Mudpie's Grove

Master Marshmallow had a lovely chat with our resident house dragon today. He's very old and has seen many battles, and Marshmallow was more than happy to sit respectfully and listen to this aging warrior's stories. The most exciting one was the story of how he got the hole in his left wing. For a storyteller like Marshmallow, it's such a treat to hear tales from a much older and wiser being than himself. It's like brain candy to him to hear exciting new stories, learn about new beings and places, and vicariously experience things he never has before. No doubt this little rootling will have renewed enthusiasm to tell his own stories in the weeks to come because of this wonderful meeting with a fantastical dragon. 💙💜

Hydrangea flowers come in a range of colors, from pale pink to magenta to purple and even deep blue. And before they're fully developed, they're a pale, soft green color. That's a lot of personality in just one type of flower! It has to do with the pH of the soil. If the soil is very acidic, the flowers are blue. If it's very basic, they're pale pink. And if they're somewhere in between, in a more neutral pH range, they're either magenta or purple. Here in this post, we've got the full range of colors. The top four pics show the pinks, taken around the corner from Morley's human's house. The middle six pics show the magentas and purples, taken of her human's small hydrangea bush in the backyard. And finally, the deep blue flowers were taken of the larger hydrangea in the front yard. Morley thinks all the different hues are beautiful, and thinks the tireless efforts of these lovely bushes to bring color into the world should be celebrated. 🩷💜💙

Mudpie: "Ohhh... great idea! Mudpie approves! But um... best to learn lines better before selling any tickets." Master Marshmallow: *sighs* "Yes, thank you, I shall do that." Mudpie: "And change name of skull. Rootlick stinks." Master Marshmallow: "Okay, okay!"

Kizzle chose this bush at a nursery to replace one we'd had for decades in front of our front stairs that was killed off by a heatwave. A few years later, and it's getting very tall! It's about three times the height it was when we bought it. Kizzle chose it because it gets the most vibrant red flowers and berries during the Summer. her favorite color is red, just like her eyes, so of course she was drawn to this particular bush. She's so proud of how far it's come, and hopes that it will grow even bigger next year. ❤️

In honor of this sweet holiday, Maybel and I made some simple yet tasty sugar cookies. All we needed was the mix, some butter, and one egg. It doesn't get any easier than that! They were mostly crunchy, a wee bit chewy in their centers, buttery, and simply delightful. It was Maybel's idea to add the nonpareils for a little pop of color. And besides, what else goes best on top of a sugar cookie than... more sugar? XD

What's the perfect Summer cake, according to Ashleaf? Blueberry lemon cake, of course! With pudding in the mix and some nonpareils on top for extra color and a fun crunchy texture. The cake came out so moist and fluffy, and the blueberries add the perfect burst of fruit to the soft lemon flavor of the cake. This is one of Ashleaf's favorite Summer treats, and I can't blame her. It's delicious and simple to make! She wanted extra sprinkles on her slice, and I couldn't say no to her smiling face. =)

Today is the National Day of Rock 'n' Roll! Rocko is so excited because, frankly, this is exactly his thing. His music is everything to him, and his tastes and talents do skew towards the rock genre. To celebrate the occasion, he gave everyone in the house a free little concern this morning. Or rather, he woke up the whole house at the crack of dawn, loudly playing his guitar and belting out several choice numbers. It's alright, though. We all understand his enthusiasm and are glad music makes him as happy as it does. =)

Today is the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Americans come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Some of them happen to be quite small and potato-shaped, like our friend Mudpie here. He might be one of the littlest Americans, but he's celebrating in a big way. So many of us have been stressed out lately and times are hard, all around the world, but what it means to be American to Mudpie, is being able to see the brighter side of things and spread that light to others. Bright sides such as... patriotically-decorated donuts. They make him happy, and now his smiling face will make you happy too. Pass the positivity along, and let's support and lift each other up this Independence Day. ❤️🤍💙

Halfred and I ventured out onto the Middlesex Greenway today. Rain was in the forecast, but we took a chance on getting a walk in anyway. It actually turned out to be a very nice day! We saw some flowers, some interesting tree roots, and even a patch of bittersweet nightshade. It's going to be dangerously hot the next few days, so we were glad we got in a nice nature walk while we could. =)

Today is a very special holiday, indeed, and it's one that near and dear to Mudpie's snack-loving heart. Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day! No vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or any boring, traditional flavors for these snacking rootlings today, oh no. Mudpie sent me to the store to "go forth and bring back the most creativist icy creams flavors ever!" He's... not great with words, but that's okay. So I set out to find one for him, for his cousin Halfred, and for Master Marshmallow. I was in luck, for they had just restocked shelves and shelves of ice cream, and I was able to find some pretty unique and personalized flavors for each of them. Mudpie got "Dirt Cake," because he's constantly rolling in the mud and being rambunctious. Also he loves chocolate. Cookies, pudding, ganache... he'll love it. Halfred, who likes to be healthier, got a non-dairy "Oatmeal Dream Pie" flavor with oatmeal cookies and marshmallow. And of course Master Marshmallow had to also have marshmallows in his, so he got "Phish Food," which has just that in addition to caramel and fudge. The rootlings were all happy with their respective acquisitions, and pretty soon the situation broke down into a giggle fest as they all clamored to open their containers. I'll let them try to figure it out for a little bit before I open the containers for them. XD