#cement leaf casting

I steamed the leaves and topped them with pan grilled shrimp.  There was a little left over Basmati rice from a couple of days ago to which I added pan toasted pine nuts and golden raisens. A healthy, yummy dinner.

2. Some clumping onions (or are they garlic chives?) haven’t fared as well but will come back in the spring. I need to divide them. They came as a freebie from a neighbor’s bed. The rest of that bed has been covered in black plastic to keep the weeds from proliferating.

3. Across the alley from the community garden is our public library with a garden that was installed and is maintained by volunteers. I am one of them. The chokeberries against the blue sky are beautiful.

4. At home many of my azaleas are wearing a comforter of fallen leaves. It was so wet this fall I couldn’t get to the leaves, but in this area I don’t mind one bit. I hope the extra insulation will keep the plants safe from our recent extreme temperatures. One day last week it went from 50 degrees Farenheit to 19 in just eight hours.  And then a few days later it almost hit 50 again. The plants must be very confused.

5. I am astounded that sage in a window box of herbs wasn’t totally blasted in the recent cold snap. This sage goes on from year to year but in the spring I need to pull everything out and replant it with fresh soil.

6. When I was in Maine before Christmas I saw a small concrete leaf casting in a gift shop. It was about the size of the one I made below and retailed for $45. It made me wonder what the price of some of the large ones I’ve made would be. That’s my hand just to give you some perspective about size. The casting was made with a hosta leaf.

That’s my Six on Saturday, a meme started by The Propogator, a UK gardener. It’s the end of January and getting harder to find new things to share. This is the link to the rules if you’d like to join in.