Oh my the trees are budding out with bright green leaves, including my beautiful freestone peach tree. The tiny pink buds will burst into beautiful little flowers any day now. And, every bud will produce a beautiful succulent fruit that I can almost taste. Year before last I froze nearly 2 gallons of the luscious ripe pink fruits and made several peach cobblers and peach preserves. The tree had an over abundance of the tasty fruits.
Then, last year the tree did the same metamorphosis around the middle of February as the weather had turned warm and mild and spring like, and then, and then... the freeze that sometimes comes right before spring "springs"! We got up one morning and there were little limp pink flowers hanging onto the tree for dear life. And, of course shorty days after they all fell to the ground. No peaches at all last season. Now the tree is sporting the same abundance of blooms and this morning it was 33 degrees. Yesterday there was a frost. Not a killing frost as my mother used to say, but nevertheless a big snow like frost. So far the new growth is fixed but if we get that "killing frost", my tree is barren once again.
We also have daffodils blooming on all our old home places here at the farm; beautiful little yellow heads bobbing and waving in the wind waiting for my husband to pick me a bouquet of my favorite flowers. I have seen these bitten by the cold snaps and drop their little bobbing heads and then fall off.
Mother Nature is a conundrum. As soon as the weather breaks from the coldness of winter, even for just a few hours, all the new growths start to push their way to the surface, believing it's spring but NO, it is "sprinter". a new season being of both spring and left over winter. My pots of perennials are pushing through the black dirt in my big pots and I'm sure I'll have to shelter them before the temps stabilize. My banana trees are also especially in a hurry as they are coming up in and around the whole yard. Just a little bit of icy cold frost will bite the leaves.
As I am counting the days till spring, it's 28 days from today. We are plowing up our garden today. We can really plant onions and cabbages now without the weather bothering them. For some reason this winter season has been especially exasperating for me. I love sitting by the fire reading and dozing but I am tired of that. I think my feelings of impatience and being antsy is the fact that my big new back porch is just there waiting for me to sit and paint the cows standing in the pasture, the barn with its red roof, and the big lake right outside. Or.....to read and doze. And of course, to visit with a big glass of iced tea.
We love home made rolls and I have found a new way to make them. It sounds different and I was hesitant the first time making them but they are delicious.
Home Made Yeast Rolls
1 package of yeast, 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 9 oz. of yellow cake mix, (That's 1 cup and 2 T.) 1/2 t. salt, melted butter
Put yeast into warn water and let set until frothy. Beat into flour, cake mix and salt and mix well. May need 1 or 2 T. more of water at this time to pull away. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double in size about 1 hour. Punch down and pour out onto a floured surface and work until you can roll out and cut individual rolls or half and roll out and cut into 12 wedges and roll beginning with big end. Brush with melted butter and bake 350* for 15 minutes. The remainder can be stored in refrigerator for a few days before using.
