Chuckle of the Day - Bamboo Barbie

My name is not always The Redhead Riter. I am also frequently called Mommy or The Wife, but at work I am infamously known as The Plant Killer. In spite of such a terrible reputation as killing every living plant within my immediate area, a co-worker named Eric believes that I have a hidden green thumb. A couple weeks ago I received an email that read:

"You have been tasked to watch my Barbie girls for me. You've heard of Malibu Barbie? Well, you have Bamboo Barbie......LOL. Thanks!"

At first, I had no idea what in the world he was talking about, but then it hit me. I looked up to the shelf that is usually bare and sure enough, there sat the Bamboo Barbies. Apparently I have a month long plant sitting duty.


Being the Daddy to three girls has definitely had an effect on Eric's lingo and maybe his brain since he is leaving his beloved plants in my care.

I hope I don't kill the Barbies.

Ewww, that just wouldn't be a pretty sight.

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Clover Necklaces

It almost felt like Spring was in the air today, so it is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago we were buried with snow. As a child, I spent most of my time outside during the Spring and Summer. Since my sister was four years younger, I learned to play alone.

I made little rafts of dried leaves for ants.

I chased butterflies.

I sat very still hoping for dragonflies to land close to me.

I leaned back in my swing and watched the clouds float along.

I cooked pretend dandelion soup.

One of my most favorite things to do was to make clover flower necklaces. I would pick pink and white clover flowers, put a small slit with my plastic "play" knife at the bottom of the stem creating a hole. Next, I inserted the stem of the next clover flower through the hole until it was flush with the stem. Then I would cut a slit in that stem and pull another flower through the hole until it was flush with the stem. I did this until it was long enough to make a necklace (a very primitive lei) and then I tied the two stem ends together.

Bees chased me.

I made a new necklace at least five times a week.

I was too ignorant to realize that twenty clover flowers hanging around my neck made me very attractive to the buzzing bees.

Ignorance is not always bliss.

Now I understand why my mother didn't wear her necklace very long.



I should tell you about the Cowboys and Indians tomorrow. Then you will be laughing that not only did I look like an orange tipped matchstick that wore necklaces to attract bees, but that I simply had no common sense.

Did you make clover flower necklaces? Did the bees chase you too? What did you do outside during the summer?

There is a garden
in every childhood,
an enchanted place
where colors are brighter,
the air softer,
and the morning
more fragrant
than ever again."
~Elizabeth Lawrence~

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Flowers and One Bee

How did the whole tradition of "giving flowers"to each other begin?

The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography which was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken.

Isn't that just so romantic?

Here are some pictures and meanings of a few flower favorites:

ARBUTUS - Thee Only Do I Love




BELLS OF IRELAND - Good Luck



CAMELLIA (PINK) - Longing for you


CHRYSANTHEMUM (GENERAL) - You're a Wonderful Friend, Cheerfulness and Rest.




DAFFODIL - Regard, Unrequited Love, You're the Only One, The Sun is Always Shining when I'm with You


GARDENIA -You're Lovely, Secret Love



IRIS - Fleur-de-lis, Emblem of France, Your Friendship Means so Much to Me, Faith, Hope, Wisdom and Valor, My Compliments



MONKSHOOD - Beware, A Deadly Foe is Near


ORANGE BLOSSOM - Innocence, Eternal Love, Marriage and Fruitfulness


PRIMROSE - I Can't Live Without You


SPIDER FLOWER - Elope with Me




STEPHANOTIS - Happiness in Marriage, Desire to Travel


SWEETPEA - Good-bye, Departure, Blissful Pleasure, Thank You for a Lovely Time


TULIP (GENERAL) - Perfect Lover, Frame, Flower Emblem of Holland
TULIP (RED) - Believe Me, Declaration of Love



ZINNIA (MAGENTA) - Lasting Affection



When I was a little girl I loved to play outside with the neighborhood children. I also loved plants and flowers, but I did not like bugs and was terrified of bees. Our yard had a whole bunch of bee covered flowers which I did my best to avoid.

One day, all the older children came over to my backyard and wanted to play "Cowboys and Indians." They all decided that I was the only Indian and they were the Cowboys. We chased each other and hid as children do.

It was finally time to be "captured" and they tied me to my blue and white swing set. It was all in good fun until...

A bee landed on my bare leg.

I SCREAMED and kept on SCREAMING.

The bee stung me.

I HOLLERED EVEN LOUDER.

Everyone thought that I was being a really good "captured" Indian, so they basically ignored me until I started to cry.

I remember Mom rushing out and saying, "Why did you let them tie you up?"

I still can see her face. She was so perplexed and obviously wondered why "her" child would allow such a thing to happen.

All I really remember about the rest of the experience was that she put some kind of thick (I mean REALLY THICK) black goo on it. Boy did the sting hurt and my leg was so swollen!

I guess you can guess how I act now every time a bee gets close to me...yep...I scream like a crazy girl and run with my hair flying and arms flailing.

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From Plant To Plate

Country cooking meets healthy cooking is almost an impossible combination.

"Almost" being the key word.

The country girl wants to flavor all her food with salt pork or bacon drippings. The city girl wants to use a tablespoon of olive oil and lots of spices. In those grease/oil battles, "cleaner" arteries usually wins out. However, sometimes it has to be a compromise.

Terry, my brother-in-law, has a beautiful garden which he unselfishly shares with the family. I can not ever thank him enough! He obviously has a "green" thumb which is the opposite of my "brown" thumb. You can judge this for yourself by clicking here...Plant Murderer

My veggie dinner went something like this...











Slice the squash into medallions and put into a covered pan to steam. Add a little bit of bacon drippings or a few slices of bacon for flavor.



Add green onions chopped large with the green tops.



Add sliced white onions.



Add pepper.



Add salt.



For the other dish...
Cut cucumbers into medallions and cover with a large amount of salt and some pepper.



Cover the cucumbers with apple cider vinegar.



Let the cucumbers soak for a little while...short soak = still crunchy cucumbers.





Plated side by side.





Obviously the large amount of salt in the cucumbers is not very healthy, but if I cook the squash "healthy" then I can have the cucumbers "less healthy". That is called prerogative!...It is my right!...It is also called rationalization.

Dinner compliments of Gardener Terry and the Country-City Girl Chef a.k.a. The Redhead Riter!

Other yummy recipes:
Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Cucumber Sandwich
Grilled Yellow Squash
Tangy Cucumber and Avocado Salad Tweet