Common Orange Daylily

These are photos of the orange daylilies, which have been blooming since about the first of July at our mountain home.  This lily is a species of a daylily called Hemerocallis fulva, and has many common names, including orange daylily, tawny daylily and the “ditch lily.” These lilies came from a friend, who  was thinning them out and told me to help myself to as many as I wanted.



The flowers open and greet the morning with their six-part petals facing the sun and close around dark, never to open again therefore the “daylily” name. With many flower buds on each stem and many stems in a clump, these lilies may bloom for several weeks.The orange petals often have ruffled edges and a stripe down the center of each petal and maybe doubled. With all the rain this summer in the mountains, they have thrived and are very showy and attention getting.

Chocolate Chess Pie

This recipe is so easy and the pie is so good and very rich. It may not look so pretty but some people say it’s the best pie they have ever put in their mouth.  Just add a little whipped cream or ice cream and you will have a real treat.

1 (9 inch) piecrust, unbaked

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Melt margarine/butter and cocoa. Combine all the other ingredients and mix well.  Beat entire mixture with mixer.  Pour into uncooked pie shell and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 25 to 45 minutes until set. Let cool before cutting.   Enjoy!

Note:  This pie will look like it is not done.  It puffs up during cooking and will kind of fall once you take it from the oven. 

My Grandmother's Garden Tea Roses

My grandmother’s garden tea roses are in bloom.  I'm not sure when she planted this rose or how she obtained it  but  I do remember the sight and smell of this rose brings back fond childhood memories. 

This rose does quite nicely in a partly shaded location next to our garden shed and tolerates the harsh mountain winters. The buds are reddish pink, opening to pale pink flowers that quickly fade to blush white. As the flowers open, some of the reddish color on the buds remains on the outer petals for a short time. This blush-pink rose has long rambling canes that sometimes get in the way when mowing the lawn. The blooms are about 2-3 inches, cupped and quartered with a button eye and are blessed with a strong sweet fragrance. I'm not sure of the identity of this rose but think it is characteristic of the  "Arcata Pink Globe" rose. 

Lupine Garden

These pictures are from my lupine garden in Banner Elk taken this spring. The purple lupines were planted by my Mother many years ago and I planted the others to add to her lupine garden.

“They stood. And stood for something

Just by standing

In waiting. Unavailable. But there For sure.

Sure and unbending.

Rose-fingered dawns and navy midnight’s flower.Seed packets to begin with, pink and azure,

Sifting lightness and small jittery promise:

Lupin spires, erotics of the future,

Lip-brush of the blue and earth’s deep purchase.

O pastel turrets, pods and tapering stalks

That stood their ground for all our summer wending

And even when they blanched would never balk. 

And none of this surpassed our understanding."

Unknown Author

First Bee Hive Inspection - June 1, 2013

I'm ready in my bee suit, gloves and hive tools for my first hive inspection two weeks after installation of the bee package. 

1.  The cover and crown board are removed for hive inspection with the frame rack hanging on side of hive.

2.   Using hive tool to loosen frame and place frames on frame rack.

3.  Observed new wax drawn on foundation frame.

 4.  Observed capped honey, pollen and nectar on frames.

5. Looking at how the bees are using their wax comb - raising brood and storing nectar.

6.  Gently replacing removed frames by into hive.

A great day in the hive. I was able to see the marked Queen and pleased with the productively of the bees.