For the Love of Lilacs

If you believe Greek mythology then we all have Pan to thank for the beautifully fragrant lilac bush. His unwanted pursuit of the nymph Syringa lead the desperate nymph to transform herself into a syringa bush or lilac.

Apparently, taking the form of tree or bush was not an uncommon way of spurning unwanted advances in ancient Greece. Syringa joins Daphne who chose to transform herself into a bay laurel to escape Apollo. Syringa's dramatic metamorphosis takes the cold shoulder to a whole other level. Oddly enough Lilacs are considered a symbol of early love.

Mythology aside, lilacs are among my very favorite flowers and the few weeks they are available each year, a season to be savored big bunches at a time.

April Gets Rainy

Yesterday was one long rain shower. It was as if April decided to squeeze every shower into a single day. Any hope of getting outside to garden or just play in the yard faded pretty quickly so we took advantage of the weather and did absolutely nothing!

By nothing, I mean we hung out and had breakfast, watched videos, did laundry, cooked, including making a little cake, did some knitting (then needed to pull it out), read a little, played games on the iPad, napped and did more laundry. Even with all of the laundry, it wasn't a bad way to spend a rainy Sunday.

What's your favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Image: April Showers fabric by Alexander Henry Fabrics.

A Favorite Tree

It may seem odd to say one has a special relationship with a tree but this cherry tree that stands in lot sized park on Driggs Avenue has been a friend of sorts for many years.

I have walked past it endless times over the years and photographed it many times. I have looked forward to seeing it bloom in Spring and it has lifted my spirits many days when things could have been easier.

The photos never seem to capture the full splendor of this tiny tree that explodes with blossoms and offers so much beauty to an otherwise ordinary Brooklyn corner.

I took this shot yesterday on a quick visit to what will soon officially be my former neighborhood. It was past the height of it's blossoming but still beautiful.

What are you thinking?

Hopefully this is what I will be thinking today!

Domino Back at the Newstand?

I took a quick look I the magazine store on my way to work this morning and did a double take. There was a Domino magazine on the racks. Could it be that one of my favorite magazines was being published again?

I was so disappointed when it was cancelled in 2009. I remember there was a sweepstakes for a trip to Paris in the last issue which was cancelled. Today's issue was more of a compendium of the best of Domino issues past. But it gave me hope that this might just signal the resurrection of this amazing decorating/life style magazine. Please be true!

Signs of Spring

Forsythia, violets and bunny ears all sure signs of Spring.

What's in Your Easter Basket?

I'm behind this year on putting the little one's Easter basket together. Partly because I've been busy. Mainly because I don't want it to be all candy and as cute as they are, there's only so many stuffed bunnies a little person can own.

As a result it's turning into a hodge podge of little things like seed packets for the garden, fairy stickers, a silly putty egg, a Thomas book, colored bubbles and chocolate. It doesn't look like something out of the pages of Martha Stewart but it's filled with things a four year might actually enjoy playing with.

Time for Herb Gardening

I'm delighted to have a head start on growing fresh herbs this year. Thanks to the mild winter this year I already have fresh chives and tarragon in my garden.

The garden looks a complete wreck, but when I was cleaning up my pots, I found new growth under the old in one of my herb pots. The chives and tarragon never completely died and are already large enough for cutting.

Medieval Herb Garden at Rye Castle in Sussex England from the Virtual Tourist.

Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake

I've been wanting to try making an olive oil cake for awhile and finally stopped waiting to have enough time and just made one before the blood oranges I bought just got eaten.

For my first try at this Italian classic, I tried this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It was easy to follow and produced a subtly flavored and not too sweet cake.

I used a non-stick loaf pan, which I'll skip next time as it resulted in the edges cooking too quickly. I'll also take the time to make the suggested whip cream or a blood orange syrup to dress up this rustic cake.

Going on an Egg Hunt

It's amazing how quickly the pre-K/ Kindergarten set can pick up hundreds of treat filled colored eggs. I laugh imaging my daughter having the same energy when it comes to cleaning up her toys or even myself when it comes to house cleaning. Maybe I need to hide a golden egg in our house for an inspired cleaning day.

Here's a few photos from our Easter Egg hunt yesterday. I meant to take more photos but got sucked into the excitement of the moment and just enjoyed watching the egg frenzy.