, it will show you what they have done inside. On the left of the page click on Silo Skyline to see more. It looks very impressive and I would like to take a look next time we go.

I'll end my post here and show you the gift shop early next week. That will be my last share from the museum until the next time we go.

Thanks for looking and 

wishing you all a very enjoyable 

rest of the week.

LARGER THAN LIFE GLASS FLOWERS EXHIBIT AT THE MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY IN WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA

 

We were here on July 16th, 2024, but because of the high heat and humidity, we didn't get to see but a very few of the pieces from the Garden of Glass Flowers Exhibit. You can read about that at this link.

Next is information on the artist who made them all. You can enlarge each photo for an easier read. In fact, all the photos can be enlarged if you would like to see more detail.

I saw more sculptures than I had thought. Firstly, there was something over the entrance of the gate, a pretty blue glass display, but I missed the info...

and my photos don't give any of these the justice they deserve. As mentioned in this post, we were in the middle of a heatwave. I found myself rushing through, not giving much thought to how I was taking my pictures, and finally we gave up. But, I think it will give you an inkling. 

 For the next one I read online that this was made in 2021 by Mr. Smith. 

It was inspired by the original celluloid hollyhocks used in the production of the "Wizard of Oz" which he saw during a backstage tour at Disney World.

Glass Wisteria overhanging one of our favorite sitting areas.

We are near the pink house shown in my previous post.

Daffodils

Lily of the Valley

Placed in the middle a produce garden where they were growing cucumber, kohlrabi, squash and leeks, there are glass anthuriums.

That's all the glass pieces for now. I am hoping we will be back but will pick a day when we can walk around the whole garden. With August being the hottest month of the year normally, our next visit may not be until September. We will have to keep an eye on the weather forecast.

I have other photos from the garden, and also inside another gift shop in the museum. Another browsing session which was enjoyable. I will share them soon.

Thanks for stopping by and 

I hope you are all having a great week.

AT THE GARDEN CENTER GIFT SHOP

 I meant to share these back in April. I didn't buy anything but had a fun time looking around. At the garden center on each side of a corridor were the gift shops. You may have seen this post.  

I don't know what these would be called, but they were spools of decorative binding with different patterns. I especially liked the one with bees. They would look very nice on the end of a summer blouse or dress, or a tablecloth perhaps.

This design of an old postcard was on the front of a bag.

 

There were so many things I enjoyed browsing through.

I particularly liked the bunny. 

No surprise there!

And the frog!

and I thought these decorative butterflies were really pretty.

They were next to the ceramic froggy watering can.

And that's all from the garden center.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SIMPLE CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

I forgot to take a photo so relied on an artsy picture. I described to the app what I wanted and it was 99% accurate. I asked for big windows with sunlight streaming through them, overlooking a pretty garden, an old-fashioned mixing bowl filled with potato salad, the old pots and wonderfully old rustic wooden table that reminded me of my grandmother's home, the warmth of the colors. I enjoy the 'old' feel to places, like stepping back in time, which is probably a touch of nostalgia going back to my childhood. Until we make this recipe again I thought to replace with a photo of my own, I'll leave it here for now. Or as I love art in general, I just might leave it here permanently.

We made our potato salad on the 4th of July. Many of us seem to have our own favorite and if you have any suggestions, I am always open to them. I have seen crumbled bacon added for instance, and that sounds a tasty addition. Today’s recipe is actually a combination of two. One is from Happily Unprocessed hosted by Debi, and the other is Stuck on Sweet hosted by Jessica Erin.  There are no hard-boiled eggs as my dear other half is not a fan and it was delicious without. He wanted to add an ingredient, can't remember what it was now, but I said no thank you! It doesn't happen that often but when making things there is the odd occasion where we compromise on ingredients. Fortunately we have similar tastes most of the time. If you look at the original recipes, you may see a few tips I have not added. 

4 to 5 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut in half, or if larger, into quarters

1 cup diced red onion

2 to 3 stalks diced celery (approximately 1 cup)

1/2 to 3/4 cup sweet pepper relish

2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dressing:

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise (you can use light mayonnaise if preferred)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon yellow mustard 

Prepare all ingredients.  

Place prepared potatoes in water until you are ready to boil them. Pour original water out, pour in fresh and cover potatoes so that they are covered 2 inches above them.  

Bring to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, turn down to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until fork easily goes through a potato. I try to avoid getting them too overly done as they won't hold their shape when you mix them up. I always check after ten minutes of boiling. (This being said, one of those recipes make their potatoes and mash them before mixing with the other ingredients. We followed the way we always do them in large-ish but not too large cubes.)

Drain hot water carefully over a colander in the sink, place thoroughly drained potatoes in a mixing bowl and let them cool for five minutes or at least until they have stopped steaming.

Pour two to three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar over the potatoes. Carefully combine and allow to absorb for a couple of minutes.

In a smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and yellow mustard until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed, and set aside.

Add the onions, celery, pickle relish and fresh parsley to the potatoes. Combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  

Add the dressing ingredients and mix gently until well combined. Mixing the dressing into the potatoes while they are still warm makes it all blend in more smoothly.  

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

I have added the following website addresses in full. 

https://happilyunprocessed.com/easy-simple-classic-potato-salad/

and

https://www.stuckonsweet.com/simple-potato-salad-made-with-sweet-relish/

This was a great potato salad. We thought we might add the three tablespoons of vinegar to give it a little more zip, but this is entirely to taste so you may think differently. Everything else we followed the recipe and were very happy with the way it turned out.

We served it with steamed shrimp, corn on the cob and sliced avocado.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!

These photos were taken on July 16th, in the garden of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, link here. As it turned out, it was a very short trip due to the heatwave we were having. I think it was actually hotter on this day than the time before when we got it into our heads to take a trip out. We got a clue when the very kind staff from whom we purchased our tickets, kept saying to be very careful outside, to stay hydrated and pointed on the map where we could find air-conditioned buildings and buy bottled water. I have an inkling that some visitors had already had a problem and they were being extra cautious. And then they saw the two of us walk in, and there was that look of concern, especially after we told them we were heading to see the glass exhibit at the garden. 

As it turned out we were here for only 30 minutes if that, and we gave up. Even the shady areas were just too hot. The glass exhibit would have to wait.  It wasn't a total wash-out as we always have fun in the journey. The exhibit is here until October 13th and we will be back on a much cooler day. 

When we saw the lady we purchased our tickets from on our way out, she had such a sympathetic look on her face. She smiled and when we told her the heat and taken us by surprise and we were leaving, she said we were very wise. I thought there was a look of relief on her face, but perhaps I am projecting. We originally thought we would be okay as we had once again brought with us a backpack with lots of water and hats for the shade, but even they were not enough protection. 

It seemed as though the head above us looked down and shouted, "Daft bats!"

As we left I noticed a security guard making his rounds. I had never noticed anyone before in the garden, there perhaps but never noticed until today. It occurred to me that he may have been making sure there were no visitors needing help. He smiled at us and said hello, and then his last stop before leaving was to check on one of the staff members at the gate, to make sure she was okay. I heard her say she was fine, that the air-conditioner in her small kiosk was working well.

We only had the energy to see three of the glass sculptures, and I will share them in the next couple of days or so. Thankfully I think the heatwave has broken. It rained today (7-20-24). Happy farmers, happy gardens and a blessed breeze cooling things down.

Thanks for stopping by and 

I hope your Sunday is a great one.