Sping has sprung....

April Showers bring May Flowers...right? Alright then stop raining!!!! This week was a mess. It rained every day and all last weekend. Darrell was happy as the allergies stay at bay when all the pollen gets washed away. Two weeks ago, I got the flowers out on the decks. Two tomato plants (only Patio Tomatoes....yes...they really bread tomatoes just to be on pots on a patio...and I must say for the last three years I have tried regular tomatoes and only the patio ones survive and keep those matoes comin'), rosemary, mint, and basil...bad story about the basil. This week's rain basically sent it swimming. Apparently basil doesn't like to swim!!! Completely dead!...oh well. Not sure that I can return that one to Lowes with the claim that "I just don't know what happened"..it's a little obvious!
Today is beautiful..however, Darrell is miserable again.. poor thing. I just love spring and it is a killer time of year for him.
Tuck was sick this week. I have no idea what he got into or what caused it but one trip to the doctor and a steady diet of my homemade chicken and rice and he's getting there. I am so blessed with such a good dog. This morning he came up to me in bed...yes he sleeps with us...I know but I have a weakness for adorable beagle puppies...anyway, Darrell called him to come up by our bodies for a snuggle and he came up to me, laid his body out lengthwise and dropped his big hound dog head and ears right up next to my face on my chest. As if to say "I love you Mom, thanks for making me feel better". Awwww....what a wonderful dog.
Final news of the last two weeks....I entered a cooking contest at work. You've heard me talk about upcoming flavor pairings in food. Something chefs around the country along with our chefs put together as far as trends go. One of the trends of this year is rosemary and fruit preserves. While I was completely swamped with softball and a trip to Chicago..I managed to create and crank out Rosemary Thumbprint Cookies. Ya, not really that hard to come up with. Just a touch of rosemary in those butter cookies covered in walnuts and then topped with a great black raspberrry preserve I found at Wegman's...they came out great and won hands down. They are even going to use the recipe for a McCormick Holiday promotion...who knew!. What did I win..well, for me bragging rights are really all I need but..a 25$ gift certificate to Wegmans. An upscale grocery store but has a great little kitchen area with cute dishes ect, and a copy of our newest McCormick cookbook (which I already had and now my Mom has one for Mother's Day...well, ya, it was an easy gift but what are you going to do).
Alright, I'm out. Have a great Mother's Day Weekend!!! Enjoy Spring!