Today's Flowers with a donut on the side

Its Monday and you know what that means? More rain. . .not enough sleep. . . Today's Flowers? Yeah, that's it! A much nicer way to start the week. Hosted by Luiz and his flower shop crew Denise, Laerte and Valkyrien. Stop by, share and be glad for another Monday to wake up to.

These are flowers I've seen most recently in the neighborhood (Allium & Iris) and what I've planted for the pretend cottage garden on my patio slab (Pansies, et al.) Sadly I made this collage last Thursday for Blue's True Colours Thursday Meme but thanks to a finicky computer I wasn't able to download and missed the whole day!

“This donut has purple in the middle, purple is a fruit."

Happy Monday!

O, wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?~Shelley

I am totally aware of the fact that I can never make up my mind. . .Although happy to see winter on its way, now my thoughts keep weaving their way back to spring where it all started. What is life without little reminders,

and little vases of flowers all over the place?

These are from my early planting of pansies in March.

Come travel the world today through the virtual flowershop Today's Flowers.

Happy Monday!

Be it ever so random...

...there's just nothing quite like a Monday. Agreed? Here are my newly planted white pansies amply powdered with the whack snow we received this weekend.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, a treat for me from Cupcake, a great--you guessed it--cupcake bakery/coffee shop in Minneapolis. Meet Betty Crocker:

A cat with a butterscotch belly goes bad :::

Bean pretends to ignore her favorite snacks. yeah. right.

Finally. . .to Monday's credit, while I was in line trying to make up my mind at Cupcake--not an easy job for a Libra--this postcard jumped off the turnstile and landed in front of me. An important question for my heart.

“Still round the corner there may wait,

A new road or a secret gate. ”

J. R. R. Tolkien

I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille.

Above, Friday's Flowers are back. These hale and hearty pansies are from my patio bravely *facing* our cold and damp weather (snow is predicted; but then you know how I swear laugh at snow!)

and because I am always counting on the old being new again,

Fleet Foxes, my new fave.

“ Those who wish to sing, always find a song. ”
Swedish Proverb

Spring blows my hat off!

In hommage to the Violet-wreathed muses and spring that blew in this week, making the grass green and the lakes melt, I offer a spring-y recipe. I baked this yesterday using spelt flour, wheat's older and nicer cousin.

Zucchini Lemon Bread

1c all purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I used spelt flour)

1/2 c. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. packed, shredded zucchini

1/3 c. chopped walnuts

1T grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. fat-free milk

1/2 c. canola oil

2 lg. eggs

Preheat oven to 350, prepare 9x5 loaf pan w/nonstick spray.

Mix flours, sugar, soda, salt & baking powder, zucchini, walnuts, cinnamon & zest in large bowl. Combine eggs, milk and oil. Add to dry mixture until just moistened. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Let sit in pan 5 minutes and then turn out onto rack to cool.

Cut into 18 slices=122 cals. each; exchanges: 1 fat, 1 starch

[adapted from The New Family Cookbook for People With Diabetes]

note to self:

"Promise me you'll always remember:

You're braver than you believe,

and stronger than you seem,

and smarter than you think."

Christopher Robin to Pooh A.A. Milne